Official Singles Chart Top 40 on 02/3/2018

I forsee another 256 bleeding' weeks at the top for Drake.

Simple question. I probably already know the answer (it boost sales) but why do artists use bad language in their tracks.? Ed Sheeran's River is a good example, with Eminem as guest swearer.
It takes time to edit out the swear words before playing to an audience / family.
Why do it in the first place and then produce an expletive free version for play on radio.?
I would rather buy in confidence, than mistrust. And why aren't the clean versions available for sale.?
You can only buy the dodgy versions.

My thoughts & observations on the UK charts as always…

- ‘God’s Plan’ by Drake is #1 on the singles chart for a sixth consecutive week. For four of those weeks, it has blocked ‘These Days’ in the runner-up position.

- ‘IDGAF’ by Dua Lipa is the new #1 on the radio airplay chart.

- This week saw five new songs arrive into the Top 40, four of which are debuts & the highest of them is ‘Psycho’ by Post Malone ft Ty Dolla $ign at #4. His watered-down raps have made him an unlikely pop star & while he might not be the best songwriter, his melodies & the instrumentation he uses allow his hits to become generally a bit more memorable than most of his peers in the same genre. With ‘Psycho’, I honestly think we get one of his strongest performances yet. The issue of him extending his syllables to a few beats long to fill the patches in his writing still remains & he still doesn’t feel fully engaged with the song vocally, but despite the usual content of discussing excessive fame, it also explores Post Malone’s lifestyle & the trust issues he has in a little bit more detail, although him & Ty Dolla $ign sound like they’re having a bit more fun here & their vocals blend surprisingly well. However, what really caught my attention here was the production; the hook slips into this chittering beat accompanied with harpsichord plunks & watery synths, which along with the smoothness of Post Malone’s voice makes this both enjoyable & relaxing. In other words, I really wouldn’t mind if this becomes the next #1 or if it at least sticks around in the Top 10. Other than ‘Candy Paint’, probably the best thing he’s put out. Good stuff!

- 5 Seconds Of Summer make their seventh appearance inside the Top 40, as ‘Want You Back’ debuts at #22 this week. I’m kind of surprised that their comeback wasn’t a lot bigger, with this being their first charting appearance since July 2016 & the mainstream market is seriously lacking many boybands right now, especially from earlier in the decade. The thing is, 5 Seconds Of Summer also brought a pop-punk style to their music, the kind of which did reasonably well in the late 00s & I wish it had stuck around, so was the quality still there on ‘Want You Back’? Well, yes for the most part, although I’m not sure if this is the right direction for the boys to go in. This does have a slick, rhythmic edge that I like & Luke Hemmings going into the falsetto in the hook is fine & even though he’s the only member of the group who sings on this, him taking the lead of a frontman on this isn’t bad. However, that’s my take on the whole song in general… it’s only okay; nothing that really stands out or wows me here. The lyrics tell of their: past, present & future as a group, as well as the happiness & heartbreak they’ve experienced together. If you were expecting them to stick with their original sound, you’re probably going to end up disappointed, but I can definitely see them getting more radio support now. It’s good to have the guys back, but it’s not one of my favourites from them.

- ‘Paradise’ by George Ezra continues to build its momentum as it leaps 45-30 on its sixth week inside the chart. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that George Ezra is only 24 years old, as he’s always been singing in a deep, soulful tone that makes his vocals sounds way more mature than most other artists of the same age. With ‘Paradise’, it’s a really good sign for that upcoming second studio album of his & probably one of his most likeable tunes to date. The main point of the song focusses on the joyous certainty with love & this serves as an ode to a wild romance. His personality shines through the entire song, with enthusiasm & warming energy. The delivery is light-hearted, yet charming & the lyrics might be simple & sensual, but it’s such a charming hit that it’s difficult to not get into this. It’s got some good sales looking at iTunes right now, so who knows, maybe this is a big hit in the making?

