VOA常速英语:Top 5 Countdown for Week Ending March 1

This is the Top Five Countdown! We’re training our gaze upon the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart, for the week ending March 1, 2014.

Last week, the top five was in flux, with four positions changing hands. This week - not so much. Beyonce and Jay Z are your comeback kids, as “Drunk In Love,” which previously plunged six slots to eighth place, rebounds to number five. It turns out Beyonce has her critics, and one spoke out this week.  Back in January, she raised a few eyebrows with her risqué performance of the song at the Grammy Awards. This week, actress Garcelle Beauvais told the web site Hello Beautiful that certain things are too overt for children…and Beyonce may want to tone down her act a bit. She later clarified her remarks, saying she loves Beyonce and her words were taken out of context.

Holding at number four are A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera with “Say Something.” Christina’s full of surprises these days. Last week, Christina said she was engaged to her boyfriend of three years, Matthew Rutler. This week, reports emerged that she’s expecting her second child. She has a six-year-old son, Max.

Holding at number three are Jason Derulo and 2 Chainz with “Talk Dirty.” Jason’s readying a follow-up to last year's Tattoos. His new full-length album, also titled Talk Dirty, will hit the market on April 15, and will feature a collaboration with his girlfriend Jordin Sparks…upon whom Jason bestowed 10,000 roses on Valentine’s Day.
 
Last week, Pharrell Williams stormed into second place with his worldwide hit “Happy” which first appeared in the animated film Despicable Me 2. This week he pauses - ahead of what may be a huge awards victory. On March 2, Pharrell will perform at the Academy Awards ceremony, where “Happy” is up for a Best Original Song Oscar. It’s running against another big pop hit, “Let It Go,” from the movie Frozen.

Katy Perry spends a fourth week atop the Hot 100 with “Dark Horse,” featuring Juicy J of Three 6 Mafia. Some members of the Muslim community are protesting the video, in which Katy melts a man wearing a necklace bearing the name of Allah in Arabic. An online petition asking YouTube to ban the clip has compiled more than 15,000 signatures.

That’s it for now, but the Hot 100 never sleeps! Join us next week for an all-new Top Five Countdown.