On the Charts: Dixie Chicks, James Blunt, Shakira

• The Dixie Chicks' Taking the Long Way held strong on to their Number One spot with 271,179 albums sold in their second week on the charts. At the same time, ticket sales for the Accidents & Accusations tour have been surprisingly low: The Memphis show has already been pulled from the band's tour schedule and other dates at risk for cancellation include shows in Oklahoma City, Houston and Indianapolis.

•James Blunt's May 29th appearance on the Today show appears to have boosted sales of his debut album, Back to Bedlam, into the Top 10 again; it sold 51,144 copies.

• Shakira's Oral Fixation is up three spots to Number 10 thanks to her smoking-hot single "Hips Don't Lie" featuring Wyclef Jean. The song tops the Billboard Hot 100 and earned the title of greatest digital sales gainer with 266,500 downloads.

• Gnarls Barkley is rolling on the strength of "Crazy"; their album St. Elsewhere jumped from Number 21 to 14 this week, selling 36,160 units.

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
• 
  MOVIES 'Star Trek' Is Crazy Good
• 
  TV 10 Shows to Watch This Summer
• 
  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“1999”

Prince | 1982

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter