Adele's 'Fire' Burns Path to Hot 100 Summit
'Set Fire to the Rain' becomes the third single from '21' to lead the Hot 100 while '21' has sat atop the Billboard 200.
Adele's "Set Fire to the Rain" takes over atop the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, dethroning Rihanna's "We Found Love," featuring Calvin Harris, after 10 weeks and making history in the process.
As Adele's set "21" leads the Billboard 200 album chart for a 17th week, "Fire" is the third single to top the Hot 100 while "21" has sat atop the album tally. First single "Rolling in the Deep" began a seven-week Hot 100 reign the week of May 21, 2011, when "21" was in its sixth week in charge of the Billboard 200.
Follow-up "Someone Like You" crowned the Hot 100 the week of Sept. 17, 2011. In the song's fifth and final week at No. 1 (Nov. 5), "21" returned to the Billboard 200 apex for a 13th frame.
With "21" at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 four another four weeks as of this week, "Fire" (Adele's third career Hot 100 topper) makes the set the first to have led the Billboard 200 concurrently with three Hot 100 No. 1s.
In the 53 years that the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 have coexisted, 10 albums had topped the Billboard 200 at the same time that two of their singles dominated the Hot 100. Usher had last so doubled up, with "Yeah," featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris, and "Burn" each commanding the Hot 100 in 2004 while parent album "Confessions" led the Billboard 200.
(The "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack was the first to manage the concurrent feat, heading up the Billboard 200 while the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever" each reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 1978).
The coronation of a third Hot 100 No. 1 in "Fire" as "21" continues to rack up weeks atop the Hot 100 reinforces the set's uncommon staying power. The strength of the album's singles has clearly been a factor in keeping "21" afloat atop the Billboard 200 for 17 (nonconsecutive) weeks, making the set the longest-running No. 1 album since the Whitney Houston-led soundtrack to "The Bodyguard" (20 weeks at No. 1) in 1992-93.
"Fire" reaches the Hot 100's top spot despite slipping 1-2 on the Digital Songs chart. The song sold 185,000 downloads (down 4%) in the list's tracking week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. With its latest week of sales, it passes the 2-million mark in downloads sold.
On Radio Songs, "Fire" holds at No. 5, up 13% to 1.05 million audience impressions, according to Nielsen BDS. The gain grants the song top Airplay Gainer honors on the Hot 100 for a third consecutive week.
"Fire" douses the 10-week reign of Rihanna's "We Found Love" on the Hot 100. The cut slips to No. 2, although it spends a 10th frame at No. 1 on Radio Songs (150 million, down 1%). "Love" maintains both its rank (No. 6) and sales total (140,000) from last week on Digital Songs.
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