Titania
08-13-2005, 03:44 PM
'Rent' Track Leads US Singles Chart Debuts
Thu Aug 11, 5:15 PM ET
LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - The film hasn't opened yet, but a song from the soundtrack to "Rent" was the top debut on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the week ended August 7.
"Seasons of Love" (Warner Bros.), credited to Cast of Rent, bowed at No. 68. Available exclusively at iTunes for a limited time, it is also a new entry on the Hot Digital Songs chart at No. 25. The film is scheduled for release in November.
"Seasons of Love" was written by late "Rent" playwright Jonathan Larson when it was a stage musical. That makes "Seasons of Love" the first song from a Broadway musical to appear on the Hot 100 since Madonna's cinematic version of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina." That song, from the musical "Evita," peaked at No. 8 in 1997.
There have been two top 15 hits that were based on Broadway songs. Jay-Z's "Hard-Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" sampled "Hard-Knock Life" from "Annie" and peaked at No. 15 the week of March 27, 1999. Earlier this year, "Rich Girl" by Gwen Stefani featuring Eve peaked at No. 7. The song was constructed around "If I Were a Rich Man" from "Fiddler on the Roof."
Thu Aug 11, 5:15 PM ET
LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - The film hasn't opened yet, but a song from the soundtrack to "Rent" was the top debut on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the week ended August 7.
"Seasons of Love" (Warner Bros.), credited to Cast of Rent, bowed at No. 68. Available exclusively at iTunes for a limited time, it is also a new entry on the Hot Digital Songs chart at No. 25. The film is scheduled for release in November.
"Seasons of Love" was written by late "Rent" playwright Jonathan Larson when it was a stage musical. That makes "Seasons of Love" the first song from a Broadway musical to appear on the Hot 100 since Madonna's cinematic version of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina." That song, from the musical "Evita," peaked at No. 8 in 1997.
There have been two top 15 hits that were based on Broadway songs. Jay-Z's "Hard-Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" sampled "Hard-Knock Life" from "Annie" and peaked at No. 15 the week of March 27, 1999. Earlier this year, "Rich Girl" by Gwen Stefani featuring Eve peaked at No. 7. The song was constructed around "If I Were a Rich Man" from "Fiddler on the Roof."