Official Singles Chart on 5/7/2019

What’s the ACR rule?

Because 'Old Town Road' has charted for more than 10 weeks & declined in performance for three consecutive weeks, it's on ACR (Accelerated Chart Ratio), so the value of its streams are halved, i.e. it would need two streams to balance out one stream for 'I Don't Care' in the charts.
'I Don't Care' is still less than 10 weeks old, so it doesn't have ACR acting against it.

Thanks Piran. Highlights a huge problem. Ironically the rules were changed due to Ed’s Divide success yet he’s still benefitting 🤦‍♂️. Ps. I rarely comment but love your reviews!

You're welcome! :)
I'm also strongly against ACR too; 'Old Town Road' was both the best selling & most streamed song of the week, so it's obviously the most popular song in the country & hence should be #1 in the singles chart this week. :/
As I said to Henri below, I feel like the only reason Ed's releasing a new song each week for now is to overcome the "three songs maximum per artist" rule too. Very sneaky thinking if you ask me.
Thank you very much! Glad you enjoy reading them. :D

I do disagree with you on the Ed Sheeran's single rollout. I think it just shows how calculative he is!

So there was a video on YleX Music's channel on YouTube (It's a channel by the radio channel YleX; the channel focuses on music news and debates). The video's title was "Ed Sheeran On Maailman Tylsin Poptähti", which means "Ed Sheeran Is The Most Boring Pop Star In The World".

In the video Anne Lainto first talked about Ed as a person and voiced her opinion by saying that while she definitely doesn't hate him, she doesn't quite understand why he has gotten so popular. While she admires him for getting so famous as Not-The-Most-Obvious-Looking-Star, she feels him a bit boring.

At the end of the video Anne talked about Ed's concerts. She stated Beyonce and Bruno Mars' concerts as examples of perfect live-shows: "Charismatic singers, mind-blowing choreographers and dancers, immortal sing-along hits, et cetera. However what are Ed's gigs? A guy on stage with a guitar, who builds shows with a looper". Anne has experience from all three artists so she knows her stuff!

While I disagree with Anne with the first matter and only mildly agree with the second one, i do definitely agree with this third one in the middle of the video: How calculative Ed really is!

First she took an example: What does Ed do first in the morning? Well, apparently pulls up his laptop and looks at his sales. "If he hasn't sold as well in France as in Germany, what should he do? Do a gig in there? Do an interview for a TV show?"
Then she took up Ed's plan for future. Apparently he has said his plan is to do 15 albums. First were his 5 EP's. Then are coming his +, × and ÷-albums, and this series continues for two more albums. Then the final saga in the future, and these albums are supposed to be done by 2030. Anne said that if she were Ed's fan, she would prefer to be surprised of his albums that to read them in an interview randomly. She also debated whether she is really a fan, or a customer in Ed's business. And I do agree with this!
Finally she took the ÷-album as an example of how calculative his music really is by stating the different genres portrayed in the album. "Everything For Everyone"!

So concluding, while this video was released in November 2018 and we didn't know of this new album and its rollout, it just goes on with the fact how calculative Ed is! And no I definitely don't think Ed is boring, it's refreshing to have Not-The-Most-Obvious-Looking-Star in the business, but I can't really disagree with this calculative business!

All of that perfectly explains why i don't like Ed Sheeran. That calculated nature always makes him seem more of a business man than an actual living, breathing, soulful artist. I find his songs very insubstantial and artificial. David Bowie was a master of skipping genres and immersing himself in them, whereas Ed seems desperate to jump on bandwagons for the $$$.

The singles charts mean nothing like they used too cause in the old days you would buy a record to get to count towards the charts, these days you don't have to buy a record to get with you tube, You can listen to a song as many times as you like and don't have to buy it and then you can pay a £10 a month and have access to thousands of songs and as for streaming that's not sales PANTS isn't it.
Who actually buys singles these days they don't sale anything like they did years ago.
Radio me off cause they will only play what they want you to hear.

Ed had all those album tracks in the charts due to steaming. It's all .

