Britney Spears Is A Woman On Top

Britney Spears’ Real Doll-ish ode to three-ways “3” will debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, thanks to the Max Martin-assisted track selling 255,000 copies at digital-music outlets and blanketing pop radio in anamatronic sexiness since its release Sept. 29. (It will enter this week’s Hot 100 Airplay chart, which tracks radio play across the dial, at No. 49.) After the jump, a few fun facts about Britney’s latest chart-topper, and a stream in case you haven’t heard the track yet. • “3” is Britney’s third (aww) No. 1 on the Hot 100, following in the footsteps of “… Baby One More Time” in 1999 and “Womanizer” last year. (Chris Molanphy gave Brit’s past chart performance a pretty comprehensive look when “Womanizer” topped the Hot 100 last year.) • “3” is the first single to make a No. 1 debut since Taylor Hicks did it in 2006; also notable is that it’s the first non-American Idol-related song to debut at the top spot in 11 years; back in 1998, Lauryn Hill entered the chart at its summit with “Doo Wop (That Thing).” • “3” now owns the title of shortest-titled chart-topper in the history of the Hot 100, breaking the record of three characters jointly held by Frankie Avalon’s “Why,” the Jackson 5’s “ABC,” Edwin Starr’s “War,” Michael Jackson’s “Ben” and “Bad,” Rihanna’s “SOS” and Flo Rida’s “Low.” • “3” is one of a handful of numerically titled songs that have made their way to the Hot 100, although it bested the number in its title. (Unlike Prince’s “7,” which peaked at No. 7 in the early ’90s, and the Barenaked Ladies’ “One Week,” which topped the charts for, haha, one week in 1998.) And here’s the song: