Daughtry-esque Idol Winner Races Chart with Madonna Cover


CHART SPOTLIGHT. It’s not Daugthtry – the American Idol contestant who ended up at No.4 in the fifth season – but Sweden’s latest rock star Jay Smith. Winner of this year’s Swedish Idol finals, he races the Swedish singles tally with a cover of Madonna’s 1989 hit “Like a Prayer.” The track debuted at No.41 on Christmas eve, and has since vaulted to No.2. He trails September’s Mikrofonkåt” which tops the tally for an eighth week. The No.2 peak of “Like a Prayer” beats the No.3 peak of his debut single “Dreaming People” which falls 5-8 on this week’s chart.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVUVnH5cNsw

Born in Helsingborg with English ancestry, Jay Smith not only won the hearts of the public he also caused lots of headlines during the fall. Within a few months, he was caught taking drugs and cheated on his girlfriend with runner-up Minnah Karlsson.

His self-titled debut album immediately topped the album chart and remains there for a third week running. Ahead of the finals, Smith also placed the Everlast cover of “Black Jesus” on the chart. Two other tracks debut as downloads this week, “Enter Sandman” (No.52) and “Bad Romance” (No.56).

Jay Smith’s cover of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” reaches a new peak, trailing September’s “Mikrofonkåt” at No.2 on the Swedish singles tally. Smith won the Swedish Idol last December.

The Glee Cast Covers Florence+the Machine


Madonna, Britney Spears, Journey and…Florence+the Machine. The Glee Cast is the Hot 100’s Digital Gainer and Hot Shot Debut at No.22 with a cover of the British indie rock act Florence+the Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over.” In total, the Glee Cast have five new entries on this week’s Billboard Hot 100. This has also helped the original track which vaults 58-21 – matching the original peak.

The song originally charted back in December 2008, peaking at No.23 in the UK. The song has been included in the TV advert of Slumdog Millionaire. The follow-up single – “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)” – peaked at No.12 in June 2009. So far, the two biggest hits from Florence+the Machine are actually the same song. “You’ve Got the Love” reached No.5 in its original version from 2009, while a re-recording (featuring Dizee Rascal) earlier this year peaked at No.2.

The Glee Cast bows on the Hot 100 this week with a cover of Florence+the Machine’s “Dog Day’s Are Over.”

Take That Hits Radio with “The Flood”

Take That is set to issue the brand new album Progress on Nov.22.  This will mark the return of Robbie Williams and the lead single, “The Flood,” has been added to the BBC Radio 2 B List. The track was written by the group members and produced by Stuart Price, who previously produced artists such as Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Missy Elliot and Keane. Robbie Williams is currently racing the charts with his Gary Barlow duet “Shame,” taken from the second greatest hits album compilation In and Out of Consciousness: The Greatest Hits 1990-2010.  Rumors say that the two singers wrote the track in less than an hour and marked a truce after a 10 year old feud.

Banned Summer Track Celebrates Anniversary

The summer comes to an end and so the memory of the season’s biggest track will fade. Do you remember last year’s summer hits? Exactly a year ago, the Brazilian rap duo Cidinho & Doco topped the Swedish singles tally.

A dance floor filler, few understood the lyrics of the infectious hit. The first version of the track surfaced in 1992 when the siblings MC Junior e Leonardo wrote the track. In 1994, the track was performed for the first time. The refrain of the song was based on The Outfield’s “Your Love,” replacing the lyrics with the sound of a machine gun – hence the “pa ra pa pa…”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_PgK3fvtqs]

Cidinho & Doco joined MC Junior e Leonardo when performing the track and issued a version of their own. The interest for “Rap das armas” re-surged in 2007 when the song was used in José Padilha’s movie The Elite Squad, the highest-grossing film of in Brazil that year. The song was slightly modified compared to its ‘90s original.

The track was even deleted from the The Elite Squad, two weeks after its initial release and “Rap das armas” was also banned on Brazilian radio, due to the controversial lyrics. It praises drug consumption, defends drug dealers thus supporting the wrong side of Rio de Janeiro’s war on crime.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb-rUfBTQ1g]

The track broke in Europe, due to renewed interest from Portugese and Dutch DJs. A remix version by DJ Quintino of Holland stayed atop the charts for two weeks in February 2009.

Sweden was the country, embracing this hit most as Cidinho & Doco topped the singles tally for four weeks. The track was succeeded by Madonna’s “Celebration” in August 2009.

  • Listen to Cidinho & Doco’s “Rap das armas” here.
  • Listen to The Outfield’s “Your Love” here.

Cidinho & Doco’s “Rap das armas” here

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