Official Singles Chart on 15/2/2019

From what I remember only The Beatles, John Lennon, Elvis Presley and Justin Bieber previously replaced themselves at number one

Ariana is #6 in sales chart. Another fake no #1

Break Up With ARIANA, I'm Bored.....It's a fact that every single thing that this girl is gonna released will be #1?....so predictable..
Why so few new singles released?

Westlife back in top 20. Strangest chart run ever.

Ariana Grande has pretty much become the Drake of 2019, releasing a Trap/R&B influenced album and singles that are really dominating the charts. Wouldn't be surprised if her third single ended up topping the US as well.

its another top-40 from one artist!how long is this goin on?

I'm so happy to see Lizzo entering the charts! I knew that this song was going to be a hit.

My thoughts & observations on the UK charts as always…

- Ariana Grande makes Official Chart history as ‘Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored’ debuts at #1 to become her fifth song to top the singles chart! She is now the first ever female artist to replace herself at #1.

- With ‘7 Rings’ now at #2, Ariana occupies the Top 2 spots of the singles chart. This has only been done once before by a female artist (Madonna in 1985).

- Ariana also has ‘Needy’ at #8, which means that she is the first female artist to have three simultaneous Top 10 hits with the lead credit since Ruby Murray in 1955!

- Elsewhere, ‘Dancing With A Stranger’ by Sam Smith & Normani makes it three consecutive weeks at #1 on the nation’s airplay chart!

- ‘7 Rings’ additionally takes the top spot on the YouTube chart for a third week in a row, losing 1.4 percent of its weekly views to 3.88 million.

- ARIANA GRANDE – BREAK UP WITH YOUR GIRLFRIEND, I’M BORED (#1)
Given the huge: streaming, YouTube & trending figures this got since Friday, it’s not too surprising to see this jump ahead from Monday’s chart update! With this, well it might be an odd choice for an album closer, but it’s still a bop that’s irresistible regardless! Ariana might be delving into her darker side here, but she sounds so much more at home & that sample of NSYNC’s ‘Girlfriend’ makes this have so more finesse than I thought it did at first, as well as Ariana carrying her swagger throughout this song. Also, while Ariana is trying to break up a relationship, at least she can actually acknowledge that she knows it’s wrong (you’d be surprised how many singers & rappers don’t!). It’s certainly a grower, but right now, this is probably the track I’ve heard most from the album, so the fact that it’s a big part of a record-breaking week for Ariana is all the more satisfying! Solid 9/10 here.

- ARIANA GRANDE – NEEDY (#8)
Now I get why this is the other album track from ‘Thank U, Next’ that would debut in the Top 10, because if we move past all the official or promotional singles, this was the one that got the most hype before the album dropped (besides, Ariana would probably have most or all of the tracks from the album in the Top 40 if the new chart rules weren’t in place). With this, I can’t say it’s among my favourites, because despite this being the song that essentially defines Ariana’s new view on relationships, the title track of that album was just a better hit to define that with. Here, I’m at least happy that she’s moved on from Pharrell’s production that clogged up too much of ‘Sweetener’, but the plodding of the minimalist beat is only a minor improvement to be honest, although I did like the violin breakdown a lot more. It’s also good to see how Ariana self-reflects on her own music, but I’m still ambivalent on this being a future single, just because there are other tracks here that show even more potential. Solid 6/10.

- KHALID – TALK (#16)
I won’t complain about a new Khalid single, but doesn’t it seem a bit soon to promote this since he just dropped ‘Saturday Nights’? Anyway, for as much as I know Khalid has been gathering a ton of attention in R&B, I think Disclosure’s work on the production helped this get as high as it did this week! That said, while I’ve praised Khalid’s soulful approach multiple times in the past, I still don’t think he sounds all that solid when he goes in his upper range. His delivery is sweet although also simple, but it just seems too repetitive & almost desperate when he constantly asks if he can “talk” to a former lover, when his actual intention is to just clear up all the mistakes he’s made in the past. So yeah, I don’t mind this, but given what Khalid has been putting out over the past year, I honestly expected a bit more from this. Light 6/10.

