The Best Thing - Chart Performance

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Thanks Cosmo! As usual, really great analysis. I gotta say. The song is doing really well for coming off of a really good kick in the balls they got from SOI. And that they are currently on tour for a 30 year old album.
Hope to see a bit more climbing on HotAC. I feel that the AC portion is a mystery that no one will ever know the answer to. So strange.
 
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macawaca said:
Steady gains today, up 25 on Hot AC
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sweet! I just had to go and look after i saw your post.

Not only that, but surprisingly 11 adds on Alternative, which was a format that seemed to be flagging the last couple days. It keeps them at 23 and looking at the few songs ahead of them at the moment, it looks like TBT could have a shot to hit the top 20 in a few days.

Also surprising is - they actually got 2 adds on Active Rock which has had zero adds for days.

Also 5 adds on AAA keeping them at number 3. It will be a bit tough for them to move up on that chart soon. It would probably be at least a week of adds for them to notch up.

All in all, a really solid day for the song again. Good to see!!
 
This is great news! The song is already overperforming my expectations on the charts (which admittedly weren't very high, but still). Seems like it might still have some legs.


Would LOVE to see it get to about 14m impressions, and get into the 125-ish range on the overall AI charts. I think that is going to require that it start performing on the AC charts though. I really don't get why it has not shown up there. As others have said, it just doesn't make sense given how it is performing on HAC.
 
USA charts are so complicated.
:)

Best thing did really bad in the charts here in the uk. If it had a Friday to Friday release it would have been higher then 92 but nothing that you would be able to call a success

It's still getting played on the radio channels I listen to, rock channels. Seems to be getting played a lot on certain channels. The tunes out there and getting played on u2 friendly radio channels, it just didn't do very good in the charts
 
rennowba said:
USA charts are so complicated.
:)

Best thing did really bad in the charts here in the uk. If it had a Friday to Friday release it would have been higher then 92 but nothing that you would be able to call a success

It's still getting played on the radio channels I listen to, rock channels. Seems to be getting played a lot on certain channels. The tunes out there and getting played on u2 friendly radio channels, it just didn't do very good in the charts
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It can always have a second charting or resurgence.

Plus, UK charts are based on sales still, no? And unless other sales are added in (iTunes, for example), CD singles aren't really a thing, are they? So how are the UK charts done now?
 
doctorwho said:
It can always have a second charting or resurgence.



Plus, UK charts are based on sales still, no? And unless other sales are added in (iTunes, for example), CD singles aren't really a thing, are they? So how are the UK charts done now?
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There hasn't been a cd single for years. Pretty sure it's just based on digital downloads and streaming.
 
And vinyl sales. They really do themselves a disservice. Release 2500 singles in the UK and another 2500 in the US and they will bump up a bit. They’d sell out because global website sales would count in the UK and/or the US
 
dan_smee said:
And vinyl sales. They really do themselves a disservice. Release 2500 singles in the UK and another 2500 in the US and they will bump up a bit. They’d sell out because global website sales would count in the UK and/or the US
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They could easily shift 10,000 physical singles worldwide, or even more if packaged correctly, maybe numbered. Who wouldn't want a 4 song 12/10" vinyl (with download code), that had say TBT as a-side, the Blackout (live) and a live recording of Little Things from JT30 on the b-side, and maybe even the acoustic version/Kygo as a 4th song. Hell, I'd probably buy at least 2, maybe even three!!!! There's plenty more nut jobs like me out there too!!

I know they are rumoured to be doing something for Black Friday record store day (possibly also only in the States too?), but it's rumoured to be only 2,000??!! I mean, come on, really? Really reduced chances of getting hold it then too, especially if outside of the US. I would much rather have a good chance of getting a single that was one of 10,000 or more and worth not much more than I paid for it, than having bugger all chance of getting a single that might be worth £50-£100 in time.
 
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womanfish said:
Hey, I had totally skipped this Billboard chart.

But TBT just hit NUMBER 1 on The Billboard Adult Alternative Chart!! Up from number 2 last week.

Alternative Music: Top Alternative Songs Chart | Billboard
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The related article mentions even some more charts the song is on:
U2 Is the 'Best' With Record-Breaking 13th No. 1 on Adult Alternative Songs Chart | Billboard
"Best Thing" additionally bullets at No. 23 on the Alternative Songs airplay chart, where it's U2's record-extending 42nd entry, and No. 19 on the all-rock genre Rock Airplay chart with 4 million audience impressions, according to Nielsen Music. It's also crossing over, jumping 25-21 on Adult Pop Songs, where it could become U2's first top 20 hit since 2005, when "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" reached No. 15.

