Britney Spears Speeds Into Pop Songs Top 10

The following italicized article is from www.billboard.com:

Britney Spears' "Hold It Against Me" becomes one of just seven songs to reach the Pop Songs top 10 in only two weeks, charging 16-10 with Greatest Gainer honors (5,601 plays, up 38%, with spins detected on all 130 reporting stations) on the Nielsen BDS-based radio airplay survey.

The song logs the speediest ascent to the top tier in more than six years:

Songs to Reach the Pop Songs Top 10 in Only Two Weeks

Artist, Title, Chart Move Into Top 10, Chart Date, Peak Pos.
Britney Spears, "Hold It Against Me," 16-10, Feb. 5, 2011, tbd
Eminem, "Just Lose It," 33-10, Oct. 16, 2004, No. 5
'N Sync, "Pop," 21-10, June 9, 2001, No. 5
Madonna, "Frozen," 16-10, March 14, 1998, No. 4
the Rembrandts, "I'll Be There for You," 22-10, June 3, 1995, No. 1, eight weeks
Mariah Carey, "Dreamlover," 12-4, Aug. 21, 1993, No. 1, eight weeks
Janet Jackson, "That's the Way Love Goes," 29-9, May 8, 1993, No. 1, nine weeks

Of the prior six such songs, the three earliest went on to spend multiple weeks at No. 1. The next three, however, failed to reach the top three, raising the question: Will "Hold It Against Me" be a fast-rising - but fast-burning - radio hit? Or, can it sustain momentum?

Early programmer reaction bodes well. "Just saying the name 'Britney' conjures up instant recognition like any other intimately familiar brand," says WKCI/New Haven, Conn., program director Stan 'The Man' Priest, who considers Spears "undoubtedly a pop culture fixture."

Also a positive: "Hold It Against Me" blasted in atop Digital Songs last week with 411,000 downloads sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan. (On the Billboard Hot 100, the song became one of just 18 in the chart's 52-year history to launch at No. 1).

Of the previous six quickest Pop Songs top 10s, only Janet Jackson's "That's the Way Love Goes" reigned at retail, having led the Hot Singles Sales physical singles sales chart for five weeks in 1993.

Unsurprisingly, all seven songs to reach the Pop Songs top 10 in a mere two weeks have introduced new albums. Spears continues the streak, as "Hold It Against Me" builds anticipation for her forthcoming seventh studio set.

Source: Billboard