Spears' "Womanizer" Catapults Atop Hot 100, Breaks Records

It only took one week for Britney Spears' "Womanizer" to charm its way into chart history after a record-breaking rise from number 96 last week to number one this week on the Billboard Hot 100. The 96 spot leap bests T.I.'s previous record for long distance jump, which he accomplished after his "Live Your Life" went from 80 to the top spot last week. Amazingly, "Womanizer" is Spears' first number one since the beginning of her career when "...Baby One More Time" topped the chart back in January 1999. More record-breaking: "Womanizer" was downloaded 286,000 times last week, beating out Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body" as the biggest opening week tally by a female artist. Spears will hope for similar chart-topping success when her Circus comes to town on December 2nd.

Related Stories:
• Spears’ "Womanizer" Video Premieres: Is Britney Back For Real?
• Britney Spears Says Expect World Tour in 2009
• Cover Story: The Tragedy of Britney Spears

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Song Stories

“The A Team”

Ed Sheeran | 2011

This debut track from the then-20-year-old British singer-songwriter has a dark story behind it. Sheeran says he culls songwriting inspiration from "viewing other people's situations," which, for the heroine in "The A Team," involves drug addiction and prostitution that began as a teen. Sheeran paints the woman's trials with haunting imagery such as "But lately her face seems/Slowly sinking, wasting/Crumbling like pastries." "I did a gig at a homeless shelter, [and the song] is about one of the women there. It's her story," he said.

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