- ‘Lullaby’ by Sigala & Paloma Faith is the next new entry, starting its chart run at #32 this week. I’m sure you’ve all heard of Paloma Faith’s vocals on the massive #1 dance hit was ‘Changing’ by Sigma & for an artist who has an easily recognisable voice, she fitted that genre of music a lot better than expected. Thankfully, she repeats it here, even though I’m not sure if the song is as good. I think the lyrics about Paloma Faith is hoping for a particularly guy to look after when she’s down, as she’ll do the same back for him. Meanwhile, Sigala hasn’t really changed at all, still covering the track with a tropical beat & while his production might be dated at this point, it still has a feel-good vibe to it which is going to go down well at clubs & festivals, so pay attention to this one, because I have a feeling it could become a lot bigger.

- Finally, rapper Hardy Caprio makes his debut appearance inside the Top 40, as ‘Rapper’ enters at #34. Considering this is the first minor hit he’s had, I didn’t really have any expectations going in & what we got is something that I don’t like as much as I should to be honest. There’s no doubt that does stand out from most of the grime songs that are in the chart right now, with the bounce to the melody making this have an addictive groove & Hardy Caprio is at least making an effort to show his attitude in this. That said, when you look into the content, which is bragging about luxuries & how popular is he with the girls, along with the fact that he’s not a distinctive rapper & there are so many forced rhymes, it’s barely passable & I’m probably going to forget this song even exists by the time I post my next review.

- On the albums chart, the soundtrack to ‘The Greatest Showman’ spends an eighth consecutive week at #1. I think it’s fair likely to become album of the year at this point, unless ‘÷’ overtakes it again or Adele releases a new album before the end of 2018, both of which I don’t see happening.

- The rest of the Top 5 is: ‘÷’ by Ed Sheeran (stationary at #2), Dua Lipa’s self-titled debut album (stationary at #3), ‘Human’ by Rag’n’Bone Man (stationary at #4) & ‘Gang Signs & Prayer’ by Stormzy (10-5).

- Speaking of ‘÷’, this is its 52nd week inside the Top 10, making Ed Sheeran the first artist ever to have three albums spend a year inside the region. ‘x’ rising 13-10 gives that album a 98th week in total inside the Top 10!

- Looking ahead to next week, these songs could be entering the Top 40 for the first time: ‘Dancing’ by Kylie Minogue, ‘Top Off’ by DJ Khaled ft Jay-Z, Future & Beyoncé, ‘Wavey’ by CLiQ ft Alika, ‘Hangman’ by Dave, ‘Sad!’ by XXXTENTACION, ‘Cigarette’ by RAYE ft Mabel & Stefflon Don, ‘Love Lies’ by Khalid & Normani, 'Meant To Be' by Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line & maybe even more.

- Elsewhere, I like the gains for ‘Friends’ & especially ‘Say Something’ inside the Top 10!

- Thanks for reading everyone! I hope you all have a good weekend. :)

- My latest Crown Note chart: https://crownnote.com/charts/piran-delves/pirans-top-40-65

Wow Wow Wow !!! K Y L I E still DANCING the chart !!!!!

I am in the older audience and I do wonder how on earth Drake spends so long at number one when the lyrics are so bad. These Days by Rudimental is actually very catchy and deserves to be number one, hopefully next week. I take what is in the singles chart these days with a pinch of salt as quality of a lot of songs in the charts is garbage. I think the singles chart is meaningless these days.
You only have to look at the album chart to see what artists are popular long term ... Fleetwood Mac, Bob Marley, Abba, Queen, Ed Sheeran etc.

So Drake still at number 1, but yet No.2 is the highest position reached in the sales chart. Farcical!

Generally a decent week, although nothing too interesting happening.
'God's Plan' still at the top is a bit of a bore at this point, but I'm happy that 'Psycho' debuted at #4, as it's definitely one of the best songs Post Malone has released. I also like 'Say Something' & 'Supermarket Flowers' experiencing big gains from the Brits!
My full review should be up either later tonight or some time tomorrow! :)