Music Buzz: Rihanna Barely Fends Off Archuleta, Who Debuts a Record-breaking #2!

Congratulations, Archie. You've Arrived!

Crush nearly beating Disturbia as to position, but leads it by 26k as to sales.

Putting "leaked" numbers and figures aside, Archuleta's debut on the Billboard Top 100 is "officially official", just barely missing the top spot taken by the with-a-disturbing-video single from Rihanna (pun intended!).

Although with limited airplay --being that radio date add goes as far as Sept. 2-- Archuleta's debut single which sold 166,000 downloads on its first week and held the #1 spot on iTunes for a week, takes the #2 spot in the prestigious Billboard chart, the "best chart debut in more than 18 months", reports Billboard's official website.

After the pressure-packed reality show Idol and amidst the current exhausting 50+ state-tour stops, this 17-year old runner-up must be having the time of his life (no pun intended!) --with the adulation of his legion of fans, who with Archuleta's demeanor appropriately call (our) themselves the "Arch Angels", with the conversion of thousands of previously-non-fans-but-was-mesmerized-by-his-amazing-voice-live, and with the countless mega-positive tour and single reviews-- and although he didn't run away with the Idol crown, Archuleta seems to be winning big time with his chart breaking antics and monster first week sales. And did I mention record-breaking?


Archie's debut single "Crush" is:

• The highest debut, at #2, on the Hot 100 this year.
• The highest debut of all Idol album songs on the Hot 100
• The highest position of all Idol album songs (tied with Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone”) on the Hot 100.
• The highest chart position for an Idol, period, since Taylor Hicks coronation single, “Do I Make You Proud” debuted at #1 in 2006. (Mj's Blog)
• The highest opening for an Idol with a song not performed on the show. (Billboard.com)

Okay, so that may be a lot to remember, but I am pretty much certain Archie wouldn't have issues with it as he considers himself a "chart-dork" after recently admitting in an interview his "obsession" --owning (when I didn't even know such existed) Billboard "books" and learning hits from all over the globe)-- over billboard charts and the like even when he was younger. Billboard's Fred Bronson couldn't have said it any better:

So it's nice to report that the artist who earns Hot Shot Debut honors on this week's Hot 100 has an obsession with the charts. More accurately, and at the risk of self-aggrandizing, he is obsessed with my Billboard chart books. With his new single entering at No. 2, he has assured himself a place in the next edition of "Billboard's Hottest Hot 100 Hits," even if he has to wait a few years to see his current single listed among the top 5000 songs of the rock era. (Fred Bronson)

With the way things are going for David Archuleta this early, and if chart positions, by any chance, indicate the future of his career, Boy oh boy is he in for great-scratch that-spectacular ride.

Photocredits: submissions to FB, FOD.

Person Fred Bronson

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