Quote:
Originally posted by I'mRihannaFan
Nnn most of these #1 debuts are bad and frontloaded
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It's not surprising that many are frontloaded, though. #1 debuts are conventionally at the height of their commercial power at the point of their debut due to the strength of the artist, and don't chart at all based on quality, public reaction, overall interest, or anything of that sort. They're an impressive testament to the artist's status at a particular point with the first week sales and radio deals and immediate streams.
This also applies to songs lie "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and "Roar," which (despite their early debuts thanks to radio) were arguably more massive in their
true debut weeks than any of those you listed but "Harlem Shake" and "Shake It Off."
The only
huge debut I can think of that had more to do with quality than status was Ariana's "Problem," and that failed to hit #1 anyway.
In this case, I think that it's a mix of the situations. This is legitimately a great song, especially for Justin. At the same time, it shows that even five years post-"Baby" and three post-"Boyfriend" he retains a following and media presence that's pretty huge.