On the Charts: Sugarland's Weak Week is Enough for Number One

The Big News: Country duo Sugarland's Live on the Inside set a new sales record on its way to the Number One spot on the Top 200, but it was a dubious honor. Live on the Inside sold 75,000 copies in its first week, making it the lowest-selling debut album ever to rule the charts. The previous low was set earlier this year when Chrisette Michele's Epiphany moved 83,000 copies in May. Live on the Inside — a Walmart exclusive that features a CD of cover versions of songs R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Kings of Leon and more plus a DVD of live performances — is the duo's second consecutive Number One album, following 2008's Love on the Inside.

By comparison, Love sold 314,000 copies in its debut week last year to finish Number Two behind Miley Cyrus, then claimed Number One the following week with 162,000 copies. On the Michael Jackson front, the King of Pop once again topped the all-encompassing Top Comprehensive Charts as Number Ones sold another 98,000 copies. However, this week marked the first time since Jackson's death on June 25th that an album in the singer's catalog failed to sell more than 100,000 copies.

Debuts: Two more albums managed to crack the Top 10: Gloriana's self-titled album took Number Three with 44,000 copies, while the Kidz Bop 16 compilation grabbed Number 10 with 38,000 units sold. Other debuts of note include Modest Mouse's new EP No One's First and You're Next (which features "King Rat", for which Heath Ledger directed an animated video) at Number 15, the side project of Interpol's Paul Banks, Julian Plenti is… Skyscraper at 103 and Amanda Blank's debut I Love You at 109.

Last Week's Heroes: Fabolous' tenure atop the charts was very short-lived as Loso's Way was almost bounced from the Top 10 in its second week, eventually settling at Nine with 36,000 copies sold, a drop of 63 percent from its debut week. Two weeks after topping the charts, Demi Lovato's Here We Go Again found itself on the outskirts of the Top 10, falling from Eight to 14. Lovato's fellow Disney posse member Miley Cyrus was also bumped from the Top 10 as the Hannah Montana 3 soundtrack fell from Seven to 11.

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Song Stories

“My President”

Young Jeezy | 2008

Young Jeezy teams up with Nas on this track, in which he compare his own success with the idea of an African-American winning the Democratic Party's nomination in the 2008 presidential election. "When I pulled up in my car, that s--- was unbelievable to people in my neighborhood because they were like, 'We grew up with him. How the hell did he accomplish this?'" he told Rolling Stone. "I feel like it was the same way with Obama. I grew up all this time, but I've never seen a black man this close to running this country."

More Song Stories entries »

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