"Weird Al" Gets White & Nerdy All Over the Charts

We could talk about the fact that Ludacris debuted at Number One this week, selling 309,284 copies of Release Therapy so far, or that Janet Jackson came in at Number Two, with 296,278 copies of 20 Y.O. sold. But all we really care about is the new "Weird Al" Yankovic album Straight Outta Lynwood. The record debuted in the Number 10 slot this week selling 72,600 copies and marking — according to Wikipedia, anyway — Yankovic's highest chart debut ever.

Also of note in this week's charts? The whole Jake Shears vs. FYE snafu wasn't enough to keep the Scissor Sisters' new album Ta-Dah from scoring pretty high. It came in at Number 19 moving 41,992 copies in its first week. And random chart success Snow Patrol increased their sales this week by 13 percent selling 31,948 copies of their album Eyes Open and holding fast to their Number 29 spot.

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Song Stories

“Time to Pretend”

MGMT | 2008

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”

More Song Stories entries »

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