Idol David Cooks, but He Isn't the Hottest

Thu., May. 29, 2008 4:37 PM PDT by Natalie Finn

FOX

David Cook isn't performing at a full boil just yet, but he still blazed quite a trail through this week's singles chart.

Although Lil Wayne's "Lollipop" is still sitting in the sweetest spot for the third straight week, Cook saw 11 of his songs debut on the Billboard Hot 100, the most new entries for an artist in one week in the chart's 50-year history.

"The Time of My Life," the tune Cook sang to usher in his newfound Idol glory, is at No. 3, the highest-ranking of the 25-year-old rocker's singles. Further down the line is "Dream Big" at No. 15, and his contributions are sprinkled all over the place, ending with "I'm Alive" at No. 99.

And as a fitting coda to Cook's bartender-makes-good story, he has demolished the previous record of six simultaneous Hot 100 debuts held by teen queen Miley Cyrus.

The 236,000 copies of "The Time of My Life" sold/downloaded also give Cook the best week-after-coronation numbers since season two, when Ruben Studdard's "Flying Without Wings" missed the top spot thanks to Clay Aiken's "This Is the Night," which went on to become the top single of 2003.

The feel-good ballad, which raced to the top of iTunes most-downloaded songs the day after Cook won, is also perched atop the Billboard Hot Digital Songs chart.

But because he missed the first two slots on the Hot 100, he joins Jordin Sparks as the only Idol winners not to have their big-moment single debut at No. 1 or No. 2. (Cook kicked Sparks' butt, though—"This Is My Now" peaked in 15th place last year.

This is still a pretty triumphant day, however, for Idol producer, 19 Records honcho and pop-culture mastermind Simon Fuller, who had a hand in the rise of every star to walk off the Idol stage.

Season-seven runner-up David Archuleta has three debuts on the Hot 100, the highest being "Imagine" at No. 36, and Sparks is making up for her slow start by holding down the No. 5 spot for a second week with "No Air," her duet with Chris Brown.

Further on in their careers but still theoretically in the family are Daughtry, whose "Feels Like Tonight" is in 36th place, and Carrie Underwood, whose "Last Name" is recognizable enough to count for 19th place.