As "Hold It Against Me" previews Britney Spears' forthcoming album, Chart Beat looks back at the Billboard Hot 100 performances of the first singles from each of her prior collections.
Five of the lead cuts from Spears' eight sets (including two best-of releases), have reached the top 10. All three of her Hot 100 No. 1s have led off new projects.
Spears is hoping to extend her streak of first singles from albums commanding the Hot 100 to three. "Womanizer" and "3," which introduced "Circus" (2008) and "The Greatest Hits" (2009), respectively, each ruled the list.
"Womanizer" debuted at No. 96 and rocketed to the summit the next week following its digital arrival. "3" became just the 16th song in the Hot 100's history to debut at the apex.
With "Hold It Against Me" set to impact a host of Billboard charts next week, here's a recap of Spears' impressive history ushering in new albums.
Song: "...Baby One More Time"
Album: "...Baby One More Time"
Debut date: Nov. 21, 1998
Debut position: 17
Peak position: 1, two weeks
Total chart weeks: 32
Digital sales to-date, according to Nielsen SoundScan: 386,000
(Physical sales to-date: 1.4 million)
Song: "Oops!...I Did It Again"
Album: "Oops!...I Did It Again"
Debut date: April 22, 2000
Debut position: 67
Peak position: 9
Total chart weeks: 20
Digital sales to-date: 369,000
(Physical sales to-date: 57,000)
Song: "I'm a Slave for You"
Album: "Britney"
Debut date: Oct. 20, 2001
Debut position: 68
Peak position: 27
Total chart weeks: 14
Digital sales to-date: 391,000
(Physical sales to-date: 32,000)
Song: "Me Against the Music" (featuring Madonna)
Album: "In the Zone"
Debut date: Oct. 25, 2003
Debut position: 50
Peak position: 35
Total chart weeks: 13
Digital sales to-date: 250,000
(Physical sales to-date: 60,000)
Song: "My Prerogative"
Album: "Greatest Hits: My Prerogative"
Debut date: Did not chart
Debut position: Did not chart
Peak position: Did not chart (Reached No. 22 on Pop Songs, 2004)
Total chart weeks: Did not chart
Digital sales to-date: 374,000
Song: "Gimme More"
Album: "Blackout"
Debut date: Sept. 22, 2007
Debut position: 85
Peak position: 3
Total chart weeks: 20
Digital sales to-date: 1.6 million
Song: "Womanizer"
Album: "Circus"
Debut date: Oct. 18, 2008
Debut position: 96
Peak position: 1, one week
Total chart weeks: 23
Digital sales to-date: 3.1 million (Spears' best-selling digital track)
Song: "3"
Album: "The Singles Collection"
Debut date: Oct. 24, 2009
Debut position: 1
Peak position: 1, one week
Total chart weeks: 20
Digital sales to-date: 2 million
http://www.billboard.com/column/char...04138407.story
