A Bittersweet 4th Week for Morgan Wallen | Scanning the Charts

Scanning the Charts – Billboard 200 & Hot 100 (2/13/21): Morgan Wallen makes it a four atop the Billboard 200 with Dangerous: The Double Album. 

SCANNING THE CHARTS is just what it says it is.  I, the quirky founder and do-it-all at The Musical Hype scans through the Billboard Charts and picks out things that catch my eye.  To reiterate what I said last week ( A Morgan Wallen Three-Peat: Scanning the Charts No. 5), this column won’t be extensive, but rather short and sweet, keeping that moving.  This week, I picked out THREE  notable observations from the Billboard 200 ,  and THREE observations from the Billboard Hot 100 , with Morgan Wallen spending a fourth week atop the Billboard 200 with Dangerous: The Double Album (Don’t think I don’t have some things to say about that). 

Billboard 200

Morgan Wallen has dominated 2021 so far without question.  Unfortunately, he’s also shown his ugly side.  Yes, we all have flaws, and yes, we’ve all made mistakes, but that doesn’t excuse bad behavior or racism.  Wallen should’ve never used the racial slur that he did in any context, period.  Yes, he apologized, but rightfully, he lost many of the perks of his ascending superstardom.  Yet, his fans seem to think he needs to be defended for being ‘cancelled’ because of his own doing.  It is what it is, but that doesn’t make it right.  I say all that to say that despite his egregious mistake, and cancellation by pretty much everybody except his fans, Dangerous: The Double Album experienced an increase in sales, strengthening his hold on no. 1. Pardon my French but, “ain’t that some shit,” ugh .  Wallen is a talented artist, and Dangerous is an enjoyable album, but I have to shake my head when I hear he’s rewarded by his Stans in this instance.  Regardless, he’s no. 1 fair and square, even if it leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth.

It seems as if Rivers Cuomo and Weezer just aren’t quite as, um, big as they once were.  OK Human launches at no. 41. That’s a very so-so start at best.  

Not only has Weezer seen its sales wane, what about the Now That’s What I Call Music franchise? Now 77 debuts tepidly at no. 125 on the Billboard 200.  There was a time, particularly when CDs were bigger, that the compilations dominant on the albums chart. Not anymore.

Billboard Hot 100  

Olivia Rodrigo spends a fourth consecutive week at no. 1 on the Hot 100 with “Drivers License”.  Anyone surprised? 

Selena Gomez and Rauw Alejandro launch at no. 74 on the Hot 100 with “Baila Conmigo”.

Tom MacDonald and his former ‘no. 1 on iTunes’ single “Fake Woke” debuts at no. 96 on the Hot 100.

A Bittersweet 4^th Week for Morgan Wallen: Scanning the Charts No. 6 [: Big Loud, Brent Faulkner, Geffen, The Musical Hype, Pexels, Pixabay, Republic]