Hey Piran! It's good seeing 'I Don't Care' become the longest running #1 of the year so far, but it is disappointing to see it block 'Señorita' yet again! It also doesn't feel quite right when 'Old Town Road' should've been returning to #1 this week, though at the very least it does look like this will be the last week at #1 for it. 'Señorita' is now beating it on every platform (as well as being one of the most successful global Spotify #1s ever, reaching its highest streams yet of 9.9m on the most recent Spotify chart, the 5th highest daily total ever), so it should finally be able to reach #1 next week! Plus, if 'I Don't Care' falls on streams again next week it'll be on ACR the next week, as 'Vossi Bop' has proven to us this week, which means it almost definitely won't be among the 3 Ed hits from 'No. 6' on the chart that week.
Other than that, it is really good to see 'Mad Love' and 'Wish You Well' finally able to break into the Top 10, and I like that I almost perfectly predicted the Top 5 last week, I just had 'Cross Me' at #5 instead of 'Hold Me While You Wait'! I also really like seeing 'Ladbroke Grove' climb into the Top 20, now AJ's highest charting track as a lead artist ever, only being beaten by the #7 peak of 'Fashion Week'! Seeing 'Thiago Silva' debut at #57 is great as well since it's one of my favourite Dave tracks, but sadly, even though it's Top 10 on Spotify, it probably won't chart very high next week either since it's over 3 years old now, meaning it's on permanent ACR.
As for the debuts, there were only 3 but my favourite of them was easily 'Beautiful People'. I would say I probably prefer it to 'I Don't Care' overall, but it definitely doesn't beat 'Cross Me' for me, so a strong 8/10 - light 9/10 here! 'Don't Check On Me' was fine for me, a light 7/10, while 'Higher Love' would be a solid 7/10 for me.
Next week, as I said before, it really looks like 'Señorita' will be able to sneak in a week at #1 before Ed takes over again the week after, but it doesn't seem like either of Ed's new tracks will be able to chart. 'Best Part of Me' is only #36 on Spotify and 'BLOW' is only #59, so Ed's current 3 tracks will definitely still be there. The week after, though, I can see 'Beautiful People' sticking around, but 'I Don't Care' and 'Cross Me' swapping places with new tracks. 'Goodbyes' should be the highest debut, most likely in the Top 10, which is fantastic since I'm really loving the song at the moment (https://urlzs.com/KFRWR), while 'So High' should be able to chart as well!

Hey Gameskiller! How you doing? :)
I guess 'I Don't Care' dominance in the first half of the week outweighed that for 'Senorita's in the second half.
I don't see why 'Senorita' wouldn't be #1 next week though; it's dominant on all metrics other than radio airplay (which doesn't even count towards the chart) & it's also nowhere near being put on ACR. Given Ed's single rollout, I wouldn't be surprise if can even manage to survive the week where 'No.6 Collaborations Project' hits the charts.
That's interesting about 'Thiago Silva'... I wonder it's only now starting to become big despite being released in 2016. That'll probably be why I had it way higher in my predictions than it actually ended up. This reminds me of a recent case on the Billboard Hot 100, where 'Truth Hurts' by Lizzo couldn't enter the Hot 100 unless it placed in the Top 50 due to being released in 2017. Like 'Thiago Silva', it had a chart rule acting against it despite not even debuting on the chart. (Side Note: 'Truth Hurts' ended up being a fairly big hit in the US & is set to enter the Top 10 of the Hot 100 tomorrow!).
What are your thoughts on 'Best Part Of Me' & 'BLOW' by the way? The former reminds me of this albums' equivalent of 'Perfect', while the latter really surprised me with its rock production!

By the way, do you know why 'Old Town Road' went back to #1 on sales & streaming this week?
I'm aware Lil Nas X has been in the UK this past week doing some promotion, including a surprise performance at Glastonbury, but did he do anything else over here in particular?

The thing is with Ed, while he's become arguably the biggest pop star in the UK, he's had a very interesting road to success. I agree that in terms of looks, along with his history with alcohol & drugs, he would seem an unlikely huge artist, but along with love & heartbreak, it's the way that he took those life experiences & put them into his music. The main attraction to his music for so many people across the world is simply how much they can relate to it.
I remember Ed has said in interviews that he's only going to do albums with music that he wants to make now & not try to make deliberate radio hits. I assume he meant after this collaborations album, since 'I Don't Care' & 'Beautiful People' are both obvious airplay smashes.
I guess his single rollout has definitely been calculating, since he ultimately caused the latest two chart rule changes in the UK, yet he's somehow still benefiting from them! :D

totally agree with you the charts mean nothing like they used to i followed the charts religiously since 1972 but gave up about 10 years ago they shouldn't include streaming only actually bought downloads etc come christmas it will be full of the same christmas hits again through streaming which don't reflect what people are buying just what they listen to
well im of now to listen to gary glitter maybe if i listen enough times he will be back in the charts to show what a load of it is

