You can't go without acknowledging Michael Jackson's sales accomplishment this week. Though because of official rules—and unlike in the U.K.—it doesn't affect the main album chart (Billboard Top 200 Albums).Instead, his Number Ones and Essential Michael Jackson compilations and Thriller studio album each sold over 100,000 copies to appear at #1, 2 and 3 positions on the Top Pop Catalog chart. A record has now been broken, as this marks the first time an album on that Top Pop Catalog list has outsold the #1 on the Top 200 Albums chart—in this case, Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D., which had sales of 88,000.
To clear things up, the differentiation is that Billboard deems an album older than 18 months which has fallen below the #100 position on the Top 200 Albums chart is now scooted over to the Top Pop Catalog Albums. Comprende?
And, unless you're living in a tent in Siberia and weren't aware, this resurgance in the Jackson catalog is all because of the singer's death last Thursday.
Over on the Hot 100 Singles, Black Eyed Peas' swap singles in the #1 and #2 positions, with "I Gotta Feeling" now overtaking "Boom Boom Pow" as the top song in the country after the latter's 12-week reign.
Elsewhere, Pink's "Please Don't Leave Me" manages to lollygaga up two spots to #18, while Jordin Sparks lumbers up one to #31.I also can't not mention Rob Thomas, who I've often been conflicted about as to whether he's actually hot or like one of those deceitful photos you stare at for a minute and it begins to shift in scope. His latest, "Her Diamonds," jumps up to #32, and becomes only his second Top 40 solo single in the U.S.—outside of that Santana one, "Smooth," which was #1 for, like, 2,640 weeks 10 years ago.
The U.S. Top 10:
1. "I Gotta Feeling" - The Black Eyed Peas *1 week*
2. "Boom Boom Pow" - The Black Eyed Peas
3. "Best I Ever had" - Drake
4. "Knock You Down" - Keri Hilson feat. Kanye West & Ne-Yo
5. "LoveGame" - Lady GaGa
6. "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" - Pitbull
7. "Fire Burning" - Sean Kingston
8. "Birthday Sex" - Jeremih
9. "New Divide" - Linkin Park
10. "Waking Up In Vegas" - Katy Perry
