#hot 100 airplay

[jimin-updates]

Jimin and Who on the Billboard charts; week 14

Who has the highest week 14 Billboard Hot 100 placement for a k-soloist in the last decade!

We were two spots below predictions, which put the song at 34. This means sales and streams didn’t meet predicted totals for the week; let’s please pick up this week!

Who remains the longest-charting solo song on the streaming songs chart as well!

A complete look of the song’s performance:

[brightgolden]

Hii what do you mean they fucked up the charting rules

In July 2020 (apparently it’s more than 2 years ago by now help), Billboard announced that they won’t count merch and album bundle towards any of their charts.

Hence, I was a bit perplexed why Louis’ US store suddenly had merch and album bundle because for sure they wouldn't be counted towards Billboard 200.

Of course I thought either,

a. Louis doesn’t care about charting

b. it’s somehow allowed

Little did I know that they were going to ask fans in two weeks time to pay for the differences of the bundle discount. Townsend Music (which is the company who fulfilled Louis' store orders) said it's their mistake, but honestly Louis isn't the first artist that used their services.

Who actually signed on this? I have no idea

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

The Cranberries - Zombie 1994

"Zombie" is a protest song by Irish alternative rockband the Cranberries. It was written by the lead singer, Dolores O'Riordan, about the young victims of a bombing in Warrington, England, during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The song was released on 19 September 1994 as the lead single from the Cranberries' second studio album, No Need to Argue. While the record label feared releasing a too controversial and politically charged song as a single, "Zombie" reached number 1 on the charts of Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and Iceland, and spent nine consecutive weeks at number 1 on the French SNEP Top 100. It reached number 2 on the Ö3 Austria Top 40, where it stayed for eight weeks. The song did not chart on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart as it wasn't released as a single there, but it reached number 1 on the US Billboard Alternative Airplay chart. Listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J voted it number 1 on the 1994 Triple J Hottest 100 chart, and it won the Best Song Award at the 1995 MTV Europe Music Awards.

The Troubles were a conflict in Northern Ireland from the late 1960s to 1998. The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), an Irish republican paramilitary organisation, waged an armed campaign to end British rule in Northern Ireland and unite the region with the Republic of Ireland. Republican and Unionist paramilitaries killed more than 3,500 people, many from thousands of bomb attacks. One of the bombings happened on 30 March 1993, as two IRA improvised explosive devices hidden in litter bins were detonated in a shopping street in Warrington, England. Two people; Johnathan Ball, aged 3, and Tim Parry, aged 12, were killed in the attack. 56 people were injured. Ball died at the scene of the bombing as a result of his shrapnel-inflicted injuries, and five days later, Parry lost his life in a hospital as a result of head injuries. O'Riordan decided to write a song that reflected upon the event and the children's deaths after visiting the town: "We were on a tour bus and I was near the location where it happened, so it really struck me hard – I remember being devastated about the innocent children being pulled into that kind of thing. So I suppose that's why I was saying, 'It's not me' – that even though I'm Irish it wasn't me, I didn't do it. Because being Irish, it was quite hard, especially in the UK when there was so much tension." The song was re-popularised in 2023 after it was played after Ireland games at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. It was picked up by fans of the Irish team, with videos of fans singing the song in chorus accumulating hundreds of thousands of views on social media. This offended other Irishmen, who identified it as an "anti-IRA" anthem, and said that that the lyrics failed to consider their experience during the Troubles.

The music video, directed by Samuel Bayer, was filmed in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the heart of the Troubles with real footage, and in Dublin. To record video footage of murals, children and British Army soldiers on patrol, he had a false pretext, with a cover story about making a documentary about the peace-keeping efforts in Ireland. Bayer stated that a shot in the video where an SA80 rifle is pointed directly at the camera is a suspicious British soldier asking him to leave, and that the IRA were keeping a close look at the shoot, given "the British Army come in with fake film crews, getting people on camera.” While "Zombie" received heavy rotation on MTV Europe and was A-listed on Germany's VIVA, the music video was banned by the BBC because of its "violent images", and by the RTÉ, Ireland's national broadcaster. Instead, both the BBC and the RTÉ opted to broadcast an edited version focusing on footage of the band in a live performance, a version that the Cranberries essentially disowned. Despite their efforts to maintain the original video "out of view from the public", some of the initial footage prevailed, with scenes of children holding guns. In March 2003, on the eve of the outbreak of the Iraq War, the British Government and the Independent Television Commission issued a statement saying ITC's Programme Code would temporarily remove from broadcast songs and music videos featuring "sensitive material", including "Zombie". Numerous media groups complied with the decision to avoid "offending public feeling", along with MTV Europe. Since it violated the ITC guidelines, "Zombie" was placed on a blacklist of songs, targeting its official music video. The censorship was lifted once the war had ended. In April 2020, it became the first song by an Irish group to surpass one billion views on Youtube.

"Zombie" received a total of 91% yes votes!

[btsx50states]

Check out BTS' stats on Billboard this week! Notable mentions are "Seven" once again topping the Global Billboard 200 charts and V achieving his first number 1 on the Billboard Hot Trending Songs chart with "Love Me Again!"

[vintagegeekculture]

I remember a friend of mine had some LPs that were Star Wars themed disco albums, and it brought back a very weird memory from back in the 70s (yes, I'm old!) of listening to a Star Wars disco mashup on the radio. What was all that about? I also remember something like that for Close Encounters, too.

You remember correctly, and this went on for a long while. In 1983, disk jockeys around the country played a record that involved an Ewok rapping the plot of Return of the Jedi in Ewokese. This made it to #60 in the Billboard Top 100.

This is hard to explain to people who weren’t there….but in the wake of Star Wars in the late 70s and early 80s, scifi was so beloved and mainstream that the orchestral music for nerdy scifi and fantasy movies about outer space were remixed and sampled into Giorgio Moroder-esque Italo-Disco dance numbers. And the most astonishing thing is, instead of being consigned to convention acts the way “horse famous” Brony dubstep acts are, this received national airplay on the radio, reached the pop music charts, and were played in discotheques. And incredibly, this continued for years and expanded from Star Wars into Star Trek, Wizard of Oz, Black Hole, Close Encounters….

All of this was the work of one specific person: Meco (or Dominico Monardo). The term “ahead of their time” is thrown around a lot, but Meco really was: a combination producer-songwriter and Italo-Disco pioneer in the style of Giorgio Moroder, he did several things that are now absolutely standard: he used remixes and sampling before hiphop made that standard for musicians, he wrote “fandom music” on a Moog synthesizer decades before Bronies turned their conventions into cringey dubstep concerts with songs like “Everypony Dance Now.”

It's stunning to me that Meco has not been rediscovered, considering every single trend in the culture essentially went his way.

The most startling thing about Meco’s Star Wars disco album, the one that got the ball rolling on this trend, is this: I always assumed it was some kind of cash in created by a record label mandate, a label executive’s completely cynical choice to hop on a hot new trend. That isn’t a crazy thing to think at all, since Star Wars is and always has been the most merchandized and sold out scifi property ever. But it wasn’t! You see, it was all the product of a single man’s specific vision: Meco had to convince his record label to make the record because they were skeptical.

When Meco went to see Star Wars in 1977 on Opening Day (what an experience that must have been) with his friend and fellow Italian chest hair/gold medallion enthusiast Tony Bongiovi, he was already an experienced producer-songwriter who had worked with Gloria Gaynor, Diana Ross, and formed DCA, the Disco Corporation of America. If you've ever listened to Diana Ross's "I'm Coming Out," Meco actually played the trombone solo in that song. Seeing the Star Wars movie for the first time, though Meco thought the movie was nothing short of a religious experience. Originally, he wanted to do Star Wars music as a b-side on a Gloria Gaynor album, but expanded the idea into an entire album.

In Meco’s own words:

"When I think about what I did, nobody came to me, nobody said 'Meco, why don't you do this.' Nobody says 'Here's some money go make a record of this movie.' It was just my own... It was magical, it was just out of this world when all that happened."

Not only did this album hit platinum, not only did it actually outsell the Star Wars soundtrack, his remix of the Star Wars theme also went to #1 in the charts. It’s actually the best selling instrumental single of all time. A record, that, incidentally, it holds to this day.

Dick Clark, host of American Bandstand, had this to say about Meco:

"In 1977, Meco Monardo accomplished something no one else has ever done to the best of my knowledge. He was the first one in history to out-sell the soundtrack of a motion picture with his own distinctive version of a film's music. The music was totally danceable, and broke new ground. It's no wonder the STAR WARS THEME went to # 1. I loved his treatment of music from THE WIZARD OF OZ. Again, Meco created something innovative. The fun and the excitement gave a whole new feel to that totally familiar and well-loved music."

Like a lot of studio producers, Meco had an insane work ethic and hit when the iron was hot: he did an album about Close Encounters that exact same year, but also did a Star Wars Christmas Album, one of the strangest pieces of Star Wars kitsch around.

One of the most interesting things about the Star Wars Christmas album is that one of the songs, “R2D2’s Wish You a Merry Christmas” is the first professional vocals by John Bon Jovi, who was Meco’s friend Tony Bongiovi’s seventeen year old younger cousin (he was initially known as John Bongiovi). It's incredible to hear a squeaky voiced teen Bon Jovi on a kitsch album about a robot Christmas.

1978-1979 was really his best year. Meco made an Italo-Disco remix album entirely devoted to Superman, and at this point, Meco had the pull to get access to John Williams's sheet music for the score before the music even came out. In my personal opinion it's the best of them because he has to recreate it entirely with his own instruments, leading to a very unique sound.

He also did an album based on the Wizard of Oz:

And a combination album of Star Trek/Black Hole. It's probably the earliest remixing date of Goldsmith pieces of music: the Motion Picture Theme (which is now associated with the Next Generation - hearing it done in Italodisco is uncanny) and the Klingon Theme:

Incidentally, I think the design here of the Meco Enterprise, which had to be modified for legal reasons, would make a wonderful canon starship if anyone wants to be inspired by it. It reminds me of the same concept that would be used in the very next film for the Reliant-class of ships.

Meco eventually retired from music in 1985, but unfortunately he is no longer with us, as he passed into the next dimension in 2023. I think he showed us that creativity is often about transformation, and was inspired to make his art by a legitimate awe of space, the cosmos, and human imagination that the scifi movies of the 1970s and 80s provoke.

[solarwynd]

Crazy how western stans tried to convince me that second day drops in streams only happen with k-pop artists that 'have no gp and are carried by fans', only for me to find out Taylor had some truly egregious drops with her latest album (an 11m drop for the main song and over 130m for the whole album, like, Taylor girl, that's crazy). And now this August thing, which is just fans mass streaming, cause it certainly isn't the gp randomly deciding to all collectively stream a 4 year old song. And then I also remembered that, before Like Crazy, the biggest drop from #1 on the Hot100 was one of her songs, and she doesn't even have the excuse of all her sales not being counted because of a sudden and unannounced rule change made specifically to try to stop songs from getting a #1 with sales from fans instead of with radioplay illegally paid to the radio stations (since my girl Like Crazy also has the record for lowest airplay for a #1 song on the Hot 100, with a whopping 0 (zero) airplay points, she really is the payola queen, congrats to her). The sense of superiority (and poorly masked xenophobia) these people have while pretending shit like this didn't happen is truly outstanding.

.🎯

[yuzuyoon]

Highest charting song by K-pop soloist in 3rd week of release on Billboard hot 100 :

1. “#Who” — #24 (-12) with 1 version + 4 covers + 5 rmxs + no radio + solo.

( 18m streams and 0 airplay)

2. “Seven” — #30 (-21) with 2 versions + 10 covers + 9 rmxs + radio + collab.

( 12m streams and 12m airplay).

This is insane!!! We are doing so well for Jimin!! I am so proud to stream everyday for him. Let's Keep Going!! 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿

no because this is actually crazy. i dont know how many ppl on here are from the us, but i can tell you, i try my hardest to avoid telling people i listen to kpop. i'm not ashamed but it's just something that makes people look at you differently. i had a pc in my phone case at school once and this guy asked me if it was "one of those bts guys." it was, so i said so and he gave me a look and i shot back with a "you have a problem with that?" and he backed down but i could tell he was a bit off put by it.

the point is, the general public in america doesn't exactly love kpop in the same way that the gp in asian countries do. there's a stereotype surrounding kpop here that they're not as good as western artists, or that kpop is a weird thing to like. the fact that male idols seem more open to more traditionally feminine things (like makeup, etc) really turns people away from kpop. the language barrier also is an issue for most people. you'll either find people that don't care, think kpop is stupid, or kpop fans who like it here.

now, i've actually met people that knew jungkook from seven and liked it, but the difference between seven with its ridiculous amount of promo and jimin's releases is that jungkook's was probably the perfect gp release in the sense that the moment people got bored, it plummeted. surprisingly, i have never heard seven on the radio once, especially in 2024. it was a perfectly simple pop song that got incredibly boring to most people because it was so basic. you could find the exact same song spanning over tons of artists over here.

who and like crazy picked up popularity because they were the perfect mix of gp friendly while still being unique. like crazy picked up on the trend of synthpop that was really big since 2020 and it gathered attention because it was a unique spin on the genre. who was made by the same producer as seven, but it feel so different because it just has that touch of uniqueness that jimin has on songs. he'll take a genre and then mix things up. its the perfect stand out song in an industry of basic song after basic song

[lachlmomama]

#1 - Billboard World Digital Song Sales.

#7 - Billboard Global Excl. U.S

#88 - Billboard Hot 100

The formula to organic success by Park Jimin:

🌻💐🩷🩵💚

1. Don't promote the song. Not even the barest minimum.

2. Don't release pre-order links until much later. Instead, have a top executive from your music label troll fans who ask for said pre-order links.

3. Have 0 radio airplay.

4. Pay no payola.

5. Have only 1 version of the song.

6. Have one hell of a loyal, passionate and supportive fandom that will turn the world upside down to hold you up and carry you.

7. Have a Korean joyful, boppy song with clean lyrics composed by you and a bunch of genius friends who know you best as an artist.

NOT BAD FOR A SONG THAT WAS, FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, IGNORED BY THE COMPANIES THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO PROMOTE IT. NOT BAD AT ALL PARK JIMIN! 🌻🤩

So proud of you Jimin!

👏👏👏🫰

Please continue to stream Smeraldo Garden Marching Band 👇👇👇 for longevity in the charts

And please include her sisters Closer Than This and the queen Like Crazy 👇👇👇

[roo-bastmoon]

The Great Radio Debate: Roo's (limited) Understanding of this Issue UPDATED

Disclaimer: Sensitive topics are discussed below the cut; please do not incite drama, speak hate, or engage in bullying. This is a collection of my thoughts about what is currently happening with regard to Jungkook's single SEVEN and the implications it could mean for Jikook and ARMY. If you click below this cut, you are assuming responsibility for your own behavior and agreeing to engage with my blog and others respectfully, or you will be blocked.

We now by know that Jimin's music was not promoted to radio. We know this because when we went to request it from various major radio stations, it was not an option in the drop-downs; we had to manually type it in. Being "sent / promoted / serviced to radio" means a compressed file is sent from the company to radio stations so DJs can play high-def spins that are universally compatible with their station's set up.

None of Jimin's songs for Face were serviced:

The airplay audience was the lowest for any song this decade:

The controversy around Jungkook's SEVEN began last week when one DJ tweeted the following:

As we now know, "serviced to radio" means they sent a compressed file (which they SHOULD have done for Like Crazy English Version, but didn't). They did service to radio for Butter and Dynamite and it was a huge help. Even Yet to Come was serviced, so it cracked Top 50 on the charts, but none of Face's songs were sent, which makes zero business sense any achievement on that chart amazing.

