Katy Perry Rocks Michael Jackson's Record String of #1 Hits
She might not be the "second coming of Michael Jackson" as one mega-celebrity recently labeled his mega-celebrity wife, but Katy Perry has done something that Beyonce (a.k.a. "The Second Coming") has not done: She tied Michael Jackson's record for the most No. 1 hits from a single album. With the single "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)," Katy Perry placed her fifth No. 1 song from the album "Teenage Dream" at the top of the charts, something no other artist has done before or since the King of Pop pulled it off in the 1980s.
Perry vaulted to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart over the mega-hit by LMFAO, "Party Rock Anthem," to take the top position. And it may have been her last chance to get there, as "Moves Like Jagger," the Maroon 5 song featuring Christina Aguilera, made a strong move toward the top as well, pulling short at No. 3.
Her record-tying string of hits began with "California Gurls" (featuring Snoop Dogg) in May 2010. The lead single was followed by the album's title track, "Firework," and, "E.T." (featuring Kanye West).
The album "Teenage Dream" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in September 2010 and has sold over 1.7 million units to date, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.
In total, the five of Perry singles have held the No. 1 position for a record-setting 18 weeks, something even Michael Jackson cannot match. His string of five chart-toppers stayed at the top for a cumulative 7 weeks.
The interesting t! hing to note about the Jackson's five singles is that they did not come from his iconic "Thriller" album, which produced 7 Top 10 singles in all. Still, only two "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" were the only two to make it into the top slot. But the follow-up to "Thriller," "Bad," was another story altogether. It saw nine singles released, seven of which were in the United States.
As was the case with Jackson's "Bad," Perry's No. 1 hits were from the first five singles released.
"Hitting No. 1 is always a great moment, but when it turns into a small piece of history, you're reminded of how many millions of people are connected to each other by even one tiny event," she told Billboard. "Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen. Ever since I was 9 years old, singing into my hairbrush, I've dreamed very big dreams, but today is bigger than my dreams. What a nice first birthday present for 'Teenage Dream'!"
"Teenage Dream" was released on August 24, 2010. "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" ascended to the Top of the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending August 27 (charts are pre-dated).
Now that she is in the same league as Michael Jackson (at least record-wise), will she attempt to break the record? Will there be a sixth single from "Teenage Dream"? That remains to be seen.
Katy Perry has come a long way since "I Kissed A Girl" and the fears of being a one-hit wonder. And she may not be the "second coming" of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. But she certainly has designs on getting that Queen of Pop mantle for herself.
More From This Contributor:
Sorry, Britney! No Lip-Synch Awards This Year
What Adam Lambert Refused To Talk About on 'Behind The Music'
Note: This was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Join the Yahoo! Contributor Network here to start publishing your own articles.