Chart Roundup: Thom Yorke, Gnarls Barkley, Muse, Pimp C.

• Aw, nice job Thom! Radiohead's multi-tasking frontman scored a Number Two debut this week, selling 90,966 copies of his first solo album The Eraser.

You might be getting sick of hearing about Gnarls Barkley's ridiculous selling power but get used to it, 'cause this week the band moved up to Number Five on the charts, selling 55,975 copies of St. Elsewhere, at least one of which was to a Rolling Stone staffer's mom. Obviously, this record is beyond huge.

• Who knew? We would have put the number of American Muse fans at about ... mmmm, four. But this week the band landed at the NumberNine spot in their first week on the charts, selling 48,446 copies of their new record Black Holes and Revelations. Is there some new pro-Brit immigration bill we don't know about?

• Pimp C.'s been busy since he got out of jail, and now he reaps the rewards. His new record, cleverly titled Pimpalation, debuted at Number Three on the charts this week, selling 87,288 copies.

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  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

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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