Just in case there was any shred of doubt remaining (there wasn’t), the Susan Boyle train is still confidently charging onward as we head into 2010. Her I Dreamed a Dream sold another 510,000 copies in its fifth week, according to Nielsen SoundScan, keeping it comfortably at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 yet again. That brings her up to just shy of three million sold since arriving in stores last month. Depending on how many CDs she ends up selling in the present final half-week of 2009, she has a shot at unseating Taylor Swift’s Fearless as the year’s best seller. Even if that doesn’t happen, she’s already earned another record that might be even more impressive: I Dreamed a Dream is now the first debut album ever to bow at No. 1 and stay there for five weeks in a row since Billboard started keeping score in the 1950s.
Boyle isn’t the only belter in town this week, though. Mary J. Blige secured the No. 2 position with 330,000 copies sold of her new Stronger With Each Tear — a solid number, though it’s quite a drop from the 629,000 and 727,000 that Blige’s previous two albums respectively bowed with. Alicia Keys, meanwhile, took No. 4 by moving 280,000 copies of The Element of Freedom in its second week.
Down at No. 9, Lil Wayne’s Young Money crew debuted with 142,000 units moved of their group album We Are Young Money. Those aren’t exactly Carter III numbers, shall we say, but they’re not too bad for a spin-off project like this.
And that was it for top 20 debuts this week. Any surprises in there? Who, if anyone, do you think will eventually topple Susan Boyle’s chart reign? Sound off in the comments.
(Follow the Music Mix on Twitter: @EWMusicMix.)
More from EW.com’s Music Mix:
The 10 best singles of 2009: EW’s definitive list
The year in NSFW video: What were the gnarliest, nakedest music clips of ’09?
The ultimate 2009 mashup
The most watched YouTube videos of 2009
She might be able to keep this streak longer with these numbers.
Awesome for Boyle. Talk about dreaming a dream, and LIVING her dream. God bless her. I just hope that the people around her are not scoundrels…she better come off a millionaire off of this, because in showbiz there’s too many bad-intentioned bastards, and she doesn’t seem to me like a very sharp businesswoman. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying she’s dumb…but as someone who is not truly a showbiz person, she is vulnerable to people around her fooling her out of earnings and stuff…
Really?? Have you heard her CD? It is fantastic!! Her voice is up there with Whitney, Barbara and Celine!
Her niece who is a showbiz attorney in London works with Ossie Kilkenney – the top guy in music finance – to handle her money. She’s got good and trustworthy folks around her.
shess awesome
My wife is an avid Adam Lambert fan and she would not even think of buying Boyle’s I DREAMED A DREAM until I bought it and but it in her stocking. She listened to it on Christmas Day and it made her cry!!! She loves it!!! So until you hear it don’t judge it.
she is so pretty
i respectful disagree
how is this woman still popular? I personally do not understand how she has become such a sensation
There are at least 3 million people who would disagree.
I know, and that makes me sad =(
It makes you *sad* that other people you don’t even know enjoy her music? Get some thorazine, sweetie…
Um, make that 7 million people…..lol.
Poor Ashley, other people love Susan’s voice and that makes her sad. She should really get a life of her own and not worry about what other people like and dislike.
Um, the question is…how is TAYLOR SWIFT still popular, considering she can’t sing to save her life, and her sings are basically HEllo Kitty, teenage girl diary musings set to not-so-memorable music…
LOL
I agree with you Telly B!!
totally agree!!!
Well, Telly, she is popular because she writes songs that many young women identify with, she is cute, charming, and she is not stuck up. I think that helps her to sell records. Oh, and she’s funny. Her musical monologue was one of the best that SNL has ever had; and, no, I’m not a teenager.
[Go, Susan~!]
Thank you chattypatra. So tired of people giving Taylor a hard time. She’s got some very good music, and I beg to differ – she can sing. And her SNL monologue was fantastic! I’m not a teenager either – far from it.
And, she actually WRITES music.
YES.
i think she became the number one gift for every 20/30 something out there to give to their mother. i didnt but i can definitely see that happening. if this cd came out in the summer i dont think we’d be seeing 3 million moved in 5 weeks. but i could be wrong.
