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Clay tops Ruben in head-to-head sales battle
Though Ruben Studdard recently was crowned this year's "American Idol," runner-up Clay Aiken 's debut single was the easy winner on this week's pop singles chart, according to industry sources.
Aiken's single "This is the Night / Bridge Over Troubled Water" sold 392,975 copies during its first week in stores, the biggest one-week sales tally for any single since Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997." According to Billboard, it will also be the first song to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart at No. 1 since 1998.
Studdard's single "Flying Without Wings / Superstar" sold 285,917 copies during its first week in stores, and will debut at No. 2 on the singles sales chart, according to J Records.
Last month, Studdard narrowly defeated Aiken for the "American Idol" title. According to Fox TV, more than 24 million votes were phoned in, and Studdard won by 130,000 votes.
The No. 3 slot on the singles sales chart is also occupied by American Idol finalists: it's "God Bless the USA," a group effort that was No. 1 on the sales charts the previous four weeks.
Meanwhile, Luther Vandross ' new album "Dance With My Father" sold nearly 442,000 copies during its first week in stores, according to J Records, to land at No. 1 on the album chart.
Vandross suffered a serious stroke in April, and has been hospitalized in New York ever since.