Because even when serviced, it doesn't guarantee spins... "Add" means they hope radio stations will add the song to rotation:

But then the DJ had to go and say this:

So they have already sent SEVEN to the radios, hoping for spins. And now one person is publicly saying the song absolutely will get spins immediately. This heavily implies payola, because why else would a song without demand or requests immediately spin multiple times on everyone's shows the second it was released?

I feel (I, Roo Bastmoon, personally think and feel) Seven is being pushed this way for two reasons:

Billboard's recent changes around what kind of sales (physical, digital, bundled) will counts on the charts puts songs without radio play at an extreme, nigh-insurmountable disadvantage; even with excellent streams (which are heavily culled and filtered), it will be hard to break into the top 50.

Additionally, Taylor Swift's Speak Now re-release has dropped this week and will be gunning for the charts next week when Jungkook debuts, and that is a personal problem for Scooter Braun.

For those not familiar (as I surely wasn't; I live under a rock), Taylor Swift felt compelled to leave her old management company back in 2018. To do so, she had to abandon the rights to any original music she made with them. They kept her masters and sold them off to Scooter Braun.

Each time someone wanted to play one of her original songs, they had to ask his permission and pony up money for a license fee. Scooter Braun also managed Kanye, and I'm sure everyone knows the Beyoncé is the Greatest of All Time award show fiasco that led to some bad blood between those two artists, so it added insult to injury for Taylor.

Taylor has now re-recorded everything and released Speak Now: Taylor's Version. Of COURSE her fans are motivated to support her and get every single song they can into the highest position on the Hot 100 for as long as possible... and frankly, I am not a Swiftie but I can't blame them because if someone did that to BTS, I'd make it my life's mission to chart them as a big Fuck You, too.

But it does put a lot of pressure on Jungkook's single, because now it's very likely been weaponized in a personal dick-measuring contest where Scooter is concerned. Not sure if I mentioned it but I truly hate that man so I'm not sure I can be impartial when talking about him but I will try.

So Jungkook's single has been set up so far with pre-orders on iTunes and compressed files to radio, which is a first for any member's solo work. He also has a debut stage on Good Morning America, which has a huge range beyond k-pop.

So far, none of this is foul play. It is a company doing its best to represent and set up the best conditions for its artist under changed circumstances. You can make a case for favoritism, clearly, but at the end of the day, companies are about making profits and sometimes they grossly underestimate what has potential and what the market wants.

The issues fans are facing now around Seven lie in:

1) the neglect around Jimin's Like Crazy English Version, which is still so stable that it could be smashing charts if only it would get radio play so this just seems to make zero business sense and be more of a slight than anything else, so Jikookers are left wondering what that means for the relationship and,

2) the fear that Hybe America under Scooter Braun has abandoned BTS' founding values and taken the easy way out by paying to play on radio, which would severely damage credibility that BTS worked so hard to build as an organic, fan-driven success.

I think we'll have to wait to see how many sales, streams, and spins Jungkook gets to figure out if payola was likely. Maybe that one DJ was tweeting his own assumptions like they were facts. Or maybe Hybe has now decided to do payola. If that is so... not gonna lie, I will be extremely disappointed. I will need to take a break and figure out what this means for me as a fan.

The next question is how much did Jungkook know about all this? There seems to be two camps of thought here: one says the boys are involved in every step of the way and choose everything that happened around their releases.

(I know Jimin is very humble but I HIGHLY doubt he ever said to his company "Please rush my release in between other releases so I get physically sick trying to keep up with it; please never restock my physicals in WeVerse and don't send a file for the English song I studied for to US radios; and please also never post about my world record nor celebrate my albums' success in any way; yes, I worked 10+ months on this very personal opus but I absolutely don't want any of that." I very, very much doubt the ways Face was handled after Hot 100 #1 was Jimin's choice. This also makes me doubt if all the ways Seven will be handled will be Jungkook's choice.)

The second camp of thought is that the artists have absolutely no say in the marketing and promotion styles of their work, and that they are kept out of sales matters altogether. And here's the limit of my understanding, because I've not seen or read much on Hybe / BigHit's strategic plans around distribution for either BTS' group or solo works.

(Side Note: I have seen them set up TXT for a Billboard Top Ten, only for their collab to come in at #135, which shows a gross misunderstanding of their market right now--as well as disregard for their artists' feelings and reputations. My heart goes out to those boys; they worked hard.)

But drawing on my own experience decades ago when I used to work in entertainment out in LA, I can tell you, even as Chief Editor, plenty of my media content was changed without anyone informing me--back-cover blurbs, cover designs, release dates, shelf talkers, pop ups, print runs, print houses, store placements, advertising, interview articles--at some point in my former career, all of those things got changed around and I found out after the fact, on my own projects. Which pissed me off but I'd signed NDAs and couldn't do a single thing about it. And the authors / creators didn't know until *I* had the hard job of informing them. And they couldn't do anything about it because they were under contract.

So I think the level of members' involvement in solo works is somewhere in between. I think as artists and performers, BTS members can have a great deal of say in their look, styles, lyrics, choreo, merch, and venues. But not total say. Definitely not deciding-factor say.

I think the company can make them water down their lyrics, change up the choreo, and flat-out tell them no when it comes to music videos, performance venues, pretty much anything budget-related. They don't even have to explain why; it's their budget and their bottom-line. (In the old days, it seems like the members could freely express opinions around the works and even challenge management when it came to creative content. Maybe that is still true.)

As far as Jungkook's involvement in Seven's style, we have a stylist going on record about how some of the options were their ideas and that Jungkook had a lot of input on the look and feel, so it was a mixture:

For this reason alone, the fact that things like mud were added to clean pants or spikes to a jacket after Jungkook had input makes me truly feel this was his way of honoring Jimin and Face. It just seems like something our Jungkook would do--he may not always say it, but he's always watching Jimin-ssi.

As for sales and marketing strategies? The boys may never get looped in. Or they may be told the plans, but not invited to give input. Or they may sit down and plan it all out to the last detail with each department. I genuinely don't know. And because I don't know, I will not be assuming the worst of Jungkook or any member until I have all the facts. That is anti behavior, in my mind, and I just cannot stomach it. I can never bring myself to believe the worst of anyone until they fully and consistently show me that's who they are.

We've spent ten years with these guys. They are flawed human beings, yes, but not cheats, not assholes. I think they omit plenty of details but I don't think they straight-up lie to us. I don't think Jungkook would ever look his staff and executives in the eye and say "Yes, I want you to illegally pay money under the table so this single will top the charts." Jungkook is competitive, but also a stickler for fair play. You spend any amount of time watching Run, and the only time he "cheats" is when he wants to be with Jimin (lol) and he's pretty endearingly obvious about it; guy has almost no game face.

Okay but joking aside, I'm honestly very worried for JK. It sort of feels like he's being set up. Many questions have arisen over the stylistic choices for Seven. There's the fan frenzy around having a hot female protagonist in his video. And now the question about how much radio play Seven will get, and why. That's a lot of controversy to hang on a young man's shoulders. Especially in light of the recent book that's come out, in which it's clear now that the company and the artists are aware of hate-trending hashtags in English. GOD THAT MAKES ME SICK TO MY STOMACH.

To me, it feels (it feels--as in, my gut is telling me this; I have no receipts) like the company is using JK to experiment with a different way of doing business--a way that may stray from their founding values.

And there's so much potential for this to blow up in JK's face. There are solos who will insist he's stealing Jimin's style. Antis who will insist he's cheated on the charts. Insecure shippers who will lose their minds if anything flirty goes down with Han So-hee on screen. K-poppies, Swifties, and local racists all insisting on undermining his creativity, talent, and character because they fear the competition.

This release on Friday has the potential to be a blood bath. And I just don't trust the company to have his back and take ownership of their part in this, if so. From everything I've seen about Jungkook, he deserves the benefit of the doubt.

My biggest question mark is how Jimin will respond to all of this. If he comes on live one day and says in a flat tone something like: "I was really surprised to see how similar Jungkookie's concept was to my own." or "How interesting that Seven got sent to radio--good for him, good for him. I wonder how that happens?" Then I'll take that to mean Jimin wasn't looped in on JK's plans and he doesn't feel great about it; that won't sit well with me.

Then again, if Jimin raves about Seven and plays it on live or joins JK in New York and mentions how flattered he was that they share the same style, how they click, how proud he is of JK's hard work and asks please ARMY give it a lot of love? Then I'll infer he was definitely looped in, this is a homage, and JK's actions were always above board. I will assume that because I will never doubt Jimin's integrity. If Jimin approves, I will approve. Jimin has earned my complete trust.

So this week is a very tense one (for me at least). But it does provide quite the distraction from the stress tests and specialist consults I have lined up, I'll give you that. Never a dull moment. (I am so ready for this fandom to have some dull moments.)

In the end, I'm going to chose to believe in the very best of our members until there's solid evidence to think otherwise. As of now? I think the only dirty cheater in the mix is the music industry at large. I know the entertainment world is corrupt, but Jesus, they are so blatant about it all.

Anyway, we may not get radio data for several days or weeks after the initial drop date, so I'm prepared to hang in there for a good bit. And if there is evidence of payola and JK knew about it... I'm gonna need time to process that and figure out where I go from there, as a Jikooker, as an ARMY. I will honestly be shocked.

One thing you'll never see me do is spout hatred for human beings. I will likely rant about the company. And there are plenty of people Scooter Braun that I viscerally dislike. But I'm making a commitment now not to spread dehumanizing hate speech on the timeline.

That's not what BTS or Jimin would ever want. That's not what I want for myself, especially if my days in this life are limited. I don't need that kind of toxicity or karma.

Am I furious about all the crap that's gone down for Jimin (and other members too, to a lesser degree)? You bet your buttons, as my Nana used to say. I could rage and froth all day about it.

But I also remember who came online over and over to say Jimin's name, play Jimin's songs, mimic Jimin's interviews, giggle at Jimin's video clips, and invite Jimin into his life.

And based on moved lamps and dog scratches and Jimin bulking up, it's likely Jimin has accepted those invitations.

Whenever we do get to glimpse Jimin with Jungkook, he seems as endeared and besotted as he always has.

