Beyonce's <i>I Am... Sasha Fierce</i>
Photo: Columbia

Three mega releases hit stores last week, but of course, there's room for only one at the top of the chart. So would Beyoncé debut at #1 with her latest, I Am ... Sasha Fierce, or would Nickelback's Dark Horse ruin Thanksgiving dinner at the Knowles abode? Or would "American Idol" winner David Cook's self-titled debut outsell them both?

No one could have predicted the outcome with any certainty, but as expected, the three releases will sweep the chart's top three spots on next week's Billboard albums chart.

With just over 482,400 copies of Sasha Fierce snatched up during that album's first week in stores, Beyoncé makes it three #1's in a row, following the chart-topping successes of her previous solo efforts, 2003's Dangerously in Love (which sold 317,000 copies to open on top) and 2006's B'Day (which also entered at #1 with 541,000 scans).

Canadian rockers Nickelback were poised to score back-to-back #1 openings, but will instead have to settle for second, as Dark Horse enters the chart with with close to 326,400 sold, according to the latest sales figures releases by Nielsen SoundScan. Cook's eponymous debut lands at #3, with week-one sales clocked at almost 279,600. Only one other new release cracked the chart's Top 10, and that album belongs to Il Divo. The Promise bows at #5 with nearly 161,600 scans.

The rest of the Top 10 is teeming with some of the year's biggest albums. Last week's chart-topper, Taylor Swift's Fearless, falls three spots to #4 with around 217,000 copies scanned, and the "Twilight" soundtrack slides one place to #6, selling nearly 125,000 units. The Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 29 compilation disc follows at #7 with 115,300 sold, while the soundtrack to "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" comes in at #8, with almost 85,800 scans. Enya's Winter Came sold 83,300 copies to claim the #9 opening, and rounding things out at #10 with just under 73,000 sold its AC/DC's Black Ice.

Also new to next week's chart is Dido's latest, Safe Trip Home, which opens at #13, after selling 50,600 copies. Mudvayne's New Game, which follows at #15 with week-one sales reported at 48,300. Rapper Slim's latest, Love's Crazy, enters at #32, with sales of 26,800, while Ace Hood's Gutta follows at #36 with sales of nearly 24,700.

• Beyoncé
• Nickelback
• Taylor Swift
• David Cook
• Dido

The Strokes performed a new song, tentatively titled "I Can't Win," for the first time Wednesday at the FleetBoston Pavilion, where they played with Sloan and the Realistics. The tune is among the handful of new songs that the band has been test-driving at recent gigs that are expected to appear on the follow-up to last year's Is This It. ... Swedish rockers the (International) Noise Conspiracy have been forced to pull out of the Plea for Peace Tour due to a back problem developed by drummer Ludwig, according to the group's Web site. Ludwig or "Ludde" has visited a chiropractor, an ER and an acupuncturist since developing intense muscle spasms following the band's show in Minneapolis last week. ...

The controversial saga of Shawn Fanning and his creation, the revolutionary file-sharing program Napster, will be made into a movie by MTV. Fanning, who may star as himself, is collaborating on the screenplay for the film, which is set to hit screens in 2003 or 2004. ... U2 frontman and political activist Bono has been ranked the most powerful man in music, according to a poll of music executives which will be featured in the British music magazine Q. Also featured on the list are Eminem (#3), Dr. Dre (#11), Kylie Minogue (#29), Moby (#30) and Madonna (#31). ...

New age songtress Enya is prepping an enhanced four-CD box set, Only Time - The Collection, featuring tracks from throughout her career. The set will feature "May It Be," which was recorded for the "Lord of the Rings" soundtrack, hits such as "Only Time" and "Book of Days" and rare tracks such as "Isobella", "Eclipse" and "Oiche Chiun (Silent Night)," to name a few. ... The Grace EPs, a Jeff Buckley box set featuring the previously released Live From the Bataclan, the Australian promo The Grace EP, the Japanese release Last Goodbye, the Dutch promo So Real and the U.S. promo Peyote Radio Theatre, will be released November 26. The collection features 14 new tracks. ...

10.02.02

Blink-182's Mark Hoppus will appear on an episode of UPN's new supernatural series "Haunted" which is scheduled to air in November. Hoppus will guest star opposite Matthew Fox ("Party of Five") as "Tim Martin" in an episode entitled "A Three Hour Tour." ... Tweet is filming an episode of the UPN sitcom "The Parkers" this week in Los Angeles. The Southern Hummingbird will perform two songs, including the new single "Smoking Cigarettes," on the show, which will air in November. ... If you've ever wished to have Christina Aguilera on your cell phone, your prayers have been answered — LetsTalk.com is selling X-tina faceplates in a color she conjured herself called Cherry on Top. The company also gives customers the option of receiving periodic Aguilera updates. ...

Additional dates have been added to Beck's tour supporting his latest album, Sea Change. The new dates, which feature the Flaming Lips as Beck's opening act and backup band, will begin November 12 in Austin, Texas, and end November 27 in Oakland, California. ... Glassjaw were forced to postpone eight European dates due to singer Daryl Palumbo's relapse of the intestinal disorder Crohn's disease. Palumbo checked in to a hospital in France on Tuesday evening, where he will remain for a few days, and is expected to make a full recovery. Shows from October 2-12 in Germany and the U.K. are expected to be made up in December, and the band plans to continue unobstructed with its U.S. dates, scheduled for October 16 to November 29. ...

"Bands on the Run" winners Flickerstick returned to their roots in Dallas to record a live album featuring performances of songs from their debut, Welcoming Home the Astronauts, as well as new songs. The November 5 release of the album, titled Causing a Catastrophe - Live in Deep Ellum, is timed to coincide with a tour that kicks off November 1 in Fort Worth, Texas. ... Winners of Miller Genuine Draft's Blind Date contest were treated to a surprise show by Incubus in Paradise Island in the Bahamas on Tuesday. The contest, which has thus far staged 24 secret shows by the likes of Metallica, Foo Fighters and Beck, among others, since its inception in 1997, sends winners of legal drinking age to various locations for surprise shows. ... Creed will be the first band to perform on Alcatraz Island when they play for 500 contest winners at the infamous prison on October 10. VH1 will air the concert in November. ...

Dashboard Confessional have set a December 3 release date for the Unplugged album recorded for MTV2 earlier this year. Singer Chris Carraba has also posted an acoustic and a full-band version of the new song "Tonight I'll Take What I Can Get" for download on his Web site. ... At a loss for what to put in your favorite Ramones fan's stocking? We're a Happy Family, the tribute album featuring covers by Rob Zombie, Eddie Vedder and Metallica, has been pushed from its previous release date of November 12 to Christmas Eve (December 24). ... Saliva are preparing to get back into your system with the first leg of a tour that begins October 16 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and runs through November 23 in Detroit. The band will be on the road with Theory of a Deadman and Audiovent to promote its new album Back into Your System, which comes out November 12.

Andrew WK has booked a 20-city tour with Los Angeles' Flogging Molly, Chicago's Allister and Sweden's Sahara Hotnights. Boston's Lost City Angels, who include former members of Spring Heeled Jack and the Pilfers, are also on the trek, which begins October 19 in Denver and ends November 10 in Los Angeles. ... Philadelphia rappers NAAM Brigade will join Cam'ron, N.O.R.E. and Foxy Brown on the Survival of the Illest Tour, which kicks off October 10 in Atlanta. The group is promoting their just-released debut, Early in the Game.

For complete digital music coverage, check out the Digital Music Reports.

• The Strokes
• U2
• Eminem
• The (International) Noise Conspiracy
• Enya

Ian McKellen as Gandalf in "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring"
Photo: New Line

"Is this the real life/ Is this just fantasy?" This classic query from Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" could easily refer to the three films with the most nominations for the 74th annual Academy Awards.

The elf-and-orc-riddled "The Lord of the Rings" leads the pack with 13 nominations, while the amorous, lingerie-clad adventure "Moulin Rouge" and schizophrenic case study "A Beautiful Mind" trail with eight nominations apiece. The three frontrunners, along with "In the Bedroom" and "Gosford Park," will battle it out for the Best Picture title at the awards ceremony, taking place March 24 at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland. The event will be televised on ABC.

"The Lord of the Rings" is also in Oscar contention for Directing, for Peter Jackson's efforts; Best Actor in a Supporting Role, for Ian McKellen's portrayal of the wizard Gandalf; as well as in 10 secondary categories, including Art Direction, Cinematography and Costume Design. The first installment in the film trilogy based on the novels of J.R.R. Tolkien is also up for the Music (Song) Oscar, for Enya, Nicky Ryan and Roma Ryan's "May It Be." Other nominees in that category are Sting's "Until" from "Kate & Leopold"; Randy Newman's "If I Didn't Have You" from "Monsters, Inc."; Diane Warren's "There You'll Be" from "Pearl Harbor" and Paul McCartney's "Vanilla Sky" from the Tom Cruise movie of the same name.

Will Smith's role as former heavyweight champ Muhammad Ali in "Ali" packed enough punch to score him a nod for Actor in a Leading Role, a category that finds him squaring off against Russell Crowe ("A Beautiful Mind"), Sean Penn ("I Am Sam"), Denzel Washington ("Training Day") and Tom Wilkinson ("In the Bedroom").

