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Katy Perry is very lucky. Her song "I Kissed A Girl" tops the Hot 100 again this week for the sixth week. At this point it is already the second longest stay at #1 this year (after "Low" which had 10 weeks). Because it has topped the chart at just the correct time, her hit song is already in the record books for its achievements that had occurred by sheer chance.
A few weeks back when Katy reached Number 1, it was named the 1000th Number 1 hit of the Rock Era. This week, August 9th, 2008, marks the OFFICIAL 50th ANNIVERSARY of the Hot 100, which debuted the week of August 4th, 1958. And as we celebrate this milestone of the Hot 100 as we know it, Katy is still on the top. IKAG is the 961st #1 if we consider only the incarnation of the Hot 100.
The following are the top 10 hits from that very first Hot 100 chart in 1958:
1. Poor Little Fool - Ricky Nelson 2. Patricia - Perez Prado & His Orchestra 3. Splish Splash - Bobby Darin 4. Hard Headed Woman - Elvis Presley 5. When - Kalin Twins 6. Rebel -'Rouser - Duane Eddy and his 'twangy' guitar 7. Yakety Yak - The Coasters 8. My True Love - Jack Scott 9. Willie And The Hand Jive - The Johnny Otis Show 10.Fever- Peggy Lee
There are a couple more interesting stuff to note. You can see that Rihanna has two songs in the Top 5 this week. This isn't exactly the first time this happened, but this girl is really ruling the pop charts recently. Not bad for someone who everyone thought would be a one-hit wonder with her first hit "Pon de Replay." Here is the video of her newer hit which rose from #15 to #4, "Disturbia":
Also very unusual is the very bottom of the chart. Here is the list of the last 10 songs:
91 94 89 4 Holler Back, The Lost Trailers 89 92 85 85 7 Never Would Have Made It, Marvin Sapp 82 93 90 87 10 We Weren't Crazy, Josh Gracin 82 94 98 94 3 Johnny & June, Heidi Newfield 94 95 NEW 1 Please Excuse My Hands, Plies Featuring Jamie Foxx & The-Dream 95 96 NEW 1 Spotlight, Jennifer Hudson 96 97 NEW 1 Baby, LL Cool J Featuring The-Dream 97 98 86 16 Te Quiero, Flex 86 99 NEW 1 Mamma Mia, Meryl Streep 99 100 83 74 14 Love In This Club Part II, Usher Featuring Beyonce & Lil Wayne 18
Notice anything unusual? Look at the debuts at # 95, 96 and 99. What do they have in common. Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson and Meryl Streep are all Oscar acting awardees! Of course, the Meryl Streep entry is most interesting because she is not really a singer, and this her version of ABBA's "Mamma Mia" is her first Hot 100 hit.
This is the video of the Jamie Foxx song with Plies "Please Excuse My Hands":
My wife and I finally got to see this today. What can I say about this movie? I grew up on that ABBA music and I really enjoyed watching these songs actually fit into the situations in the lives of single mom Donna (veteran Meryl Streep) and her daughter Sophie (a very charming Amanda Seyfried), who live in their own villa-inn on a Greek island.
Sophie is now 20 years old and getting married to a guy named Sky. She never knew who her real father was. A few days before the wedding, she was able to get hold of her mom's old diary and got three names of possible candidates. How she was able to find the current addresses of an American architect Sam (a very enthusiastic Pierce Brosnan), a British banker Harry (a typical Colin Firth) and a Swedish writer Bill (a bit out of place Stellan Skarsgard), we will never know. But she was able to send invitations to them, and they all accept!
As I said, I was amazed how the ABBA songs seem to fit right into specific situations (not all though, like "Honey Honey" seemed misplaced). Like when Donna's best friends Tanya (Christine Baransky) and Rosie (Julie Walters) try to get a crying Donna to open up with "Chiquitita", as in "Chiquitita tell me what's wrong...") Later, they try to cheer her up with a rousing version of "Dancing Queen" that gets all the womenfolk on the island dancing.
Another part which made you feel as if the music was written for the story was "Slipping Through My Fingers", sung by Donna when she was bonding with Sophie for the last time before her wedding ceremony. This part was so beautifully touching (and yes, tear-jerking). I have not yet heard this song before, but I think I could sing this song at my own daughter's wedding.
The next song was the hit "The Winner Takes It All." Sam wanted to talk to Donna before Sophie's wedding, but Donna replies, "I don't wanna talk about things we've gone through..." Slipped in like a Cinderella's glass slipper, PERFECT! And Meryl Streep's singing was show-stopping. Vocally not perfect, but it was raw and convincing -- a bravura performance!
Everyone had a highlight. My favorite Pierce Brosnan song was "S.O.S." His rather gruff voice sounded quite unusual singing, but he kept on key. Julie Walters had her solo moment towards the end with "Take A Chance On Me", when she was trying to seduce Bill who was reluctant to give up his bachelorhood (imagine the scene ..."If you change your mind, I'm the first in line...take a chance on me" -- so appropriate!).
The story is simple, but engaging with surprises at the end. The look of the film may appear very rough around the edges due to the set design, make up and photography, but this was really like how Donna and Sophie lived their lives on that island. Cinematography was great looking with the breathtaking Greek scenery, but for some reason, it was very unflattering to the senior stars, including Ms. Streep and Mr. Brosnan. Ms. Streep's costumes do not really look very good on her.
But in general, it was very enjoyable and fun to watch. It was really the music that people loved, and the very capable cast more than succeeds to bring these beloved ABBA songs to life!