I trust Jimin to know if someone did him dirty, and to act accordingly. I do not believe any aspect of the Jikook relationship is performance.

For those reasons, I'm gonna be withholding judgement until all info around Seven comes in.

I hope you will too, but I understand if you feel differently and I'm not on this Earth to judge other people's viewpoints or experiences. I just ask that if you want to be friends with me here, you try to be civil in your words and actions, even in the sway of big feelings. Every person behind the screen is a work in progress; we are all fighting invisible battles; there are many sides to each story.

All any of us can do is our best with what we are given. Let's wait and see what Jungkook (and Jimin, and the company) give us.

If you made it this far through my ramblings, kudos! I welcome ideas, so feel free to comment--but just remember, rudeness will be removed. There's no space for meanness on my blog.

Love and deep respect to you all,

Roo

UPDATED:

So, it would seem the DJ who is hyping JK's Seven is also open to playing Like Crazy. This would imply it's been sent to some radio because before I remember he tweeted that he needed the compressed file in order to play it on his station (I am sorry I didn't save that link but he was talking about Hobi and Jimin if I recall, back at the time!).

UPDATE 2:

The radio stations that took requests (including the one mentioned above) back at that time were playing the music video version available to the public, not a compressed file sent by the company:

And when I check on this linktree of top radio stations in the US, Like Crazy does not come up as any option in rotation. I have to manually request still, after four months of being stable on the charts.

So if Jungkook gets immediate spins and requests immediately come up in rotation... is that because radio stations really love Jungkook? Or is this a company "networking" deal? (And in any case, would JK be involved in that aspect?) Everything still remains to be seen. Let's be patient and try our best not to assume the worst.

Many thanks for JMDBJK for mentioning in the comments the likelihood that a title track would be sent out, which prompted me to go look soon as I could get to my computer. I really do value anyone willing to take the time to help me learn more info about this industry!

[thelensofyashunews]

Fuerza Regida Host a Never-Ending Party in "CRAZYZ" Video

Armed with their tight group chemistry and the songwriting and vocal chops of frontman Jesús Ortiz Paz, Fuerza Regida are leaders of the Mexican music boom. Today, the Platinum-selling grupo shares the video for "CRAZYZ," a fan favorite song from their Billboard-charting album Pa Las Baby's Y Belikeada. With hundreds of millions of streams across platforms, including over 144 million on Spotify alone, "CRAZYZ" tells the story of a party so wild and uninhibited that it feels like it lasts forever. In the video, Fuerza hosts one of these parties in a mansion in Southern California, inviting the baddest babes from their timelines to come join–including famed influencer Sky Bri (3M on Instagram). However, some of the party guests came to finesse instead of let loose, as some of the beautiful women take valuable pieces of jewelry from the band and sell them to the local pawn shop. The video for "CRAZYZ" comes hot on the heels of the announcement of Fuerza's "Pero No Te Enamores Tour," their next headlining tour. 

"CRAZYZ" and Pa Las Baby's Y Belikeada were highlights from their standout 2023, full of new commercial heights and well-deserved accolades. Pa Las Baby's Y Belikeada was their highest-charting album to date, peaking at #2 on Billboard's Latin Albums chart and reaching the Top 15 of the Billboard 200. The album generated billions of streams across platforms, led by hits like "TQM" (peaked at #34 at the Billboard Hot 100), "Sabor Fresa" (#26 on the Hot 100), and "HARLEY QUINN" (#40 on the Hot 100), their collaboration with Marshmello that became their first-ever #1 hit on the Latin Airplay chart. The success of Pa Las Baby's Y Belikeada propelled Fuerza Regida to two Billboard Music Awards in 2023, plus the #1 spot on Billboard's Top Duo/Group year-end artist chart.

Most recently, Fuerza released their EP, Dolido Pero No Arrepentido, which arrived just in time for Valentine's Day. The album debuted at #2 on Billboard's Latin Albums chart, and all six songs from the EP reached Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart. The group will debut songs from their new EP on the "Pero No Te Enamores Tour." Produced by Live Nation and kicking off on June 6th in Austin, TX, the "Pero No Te Enamores Tour" takes the group across North America for a series of dates, including shows in Atlanta, New York, Houston, and more, before closing with a show in Inglewood, CA. The 5-man group saluted their hometown fans with a special mural in their native San Bernardino, CA, displaying the tour artwork and dates in the center of the city. Tickets for the  "Pero No Te Enamores Tour" are available now at livenation.com.

Stay tuned for much more information about Fuerza Regida in the near future.

[jimin-updates]

Have you requested Jimin on the radio yet today?

We need all the AirPlay we can get to keep Who in the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100 for another six weeks!

Request using the link below:

[ask-serendipity-sky]

Jimin's article written by a fan...

On March 24, Jimin released “Like Crazy” (with no features). "Like Crazy" didn't need a feature.

Outside of his work with BTS, Jimin’s highest-charting Hot 100 hit as a solo artist was “Set Me Free pt. 2,” his own song, at number 30.

There were a lot of noteworthy new songs coming out the Friday “Like Crazy” was released, including “Eyes Closed” by Ed Sheeran, “Spice Marley” by Spice and “Don't Play With It Remix” by Lola Brooke ft. Latto and Yung Miami. Not only that, but songs like “Flowers” (Miley Cyrus), “Last Night” (Morgan Wallen), “Kill Bill” (Sza) and “Die For You” (The Weeknd and Ariana Grande) continued to dominate streaming charts. With all that in mind, let’s take a closer look at how “Like Crazy” performed in its first week. The chart data for the seven days following March 24 was reflected in the Billboard chart dated April 04.

