SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
The '80s are back - on this week's pop charts, at least. The 1980s were a huge decade for Madonna, for Michael Jackson, for Bruce Springsteen, for Journey. And this week, they are all back on the charts. Here is NPR Music's Stephen Thompson.
STEPHEN THOMPSON, BYLINE: Madonna was one of the biggest stars of the 1980s as she exploded across the charts with hits like "Borderline," "Crazy For You" and "Like A Virgin."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LIKE A VIRGIN")
MADONNA: (Singing) Like a virgin, hey, touched for the very first time.
THOMPSON: Madonna's output has slowed down in recent years, but when she does release music, she still has the power to make her presence felt on the Billboard charts. This week, her new dance pop album "Confessions II" debuts at No. 1. It's the tenth album of her career to hit the top of the Billboard 200.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BRING YOUR LOVE")
MADONNA AND SABRINA CARPENTER: (Singing) Bring your love 'cause you cannot shake me. Bring your love 'cause you'll never break me. Bring your love.
THOMPSON: That's "Bring Your Love" featuring Sabrina Carpenter. It's the only song from "Confessions II" to have cracked the singles chart. The album hasn't done huge business on streaming, and it hasn't attracted much radio airplay, either. But "Confessions II" did sell 114,000 copies in its first week, demonstrating that Madonna still reaches a loyal army of fans. Madonna isn't the only superstar from the 1980s to turn up on this week's charts.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BORN IN THE USA")
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: (Singing) Born in the USA. I was born in the USA. I was born in the...
THOMPSON: Because of the July 4 holiday, a bunch of old America-themed songs come blazing back onto this week's Hot 100, including "Born In The USA" by Bruce Springsteen. That song is joined by other old hits by Toby Keith, Miley Cyrus, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Creedence Clearwater Revival. And in keeping with our '80s theme, Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" is back in the Top 40.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DON'T STOP BELIEVIN'")
JOURNEY: (Singing) Strangers, waiting, looking down the boulevard. Their shadows...
THOMPSON: So if you're a child of the '80s, this week's charts are for you. You've got Madonna at No. 1, Bruce Springsteen, Journey. And of course, Michael Jackson's album "Thriller" is still in the Top 10, thanks to the singer's hit biopic from earlier this year. Stephen Thompson, NPR Music.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DON'T STOP BELIEVIN'")
JOURNEY: (Singing) Somewhere in the night. Don't stop believing. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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