Official Singles Chart on 16/11/2018

Ok So this new rule where ACR is going to be done with christmas songs less than 3 years ago is stupid. If the UK listen to this song then it should be on the chart. The idea that its THE UKS BIGGEST SONGS OF THE WEEK suggests to me it will be the biggest and not the ones the official charts company shouldnt be there. Please fix this it will just ruin the chart for me and other people

Where are the Christmas songs

Brad and Gaga: Shallow,
Imagine Dragons: Natural,
Panic at the disco: High Hopes,
and Chali ft. Troye: 1999!!

1999 is top 20!

My thoughts & observations on the UK charts as always…

- ‘Thank U, Next’ by Ariana Grande is #1 on the singles chart for a second week. With 95,000 combined sales over the past week, its lead over ‘Shallow’ by Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper was by more than double!

- ‘Thank U, Next’ also made a couple of major streaming achievements this week! The song was streamed 9.76 million times across the country since last Friday, which is the strongest weekly streaming figure of the year so far for any song (the last song to have more was ‘Despacito’ in May 2017).

- ‘Woman Like Me’ by Little Mix ft Nicki Minaj remains at #1 on the airplay chart for a third consecutive week.

- On the latest YouTube chart, ‘Girls Like You’ by Maroon 5 ft Cardi B is at #1 yet again, although it had 2.14 million views since last Friday, down 8.2 percent from the week before.

- CHARLI XCX & TROYE SIVAN – 1999 (#17)
This song has had a weird chart run; it lurks beneath the Top 40 for a few weeks & then blasts past all of the debuts this week & I can’t think of any particular reason. I mean, I’m not complaining about that, because this is really good! In terms of production, we get a cool mix of sparkly Eurodance keys & a fuzzy bass & lyrically, Charli XCX & Troye Sivan reminisce about how the year 1999 might not have had the luxuries or technology like we have today, but simpler times were also way less stressful too. I mean, I was only one year old back then so I can’t comment on my opinions of the year, but it sounds like it was a lot of fun based on what I heard here! For me, I’m thinking a solid 8/10.

- CHERYL – LOVE MADE ME DO IT (#19)
For as successful as Cheryl has been both as part of Girls Aloud & as a solo singer, I was expecting a much higher debut even if she has been in the music industry for a while now. That said, this just doesn’t scream lead single to me, it’s not really all that memorable sadly. The production courtesy of The Invisible Men is detailed but a bit too toned down. When the flows go well, they’re very catchy, but at the same time, they’re also inconsistent. I will say how she speaks out against what’s being said about her in the press in such an unapologetic & confident manner, but for as much as I want to really like it, I can’t say I do just yet, but it could grow on me. Who knows? At the moment though, it’s a very light 6/10.

- XXXTENTACION – BAD! (#23)
Apparently we’re getting a posthumous XXXTENTACION album coming soon & I’ve noticed that most of his charting hits here have been after he died. Unfortunately, this song lives up to its title, even we can even call it a “song” because it sounds closer to an interlude given it only lasts a minute & a half. Regardless, the production is just a standard trap skitter & while I’ve never minded XXXTENTACION’s more haunting delivery, I couldn’t understand anything he was saying in this & even had to look up the lyrics! That said, I probably shouldn’t even have bothered because he’s using the word “bad” to describe a woman who he thinks is hot & it’s the word I’m going to use to sum up this song. 3/10.

- FREDO – BMT (#25)
I’m not sure I’d say Fredo is biggest grime act around right now, but following on from the feature on the #1 debuting smash that was ‘Funky Friday’ with Dave, he certainly has a ton of momentum behind him! As for this, I honestly don’t know what to make of it at the moment. “BMT” means “Big man ting”, which is British & West Indian slang for being serious or honest about something, but his more stubborn delivery here gives that away anyway. This song could’ve got a ton of interest from me, but then Fredo relies on lazy production & going off-topic bragging about girls & brands, but I guess he does it better than most rappers in the charts right now. Overall, it’s decent, but nothing revolutionary to the genre. So, 6/10.

- AVA MAX – SWEET BUT PSYCHO (#32)
I was actually aware this song existed before it even made it into the Top 100 at all, mainly because it was getting a significant push from Spotify before anywhere else, but honestly, I think pop radio are going to be on board with this incredibly soon! If you’re a fan of 2009-2011 Lady Gaga (crossed with a bit of Sia) then this song is definitely for you, at least in terms of Ava Max’s delivery, even if the production just falls a little short there. That said, Ava herself makes this song have potential to be a smash, as her daring vocals & lyrics fit perfectly with those rumbling handclaps, topped off with an addictive & bodacious hook! Yeah, watch out of this over the next few weeks, because it really has a shot at being huge. For me, it’s a light 9/10!

- On the albums chart, ‘Simulation Theory’ becomes Muse’s sixth #1!

- The rest of the Top 5 is: ‘You Know I Know’ by Olly Murs (debuts at #2), ‘The Greatest Showman’ [Soundtrack] (5-3), ‘The White Album: 50th Anniversary Re-issue’ by The Beatles (debuts at #4) & ‘The Platinum Collection’ by Queen (7-5).

- In other albums news, ‘The Fame’ by Lady Gaga has passed three million combined sales this week, giving it a 10x platinum certification by the BPI!

- Looking ahead to next week, these songs could enter the Top 40 for the first time: ‘Hold My Girl’ by George Ezra, ‘Rewrite The Stars’ by James Arthur & Anne-Marie, ‘Mo Bamba’ by Sheck Wes, ‘No Candle No Light’ by ZAYN ft Nicki Minaj, a couple of LM5 tracks by Little Mix & maybe even more.

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

- My latest Crown Note chart: http://crownnote.com/charts/piran-delves/pirans-top-40-102