Taylor Swift Finally Meets Her Match On The Charts : One Direction

 The fellas have an impressive first week with their latest, Four. 

 by tyde hodge 26/11/14                                          

All good things must come to an end, and this week, Taylor Swift was dethroned after an impressive three-week run at the top of the Billboard 200. The new crown-holders? One Direction. 

 

 The British boy band knocked Taylor out of the top slot by moving 387,000 copies of their fourth album, the aptly-titled Four, according to Neilsen SoundScan.

 We’ve Been Here Before

The impressive debut week is nothing new for the fellas from 1D and their fans, as this is the fourth consecutive time that they’ve scored a #1 debut. That makes them the first group to ever do that in the U.S. with their first four albums — clearly, Directioners are a strong force not to be messed with.

 

TSwift Isn’t Going Anywhere, Though

The 1989 singer won’t go down without a fight. She still managed to move almost 213,000 units this week which, a month into the album’s release, is nothing to scoff at. Not that we’d expect anything less from her.

One Direction must have done a lot of damage in physical sales, because over on iTunes, Taylor is still #1, with 1989 resting above Four this week. And her latest single, “Blank Space,” is still crushing in its own right, as it was the top single on iTunes, with the album’s lead release, “Shake It Off,” not far behind, at #8. 

No One Else Can Challenge

Besides 1D, the only debuts to crack the top 10 this week were Nickelback, with No Fixed Address, which sold just under 80,000. The album came in at #4, which was the lowest ranking opening week for the rockers since their 2003 disc The Long Road landed at #6. 

Metal band In This Moment scored a #8 debut, with their album Black Widow moving 36,000 copies in its first week on the charts. This is the band’s highest-charting release, as their 2012 album, Blood, topped out at #15. 

 Another Battle Next Week?

Things could get interesting next week. Odds are that both 1D and TSwift will continue to ship large numbers, but Eminem and his Shady Records compilation Shady XV could provide some stiff competition. Last year, The Marshall Mathers LP 2 — which, granted, was a solo record, unlike the latest — sold a hefty 792,000 in its opening week.