Chart Attack, Or What You're Getting For Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa

If you're under the age of 25 you get a copy of Incubus' newest Light Grenades, which debuted at Number One on the charts this week, selling 164,594 copies. For everyone else? Christmas music or the Daughtry record, which only moved down one spot (from Number Two to Number Three).

James Taylor's Christmas Album (which is actually just called Christmas Album) secured Number 18 this week, a jump that reflects the album's 50-percent increase in sales. Bette Midler's Cool Yule sold 114 percent more this week than it did last week, moving from Number 68t up to Number 33. Other serious contenders for biggest selling Christmas album of the year? Brad Paisley Christmas (by Brad Paisley, about Christmas,) Wynonna's Classic Christmas, and Corinne Bailey Rae's self-titled album, which isn't technically Christmas music but might as well be. Make sure you request gift receipts.

Other blissfully-non-Christmas related chart news: Clipse finally managed to release their new album Hell Hath No Fury, which sold a formidable 78,487 copies and secured the Number 14 spot, and the Ying Yang Twins' Chemically Imbalanced, which landed at Number 40 and sold 35,934 copies in its first week.

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Song Stories

“Time to Pretend”

MGMT | 2008

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”

More Song Stories entries »

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