Chesney Tops the Charts

Kenny Chesney's new album, Be As You Are (Songs From an Old Blue Chair), knocked West Coast rapper the Game's The Documentary from the top spot this week, selling 311,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. This is the ninth studio album -- and third chart-topper -- from the no-frills, platinum-selling country veteran who surprised by sweeping the Country Music Awards in November, taking home Entertainer of the Year and Album of the Year for his 2004 effort, When the Sun Goes Down. Though bumped to Number Two, the Game still sold strong, moving 265,000 copies of his debut.

Another strong country debut this week comes from all-grown-up-now LeAnn Rimes, whose This Woman sold 101,000 copies to take Number Three -- substantially more than her last effort, 2002's Twisted Angel, which moved 66,000 copies to debut at Number Twelve. Rounding out the Top Five are Green Day's American Idiot (95,000) and Eminem's Encore (78,000).

Between the twin releases I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, Bright Eyes sold an impressive 102,000 CDs this week. Digital debuted in the Top Twenty (Fifteen, 46,000), while Wide Awake cracked the Top Ten (Number Ten, 56,000).

Losing steam this week was Ludacris' The Red Light District, which dropped eight spots out of the Top Ten to Number Sixteen (46,000).

With no major releases this week, expect Chesney and Rimes to continue duking it out with the Game.

This week's Top Ten: Kenny Chesney's Be As You Are; The Game's The Documentary; LeAnn Rimes' This Woman; Green Day's American Idiot; Eminem's Encore; John Legend's Get Lifted; Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz' Crunk Juice; Kelly Clarkson's Breakaway; Usher's Confessions; Bright Eyes' I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning.

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Song Stories

“Youth Knows No Pain”

Lykke Li | 2011

“Like on 'Youth Knows No Pain' — we are the ones that should demonstrate, because we can take it,” Likke Li said. “We can pierce ourselves, take Ecstasy, dance all night and still go to work at our McDonald's jobs.” Despite the hedonistic sentiment in the song, the Swedish singer also admitted in hindsight her youth had repercussions. “I remember when I was 18-19 and feeling that I know it all,” Li said. “I always feel that I know it all. But that song is about realizing you don’t, and reflecting, ‘Boy, if I only knew what would follow.’”

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