POP CHART ACTION

Hard rock and heavy metal dominate Billboard magazine’s Top Five pop album chart this week. For the eighth week, U2’s “The Joshua Tree”--a rock album--remains No. 1. Now Motley Crue, one of the top metal bands, makes a remarkable debut--at No. 5--with “Girls, Girls, Girls.” The rest of the Top Five also casts a rather metallic sheen: Bon Jovi’s “Slippery When Wet” (No. 3), “Whitesnake” (No. 2) by Whitesnake and Poison’s “Look What the Cat Dragged In” (No. 4). Another rock album, Heart’s “Bad Animals,” should hit the Top 10 in about two weeks; it too debuted strongly, at No. 29. Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” (No. 5) may be the No. 1 single next week, toppling Atlantic Starr’s “Always,” which just took over the top spot from U2’s “With or Without You.” Other hot singles: Heart’s “Alone” (No. 12), the System’s “Don’t Disturb this Groove” (No. 16) and Bob Seger’s “Shakedown” (No. 19).