VOA常速英语2013--Top 5 Songs for Week Ending August 3

 

Top 5 Songs for Week Ending August 3

We’re exploring the five most popular songs in the Billboard¹ Magazine Hot 100 pop singles chart, for the week ending August 3, 2013.

This week, I’ll take a look at performers who also write and produce their own music - and we’ll start in fifth place, where Bruno Mars jumps two slots with “Treasure"  the third single from his sophomore² album Unorthodox Jukebox. Aside from being a dynamic performer, Bruno’s also a member of the songwriting-production trio The Smeezingtons. Along with Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine, Bruno crafted hits for other stars before becoming one himself. The Smeezingtons have written for Sugababes, Flo Rida, Far East Movement, and many other top acts. 

When it comes to production expertise³, Pharrell Williams ranks among the best. Daft Punk and Pharrell fall two slots to fourth place with “Get Lucky.” Pharrell and Chad Hugo make up the songwriting-production duo The Neptunes, and their string of hits stretches back to the late 1990s. They worked with so many stars that in 2009, the editors at Billboard ranked them number one in the list of the decade’s Top 10 producers. 

Imagine Dragons made an interesting production choice when making its latest single, “Radioactive” which rises a notch⁴ to third place. Co-writing and producing this song is English native Alex “Da Kid” Grant. A professional footballer before turning to music, Alex produced Eminem and Rihanna’s massive hit “Love The Way You Lie.” He also worked with B.o.B., Diddy, and Nicki Minaj, while executive producing Imagine Dragons’ Night Visions album.

Miley Cyrus had a hand in writing her latest song - which could become her first number one hit. Jumping a slot to second place, it's “We Can’t Stop.” Four years ago, “Party In The U.S.A.” also made it to number two. 

This week, Robin⁵ Thicke released his sixth album, Blurred⁶ Lines - and it’s already gone to number one in a major international market - topping the UK pop chart, and in the process dethroning Jay-Z. Robin now has the longest-running number one pop single of 2013, as “Blurred Lines” featuring T.I. and Pharrell spends a seventh week at the top. 

That’s it for now, but a new lineup awaits you next week.

1 billboard   

n.布告板，揭示栏，广告牌

参考例句：

• He ploughed his energies into his father's billboard business.他把精力投入到父亲的广告牌业务中。
• Billboard spreads will be simpler and more eye-catching.广告牌广告会比较简单且更引人注目。

2 sophomore   

n.大学二年级生；adj.第二年的

参考例句：

• He is in his sophomore year.他在读二年级。
• I'm a college sophomore majoring in English.我是一名英语专业的大二学生。

3 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

4 notch   

n.(V字形)槽口，缺口，等级

参考例句：

• The peanuts they grow are top-notch.他们种的花生是拔尖的。
• He cut a notch in the stick with a sharp knife.他用利刃在棒上刻了一个凹痕。

5 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

6 blurred   

v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离

参考例句：

• She suffered from dizziness and blurred vision. 她饱受头晕目眩之苦。
• Their lazy, blurred voices fell pleasantly on his ears. 他们那种慢吞吞、含糊不清的声音在他听起来却很悦耳。 来自《简明英汉词典》