The track re-enters the Alternative Digital Song Sales chart at No. 8 (4,000 sold) with a 93 boost in sales, helped by the release of its official video, as well as an acoustic version.
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Billboard

womanfish said:
Nice find Popmartijn!!!
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I totally missed this chart on Billboard. It appears to me that the Mediabase charts, which used to correlate directly to Billboard airplay charts, are no longer directly related to BB's genre charts.

"Adult Alternative" and "Adult Pop" are likely to be audience's with the highest potential spending $$, which could help album sales.

BTW, long drive again yesterday ended with Sirius channel "Spectrum" playing the Top 5 most requested songs, and TBT was again #1. The odd thing about that channel is that I stayed on it for almost 3 hours and did not hear TBT once, while other songs were played up to 3-4 times.

None of those songs are even in the "Top 5" daily or weekly charts; for example "The Man", which has peaked on radio, gets played at least every hour. During these brief countdown shows, the DJ heaps praise on TBT, but I don't hear it much outside of the countdowns on "The Spectrum".

OTOH, Channel 33, "First Wave" has TBT in their rotation, and I swear it is a different version of the song than what I have heard with the videos. It may not be an official remix, but it has a club vibe to it.

Anyway, I only listen to Sirius when I am driving, and while that is something that I'm doing much more of these days, I still only listen to it maybe 1-2 times each week.
 
beLIEve said:
I totally missed this chart on Billboard. It appears to me that the Mediabase charts, which used to correlate directly to Billboard airplay charts, are no longer directly related to BB's genre charts.

"Adult Alternative" and "Adult Pop" are likely to be audience's with the highest potential spending $$, which could help album sales.

BTW, long drive again yesterday ended with Sirius channel "Spectrum" playing the Top 5 most requested songs, and TBT was again #1. The odd thing about that channel is that I stayed on it for almost 3 hours and did not hear TBT once, while other songs were played up to 3-4 times.

None of those songs are even in the "Top 5" daily or weekly charts; for example "The Man", which has peaked on radio, gets played at least every hour. During these brief countdown shows, the DJ heaps praise on TBT, but I don't hear it much outside of the countdowns on "The Spectrum".

OTOH, Channel 33, "First Wave" has TBT in their rotation, and I swear it is a different version of the song than what I have heard with the videos. It may not be an official remix, but it has a club vibe to it.

Anyway, I only listen to Sirius when I am driving, and while that is something that I'm doing much more of these days, I still only listen to it maybe 1-2 times each week.
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I have Sirius too - but as it's an older car, I only have so many stations. What channel do you hear it the most? I have yet to hear the song on 33.
 
Globally, it is almost like TBT has not been officially released. However, on the Top 100 singles chart in France, the song jumps from 58-41.
 
Doc,

I would say it is still played most often on channel 28, called "The Spectrum". I don't know the exact times for the daily top 5 countdown, but it plays every 3-6 hours. Also, on Friday evenings, they play this same chart, but for the whole week. Maybe at 6 pm and 9 pm Eastern Standard time?
 
Maybe someone can clarify why lescharts.com says it peaked at #24 on the singles chart but it hasn't appeared on the singles charts on the SNEP website...
 
Up 36 on hot AC today. But down on alt stations.
If they can keep at about this rate, they have a shot at hitting number 20 in 2 or 3 days on HotAC.
 
Hitting top 20 is key ... that's where the AI will start to go up significantly as they peak and fall off on AAA and Alt and Rock. If they can live in top 20 hot ac for 4 weeks they have a chance at pop cross over
 
sgera said:
Hitting top 20 is key ... that's where the AI will start to go up significantly as they peak and fall off on AAA and Alt and Rock. If they can live in top 20 hot ac for 4 weeks they have a chance at pop cross over
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For sure. It will also put the song on all the Top 20 countdowns that air on these types of stations on weekends. Does anyone know their last song to make the Hot AC Top 20? Vertigo? SYCMIOYO?
 
U2freakboy said:
For sure. It will also put the song on all the Top 20 countdowns that air on these types of stations on weekends. Does anyone know their last song to make the Hot AC Top 20? Vertigo? SYCMIOYO?
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Song For Someone peaked at 19. However, before SFS ....Still Haven’t Found was the last song to crack the top 20(peaked at 16).
 
CosmoKramer said:
Song For Someone peaked at 19. However, before SFS ....Still Haven’t Found was the last song to crack the top 20(peaked at 16).
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Wow! Didn't realize SFS did that well. Would have likely performed even better if it was the first or second single.
 
TBT is in the regular rotation at our local Alternative station X96 in Salt Lake City (think KROQ). I've heard it at least six times over the last week...and I don't think I've heard them play new U2 since the HTDAAB era.

Our Triple A station went off the air about 5 years ago. They were the main U2 station around here for 20 years.
 
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