Adele Makes Billboard Hot 100 History With 'Someone Like You!'

http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/record-labels/adele-makes-billboard-hot-100-history-with-1005345762.story

With Adele's leap from No. 19 to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week with "Someone Like You," the singer achieves the biggest jump to No. 1 in the chart's 53-year history that wasn't spurred by the release of a single.

Every other larger vault to No. 1 in Hot 100 history came as a result of a single arriving to the market. That includes the chart's greatest jump, Kelly Clarkson's 97-1 leap in 2009 with "My Life Would Suck Without You" or what was the tally's biggest climb until 2002: the Beatles' 27-1 rise with "Can't Buy Me Love" in 1964.

"Someone," on the other hand, zoomed to No. 1 thanks to buzz generated by Adele's MTV Video Music Awards performance on Aug. 28. The song, her second No. 1, was released to digital retailers on Feb. 22 as a track on her XL/Columbia "21" album, which arrived the same day.

"Someone" sold 275,000 downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan, in the week ending Sept. 4 (up 191%). Its huge sales increase came courtesy of the song's water cooler-worthy performance on the most-watched VMAs in history. On the show, Adele sang the heartbreaking ballad on a darkened stage, accompanied by a sparse piano.

Adele's 'Someone Like You' Rockets To No. 1 On Hot 100 Post-VMAs Performance

"Adele's all about the music," Columbia senior VP of sales Steve Kennedy says. "She and her manager, Jonathan Dickins, wanted to get across in the VMA performance that the music was more important than anything else."

"With all the bombastic theatrics going on that night," Kennedy continues, "we felt that her very simple set would completely stand out [against] everything else."

MTV executive VP of music and talent Amy Doyle echoes Kennedy's thoughts. "Adele is one of those rare artists that can command a stage with just the power of her voice and subtle nuances of her vocals. 'Someone Like You' is timeless and we're proud that we could provide her with the world's largest stage to introduce the song to a global audience."

The staging of Adele's VMA performance -- and its impact - recalls her BRIT Awards turn on Feb. 15. On the U.K.'s equivalent of the Grammy Awards, she sang "Someone" in a similar setting, and it immediately caused a huge surge on the official U.K. charts. The next week, "Someone" vaulted 47-1 on the singles tally while "Rolling in the Deep," the album's first single, moved 5-4 the same week.

Adele Makes U.K. Chart History: First Artist To Sell 3 Million Albums In Same Year

Meanwhile, on the U.K. albums chart that week, "21" held at No. 1 for a fourth frame and its predecessor, "19," climbed 6-4. With those stats, she became the first living act since the Beatles in January 1964 to have two titles simultaneously in the top five on both the U.K. singles and albums charts.

The No. 1 Hot 100 triumph of "Someone" follows a seven-week run at the top by the lead single from "21," the multiformat smash "Rolling in the Deep." Earlier this year, when it debuted on the Latin Songs chart, it became the most widely crossed-over song of the past 25 years. The Latin tally was the record 12th Nielsen BDS-based Billboard airplay chart on which "Rolling" appeared.

" 'Rolling in the Deep' broke down a lot of doors with regards to multiformat play," Kennedy says. "'Someone Like You' is about to crash through them all again."

"Rolling" is currently the top-selling song of the year in the United States, with 5 million sold. Adele's "21" is also the year's biggest album, with 3.3 million.

Columbia expects that "21" will continue to sell at a fast clip, projecting that the album could shift a total of 4.5 million by the end of the year and between 5 million and 6 million by March 2012. The latter sum would include whatever sales bump the singer will likely receive from the Feb. 12 Grammy Awards -- where Adele seems a lock to take home at least a few trophies.

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If you don't know by now it is an Adele day!

I guess that means Kevin will have a 'Hate Adele' day judging by his previous 3 comments to my Adele related threads..

Meh she's like at the bottom of my list when it comes to current fave british artists.

I enjoy Pixie Lott, Clare Maguire, Karen Elson and Natalia Kills, Katey B much much more. Adele is like old bacon for me that got hard and you throw away.

And that lovely Irish lady Imelda May

Well more for me then! <3
I don't like bacon but I'll take it if it's her.

I love Adele so much. She is so so so talented. I'm very happy she is a the top again. I think she may bring home awards at the Grammys.

Oh she has Record of the Year probably on lock!

But I really want her to score Album of the Year since her album is seriously awesome.

I love all the songs!

Song of the Year wouldn't hurt either to go 3-0 in big awards.

Don't forget Female Artist of the Year. I can't really think of anyone that has had the year she has.

You mean Best Female Pop Performance?

I think she will win that but actually the stupid Grammys consolidated it with best Male Pop Performance or something like that so it is harder to win [she should still win it though..].

And there is a Best Pop Album which should also go to her.

So if I had my way she would get at least 5 awards but I'm going to assume she will get like 3-4 since they like to spread the wealth a lot of times..

» Adele's '21' Debuts At No. 1 On The Billboard 200 With 352,000 Sales!!!
» How Adele's 'Someone Like You' Became First Ballad in More Than Three Years to Top Billboard Hot 100
» Billboard 200 Preview: An Even Dozen Weeks at No. 1 for Adele's '21'?
» Adele's '21' Hits 24th Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200!
» Adele's 21 return to No. 1 on Billboard 200 albums chart, goes platinum!