From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

History was made—

Resoundingly, grandly, in a way that shook the entire North America.

"Viva la Vida" topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart, etching its name in history.

Once the shock subsided slightly, people finally began to examine the reasons.

It turned out that over the past week, "Viva la Vida" had swept across radio stations, dominating the airplay charts and far surpassing "21 Questions," which ranked second. It achieved dominance with nearly double the plays, demonstrating the public's love for the song.

Astounding!

Finally, on August 31st, the band broke through, securing their first number-one single with "Viva la Vida"—

Their popularity soared to new heights.

Instantly, excitement erupted, with cheers, exclamations, and praise echoing endlessly.

However, this was not all.

Along with the long journey of "Ho Hey" and the meteoric rise of "Viva la Vida," the August 31st Band's recognition and influence skyrocketed. Even disregarding Anson's influence, the band attracted widespread attention.

Naturally, the album "Midsummer Midnight" also entered the public eye.

Since its release in the last week of March, "Midsummer Midnight" had remained low-key. It wasn't entirely without response, but it didn't gain much traction—

The first week saw just over two thousand two hundred copies sold.

This performance helped "Midsummer Midnight" break into the Billboard 200 albums chart.

The Billboard Hot 100 lists the top one hundred singles, while the Billboard 200 lists the top two hundred albums. As long as sales exceed one thousand, entry into the chart is generally secured.

So, entering the chart wasn't a great achievement.

The second week saw over three thousand seven hundred copies sold.

The third week saw over one thousand nine hundred copies sold.

The fourth week saw over seven thousand six hundred copies sold.

The numbers were roughly like this, with obvious fluctuations and unclear patterns. The performance of "Ho Hey" on the singles chart occasionally boosted album sales, but sometimes it had little effect, making it difficult to accurately determine the connection.

Thus, throughout April and May, "Midsummer Midnight" remained on the Billboard 200, but accumulated sales for the two months were less than fifty thousand copies, which was disappointing from all perspectives.

Was this a case of cleverness being undone by itself?

However, Warner Records remained patient and did not give up on the August 31st Band—

The "Viva la Vida" effect arrived, injecting a powerful boost into album sales.

In just the first three weeks of June, the album sold a full one hundred thousand copies, doubling the total sales from the previous two months, showing a rocket-like surge, and ushering in a full-scale explosion in the last week of June.

"Midsummer Midnight" single-week sales broke through three hundred thousand copies in one fell swoop, with an accurate figure of three hundred and sixty-seven thousand seven hundred copies, a full-scale energy explosion.

A dark horse emerged, strongly reaching the top!

Single-week sales exceeding three hundred and fifty thousand copies helped "Midsummer Midnight" strongly top the Billboard 200 albums chart, becoming the most popular album in the North American market this week!

Looking at this week's Billboard 200 albums chart, one can realize the incredible feat that the August 31st Band had achieved.

Second, "Dance - With - My - Father," Luther - Vandross.

Third, "St . Anger," Metallica.

Fourth, "Hail - To - The - Thief," Radiohead.

Fifth, "Come - Away - With - Me," Norah - Jones.

Sixth, "Get - Rich - or - Die - Trying," 50 Cent.

Seventh, "A - Rush - of - Blood - to - the - Head," Coldplay.

Eighth, "Dangerously - in - Love," Beyoncé.

Ninth, "2 Fast 2 Furious" soundtrack.

Tenth, "Chocolate - Factory," R - Kelly.

The above is the top ten list of the Billboard 200 albums chart for the fourth week of June.

Each singer, each name; each album, each work, is a heavyweight and occupies a place in the annals of history—

Time will prove their existence.

However.

Here, "Midsummer Midnight" rightfully occupies the top spot.

First. Champion. Top.

The August 31st Band emerged in an incredible manner, making the entire North American music market resoundingly aware of the band's existence—

An unquestionable feat.

This week belonged to the August 31st Band.

Number one single, "Viva la Vida."

Number one album, "Midsummer Midnight."

The August 31st Band swept the top spots on both charts, truly securing a place in this year's bustling summer music market.

And this was just the beginning, with the band's continued upward momentum still ongoing.

Especially on the singles chart, which has faster updates and more intense competition.

The first week of July saw the arrival of "American Idol"—

Season two winner Ruben Studdard and runner-up Clay Aiken both released singles, and the show's finale broadcast once again broke viewership records, attracting over forty million viewers in North America, making it undeniably the hottest topic in the North American market right now.

No opponent.

This week, the entire nation's attention gathered, and industry professionals generally predicted—

The Billboard Hot 100 chart should be a battle between Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard. Clay, who unexpectedly lost the championship on the "American Idol" finale night, was likely to make a comeback and take his first number-one single.

Not disrespecting Ruben, although Ruben was also very good, people generally believed that Clay was the best choice for champion. If it wasn't for rumors behind the scenes that Clay liked men, leading to the show's behind-the-scenes manipulation to deny Clay the championship, the ending shouldn't have been like this.

After all, this was Fox Television, a consistently conservative Fox Television.

Conspiracy theories spread everywhere.

However, there was no evidence.

But this did not affect Clay's vast supporters who spoke out against the injustice.

So, people generally believed that Clay and Ruben choosing to release their debut singles on the same day was equivalent to the continuation of the championship battle. This time, without Fox Television's behind-the-scenes manipulation, Billboard's data would not lie. Naturally, everyone's eyes gathered.

Clay, Ruben?

Ruben, Clay?

The topic continued in full swing.

Although the August 31st Band was still popular and the topic's heat remained high, it was not enough in the face of the incredible craze of "American Idol" and quickly became yesterday's news—

A week at number one, anyway, it's still number one, right?

Incredibly, the topic's heat actually continued to climb to another level. Just when people thought this summer couldn't be more crazy, reality gave a different answer, pushing the atmosphere to its peak.

Then, the latest Billboard Hot 100 chart was revealed.

Number one, "Viva la Vida," August 31st Band.

Number two, "This - is - the - Night," Clay - Aiken.

Number three, "Flying - Without - Wings," Ruben - Studdard.

Number four, "21 Questions," 50 Cent.

Number five, "Ho Hey," August 31st Band.

...... Complete silence.

Various guesses, correct but also wrong.

"Viva la Vida" withstood the impact of the new single with unparalleled performance, retaining the championship and continuing to defend the throne, causing an uproar.

This…

This?

This!