VOA常速英语:Top 5 Songs for Week Ending March 21

We’re setting free the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart, for the week ending March 21, 2015.

It had to happen: just when we were getting comfortable with one new title per week, the machinery breaks down. It’s the same old songs this time around - luckily, they’re pretty good songs!

Let’s start in fifth place, where Rihanna, Kanye West, and Paul McCartney tread water with “FourFiveSeconds.” Rihanna made fashion history this week…by becoming the first black woman to represent the French fashion house Dior. Women’s Wear Daily reports that Rihanna will appear in a video and print campaign, appearing this North American spring. She’s already promoted Balmain fashions, and was named a creative director for Puma shoes.

Staying put in fourth place is Ellie Goulding (Golding) with “Love Me Like You Do.” which has topped charts from Australia to Finland. Here in the States, Ellie joined The voice as a musical advisor on Adam Levine’s team. Adam says she’s easy to talk to and had a big influence on his team.

Speaking of Adam Levine, he and the rest of Maroon 5 hang onto third place with “Sugar.” Adam Levine and his crew have been pumping out hits since 2002…but did you know they’ve been around considerably longer? The group formed in 1994 as Kara’s Flowers, and released one album, The Fourth World, in 1997. Four years later, they regrouped, re-named themselves, and the rest is chart history.

Up in second place is Ed Sheeran, who this week proved he’s one of the nicest guys in pop music. I’ll fill you in after “Thinking Out Loud.”

On March 15, Joe Irvine, a contestant on the New Zealand X Factor, was bullied unmercifully by judges Natalia Kills and Willy Moon. They lost their jobs…and Joe got a nice tweet from Ed. He said “don’t worry about what anyone else says. Enjoy yourself with it, that’s what singing is about.”

Up at number one, it’s Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars for a 10th big week with “Uptown Funk.” It’s only the 29th song in Hot 100 history to last that long at the top…and the chart has been around since 1958!

Can they make it 11 weeks? We’ll find out next time.