Phillip Phillip’s coronation single, “Home” bows at #2 on the Billboard Digital Songs chart this week with 278,000 downloads sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
It’s also the second-best digital sales week ever for any Idol contestant. Only original Idol, Kelly Clarkson’s 2009 song “My Life Would Suck Without You” had a higher sales when it debuted with 280,000 downloads!
Country superstar, Carrie Underwood’s best sales week for a song came in 2009, when her “I Told You So” (featuring Randy Travis) debuted with 125,000.
And Phillip beats that other Idol record breaker, David Cook, whose ” The Time of My Life” debuted in 2008 with 236,000 sales. “Home” marks the biggest sales week for any “Idol” winner’s coronation single since SoundScan began tracking downloads in 2003.
Two CD singles (before downloads became the prominent way to sell singles) two Season 2 finalists had larger sales weeks than Phil with their coronation singles
Clay Aiken’s “This Is The Night” CD single debuted with 393,000 and runner-up, Ruben Studdard’s “Flying Without Wings” debuted with 286,000.
Phillips’ debut is also the fourth-largest debut of the year, behind Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend” (521,000),Maroon 5’s “Payphone” (493,000) and Katy Perry’s “Part of Me” (411,000).
Phillip’s American Idol compilation, Journey to the Final debuted at #11 on the Billboard chart with 24,000 sold.
Via Billboard.com
1. Clay Aiken, This Is the Night (393,000 first-week sales)
2. Ruben Studdard, Flying Without Wings (286,000)
3. Phillip Phillips, Home (278,000)
4. David Cook, Time of My Life (236,000)
5. Kelly Clarkson, A Moment Like This (236,000)
6. Taylor Hicks, Do I Make You Proud (228,000)
7. Scotty McCreery, I Love You This Big (171,000)
8. Carrie Underwood, Inside Your Heaven (171,000)
9. Fantasia, I Believe (142,000)
10. Kris Allen, No Boundaries (134,000)
11. Lauren Alaina, Like My Mother Does (122,000)
Since then, Idol coronation songs (with the exceptions of the Cook and Phillips records) have stopped short of the top 10. Jordin Sparks’ “This Is My Now” peaked at #15, Kris Allen’s “No Boundaries reached #11, Lee DeWyze’s cover of U2’s “Beautiful Day” hit #24 and McCreery’s “I Love You This Big” hit #11.
Phillips placed a total of nine songs on this week’s 200-deep Hot Digital Songs chart, more than any Idol winner since Allen had 11 three years ago. Cook put 17 songs on Hot Digital Songs four years go, which is the record for an Idol winner.