- TOM WALKER – JUST YOU & I (#30)
Whilst Tom Walker is a relatively new artist among those in the Top 40 currently, he’s also found international success probably just as fast, particularly from ‘Leave A Light On’! Anyway, this is new single which I have a gut feeling could end up climbing in the coming weeks, but I’m not sure it’s up there with his best. Don’t get me wrong, the chorus certainly grabbed my attention with how jolly it is, but Tom Walker’s vocals seem to be too raw & weighty to complement that, although I will say he does continue to clearly slow agility here! I’m a bit mixed on the lyrics too, where I can see the sweetness in Tom Walker & his lover reminiscing about the times they spent together, but they don’t need to get drunk to do that. I think this is still decent in general, but I know Tom Walker is capable of better. Solid 6/10.

- THE CHAINSMOKERS & 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER – WHO DO YOU LOVE? (#34)
Woah… who expected these two groups to ever collaborate? Because I certainly didn’t! See, that’s the thing, I have no doubt that both of these bands have chemistry between each of their members, but could there be somewhat for an interaction? You know what, I’d say that not only do the two groups connect well, but between this song & both of them announcing a North American tour together, they could really be onto something! Instead of the self-indulging or misery that The Chainsmokers tried on their last project, this break-up anthem is well tailored for what 5SOS are used to whenever they slow things down, even if the content does seem a little desperate at times. Of course, the blend of acoustic instruments scattered throughout the track to the dynamics fading in & out at just the right time, alongside a bombastic drop that has a good level of momentum behind it, I think this could’ve been huge if it was released in the summer. I hope we can at least make it a hit going into spring though, because I’m very impressed with this so far. In fact, solid 9/10, I love this that much!

- CAMELPHAT & CHRISTOPH FT JEM COOKE – BREATHE (#37)
If you’re a dance or club fan I am, you might be familiar with Camelphat from his minor hits ‘Cola’ & ‘Panic Room’, both of which huge across Europe over the summer, particularly getting regular airplay from Radio 1 & at sets from regular Ibiza DJs. Not only does Camelphat continue to bring an intriguing mix of trance & hype here, but Christoph leaves a promising first impression, which their collaborative effort resulting in a slick groove that is a fitting match for Jem Cooke’s emotive vocals. It builds up the atmosphere at just the right pace & Camelphat has always had a knack for tingling production melodies. The lyrics are ridiculously vague though, which is why I prefer checking out more tropical house that have some sense of a story, but the content I was able to get out for this is how someone has been hurt & they just need to take a step back. This is still a breath of fresh air for now though & while it probably won’t last for very long, I’m still happy with this finally making it here! Solid 7/10.

- BLUEFACE – THOTIANA (#40)
So here we have another unknown trap artist from the US who managed to crossover to our charts thanks to a dance for this track going viral, as well as a remix with YG boosting it. So far there appears to have been universal backlash against this & yeah, I can kind of see why. The biggest off-putting feature here is how Blueface has no ability to stay on beat; it’s like there are a ton of different time signatures to this song! Also while his rambling flow is fine, it’s not the kind of approach you want to be taking on a anthem. The syncopation is still there, but unfortunately, Blueface fails to come with a distinctive hook, let alone a passable. So overall, I don’t see the hype for this continuing for much longer & it’s mediocre at best anyway, so there’s not much point checking this out. Light 4/10.

- Much to nobody’s surprise, ‘Thank U, Next’ becomes Ariana Grande’s third #1 album in the UK! It breaks the record for opening week global Spotify streams, with 361 million! In the UK, it received 65,000 combined sales, which includes 59 million streams!

- The rest of the Top 5 is: ‘The Greatest Showman [Soundtrack]’ (3-2), AJ Tracey’s self-titled debut album (debuts at #3), ‘Bohemian Rhapsody [Soundtrack]’ by Queen (6-4) ‘Encore’ by The Specials (1-5).

- Looking ahead to next week, these songs could enter the Top 40 for the first time: ‘Leave A Light On’ by Red Hot Chilli Pipers ft Tom Walker, ‘365’ by Zedd & Katy Perry, ‘Please Me’ by Cardi B & Bruno Mars, ‘Juice’ by Lizzo, ‘Desire’ by Sub Focus & Dimension, ‘Valentino’ by Years & Years ft MNEK, ‘Last Hurrah’ by Bebe Rexha & 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-40-115

Same Sh*t....Different Week, chart full up with rubbish!