On the Charts: Controversy Doesn't Keep Nas Out of First Place

The Big News: It took an Untitled album to finally unseat Lil Wayne and Coldplay from the chart's upper echelon, as Nas' latest debuted in the top spot with 187,000 copies. Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III dropped to number two, selling another 105,000 copies while the Mamma Mia soundtrack rose from seven to three, selling 91,000 units. Coldplay's Viva La Vida finally fell out of the top two after five weeks, dropping to four, while the Camp Rock soundtrack rounded out the top five.

Debuts: John Mellencamp's Life, Death, Love and Freedom debuted at seven, selling 56,000 copies. David Banner's The Greatest Story Ever Told, despite his problems with our review, landed at eight. Frat rockers O.A.R. grabbed thirteen with All Sides, the Kraftwerkian Dark Knight soundtrack took 20 and the Hold Steady's Stay Positive came in at 30.

Last Week's Heroes: With three debuts in the top ten, there was some reshuffling atop the charts. Beck's Modern Guilt was the biggest victim, dropping from four to 16 thanks to a 66% sales dip. G-Unit's T.O.S. suffered a similar fate, falling from nine to 24. Next week, we'll find out if Miley Cyrus can retake her charts throne, and how many copies Nine Inch Nails' physical version of free album The Slip will sell.

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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.

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