In the Actress in a Leading Role grouping, Oscar is being courted by Halle Berry ("Monster's Ball"), Judi Dench ("Iris"), Nicole Kidman ("Moulin Rouge"), Sissy Spacek ("In the Bedroom") and Renée Zellweger ("Bridget Jones's Diary").

Animated Feature Film, a category new to this year's Academy Awards, finds "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius," "Monsters, Inc." and "Shrek" up for the inaugural prize.

A complete list of nominees is available on www.oscar.com.

• Enya
• Sting
• Randy Newman
• Paul McCartney

Mary J. Blige
Photo: MCA

The queen of hip-hop soul, Mary J. Blige, will cause the biggest stir at the top of next week's Billboard 200 albums chart, which remains relatively stagnant save for the 18-spot leap to #10 by her No More Drama. The LP, Blige's fifth studio effort, sold more than 61,000 copies last week, according to SoundScan figures released Wednesday (February 6).

No More Drama's sales spike, more than double the total of the week before, can be attributed to its January 29 reissue, which features the single "Rainy Dayz," a collaboration with Ja Rule; a new song, "He Don't Think I Know"; and remixes of "Dance for Me," featuring Common, and the title track by P. Diddy, the pair's first collaboration since Blige's 1994 album, My Life (see "Mary J. Blige Plans Even More No More Drama"). The original version of No More Drama was released August 28.

Alan Jackson will remain in next week's pole position for the third consecutive week with Drive, which sold more than 188,000 copies, followed by Creed's three-week lock on #2 with Weathered (108,000), and Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory at #3 (90,000), a slot the rap-metal quintet has held for the past four weeks. With last week's tally tacked to its total, Hybrid Theory has sold more than 6 million copies since its release in October 2000.

Ludacris continues to improve at the cash register, moving about 5,000 more copies of Word of Mouf last week than the week before. Despite the retail surge, a top-10 phenomenon that only Blige can share with the Atlanta rapper, Word of Mouf will remain in the #4 slot.

Besides No More Drama, all the other albums in the top 10 will retain their present position on next week's chart: Nickelback's Silver Side Up at #5; Ja Rule's Pain Is Love at #6; Nas' Stillmatic at #7; Usher's 8701 at #8; and Pink's Missundaztood at #9.

More than five weeks past Christmas, notable debut albums are beginning to return to the top chart slots, and next week will find two landing in the top 20. The soundtrack to "State Property," a film starring Beanie Sigel, who is part of the State Property musical collective along with Freeway, the Young Guns and Oschino & Sparks, will land at #14, with more than 51,000 copies sold. It's followed by the 42-track collection Essential Barbra Streisand at #15 (51,000).

Other notable debuts will include dance music duo the Chemical Brothers' Come With Us at #32; progressive metalheads Dream Theater's two-disc Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence at #46; Denials, Delusions and Decisions, the debut by onetime Jay-Z backing vocalist Jaguar Wright, at #56; SoCal skatepunks Unwritten Law's first album in four years, Elva, at #73; and Hank Williams III's Lovesick, Broke & Driftin' at #156.

Puddle of Mudd's Come Clean is the third of the three top 20 albums to experience a rise in sales, and will advance four places on next week's chart to #13 with more than 54,000 in sales. Its weekly total has grown for the second week thanks to the album's second single, "Blurry." While the band's debut will make strides ahead, Enya's A Day Without Rain, down seven spots to #18, and Now That's What I Call Music Vol. 8, which takes a six-spot plunge to #19, seem on their way out of the upper bracket where they've resided since November. Meanwhile, No Doubt's Rock Steady appears to be on shaky ground at #20, slipping six places and losing more than 7,000 in sales.

Rounding out the top 20 will be the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack at #11; Alicia Keys' Songs in A Minor retaining its #12 slot; Shakira's Laundry Service at #16; and P.O.D.'s Satellite at #17.

After making a 30-spot jump on this week's chart, following a performance on "Saturday Night Live," the Strokes fall back 25 places to #58, putting them among next week's biggest chart sliders. The New York quintet falls in behind even bigger divers, such as the compilation Totally Hits 2001 and Jaheim's Ghetto Love, each plunging 31 spots to #33 and #52, respectively. The deepest sinker, however, comes courtesy of California punk stalwarts Bad Religion, whose 10th album, The Process of Belief, freefalls to #100, after debuting this week at #49.

The most unusual success in next week's chart is Keke Wyatt's Soul Sista, which will appear at #43 with nearly 25,000 copies sold last week. When the R&B album was released in mid-November, it debuted at #60 but fell to #190 by Christmastime. Then over the holidays, Wyatt allegedly stabbed her husband five times with a steak knife. Ever since, Soul Sista has been steadily rising up the chart, moving to #143, #95, #77, #67, #50 and #43 in the weeks following the alleged incident. The single "Nothing in This World" has been receiving major spins at radio, and the LP has sold more than 250,000 copies.