I agree, timing is everything in this case, I have a feeling a lot of older people got this CD in their stocking on christmas morning
Dave I think you’re wrong. Anyone giving this as a gift to their mother would just be giving a duplicate gift. Many women in their 40′s and 50′s who are mothers to adult children are perfectly capable of reading the news and knowing this music is out there. Most grandmothers too. Remember they grew up with Elvis, then the Beatles, and all the 80′s stuff, so they’re not sitting in rockers waiting for life to come to them.
7 million world wide.
#1 album of 2009 world wide.
calm down bro i never said they werent capable of getting their own copies.. i just said a lot of younger people probably thought it was a good gift. you need to chill the f out.
have you listened to her album, ashley? she is incredibly talented… and her vocal range is off the charts. now, if it’s not your style of music that’s one thing… but style of music and talent are two very different things. i cannot stand celine dion. but she has one helluva voice. happy new year to you all!
and i might add… her story *is* very cinderella. i think she deserves it given her age, talent, life story… now she just has to hold on to her dignity, not sell out, be true to herself… and she will be singing for a very long time. the music industry has many layers, many purposes, many jerks and many amazing people. where people fall in place isn’t always up to them… but where they maintain themselves is. all i’m saying is all these opinions about her or other musicians are purely relative and personal… and it comes down to style preference. as long as you keep an objective opinion on talent… it’s all good.
Britain hasn’t produced many Big Time female singers. Who is their Barbra Streisand? Ella Fitzgerald? Aretha? Shirley Bassey and Sarah Brightman are as close as they get. Boyle’s voice is more powerful than Brightman and let’s see if she’s chosen for a Bond theme. But Boyle is as strong a contender as Britain has ever had in the Streisand Sweepstakes.
Why does it bother yuu if the rest of us like Susan Boyle? Do you have the right to tell who we should prefer?
Do I sense a little jealousy? The woman has a beautiful voice and it’s not like she went looking for fame, she auditioned and the whole world was captivated with her voice.
It’s like rapper Seal said – Boyle’s the real thing because it was her goal to sing, NOT to be famous.
PlayingHardToGet, great point, well made.
Listen to her voice and then YOU will know why! Her voice sounds so pure and it sounds like a young voice too. If I didn’t know what Susan looked like or her age I would not believe this voice came out of her. She is totally awesome!!
Unless you watched American Idol when she first appeared, opened her mouth, and out came this magnificent voice which made everyone cry, you’ll never understand. This woman has talent and am sure she never realized that she would have gone as far as she did. It took a lot of courage for her to audition for this show and once she got on stage, it was hers. It’s kind of like that old ‘rags to riches’ story and you can’t help but be in awe of this woman, whose beauty is in her voice and not her looks. I hope she enjoys her celebrity status for as long as it will take her.
Correction please. Subo was NOT on American Idol. It was Britain’s Got Talent. She’s a tad too old to be on American Idol. I think she’s cute in her own way!!
This is why American X-Factor will kill American Idol when Simon Cowell launches it in the States, because the age limit will be gone & groups will be allowed. Cowell should ask Oprah Winfrey to be a judge!
I’m pretty sure Young Money’s sells will only go down from here. Junior Mafia/The Outlaws/D12/The Firm(though established) were all groups that only came out because their best friend’s got big(B.I.G./2pac/Eminem/Nas & lil wayne)…they’re now either underground or (soon 2 b) working at burger king
Stop looking…start listening! That’s why she is still number one. Watch the video of her debut on “Britain’s Got Talent”…and how the judges and audience prejudged Susan Boyle because of her looks. But when she opened her mouth, they stopped laughing. It doesn’t matter if she is the greatest singer (although it’s hard to think of anyone with such powerful, straight forward vocals out there now…there are none). Susan Boyle came along at the right time. She probably will never duplicate this kind of success but neither will teen sensation Taylor Swift, who I might add, can’t carry a tune in a lunchbox. But her type of song writing about teen angst hit, just as did Ms. Boyle, at the right time. The world is in such a mess and it takes peoples’ minds off the numerous problems. It is indeed uplifting to see someone like Ms. Boyle, at her age, to be brave enough to pursue and achieve her dream. Bravo! I hope she upseats Ms. Swift in the race for top selling album of 2009.
