The ship has seemingly sailed on Katy Perry’s “Birthday” becoming a pop music smash. On the spectrum of “PRISM” singles, it will end its run far closer to disappointment “Unconditionally” than blockbusters “Roar” and “Dark Horse (featuring Juicy J).”
It will not, however, go down without a notable airplay milestone. According to Mediabase, “Birthday” ranked as pop radio’s tenth-most-played song for the seven days ending June 15.
Aiding the rise was Ed Sheeran’s “Sing,” which slipped to #11 thanks to a weekly spin decrease of 1241. That song, which seemed like a surefire smash upon release, ended up fizzling far earlier than expected.
If “Birthday” can continue making slow gains, it stands a chance of passing declining tracks like Justin Timberlake’s “Not a Bad Thing” (#7) and John Legend’s “All of Me” (#8). It will also be the subject of an overtaking; MAGIC!’s #12 song “Rude,” which remains the fastest-rising song at Top 40 radio, will charge past “Birthday” (and “Sing”) this week.