Mark Ronson grooving his way to first Number 1 with Uptown Funk

The soul/funk track takes the top spot on today’s Official Chart Update following its early release on Monday night (December 8). If it holds its current position, it will mark the musician’s first Number 1 single, besting his previous chart peak of Number 2 with singles Stop Me and Amy Winehouse collaboration Valerie, both of which were released in 2007.

Uptown Funk was rush released five weeks earlier than scheduled after a well-received performance of the song on The X Factor by Fleur East saw a surge in demand for the song’s release.

The track’s popularity and early release now makes it a strong contender for this year’s Christmas Number 1, where it will fight it out for the accolade with the likes of Band Aid, The Peace Collective, Iron Maiden and this year’s X Factor winner. Check out the full list of contenders here.

Meanwhile, Band Aid 30’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? leaps from 12 to 2 following its physical release, and Dutch house producer Oliver Heldens enters at 3 with Last All Night (Koala), the follow-up Gecko (Overdrive), which hit Number 1 in July this year.

Last week’s Number 1 Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran slips to Number 4, and Take That’s These Days completes the Top 5.

New entries and high climbers

Further down the Top 10, Bring Me The Horizon are set for their first ever Top 40 entry this week with Drown, which starts at Number 6, and One Direction’s Night Changes vaults 19 to 8.

The Pogues’ Fairytale Of New York is riding at Number 9 midweek, potentially on its way to the song’s first Top 10 entry since December 2007 when it peaked at Number 4, and US girl group Fifth Harmony land at Number 10 with Bo$$ following their performance on last week’s X Factor.

21 Questions with Fifth Harmony's Lauren: "I'm a rock chick at heart"

Elsewhere, Chvrches are new at 24 with Get Away, and Wizzard’s I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday re-enters the Top 40 at 34.

The Official Singles Chart Update Top 40 is as follows. The Official Singles Chart Top 100 will be posted in full, here, on Sunday at 7pm.

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