The top two “American Idol” contestants capture the top two spots on Billboard’s Hot 100, as Clay Aiken’s “This Is the Night” (RCA) debuts at No. 1 and Ruben Studdard’s “Flying Without Wings” (J Records) opens at No. 2. It’s the first time in the 45-year history of the Hot 100 that the top two positions are new entries.
Aiken’s “This Is the Night” is the first song to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100 since 1998, and the first since chart rules were changed to allow airplay-only tracks to appear on the chart alongside commercially released singles. Those new chart policies make it almost impossible for a song to enter the chart in pole position, or in the top-5, but the massive sales on the two “Idol” singles made their historic debuts possible.
Aiken’s single sold nearly 393,000 copies and Studdard’s single moved nearly 286,000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan. “This Is the Night” boasts the biggest one-week sales figures since Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind 1997.” [story] [Clay Aiken - Coverstory “Rolling Stone”]