• Mary J. Blige
• Alan Jackson
• Ludacris
• Diddy
• Creed

Usher
Photo: BMG

If you're a real chart geek, we invite you to tune in Friday night at 5 p.m. ET for "Bangin' the Charts," MTV News' weekly, in-depth look at what's charting where and why. Check out the Bangin' Web page for more info.

In this week's chart and sales analysis, we get a little Economics 101 lesson from Usher regarding business, timing and his 8701 album and "Texas Rangers" film and head into Middle Earth with Enya and Led Zeppelin. We also explore how the artistic strength of one musical concept can be its own commercial weakness.

Usher Avoids 'Rangers' Pick-Off Play

As Usher well knows, with music and business, it's all about timing.

With that in mind, we thought we'd go ahead and nominate Usher Raymond for this year's highly unofficial (and completely fictitious) Donald Trump Shrewd Business Move Award for his handling of the release of his new LP, 8701, relative to the release of the film "Texas Rangers."

Despite concerns about 8701's lengthy gestation, the Atlanta singer quelled all naysayers when the record debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in August (see "Isley Brothers, Usher, Jadakiss Storm Albums Chart"), thanks to a hefty 210,000 copies sold. In 18 weeks, 8701 has tallied 1.94 million in sales and is at a pace to leave the numbers posted by Usher's second effort, My Way, in the dust.

Issued in September 1997, My Way entered the chart at the #15 spot after selling some 66,000 copies. In comparison to 8701, Usher sold 1.32 million copies of My Way during that album's first 18 weeks in stores and currently stands at the 3.97 million mark in sales.

Usher's other two albums, his 1994 self-titled debut and his 1999 concert record, Usher Live, are nowhere even close to approaching the sales level of either My Way or 8701. The singer's debut barely scratched the Billboard 200 upon its release, charting at #187 after selling just 6,300 copies. Usher went on to log just 12 weeks total on the albums chart, peaking at #167 in October 1994 on its way to selling more than 269,000 copies to date.

Usher Live, released as a stopgap measure to tide fans over while Raymond explored a film career with roles in "The Faculty" and "Light It Up," didn't fare much better than Usher on the albums chart. After debuting at #76 in March 1999 with 21,000 sold, Usher Live dropped quickly from the Billboard 200 after nine weeks and has tallied just over 200,000 copies sold.

Even though Usher has been able to strike a nice balance between his movie and music careers, the worlds very easily could have collided with 8701 and "Texas Rangers."

The dual threat actor/singer spent much of 1999 and 2000 filming "Texas Rangers," a brat pack Western co-starring James Van Der Beek and Rachael Leigh Cook, and recording songs for what would eventually become 8701 — a project originally titled All About U. Usher initially intended to tie the release of the album and film together, with early plans calling for All About U to be released a few weeks after "Texas Rangers" was scheduled to hit screens in August 2000.

Both the film and album stalled in production, with Usher announcing (and then repealing) no less than three separate release dates for All About U, along the way re-shaping the material into what would become 8701. "Texas Rangers" ended up being shelved for over a year by Dimension Films, and didn't saddle up in North America until November 30.

Turns out Usher made a supremely sage decision not to coordinate the release of 8701 and "Texas Rangers," as the movie has turned out to be as much of a box office bomb as the record is a chart and sales smash.

Budgeted at $38 million and filmed on location in Canada and Mexico, "Texas Rangers" has grossed just $548,000 during its ten days in release, including an opening weekend gate of just $319,000, according to Variety. Those numbers are even low enough to make Mariah Carey smile, as "Glitter," which cost an estimated $22 million to make, managed to gross $2.4 million in its opening weekend — a figure that puts the western's gross to shame, relatively speaking.

While there's no telling what effect the Boot Hill-like box office numbers posted by "Texas Rangers" would have had on 8701's sales, we're reasonably certain it wouldn't have spurred them upward.

Considering that it could have gone down like a commercial "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral," Usher is likely more than happy to let "Texas Rangers" slink off into the sunset while he basks in 8701's substantial sales glow.

Enya & Zeppelin: Separated At Middle Earth

For years, the contemporary musician most often associated with the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien has been none other than Robert Plant, who openly cited the author's work as a lyrical influence on Led Zeppelin classics such as "Ramble On" and The Battle of Evermore." Now Plant and Led Zep may have to share that distinction — and that Tolkien connection — with none other than Enya.

