Has Glee Beaten Elvis Presley?

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The original King of Rock and Roll maybe be king no more.  The cast of Glee has taken over the record for the most charted songs in the Billboard lists 52 year archives.

Glee has six debuts on the Hot 100 to be released today on Billboard.com.  The Glee cast has placed 113 songs on the chart, besting the King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley who has 108 chart entries logged since the survey’s inception in 1958 and 2003.  A remake of Kary Perry’s recent Hot 100 No.1 hit ‘Firework’ represents the Glee casts highest debuting title this week.  Glee has been on the tongues of everyone this week due to their almost homage to Justin Bieber by covering two of his songs.  And it shows that no one is shy about having the Bieber Fever.

FX has just announced they have picked up a pilot from the great minds of Ryan Murphy and Brad Fulchuk.  These two were once executive producers for FX’s widely popular Nip/Tuck.  The show will be called American Horror Story and while there are no details yet on what the show may be the title alone is enough to make one curious as to what could be in store for us. Are you surprised by Glee toppling Elvis Presley?

6 Comments

1. 

   Elvis Express Radio

   February 20, 2011 at 12:58 pm

   All over the media, there has been reports that the cast of the American synthesised squeaky all singing TV show ‘GLEE’ has smashed the American chart
   record held by Elvis for many years.

   But what has annoyed me is none of these reports reveal that with ELVIS, he had ACTUAL singles released in the stores for fans to buy. Where as GLEE, have not actually released these songs as singles, they are album tracks that because of the ridiculous U.S. chart rules can be counted as singles because of each download purchased by all the little kiddies queueing up to hear those ear cringing squeaky cheerleader type vocals.

   However, lets’ put the whole ‘Glee’ chart domination into perspective, what’s the bet this story is not picked up and re-printed by the tabloids around the world.

   While the ensemble’s feat is unquestionably impressive, there are a few facts which are in Elvis Presley’s favor:

   The King’s career predates the Hot 100′s Aug. 4, 1958, launch. Joel Whitburn’s “Top Pop Singles” book counts 31 Elvis songs that reached various Hot 100 predecessor charts beginning in 1956.

   So, in terms of overall Billboard chart hits, Elvis Presley’s total could stand at an unofficial 139 when combining multiple song surveys.

   Further breaking down the “Glee” cast’s Hot 100 resume, of its 113 Hot 100 entries, just two have hit the top 10: “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” (No. 4 and “Teenage Dream” (No. 8). 36 of the 113 have reached the top 40.

   Conversely, Elvis with 80 top 40 Hot 100 hits – 25 of which reached the top 10 – Elvis is far and away the leader.

   Elton John ranks second with 57 top 40 titles, followed by the Beatles (50). 36 top 40 entries places the “Glee” cast in a tie with R. Kelly for 15th place.

   Also, Elvis’ 108 Hot 100 entries translate to 994 cumulative weeks spent on the chart. As just 23 of the “Glee” cast’s 113 Hot 100 songs have logged
   more than one week on the list, the troupe’s total weeks count is 150.

   And, of course, Elvis introduced a bounty of classics to mainstream audiences, while the “Glee” cast has so far charted solely remakes (a streak that could
   end in upcoming weeks with the show’s rumored promise of original songs).

   Ultimately, the “Glee” cast’s passing of Elvis in one of the Hot 100 100′s most sacred categories is laudable. It’s only one statistic, however, when examining the artists who have made some of the most memorable impacts in Hot 100 history.

   BILLBOARD STATS:
   Hot 100 Entries: ELVIS 108 v GLEE 113
   Top 10 Hits: ELVIS 25 v GLEE 2
   Top 40 Hits: ELVIS 80 v GLEE 36
   Weeks Spent On Chart: ELVIS 994 v GLEE 150

   Reply
   • 

     Chris

     February 21, 2011 at 1:40 pm

     Too right Elvis express radio, why does everyone think they have to compare Elvis? There has NEVER been anyone to come close to Elvis , never has, never will, he was a one off and will never die.

     Reply
   • 

     Thomas

     February 21, 2011 at 8:31 pm

     “The cast of Glee has taken over the record for the most charted songs in the Billboard lists 52 year archives.”

     That’s all this article is trying to say, not that Glee is better than Elvis but that they simply beat a record.

     You don’t have to get so worked up about it.

     Reply
2. 

   MauricePColgan

   February 20, 2011 at 3:36 pm

   Elvis Presley’s singles sold by the million to mainly teenagers in the early days, then to all ages in 1960 when the song “It’s Now or Never” went straight to number one in the British charts and stayed at number one for eight weeks till it was replaced by Elvis’s, “Are You Lonesome Tonight”. I was still a teenager then amazed at the lines of ‘old’ people waiting to purchase Elvis Presley songs.

   Reply
3. 

   Chris

   February 21, 2011 at 1:38 pm

   And the point of this is? So what if Glee have beaten Elvis. You seem to forget that way back in 1954 when Elvis started out, not everyone had what was then “record players” now almost everyone has an i pod or whatever so technically, given that had i pods been around all the years back no on but no one would have “beaten” as you out it Elvis. Who cares anyway? Everyone compares Elvis just goes to prove, they know they have a lot to beat but never have and never will.

   Reply
   • 

     Thomas

     February 21, 2011 at 8:28 pm

     Your grammar is not helping your point in any way.

     Reply