With how popular it is right now, I can honestly see 'Señorita' making the Top 3 the week after next when 'No. 6' makes an impact, but I don't think anything will keep Ed from #1 that week given that even the lowest streaming tracks from '÷' were still racking up around the same amount of streams each day as 'Señorita' is now, and that's when streaming was less dominant as well. I still think there's a pretty good chance that Ed will take the Top 3 with 'Señorita' at #4, but only time will tell!
'Thiago Silva' is becoming big now because of the viral clip of Dave at Glastonbury bringing a fan on stage to sing the track, which was probably a lot of people's first time hearing it so they went to listen to the proper track afterwards. At least, that's what I assume.
I do quite like 'Best Part of Me' and 'BLOW', but I couldn't help myself from being slightly disappointed when I first heard them because they didn't quite live up to the previous 3 singles for me (which was a bit unrealistic to expect given that they all peaked in the Top 3 on my charts, but I couldn't help myself). I was quite surprised at the rock production on 'BLOW' as well, and while I was hoping for a smooth R&B track, I don't mind this either. I definitely still like both of them, and am still very hyped to hear 'No. 6' in just 4 days now!
From the update it looks like 'Señorita' should be a pretty safe #1 which I am very happy about, just over 3k sales ahead of 'I Don't Care' at this stage, while 'Goodbyes' also looks set for a high debut which I love. I don't think it'll quite manage Top 5 in the final chart, but looking at its positions so far (#8 on Spotify, #7 on Apple Music, #10 on iTunes, and likely Top 10 on YouTube as well since the official videos have a combined ~23m views so far) it seems like a safe Top 10!

I think it's more to do with 'I Don't Care' dropping rather than 'Old Town Road' actually climbing. The former has dropped in sales every week since its release, whereas the latter has been pretty stable recently.

Ah okay, well it looks like 'Thiago Silva' will still be making the Top 40 on Friday anyway, which means I'll definitely be checking it out. So you know you said how it was on permanent ACR... does that include if it gains in more than 50% in sales & streams?
Yeah, while the OCC didn't post exact numbers, it seems like 'Senorita' should dominant both downloads & streaming, which means it's in a very good position given it's a non-ACR song.
Right now, I do think 'South Of The Border' will be the biggest track from the album among those we haven't heard yet, at least on a global level. You've got three very different artists; Ed's unquestionably huge, Camila is have more hype than ever given 'Senorita' & an upcoming studio album, while Cardi B is the biggest female rapper right now! I think the title is going to imply a political message, specifically that about the US-Mexico border (which is more supported by Camila's recent tweets).
I actually think it might be able to pull off a Top 5 debut, just due to its consistency across almost all chart metrics.

Have you heard the British remix of 'Old Town Road' by the way? I heard it on Radio 1 & found it hilarious... maybe that boosted it instead? :D

Yeah, hopefully 'Thiago Silva' can make the Top 40, but I don't think it'd be able to get off ACR even if it had a 50% increase, which is why the classic Christmas songs are always on ACR now even when they see the dramatic spikes around the holiday season.
Music Week do have the figures, though it's a subscription service with a 4-week free trial. chart-watch.uk also usually posts a lot of figures for the main charts, and that's completely free. Currently in the midweek update 'Señorita' is at 24,173, 'I Don't Care' is at 20,991, 'Beautiful People' is at 17,886, 'Hold Me While You Wait' is at 14,339 and 'Goodbyes' is at 13,742.
I can see 'South of the Border' being one of the biggest tracks from the album too, but there are so many huge names on there that it's hard to tell. 'Take Me Back to London', 'Antisocial', 'Remember the Name', 'Feels' and 'Nothing on You' all also have good chances of being among the biggest tracks when the album releases. If anything's going to stop 'South of the Border' from getting a Top 10 or Top 5 debut, then it'll almost definitely just be because Ed had 3 bigger tracks that week!
I would really like a Top 5 debut for 'Goodbyes', and I guess if you take out the songs that are on ACR then it's at #5 on Spotify, #6 on Apple Music and #9 on iTunes, so yeah, I guess a Top 5 debut is possible!