According to Billboard, “FACE” and "Like Crazy" massed 10 million streams and sold 234,000 units on the week of its release. According to Oricon, "FACE" recorded 222,120 sales on the first day, making it the 3rd album with the biggest first day sales. Jimin earned the BIGGEST First Week sales for a Korean album by a Korean Soloist in Oricon History. Immediately after its release on March 24, Jimin’s album made Hanteo history by being the first to surpass 1 million first-day sales of an album by a Korean soloist, despite the unclear issues that arose that day and the sales that were deleted. Even though the cd single of "Like Crazy" has not been restocked after 4 months, the sales it pulled from full album sales and digital sales were impressive. Although most were not counted after week 2 because fans were not informed of the rule changes Billboard had made to its chart. By the end of the first week, the song had been streamed nearly 22 million times and sold 234,000 album equivalent units in the US. With those 234,000 sales—the second highest of any song for the week—thrown on top of all its streaming figures, “Like Crazy” climbed to the top spot on the Hot 100. 

The song’s performance on the charts is noteworthy, but what is particularly impressive is its extensive streaming numbers, especially worldwide. On Spotify, “Like Crazy ” swiftly rose to number one on Worldwide iTunes Chart, Worldwide iTunes Song, European iTunes, and Japan's Line Music. "Like Crazy" also topped Spotify’s Daily Top Global Songs chart and Jimin was the first Korean soloist to do so. "Like Crazy (English Version)” also debuted at no. 2 on the daily Global Top Songs chart with 6.6 million streams. Out of the 7 tracks, 6 of them took up the top 6 positions on the Oricon Daily Digital Ranking, showing how much the album had been anticipated. The album also dominated the Worldwide Apple Music Album Chart and all songs were top sellers in Digital Music New Release, Digital Music Best Seller, International New Release, and International Best Seller in Amazon Music USA. According to Melon, "Like Crazy" in its first day, peaked at #8 and maintained the position in the chart. After 24 hours, "Like Crazy" obtained almost 3 million streams on Melon. Even after months have passed by, the song continues to be streamed over 2.5 million times every day. So far, the song has been no.1 in 111 countries, setting the record for the most no.1 on iTunes in 2023.

It's pointless to compare "Like Crazy" to other Western Songs or Korean song because there is nothing like "Like Crazy". It is one of a kind.

The song is written in Korean and there is also an English version that should be combined but hasn't been despite other artists having theirs combined, this marks an even more historic debut for an Asian artist, and the fact that it had only 0.6m of radio airplay is reflecting that significance. A sultry club synth pop song was the last thing I was expecting among solo discographies of BTS members. But the fact that this song has become one of the biggest K-pop hits is beyong exciting. As K-pop continues to explore new themes and approaches, the bold move of “Like Crazy” and its early and ongoing success may serve as inspiration for the next generation of K-pop artists, even his own company, to take similar courageous steps.

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Tracy Chapman - Fast Car 1988

"Fast Car" is a song by American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman, released in 1988 as the lead single from her self-titled debut studio album. Chapman's appearance on the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute helped the song become a top-ten hit in the US, reaching number six on the Billboard Hot 100. In the UK, it reached number five on the UK Singles Chart in 1988.

"Fast Car" received three Grammy Award nominations: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, the latter of which it won. It also received an MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best Female Video in 1989.

Since the release of Chapman's original, the song has had success in two electronic dance versions, as well as a country music cover by singer Luke Combs. Combs's version was a number-one single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts in 2023, and won Chapman the Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year, making her the first Black person to win the award.

"Fast Car" received a total of 82,4% yes votes!

[btsx50states]

Check out BTS on Billboard this past week! Notable items include Jungkook on the Artist 100, "Still With You" and "My You" packing a 1-2 punch on the World Digital Song Sales chart, and the aforementioned duo appearing on the Billboard Global charts as well!

[lovesongbracket]

Reminder: Vote based on the song, not the artist or specific recording! The tracks referenced are the original artist, aside from a few rare cases where a cover is the most widely known.

Lyrics, videos, info, and notable covers under the cut. (Spotify playlist available in pinned post)

Lovefool

Written By: Peter Svensson & Nina Persson

Artist: The Cardigans

Released: 1996

“Lovefool” is track #7 on The Cardigans’s third album First Band on the Moon. “Lovefool” was the song that propelled The Cardigans to international stardom. US listeners took notice when it was featured on the soundtrack to Baz Luhrmann’s William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay and Top 40 Mainstream, but was kept from the Hot 100 because it was not issued as a commercial single (until December 1998, songs were not eligible to chart on the Hot 100 until they got released as single in the US). Nina Persson penned the lyrics for this song, while Peter Svensson wrote the music. Nina was sitting in an airport waiting for a plane when she was inspired to write the song and thought it would have a “slow bossa nova feel.” She told The Swedish Performing Rights Society: “I do find that the biggest hits are the ones that are the easiest to write”. Peter recalled writing the music for this song in an interview with The Independent: “To me, that song is still that moment when I wrote it in a small room, sitting on my bed in our home town. It was supposed to be some kind of a bossa nova: a totally different song, slow and mellow and sad. The production on it, though, and the disco drums made it all shinier."

