It was a shake-`em-up week on the charts, with hot new releases taking over the No. 1 spots on both the top pop singles and albums charts.
On the singles side, the new leader is Michael Jackson`s ”Black or White,” which jumped from No. 3 to No. 1 in just its third week on the list. That makes it the fastest-rising champ since the Beatles` ”Get Back,” which also took three weeks to reach the top back in 1969. Jackson`s achievement is even more phenomenal when you consider that throughout the `70s, `80s and
`90s, only a handful of songs (including the megahit ”We Are the World”)
have been able to hit No. 1 in just four weeks.
The record also was an immediate winner on the international scene, with No. 1 debuts in Britain and Sweden and a No. 2 ranking in Australia.
Though the rapid rise of ”Black or White” in America is due in part to Billboard magazine`s new computerized system for compiling the singles chart, the record`s instant success also reflects Jackson`s continuing status as a major chart power.
However, that power will be tested severely next week, when his just-released ”Dangerous” album should show up on the charts for the first time. Though any debut less than No. 1 would represent a serious failure for Jackson, he does face significant competition from another new superstar release: U2`s ”Achtung Baby,” which, as expected, entered the top albums chart at No. 1 to end the eight-week reign of Garth Brooks` ”Ropin` the Wind” (now No. 2). Look for the U2/Jackson albums to be fighting it out for the top spots throughout the big holiday sales season.
On the singles side, ”Black or White” should have a long run as champ, because there is little competition anywhere in the Top 20. The only possible future contender is Maria Carey`s big ballad ”Can`t Let Go,” which zipped from No. 17 to No. 9 in just its fourth chart week.
It was a quiet week elsewhere on the singles list, with only three other songs registering good moves: Ce Ce Peniston`s danceable ”Finally” (up from No. 24 to No. 11); Richard Marx`s bluesy ”Keep Coming Back” (up from No. 18 to No. 13); and Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch`s ”Wildside” (up from No. 21 to No. 15).
This week`s pick hit is ”Don`t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” a fine collaboration between George Michael and Elton John that was recorded live in London`s Wembley Stadium. The original ”Sun” peaked at No. 2 in 1974; this remake should do nearly as well.