Well said Jodie. Scrap all these Manufactured talent shows, it's like a karaoke show with talentless so called singers.

How many songs can a artist have on the charts?

They can have up to three as a lead artist.

Interestingly, I'm listening to the chart show right now & 'Truth Hurts' by Lizzo entered the Top 40 at #37. It appears that song came out in 2017, so would that be on permanent ACR too? Anyway, if that song made it, hopefully 'Thiago Silva' can too like you said.
Anyway, now that 'No.6 Collaborations Project' is out, what do you think of it? Based on first listen, I'd probably give it an 8/10. Whether or not it's better than his previous albums, I can't really say... because this album goes into even more directions than '÷' did, although the rap influences are greater than ever. No wonder it's a follow-on from 'No.5 Collaborations Project', because the grime inspiration definitely stood out to me the most here.
As I expected, 'South Of The Border' was the best of the tracks that we hadn't heard, although as you said, it would've been better if it was just Ed & Camila with Cardi not on it. I also really liked 'Take Me Back To London' & 'Way To Break My Heart'. As for the worst songs, well there was nothing that really disappointed me, but I think 'Feels' will be the one that I forget first. It appears that 'Antisocial' with Travis Scott will be pushed as the next official single & even got an official video too. It seems that Ed has gone for the "not fitting in at a party" theme for a third time already on this album.
Anyway, can't wait to hear your thoughts on this! :D

'Truth Hurts' shouldn't be on permanent ACR, since it's only 2 years old and a single needs to be 3 years old at least to be on permanent ACR. I think the fact that 'Truth Hurts' is at #37 on the main chart while 'Thiago Silva' is just 1 place above at #36, while on the streaming chart 'Truth Hurts' is at #52 and 'Thiago Silva' is at #17, confirms this. Even on the sales chart 'Truth Hurts' is at #65 and 'Thiago Silva' is at #36, so the latter really should've been an easy Top 20 hit this week.
As for 'No.6 Collaborations Project', after a few listens it could really be anywhere from a strong 9/10 - solid 10/10 for me! I'd say it isn't quite as good as 'x', which only 'beerbongs & bentleys' has managed so that's not particularly surprising, but it is easily my 2nd favourite Ed Sheeran album. I definitely noticed the increased rap & grime influences as well, but of course for me that was a huge positive! There are 8 tracks on the album that have rap influences (if you count Cardi B at least), and 6 of them line up from #1 - #6 on my predictions for my next chart. Another of them, 'Cross Me', debuted at #1, spent 7 consecutive weeks in the Top 5 and is my most streamed track of the year so far, so that really only leaves 'Feels' as the only "disappointing" rap-influenced track on the album for me.
'South of the Border' would also be my favourite new track, but not by much over 'Take Me Back to London' & 'Antisocial'. Luckily, Cardi's verse here was the best I've heard from her on a pop track, but it still would've been better without it. I'd say that 'Feels' would be among my least favourite as well, along with 'Best Part of Me'. I really like that 'Antisocial' is being pushed as the next official single, but it may not even chart due to Ed being limited to 3 tracks! I also find it pretty incredible that, on the day the album released, just 9 weeks after the 1st track from it was released, we already had 5 official music videos from it! 'I Don't Care', 'Cross Me', 'Beautiful People', 'BLOW' and now 'Antisocial'.

Ah, fair enough. Based on your rating for 'Truth Hurts' in your other reply to me, I bet you're really wishing it was on ACR, haha! Seriously, that might be one of the lowest scores I've ever seen for you, but I understand your justification there.

For me, I'd probably give 'No.6 Collaborations Project' a strong 8/10 for now, which just about makes it my favourite Ed album to date! I guess it's ultimately because he tries so many different genres here, from rock to pop to rap & even to some Latin & EDM influenced tracks on 'South Of The Border' & 'Way To Break My Heart' respectively. It's only very slightly ahead of '÷' as that album was more inconsistent. It had greater high points such as 'Castle On The Hill' & 'Galway Girl', but also disappointing tracks like 'Hearts Don't Break Around Here' & some of the tracks on the deluxe edition. As for this new album, I just replied to you on Crown Note as to what were my most & least favourites from it! :D