On the Charts: "Juno" Turns Oscar Nods Into Week's Best-Selling Album

The Big News: After four weeks on the chart, the Juno soundtrack finally claimed the top spot, selling 64,381 copies to overtake Alicia Keys' As I Am, which fell to two. The Moldy Peaches-heavy Juno disc received a push after the film and its star (Ellen Page), director and screenwriter were all nominated for Academy Awards, which means the nation's best-selling record has a total-sales figure that can barely match most chart-toppers' opening-week figures. Natasha Bedingfield, coming off the mega-hit "Unwritten," watched her new album Pocketful of Sunshine debut at three. Mary J. Blige's Growing Pains and Radiohead's In Rainbows rounded out the top five.

Debuts: After Bedingfield, the big debut was Cat Power's covers album Jukebox -- its number twelve arrival marks her career-best debut. Other notable entries include the Drive-By Truckers' Brighter Than Creations Dark at thirty-six, Breaking artist Black Mountain's second album In The Future at 101 and jam band moe.'s Sticks and Stones at 119.

Last Week's Heroes: John Legend and Raheem DeVaughn exited the top ten and introduced themselves to the top thirty. Rihanna's Good Girl Gone Bad surpassed a million copies sold after thirty-four weeks on the chart (current location: number forty-five).

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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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