The singer has contributed a pair of new songs to the soundtrack for "The Fellowship of the Ring," the first installment of director Peter Jackson's epic take on Tolkien's Lord of the Rings saga. For the film, Enya has penned new tunes titled "The Council of Elrond" and "May It Be," the latter of which will likely receive a "My Heart Must Go On"-like push if the film is anywhere near as successful as "Titanic" was.

Making musical friends with the inhabitants of Middle Earth is the latest achievement in an altogether magical year for Enya, whose newest solo record, A Day Without Rain, will be #7 on next week's Billboard 200. Released in November 2000, A Day Without Rain leaped into the top 10 of the albums chart as the album's lead single, "Only Time," soared into heavy rotation at radio stations across the country in the wake of the September 11 attacks on America.

So far, A Day Without Rain has sold more than 4.42 million copies, continuing a run of albums that have put up some hefty sales figures. Impressive, considering that many thought Enya would sail away into obscurity more than 10 years ago, after her sleeper 1988 hit, "Orinoco Flow," transformed the Celtic/New Age singer into a crossover pop star.

Over the years, Enya has proven to be a great deal more than a one-hit wonder. All five of the singer's solo albums, along with a greatest-hits collection, have sold more than a million copies, including 1987's The Celts — which was initially issued as Enya (1.96 million copies sold), 1989's Watermark (3.5 million), 1991's Shepherd Moons (4.34 million), The Memory of Trees (2.16 million) and Enya's 1997 best-of, Paint the Sky with Stars (2.16 million). Not quite Led Zeppelin II or Led Zeppelin IV — certified by the RIAA for 12 million and 22 million in sales, respectively — but none too shabby nevertheless.

Will You Stick Around For The Sequel?

Even though we admire De La Soul and their ambitious plans for a three-record Art Official Intelligence series, we're a little concerned about who all will turn out for the trilogy's end.

The Long Island trio just issued AOI: Bionix, the second LP in the triptych and the follow-up to last year's Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump, an album that launched the series and marked De La Soul's first studio effort since 1996's Stakes Is High. Unfortunately, significantly fewer fans have turned out to witness Art Official's Act II.

AOI: Bionix has greased only 20,000 in sales so far and will stagger into the new Billboard 200 albums chart at #136 — a far cry from the top 10 debut posted by Mosaic Thump, which sold more than 81,000 copies upon its release in August 2000 to lay a rap thud on the #9 spot.

De La Soul's previous two LPs, Stakes Is High and Buhloone Mind State, had both failed to crack the Billboard top 10 upon their release, entering the charts at #13 (with 58,000 copies sold) in July 1996 and at #40 (with 23,000 copies sold) in September 1993, respectively.

Bionix's poor showing undercuts any momentum De La Soul had built with Mosaic Thump, which has sold 417,000 copies so far and stands to be the group's second-biggest seller, trailing only its 1989 platinum-certified debut, 3 Feet High and Rising. If the lack of fan support for Bionix continues, the potential drop-off for album #3 could be even more severe — with possible first-week sales of less than 10,000 copies.

It's not the first time in recent memory an audience's wavering attention span has gradually diminished returns on a series of interconnected albums. Just ask Marilyn Manson or Everclear.

After selling 1.69 million copies of his 1996 macabre epic, Antichrist Superstar, Manson mustered 1.22 million in sales for the glam-tinged sequel, 1998's Mechanical Animals. The fall from sales grace was greater for the final album in the ungodly trinity, Holy Wood, which has sold 427,000 copies since its release last November.

Everclear also witnessed a sizable erosion in fan support for their Songs from an American Movie albums. Released in July 2000 and armed with a hit single, "Wonderful," Everclear's Songs From an American Movie, Vol. 1: Learning How to Smile has tallied a respectable 1.01 million copies sold to date, joining the platinum ranks of the band's 1995 LP, Sparkle and Fade (1.19 million copies), and its 1997 album, So Much for the Afterglow (2.19 million copies).

Even though the Portland, Oregon, group served up Songs From an American Movie, Vol. 2: Good Time for a Bad Attitude just four months after Vol. 1 was released, far fewer fans were interested in the second reel of American Movie tunes, as Vol. 2 has sold just 275,000 copies.

Of course, not all LP series have been commercial disappointments, with rapper Jay-Z tidying up quite nicely with his hip-hop trilogy of 1997's In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1.16 million copies sold), 1998's Vol. 2 ... Hard Knock Life (4.98 million), and 1999's Vol. 3 ... Life & Times of S. Carter (2.84 million). Of course, there's probably a good reason why Jay-Z opted not to add a "Vol. 4" in front of his newest album title, The Blueprint.

The possible lesson here? Keep the albums short and sharp, 'cause fans and listeners can get too much of a good thing.

[In SoundScan we trust. All figures, unless otherwise noted, are according to SoundScan's audited sales numbers and reflect sales as of press time.]

• Usher
• Enya
• Led Zeppelin
• De La Soul

Creed's Scott Stapp
Photo: Wind Up

The next time Creed release an album, take Scott Stapp's hunches as prophesy. A week after predicting his band's Weathered would overshadow new albums by Pink, Kid Rock and others on next week's Billboard 200 albums chart (see "Creed Think They'll Beat Out Pink, Sting, Now 8 For #1 Chart Slot"), it did just that, while also achieving the honor of having the second highest first-week sales totals of any album released this year.

The Floridian rockers sold more than 887,000 copies of Weathered to land at #1 on next week's chart, according to SoundScan figures released Wednesday (November 28). Creed is now two for three when it comes to placing albums atop the chart, as their previous album, 1999's Human Clay, occupied the same slot after its first week in stores.

Only 'NSYNC's Celebrity, with 1.8 million in first-week sales, topped Weathered's impressive numbers this year. Britney Spears' Britney, which will come in at # 3 next week, is the album with the third highest first-week sales.

Weathered's debut-week sales rank it third among rock albums in the SoundScan era (since 1991), following Limp Bizkit's Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water, which sold more than 1.02 million in its first week last year, and Pearl Jam's Vs., which moved more than 950,000 copies its first week in 1993.

Albums by Kid Rock and Pink will also make noble first-week showings. Rock's Cocky will land at #7 with more than 222,000 in sales, while Pink's Missundaztood follows right behind with more than 220,000.

The rest of next week's top 10 finds this week's top dog, Garth Brooks' Scarecrow, at #4; Now That's What I Call Christmas! jumping up 10 spots to #5; Enya's A Day Without Rain, seemingly immovable from the top tier after over a year of chart life, at #6; Enrique Iglesias' Escape sliding from #6 to #9; and Linkin Park re-entering the top 10 at the rear with Hybrid Theory.

Besides the chart prevalence of Christmas albums — Mannheim Steamroller's Christmas Extraordinaire continues to crawl up the chart to land next week at #15 — another sure sign the shopping season is upon us is an increase in overall sales. All but seven albums in the top 40, including Michael Jackson's Invincible (falling from #4 to #11), Shakira's Laundry Service (#3 to #16) and Jewel's This Way (#9 to #20), sold more copies than it did the week before.

'NSYNC's Celebrity will be the biggest gainer on next week's chart, as the group's latest LP, released in July, leaps 11 spots to #22, with more than 108,000 in sales, nearly doubling last week's figures.

The flipside of the winner-loser coin finds Rob Zombie's Sinister Urge taking the greatest chart plunge. The groovy ghoulie's second solo effort will slip from #8 to #30, selling nearly half of its first-week figures.

The remainder of the top 20 includes Nickelback's Silver Side Up at #12; Madonna's Vol. 2 - Greatest Hits at #13; Usher's 8701 at #14; Ja Rule's Pain Is Love at #17; Pink Floyd's Echoes - The Best of Pink Floyd at #18; and Backstreet Boys' The Hits - Chapter One at #19.

Among next week's other notable chart debuts are Timbaland & Magoo's Indecent Proposal at #29; Smashing Pumpkins' retrospective Greatest Hits at #31; Ghostface Killah's Bulletproof Wallets at #34; Jill Scott's first live album, Experience: Jill Scott, at #38; Mick Jagger's Goddess in the Doorway, the Rolling Stones singer's fourth solo album and first in eight years, at #39; Sting's live album All This Time at #40; the Dungeon Family's Even in Darkness at #42; 8Ball's Almost Famous at #47; Marc Anthony's Libre at #57; Too Short's Chase the Cat at #71; G-Dep's Child of the Ghetto at #105; Prince's Rainbow Children at #108; "The Lord of the Rings" soundtrack at #116; Mudvayne's The Beginning of All Things to End at #122; and Hoobastank's self-titled debut at #135.

• Creed
• P!nk
• Kid Rock
• Garth Brooks
• Enya

Enya
Photo: Reprise

A remix of Enya's hit single "Only Time'' and the Irish singer's interpretation of the Christmas classic "Silent Night" will be released as a benefit single next month.

Enya and Reprise Records will donate the profits from "Oiche Chiun (Silent Night)" to the International Association of Firefighters, according to the label.

"Only Time" has emerged as a healing anthem for a post-September 11 America (see "Enya's Flow Is Up There With Ja Rule, Bubba Sparxxx"). The upcoming single includes a remix by longtime Enya collaborators Nicky Ryan, Christian B. and Marc Dold, with lyrics by Roma Ryan.

The song is featured on A Day Without Rain, which was released nearly a year ago. The album has since sold 8 million copies worldwide and is currently #2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

"Willows on the Water," which previously appeared on Enya's 1998 box set, A Box of Dreams, is also included on the single.

Enya's "Oiche Chiun (Silent Night)" was first released on the A Very Special Christmas Volume 3 compilation in 1997.

The new single will be released on November 20, the same day Enya's "May It Be" and "Aniron ... (I Desire)" will be released on "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" soundtrack (see "Enya — Not Led Zeppelin — Leads 'Lord Of The Rings' Soundtrack").

• Enya

Enya
Photo: Simon Fowler

Ever since the success of her 1988 single "Orinoco Flow," Enya's been one of the world's most popular artists, quietly selling more than 50 million albums while staying, for the most part, out of the spotlight. But now, with her latest single — the gently reassuring "Only Time" — becoming part of the soundtrack to the post-September 11 world, Enya's very much at the center of attention.

The singer's elegant, evocative and ethereal A Day Without Rain, released almost a year ago, will hit #2 on next week's Billboard 200 albums chart, right between rappers Ja Rule and Bubba Sparxxx.

"It's pretty incredible, isn't it?" the Irish singer and composer said from her studio in Dublin, Ireland. Her previous chart best was #9 for 1995's The Memory of Trees. "I don't quite know what to make of it, myself."

Several U.S. radio stations have put together mixes of "Only Time" that include sound bites from news coverage of the attacks. While Enya had no comment on those remixes, she said she's happy her music can provide comfort to people.

"When people got in touch with me and told me about what had happened with that song, it was very strange at first," she said. "But it's really quite incredible. That's the big bonus I get. People will tell me about a song and how it helped them with their own emotions and lives. It's good to hear that my music is there to comfort in joyous moments or sad occasions."

Enya said she's heard similar comments about her music from fans throughout her career. The 40-year-old singer joined her brothers and sister in the Irish group Clannad in 1979 but left to pursue a solo career in 1982. She teamed with producer/arranger Nicky Ryan and lyricist Roma Ryan for 1988's Watermark, which included the hits "Orinoco Flow" and "Storms in Africa," and she has worked with them ever since, taking time between each album to nurture her muse.

Enya said she thinks her fans sense from her music that she likes to have that time and space to create, and she said they've told her often about ways her music has helped them. "I think my music helps people take time for themselves," she said. "Then they start thinking about their lives or the decisions they have to make. People want more in life than just work. They need to feel like they're really living, and one of the ways to do that is through music."

Despite her fans' deep connection to her music, Enya said she doesn't think about how people will respond when she goes into the studio. "It's kind of scary to be, in a way, responsible to my listeners in that way. I have to be unaware of all that in the studio," she said. "If I were to try to write music that would lend itself to those moments, it wouldn't happen."

She said she finds inspiration for her melodies in her world travels and by isolating herself from any distractions, including her success. She just finished work on two songs for the soundtrack to "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," which she sings in Sindarin, one of the fictional languages of author J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy world (see "Enya — Not Led Zeppelin — Leads 'Lord of the Rings' Soundtrack").

"It's so beautiful to sing in a language that no one's ever heard, to do something that no one's ever done before," she said of "Aniron (Theme for Aragorn and Arwen)," a love song written for a romantic scene between an elf played by Liv Tyler and a man played by Viggo Mortensen.

Because she went to New Zealand to work on the film soundtrack almost immediately after a tour for A Day Without Rain last fall, Enya said she's taking a break from recording for a while.

"I have to distance myself from the music. I need to get back to life, to feel what I'll write about next," she said, adding that she needs the several years she takes between albums to allow material to evolve. "Then I'll get a feeling and a desire to write, but when I sit down at the piano or begin to sing a melody, I don't know what's going to evolve. If I was leaning on what I'd done before, or a formula, I'd call it a day."

As odd as it might seem to see A Day Without Rain sit side-by-side with hip-hop, Enya isn't entirely surprised. "People are being very choosy about what they listen to now, but at the same time they're more open to different music," she said, acknowledging that her mix of new age and folk music isn't for everyone. "People just go for what they need. There are a lot of teenagers out there who adore Britney Spears and rap, and I'm glad that music is there for them."

• Enya

Enya
Photo: Reprise

Enya's music has always been slightly otherworldly, so it's only fitting that she contribute tunes to the soundtrack for "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," the long-awaited first installment of live-action fantasy films based on J.R.R. Tolkien's classic tale of hobbits and wizards in the fictitious Middle Earth.

The new Enya songs on the soundtrack, due November 20, are "May It Be" and "Airon (Theme From Aragorn and Arwen)," according to Enya's label, Reprise. The Irish singer's 2000 album, A Day Without Rain, is enjoying a fresh burst of popularity — it's #3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart — due to the success of the single "Only Time," a song that has offered comfort for many following September's terrorist attacks.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" soundtrack also features "Gandalf's Lament," a track by ex-Cocteau Twins singer Elizabeth Fraser. Composer Howard Shore ("The Silence of the Lambs," "The Cell") contributes the instrumental score to the film, which stars Elijah Wood, Liv Tyler and Cate Blanchett. The film will hit theaters December 19.

• Enya

Moby
Photo: V2

On the radio this week, songs by Live, Moby, Jewel, Aerosmith, Enya and others have been transformed into musical tributes integrating news coverage of Tuesday's events, passages from President Bush's speeches in response to them and first-person accounts from witnesses to the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.

KIIS in Los Angeles produced a tribute version of U2's "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of" and is also playing a tribute version of Enya's "Only Time" and Faith Hill's "Star-Spangled Banner."

"We were looking for something to help, songs that touch the heart, that help you reflect and make you feel good," KIIS program director John Ivy said Friday (September 14). "We are playing tributes that make sense and don't sensationalize the events in any way. Our listeners are calling for them."

WHFS in Washington, D.C., produced a version of Moby's "Porcelain" that opens with the line, "Freedom itself was attacked this morning," from President Bush's address to the nation. Other sound clips interspersed with Moby lyrics such as "In my dreams I'm dying all the time" include "there was chaos everywhere" and "firefighters were crying." The tribute can be heard on the station's Web site (www.whfs.com).

WVRV in St. Louis produced a tribute version of Annie Lennox's "Why," and is also playing a tribute version of Don Henley's "In a New York Minute" and a new version of "God Bless the U.S.A." by Tom Pilcher.

"The songs we are playing are incredibly powerful," WVRV program director Mark Edwards said Friday. "In all of my many years in radio, never have I seen more response from listeners. These songs are touching people very deeply."

WBBN in Chicago is playing Whitney Houston's "Star-Spangled Banner" and a tribute version of Enrique Iglesias' "Hero."

In New York, WHTZ is spinning a tribute version of Jewel's "Hands," and in Chicago, WKQX is playing a tribute version of Live's new "Overcome."

Live dedicated "Overcome" to the tragedies' victims this week, their spokesperson said Thursday. The song, from their new album V, due Tuesday, is available for download at their Web site (www.friendsoflive.com).

WBCN in Boston is playing the Live piano ballad without the added dialogue.

"I think [the tributes] are cheesy," Oedipus, the rock station's program director, said Friday. "I am not putting Bush on my station. He doesn't like the music we play. The song alone has hit a chord with our audience. It is an amazing song. It gives me chills when I hear it."

"Overcome" opens with frontman Ed Kowalczyk singing, "Even though/ The world is bleeding/ But feeling just fine/ Alone in the castle/ Where we're always free to choose." The edited version includes Bush declaring, "Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil."

A tribute version of Aerosmith's "Living on the Edge" has also received air time on some stations, while others are relying on Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." to pump up listeners' pride.

Country singer Jo Dee Messina's "Bring on the Rain" has been edited into a tribute version being played on country stations around the world.

"When I recorded that song, it felt deep but it was about personal heartache," Messina told the Associated Press. "To know that the song also can relate to such a massive destruction, it gives the song an entirely new dimension. To have this song be a part of all of us uniting, feeling and connecting, is a massive deal for me."

KCRW in the Los Angeles area, home to "Morning Becomes Eclectic" and the syndicated "Sounds Eclectic" shows, dedicated its airwaves to news coverage until Friday morning, when music director Nic Harcourt hosted a special show.

Harcourt played songs such as Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah," Simon and Garfunkel's "America" and Joni Mitchell's "Come in from the Cold" on the show, an hour of which can be heard on the station's Web site (www.kcrw.com).

"During this day of remembrance and national prayer," Harcourt said, "I felt it was important to program music that reflected the emotions and feelings many of us have experienced during the last week, music that could express sympathy, sorrow, strength and hope. It is my belief that music can help us heal."

KCRW's Cathy Tamkin will host a second show dedicated to the tragedies at midnight Friday and said she will include PJ Harvey's "This Mess We're In," Belle and Sebastian's "I Fought in a War" and Bob Marley's "So Much Trouble in the World" on her show.

Television stations are also including musical tributes in their coverage of the attacks. WNBC, New York's NBC affiliate, played Bruce Springsteen's version of "We Shall Overcome" during one of its segments. Others have also used Pilcher's "God Bless the U.S.A."

• Live
• U2
• Enya
• Moby
• Aerosmith