Come on now..seriously..are you telling me you think SuBo is a better singer than Mariah Carey, Beyonce, or Alicia Keys?????
In terms of raw, untouched/synthesized/not produced vocals….yes, SuBo *IS* a better singer than all of them.
I don’t buy that Susan Boyle is a better singer than Alicia Keys (or Mariah Carey–or even Beyonce for that matter). I’m also not sure what synthesized music you’re referring to, but, Alicia Keys doesn’t need auto-tune. Mariah and Beyonce use this, but, mostly for effect and not to enhance their singing.
Yes, Susan Boyle is a natural talent, her only training has been in the church choir. The others all have voice coaches. Not to say I don’t like the others as I do but her music is different and heartfelt. Too much production goes into the others to look and sound good, Susan doesn’t care about any of that, she’s natural in all she does and I hope she remains the same.
Susan boyle sings Broadway type musical “I dream a dream” which is VERY HARD to sing and need an unbelievable voice range. Unless Mariah, Beyonce and Alicia Keys start singing that song to compare, it is very hard to know who is better. Other songs are too easy to sing by all these singers and hard to compare, they may all sound the same, maybe one little better than the other on certain range. Just when I watch Susan Boyle in youtube and I immediately listen to Elain Paige and Patti Lupond (both world best musical type singers) in youtube and Susan did sound much much more powerful with her voice range with unbelievable emotion.
Beyonce? Are you kidding? Her voice is like nails on a chalkboard. Further proof that style vs. substance is all you need in the pop music world.
Put Boyle on a stage with Beyonce – whom I like – Keys, Swift, Carey, Dion etc. and see what happens. We’ll see who’s dependent on auto-tune.
@Pete You may not like Beyonce’s songs, but, if you say she can’t sing then you’ve obviously not seen any of her live performances. Or “Dreamgirls” for that matter. She does rely on “style” and what not, but, the girl can sing!!!!!! And to whoever mentioned upthread that Boyle can sing as good as Celine Dion..LOL!!!!!!!!!!
Cats screaming in throws of ovulation sing better than Mariah Carey.
This is a ridicule!!!!!! No way can you compare Subo and Celine Dion! You gotta be kidding me!! Celine is the “angel” of them all. No offense to Beyonce or Mariah or Alicia. But Celine’s voice is the BEST!!
Susan Boyle is an artist / singer/whatever that sings “standard” songs that appeal to the older set; you know, those people who still buy CDs and don’t download music.
That’s why Clive Davis is trying to get Rod Stewart to sing standards; that’s why Barry is going to be recording standards and not new material. There’s still an audience out there that likes those songs.
Are all the folks buying Keyes’ CD last week old folks too? Just curious.
One problem with your comment, Sally. Susan Boyle currently sits at Number 16 on the Billboard Digital Download charts.
I have heard Taylor Swift sing live and the girl CANNOT SING. She does have talent as a songwriter though.
congrads sunsan. i still don’t know anyone personally who bought this cd. sometimes talent is more bankable than the packaged deals (rihanna, taylor swift)
Rihanna: Packaged. Taylor Swift: Not packaged. Writes her own songs. Nice comfy killer hooks but her live singing needs work.
Well…Beyonce “writes” her own songs and she’s packaged.
But back to the article head, congrats to Susan Boyle. With so much online, it’s surprising that someone broke 3 million records that fast.
::cringes sadly:: The thing is, her live singing wouldn’t need work if she could actually sing…
I hope she stays strong
On and Upward Susan! We LOVE ya! The heavens have truly BLESSED us with such a sweet voice at such a bad time…. it does make for easier days…. just listen to the angelic voice!
I couldn’t agree more Michael!
Simon you are wrong. Back in 2000, *NSYNC’s No Strings Attatched debuted at #1 and stayed at #1 for 8 straight weeks. Maybe you mean for a new artist and if that is what you meant, please correct it.
