Dutch DJ/producer Martin Garrix, with vocal and guitar assistance from featured Irish rock legends Bono and The Edge of U2, debuts at No. 12 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart (dated May 29) with “We Are the People.” The track, released May 14 as the official song of the upcoming UEFA European Football Championship, earned 1.2 million U.S. streams in the week ending May 20, according to MRC data.
“People” is Garrix’s 39th charted title, the sixth-most of all acts since the survey’s inception in January 2013; David Guetta leads with 55.
The team-up is the initial Hot Dance/Electronic Songs appearance for any U2 members, although it’s not the first time that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band has hit a Billboard dance chart: From 1981 to 2018, U2 achieved 13 entries on Dance Club Songs, including the No. 1s “Lemon” (1993), “Discotheque” (1997), “Beautiful Day” (2001) and “Love Is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way” (2018).
With 800 downloads sold, “People” also starts at No. 7 on Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales, where it’s Garrix’s 18th top 10 and Bono and The Edge’s first.
No. 34, 34 YEARS (& YEARS) LATER … Elton John and Years & Years’ cover of Pet Shop Boys’ classic “It’s a Sin” arrives at No. 34 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs. The original reached No. 3 on Dance Club Songs and No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1987.
The update arrives with 348,000 domestic streams, marking John’s second appearance on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, after “Sine From Above,” with Lady Gaga (No. 14, June 2020). It’s the 14th showing for Years & Years, and its second chart-related connection to Pet Shop Boys: “Dreamland,” the Years & Years-featuring lead single from PSB’s 2020 album Hotspot, hit No. 21 that January.
John and Years & Years (aka Olly Alexander) performed “Sin” on the 2021 Brit Awards May 11.
CHART ‘HERO’S: Turning to the Dance/Mix Show Airplay tally, Afrojack and David Guetta hit the top 10 with “Hero” (11-8). It’s Guetta’s record-extending 29th top 10, dating to the chart’s August 2003 beginning, and the 11th for Afrojack.
“Hero” is being heard on core-dance airplay leaders KMVQ-HD2 San Francisco and iHeartRadio’s Pride Radio and Evolution Network. (The Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart measures radio airplay on a select group of full-time dance stations, along with plays during mix shows on nearly 80 top 40-formatted reporters.)
‘TIME’ CHECK: Additionally on Dance/Mix Show Airplay, Robin Schulz and Felix Jaehn surge to the top 10 with “One More Time,” featuring Alida (15-9). It’s Schulz’s fourth top 10 and the second each for Jaehn and Alida. The track is clocking leading core-dance airplay on Music Choice’s Dance/EDM channel, KMVQ-HD2 and SiriusXM’s BPM.
