History is made—
In an earth-shattering, sweeping manner that shocks all of North America.
"Long Live Life" has claimed the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, cementing its place in the annals of music history.
After the initial wave of excitement calmed down, people finally began to reflect on the reasons behind this achievement.
It turns out that over the past week, "Long Live Life" completely dominated radio airplay. It surged to the top of the radio requests, far ahead of the second-place song, "21 Questions." It nearly doubled the airplay, showcasing the public's overwhelming love for the song.
Incredible!
Finally, on August 31st, the band broke through and achieved their first-ever number one single with "Long Live Life"—
Their momentum soared to new heights.
In no time, there was a wave of excitement, with cheers, praise, and awe echoing everywhere.
But that's still not all.
As "Ho Hey" kept climbing and "Long Live Life" shot up like a rocket, the band's popularity and influence skyrocketed. Even without factoring in Anson's fame, the band was attracting significant attention.
Naturally, their album Midnight in Summer entered the spotlight as well.
Since its release in the last week of March, Midnight in Summer had flown under the radar. It wasn't completely ignored, but its performance wasn't exactly impressive either—
In its first week, it sold just over 2,200 copies.
That was enough to land Midnight in Summer on the Billboard 200 album chart.
Unlike the Hot 100, which lists the top 100 singles, the Billboard 200 includes the top 200 albums. If an album sells over a thousand copies, it usually makes the cut.
So, making the chart wasn't a huge accomplishment.
In its second week, it sold over 3,700 copies.
In the third week, sales dropped to around 1,900 copies.
In the fourth week, sales surged to over 7,600 copies.
The numbers fluctuated wildly without any clear pattern. Sometimes, the rise of "Ho Hey" on the singles chart boosted album sales, and sometimes it had no effect at all, making it difficult to pinpoint any direct correlation.
Through April and May, Midnight in Summer remained on the Billboard 200. However, after two months, total sales were still under 50,000 copies—disappointing by all accounts.
At that point, it was worth revisiting Anson's contract with Warner Records:
Anson had chosen to forgo an advance in favor of higher royalties, betting on bigger payouts down the road. But now it seemed like he had made a bad deal. The album wasn't on track to hit a million sales—200,000 copies seemed like an unreachable goal. Anson's gamble appeared to have backfired.
Had his cleverness gotten the better of him?
Still, Warner Records remained patient, refusing to give up on the band—
Then the "Long Live Life" effect kicked in, giving album sales a major boost.
In just the first three weeks of June, Midnight in Summer sold 100,000 copies, doubling its previous two months' total. The album was now rocketing upwards and saw an explosive surge in the last week of June.
In that single week, Midnight in Summer sold 367,700 copies, a massive outpouring of energy.
A dark horse had emerged, rising straight to the top!
With more than 350,000 units sold in one week, Midnight in Summer stormed to number one on the Billboard 200, making it the most popular album in North America that week.
A glance at the Billboard 200 for that week reveals just how monumental this achievement was for August 31st.
Number two: Dance With My Father by Luther Vandross.
Number three: St. Anger by Metallica.
Number four: Hail to the Thief by Radiohead.
Number five: Come Away with Me by Norah Jones.
Number six: Get Rich or Die Tryin' by 50 Cent.
Number seven: A Rush of Blood to the Head by Coldplay.
Number eight: Dangerously in Love by Beyoncé.
Number nine: 2 Fast 2 Furious Soundtrack.
Number ten: Chocolate Factory by R. Kelly.
Each of these artists, every name, every album, carries heavyweight status. These are projects that have secured their place in the history of music—
Time will solidify their legacy.
Yet, here stood Midnight in Summer, proudly claiming the number one spot.
Number one. Champion. The top.
The August 31st band had burst onto the scene in a spectacular fashion, grabbing the attention of the entire North American music industry—
An undeniable achievement.
This week belonged to the August 31st band.
Top of the singles chart: "Long Live Life."
Top of the albums chart: Midnight in Summer.
The August 31st band claimed the double crown, truly carving out their place in this summer's vibrant music scene.
And this was only the beginning. The band's upward trajectory showed no signs of slowing down.
Especially on the highly competitive Hot 100, where new songs rise and fall at a rapid pace.
In the first week of July, American Idol mania hit—
Season two winner Ruben Studdard and runner-up Clay Aiken both released singles, as the finale of the show shattered TV ratings, drawing over 40 million viewers in North America. It was the hottest topic in the country.
There was no competition.
All eyes turned to the Billboard Hot 100, where industry experts widely predicted—
The chart-topping single would likely be a battle between Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard. Many expected Clay, who had shockingly lost the American Idol crown, to make a comeback and claim his first number one hit.
This wasn't to disrespect Ruben—he was also impressive—but most people believed Clay deserved the win. If not for the behind-the-scenes rumors that Clay preferred men, which allegedly led American Idol producers to rig the vote, the outcome wouldn't have been the same.
After all, this was Fox, the notoriously conservative network.
The conspiracy theories spread like wildfire.
Still, there was no proof.
But that didn't stop Clay's huge fanbase from rallying behind him.
Most believed that the same-day single releases from Clay and Ruben were a continuation of their championship rivalry. Without Fox's interference this time, Billboard's numbers wouldn't lie. Naturally, everyone's attention was focused on this showdown.
Clay or Ruben?
Ruben or Clay?
The debate raged on.
Though the August 31st band remained popular, their buzz seemed to pale in comparison to the American Idol frenzy. They were almost a footnote in the rapidly shifting landscape—
A one-week chart-topper is still a chart-topper, right?
Unbelievably, the hype surrounding the August 31st band somehow continued to build. Just when people thought this summer couldn't get any crazier, reality proved them wrong and pushed the excitement to its peak.
Then, the latest Billboard Hot 100 was revealed.
Number one: "Long Live Life" by the August 31st band.
Number two: "This Is the Night" by Clay Aiken.
Number three: "Flying Without Wings" by Ruben Studdard.
Number four: "21 Questions" by 50 Cent.
Number five: "Ho Hey" by the August 31st band.
Silence. Absolute silence.
Speculations were both right and wrong.
"Long Live Life" delivered an unbeatable performance, holding off the new competition to retain its number one spot, keeping its crown for a second week, and sparking even more buzz.
This…
This?
This!