In the Billboard report, it states that she set the record for an artist with a debut album so the story above does need to clarify as you have suggested.
Actually, that’s not what the article says, Johnny:
“Even if that doesn’t happen, she’s already earned another record that might be even more impressive: I Dreamed a Dream is now the first album ever to debut at No. 1 and stay there for five weeks in a row since Billboard started keeping score in the 1950s.”
However,I think that’s exactly what EW meant, a debut album from an artist. They just phrased it incorrectly.
When I read the article it said I Dreamed a Dream is now the first debut album ever to bow at No. 1 and stay there for five weeks in a row since Billboard started keeping score in the 1950s.
No Strings Attached was not their debut album.
I think he miss the 500,000 requirement. I think 5 continuous weeks at No 1 with at least 500,000 sold since debut.
I believe that Susan’s record is for a debuting WOMAN. There are many male singers who have topped her numbers, but no women (in the history of the neilsen scores) has achieved her sales.
Only one topped her, and I’m pretty sure that was back in 1993, when albums still sold well.
Who is buying her album?
Me!! And I love it.
I am PROUD of Susan as she is born to be who she is & You’ll See.
Happy New Year & especially to the lady with the voice & that is non other than Susan Boyle. What a story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Susan Boyle. Good for her. She has had an AMAZING year with ups and downs and it’s wonderful to see her ending 2009 on a definite up.
So happy to see Susan Boyle steaming ahead. I haven’t bought my cd yet but fully intend to. I hope she bests Swift, who though a talented song writer, can sing a note to save her life. Go, Boyle, GO!
I bought Susan’s album. I may be 40-something, but I still listen to all kinds of music including Taylor Swift, Alicia Keys, etc. Not to take away from other talented singers, but I must say that this is the best album I have ever heard – and I have purchased thousands over the years! She has a God-given talent that is very rare. Those of you who have not listened to it need to buy it, and then you will see why she has sold 3 million albums! All I can say is good for her for never giving up on her dream!
The Mary J sales are very inflated — she doesn’t have a hit single and the promotion has been pretty nonexistent. I’m happy she sold that much, though, because it is her best album in a while.
I’m happy Susan Boyle is doing well, but I certainly don’t think she’s the best singer out there (great technical voice but I don’t feel a tinge of emotion when she sings) or that the album is that great (I’ll wait to see how she handles all original material). But good for her for doing so well.
I’m fascinated by all the comments Boyle gets for not doing “original material.” Should I not listen to Ella Fitzgerald’s songbooks? Sinatra’s “My Cole Porter”? Or ANY opera. They weren’t original material either.
PlayingHardToGet…typically my reaction would be the same, but I think I get what people are saying in Susan’s instance. It’s much more difficult to interpret new material than it is to potentially copy others’ interpretations of older songs. There’s no denying that Ella and Sinatra interpret songbook material very distinctly, but as for Susan, the jury’s still out. Her “I Dreamed A Dream” was very heartfelt, but that song in itself is very moving especially in context of the musical it’s from. In no way am I trying to knock her singing because I think she’s better than average (and in full disclosure, I haven’t heard her album), but for me her backstory is more fascinating than her singing.
@playinghardtoget:
i didn’t mean that she should be a singer-songwriter or anything. this album is just a lot of very well known songs, so i want to see how she handles an album of “new” stuff.
Susan had never heard “Wild Horses” except as a Stones’ tune, and when they got her in to record, they played the music for her, and on just a few rehearsals, she sang her version–her intepretation–of it.
She’s only been able to sing in choir and mimic other singers for most of her life–is she supposed to be finding an orchestra of her own and writing her own songs? It’s a very great accomplishment to put her own stamp on most of the songs she’s got on the first album, and don’t be fooled–there will be a lot more to come.
BTW, people who can’t understand and embrace all kinds of music in their lives sound suspiciously like idiots. There is good and bad in every form of music, and people who think they’re too “good” for some genres come up short on taste and good manners.
Really? It’s funny how different people hear different things.
The emotion in Susan Boyle’s voice is what gets to me every time I hear her sing. Packed with feeling.
Wat to go Susan Boyle! I love a great underdog success story!!