VOA常速英语:Top 5 Countdown for Week Ending August 31

We’re exploring the five most popular songs in the Billboard Magazine Hot 100 pop singles chart, for the week ending August 31, 2013.

There’s movement in our Top Five! We even get an all-new song.Let’s begin at the beginning, where Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z hold in fifth place with “Holy Grail.”

Top 5 Songs for Week Ending Aug. 31

1. "Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams
2. "Roar" - Katy Perry
3. "We Can't Stop" - Miley Cyrus
4. "Radioactive" - Imagine Dragons
5. "Magna Carta" - Jay-Z Featuring Justin TimberlakeOn August 25, Justin was in Jay’s hometown of Brooklyn, New York for the MTV Video Music Awards. He took home Video Of The Year honors for “Mirrors,” while also receiving the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. He even briefly reunited with his old band mates in ‘N Sync.

Slipping a slot to number four goes Imagine Dragons with “Radioactive.” This band has gone from worst to first. As a struggling band in Las Vegas, Nevada, these guys once played to half-empty casino showrooms. They return to casino work on August 30 - this time with a sold-out gig at the Borgata in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Miley Cyrus sure caused a commotion Sunday night at the MTV Awards. She retreats a slot to third place with “We Can’t Stop.” Appearing Sunday at the VMAs, Miley gave the evening’s most outrageous performance, complete with plenty of risqué moves and very little clothing. The next day, the Internet exploded with comments from both home viewers and fellow performers. Of course, it’s all great publicity for Miley’s Bangerz album, out on October 4.

Our all-new song is by Katy Perry, who rockets from 85th to second place with “Roar.”

Katy’s Prism album hits the market on October 22, and she sets the stage with the first single, which sold more than half a million copies in its first week.

Not even Katy, however, can unseat the champs: Robin Thicke, T.I. and Pharrell spend an 11th week at number one with “Blurred Lines.” It’s only the 18th time a single has topped the Hot 100 for 11 weeks or longer…and the chart’s been around since 1958. Destiny’s Child was your last 11-week champ in 2000 with “Independent Women Part 1.”

That’s it for now, but you know how it works - come back next week for an all-new lineup.