Katy Perry Grabs Number One From Eminem

Katy Perry grabbed hold of the Number One spot on the Billboard 200 as her second album, Teenage Dream, sold 192,000 copies in its debut week. The other big debut arrived at Number Two: American Idol champ Fantasia's third album, Back to Me, sold 117,000 copies. The two pushed Eminem's Recovery to Number Three, the album's lowest position since its release eight weeks ago. (Usher's Versus debuted at Number Four, selling 46,000 copies.)

Perry's chart and sales numbers mark new career highs. But as Entertainment Weekly points out, Teenage Dream's sales were still disappointing, given that her songs "California Gurls" and "Teenage Dream" — this week's Number One digital single — have ruled the singles charts for weeks on end. The disc's Number One debut falls well short of Recovery's (at 741,000 copies) and Drake's Thank Me Later (447,000 copies), according to Nielsen SoundScan. Total album sales were down 12 percent compared to the same week in 2009.

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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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