Inside Music with Melinda Newman

'Harlem Shake' tops Billboard Hot 100 for 3rd week

Demi Lovato gets off to strong start

By Melinda Newman Wednesday, Mar 6, 2013 6:23 PM

'Harlem Shake' holds steady atop Billboard Hot 100 for 3rd week

Credit: Mad Decent

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Years from now when folks look back at what was No. 1 this week, will they even remember “Harlem Shake?” Regardless, Baauer’s viral video sensation makes it three weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

Its popularity, despite even “The Simpsons” paying homage, seems to be waning as its streaming decreases by 45% this week. Additionally, digital sales slip by 23%. However, the song, is building at radio (though it’s hard to imagine it can go very far there given there’s not really a full-length song there). It enters the Pop Songs radio airplay chart at No. 38, according to Billboard.

Similarly, the songs at Nos. 2-4 stay the same this week: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s “Thrift Shop,” Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man” and Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble.”
Rihanna’s “Stay” featuring Mikky Ekko rises 7-5, swapping places with will.i.am and Britney Spears’ “Scream & Shout,” which falls 5-7. Drake’s “Started From the Bottom” holds at No. 6, Justin Timberlake’s “Suit & Tie” hangs in at No. 8, while Mars’ “Locked Out of Heaven” stays locked at No. 9. Swedish House Mafia’s “Don’t You Worry Child” featuring John Martin climbs 12-10.

Other songs of note: Demi Lovato’s “Heart Attack” storms onto the chart at No. 12, driven primarily by strong sales of 215,000 copies.