Week of April 24

Lots of stories behind the six new entries in this week's countdown. At No. 40 is the first chart collaboration for two "boy bands" of different eras. New Kids on the Block were a late '80s/early '90s juggernaut that never quite caught on with me; despite their massive international success, only two of their singles hit my charts, with "Tonight" from 1990 peaking the highest (No. 13). On the other hand, the Backstreet Boys about a decade later not only were enormous successes worldwide, but they also caught on with me more -- I found several of their songs much less "teen idol" bubblegum and more mainstream vocal pop than NKOTB. The Boys earned three Top 5 hits on my charts, with two -- "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)" and "All I Have to Give" -- going to No. 1. This week, an amalgamation of the two groups called NKOTBSB enters the countdown with "Don't Turn Out the Lights." In the weeks to come, we'll see whether its chart run is more similar to New Kids' or Backstreet Boys'.

These days, I find out about new music from a variety of sources (other than the too-restrictive Top 40 and adult pop radio in my market). That's clear from this week's debuts. Two come courtesy of an article I read online in Billboard. Both "Alone Again" and "A Father's Love (The Only Way He Knew How)" are Canadian hits spotlighted in this report.

Roxette's comeback hit, "She's Got Nothing On (But the Radio)," is a song I had seen charted on several personal surveys, which prompted me to find and listen to the song online. Stevie Nicks' "Secret Love" is a song that a reader of this chart drew to my attention via e-mail. And Weird Al Yankovic's "Perform This Way" came via a Billboard news report Wednesday about a conflict between Yankovic and Lady GaGa, the artist he spoofs. (This isn't the first time Yankovic has been spurned by an artist. His last song to make my charts, "You're Pitiful" in 2006, was put online after the management for James Blunt refused to allow Yankovic to commercially release the parody of "You're Beautiful.")