[Verse 1] Dear, I fear we're facing a problem You love me no longer, I know and Maybe there is nothing that I can do To make you do Mama tells me I shouldn't bother That I ought just stick to another man A man that surely deserves me But I think you do [Pre-Chorus] So I cry, and I pray, and I beg [Chorus] Love me, love me Say that you love me Fool me, fool me Go on and fool me Love me, love me Pretend that you love me Leave me, leave me Just say that you need me So I cry and I beg for you to Love me, love me Say that you love me Leave me, leave me Just say that you need me I can't care 'bout anything but you [Verse 2] Lately I have desperately pondered Spent my nights awake and I wonder What I could have done in another way To make you stay Reason will not reach a solution I will end up lost in confusion I don't care if you really care As long as you don't go [Pre-Chorus] So I cry, and I pray, and I beg [Chorus] Love me, love me Say that you love me Fool me, fool me Go on and fool me Love me, love me Pretend that you love me Leave me, leave me Just say that you need me So I cry and I beg for you to Love me, love me Say that you love me Leave me, leave me Just say that you need me I can't care 'bout anything but you (Anything but you) [Outro] Love me, love me Say that you love me Fool me, fool me Go on and fool me Love me, love me I know that you need me I can't care 'bout anything but you

Summertime

Written By: Mikey Way, Ray Toro, Gerard Way & Frank Iero

Artist: My Chemical Romance

Released: 2010

“Summertime” is a ‘new wave’ song, allegedly believed to be written about frontman Gerard Way’s wife, Lyn-z Way. In an interview, Gerard said that it started as a riff Mikey had written, before evolving into a song they ‘couldn’t have the record without.’ “[“Summertime”] is one of the lyrically personal songs on the album, whereas the rest of it is just me talking about my worldview. So it’s a really beautiful song and again—no rules. We can have a soft song.”

[Verse 1] When the lights go out Will you take me with you And carry all this broken bone Through six years down In crowded rooms and highways I call home? Is something I can't know till now Till you picked me off the ground With brick in hand, your lip-gloss smile Your scraped-up knees and [Chorus] If you stay, I would even wait all night Or until my heart explodes, how long until we Find our way in the dark and out of harm? You can run away with me anytime you want [Verse 2] Terrified of what I'd be As a kid, from what I've seen Every single day when people try And put the pieces back together Just to smash them down Turn my headphones up real loud I don't think I need them now 'Cause you stop the noise and [Chorus] If you stay, I would even wait all night Or until my heart explodes, how long until we Find our way in the dark and out of harm? You can run away with me anytime you want [Post-Chorus] Well, anytime you want Well, anytime you want [Guitar Solo] [Bridge] Don't walk away, don't walk away Don't walk away, don't walk away! [Chorus] 'Cause if you stay, I would even wait all night Or until my heart explodes, how long until we Find our way in the dark and out of harm? You can run away with me [Post-Chorus] Or you can write it on your arm You can run away with me Anytime you want

[keepingupwithzaynmalik]

ZAYN Signs With Mercury Records Ahead of New Music

The singer, who was previously signed to RCA Records, has a new single coming "very soon this summer."

ZAYN has signed a new record deal with Mercury Records, Billboard can confirm. Along with the news, the singer wiped his social media yesterday and has launched a new pre-save link and teaser in preparation for his Mercury Records debut single, which is said by the label to be arriving “very soon this summer.” A former member of One Direction and a chart topper in his own right, ZAYN was previously signed to RCA Records. Sources close to the singer told Billboard that the new music ZAYN is making marks a major departure from the sound that defined his previous hits like “PILLOWTALK” and “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever.” Label president Tyler Arnold says of the deal, “As soon as ZAYN and I met, I knew we had to work together. I was blown away by the new music, but just as impressed by his vision, drive and spirit. We’re honored he and his team have joined us at Mercury Records. We’ve got an incredible opportunity to tell the next chapter of his story together.” Mercury Records was relaunched in April 2022 as a U.S. imprint of Republic Records, helmed by Arnold and Ben Adelson as president and general manager, respectively. Mercury’s roster includes Post Malone, whom Arnold signed to Republic in 2015, and James Bay, signed by Adelson in 2014. Other signees at Mercury’s launch included Stephen Sanchez, Chelsea Cutler, Jeremy Zucker, Lord Huron, Noah Kahan, BoyWithUke, Ka$hdami, Lyn Lapid and Camylio. Mercury Records also acts as the hub for Republic’s partnerships with Big Loud Records, home to Morgan Wallen, and Imperial Music, the independent distributor that released Bo Burnham‘s Inside (The Songs). As a solo artist, ZAYN has released three records: Mind of Mine (2016), Icarus Falls (2018), and Nobody is Listening (2021). They peaked at No. 1, No. 61 and No. 44 on the Billboard 200 chart, respectively. He has also placed six songs in the top 50 on the Pop Airplay chart, including two in the top 10. “PILLOWTALK” peaked at No. 1, and “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” reached No. 2 on the chart. The two songs also reached those same chart positions on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart as well. You can pre-save ZAYN’s upcoming single here. VIA BILLBOARD