On The Charts: Bob Dylan Earns Fifth Career Number One

The Big News: As expected, Bob Dylan's Together Through Life cracked the 100,000-sold mark easily, scanning nearly 125,000 copies during its first week in stores, and earning the 67-year-old songwriter his fifth chart-topping debut. While our current cover star failed to replicate the sales showing of 2006's Modern Times (which sold 192,000 copies), he did manage to fend off stiff competition from Rick Ross and Miley Cyrus, who posed the biggest threat, as the Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack held at Number Two (with sales reported at 86,000). Meanwhile, Lady Gaga's The Fame climbs two spots to Number Five, selling another 40,000 units on the strength of the songstress' latest hit single, "Poker Face."

Debuts: After Dylan, the week's biggest debut belongs to Heaven and Hell (or, for you metal purists, the Dio-era Black Sabbath). The band's set The Devil You Know enters the chart at Number Eight, debuting with just over 30,000 units sold. Opening at Number 10 with 26,000 scans is the Starbucks-powered world music compilation Playing For Change.

Last Week's Heroes: As is often the case, the second-week sales slump took its toll on last week's chart champ Rick Ross. His Deeper Than Rap suffered a 68 percent dip at retail, and falls this week to Number four with 51,000-plus sold. And after spending her first week outside of the Billboard Top 10, country crossover Taylor Swift returns to the fold at Number Nine, as her Fearless LP sold close to 49,000 units, for a grand, 25-week sales tally of more than 3.1 million.

• 
  MUSIC The Top 25 Teen Idol Breakout Moments
• 
  MOVIES & TV 'Game of Thrones': The Show Vs. the Books
• 
  POLITICS Matt Taibbi: Facebook IPO vs. Shareholders
• 
  VIDEOS Exclusive: Garbage Rip Through 'I Think I'm Paranoid'

Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter