Official Singles Chart on 24/4/2020

Just 10 minutes I'm eager to know if Kings & Queens will come thruu

This might just be my favourite song in the Top 40 right now! So beautiful. Until Righteous enters...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1jO2wSpAoxA

Please get this in your chart tomorrow. It’s stunning! And here I thought You’ll Never Walk Alone was emotional! :')
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZengOKCUBHo
Rest in paradise, Juice WRLD. 999 Forever.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z_WYwfrMFko#searching awesome tune!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i8UASM9pg4w Legendary!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4mZtFtWpNag. This is what you call good quality music!

Okay, I wanna talk about Anne-Marie’s two new singles - Birthday and Her.

Can you please send Birthday out of the charts and make sure Anne-Marie doesn’t get another if she dares to make another song like that? No? Well, substitute it for Her instead! That song is a beautiful ballad on how Anne-Marie loves her mother (I almost teared up in joy listening to it as someone who adores his own mum), whilst Birthday is a track about your guy, begging for attention and money, and overall being the most obnoxious person ever!

Please UK, get Her in the charts and make sure Birthday never re-enters again... would you rather listen to obnoxious lyrics or lovely lyrics? Up to you.

The Sales Chart is the proper chart!

where is Ariana Grande

Birthday by Anne-marie is the worst song I have ever heard.

I have just looked through the older charts from most years in December and it's the same Christmas songs that re-enter the charts every year?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2rfZdqinIA I've been getting into 60s music lately

Emoji Challenge Results...

SONG 1: 🔵 ('Blue {Da Ba Dee}') [correctly guessed first by Quinn]
SONG 2: 👩‍🏫 ❤️ ('You Taught Me What Love Is') [correctly guessed first by Coolocelot]
SONG 3: 👏👏 ('Clap Your Hands') [correctly guessed first by Fintendo]
SONG 4: 🇯🇵 BIG 🇯🇵 ('Big In Japan') [correctly guessed first by Cameron]
SONG 5: 👶☝+ ⏰ ('... Baby One More Time') [correctly guessed first by Cameron]
SONG 6: A🔥 ❤️ ('Afire Love') [correctly guessed first by Coolocelot]
SONG 7: 🍬 ('Candy') [correctly guessed first by Rector]
SONG 8: 😙 ('Whistle')
SONG 9: 💰 4 🚫 ('Money For Nothing') [correctly guessed first by Coolocelot]
SONG 10: 🇫🇷 😘 ('French Kisses') [correctly guessed first by Mateusz]

Scores:
Coolocelot: 3 (Winner) 🥇
Cameron: 2 🥈
Fintendo: 1 - 6:41pm 🥉
Mateusz: 1 - 6:42pm
Rector: 1 - 6:42pm
Quinn: 1 - 6:43pm

Coolocelot now reaches the top of the overall leaderboard for 2020! :D

It'll be interesting to see what happens with 'Times Like These' on the Big Top 40 chart a little later today...

I mean, with its insane sales, I would say it's a clear #1, but the Big Top 40 also counts airplay, so I'm not sure if the fact that the song was put together by Radio 1 is going to affect its performance on a chart that only plays on Capital or Heart!

Another week of chart mayhem to contend with. Annoyed that the insultingly generic "Breaking Me" is surging up the charts and surprised that "Level Of Concern", which I'll admit grew on me considerably, fell off the debut. Let's have a look, as ever (before this review gets marked as spam again and renders my efforts useless), at the new arrivals to the top 100.

#100 - Surf Mesa, Emilee - Ily (I Love You Baby)
So this appears to be coming off Tiktok which, to be fair, we can thank for Old Town Road, but also some pretty underwhelming songs such as Supalonely and Death Bed. And in this case we have a lo-fi hip hop type of sample with all its warmth sucked out of it by a standard four-on-the-floor beat with some tropical flavour, there's really nothing remotely interesting about this, it feels very cold and lifeless, it doesn't feel organic.
strong 4/10

#98 - Don Toliver - After Party [WORST OF THE WEEK]
Now perhaps my ears are off but this just sounds like a mess. This is some of the worst production I've heard on a mainstream trap song in some time, the vocals are buried in a swirling mix of sounds which sonically clash which each other and render everything muddy and undiscernable. I don't mind Don Toliver's vocal delivery on some minimalist and slightly psychedelic production à la Travis Scott, which is how he got on the map in the first place, but this really isn't on the mark for me.
light 4/10

#86 - Joji - Gimme Love [BEST OF THE WEEK]
I'll admit I have heard this song before, and in fact I've been following Joji's career progression from the very start, and I have to say this is a great addition to his discography. It starts with vocal production and a style more reminiscent of his earlier work, somewhat lo-fi in nature and sung in a quite rough manner. This is a turn off for a lot of people, but I think it actually bounces off the cold space in the mix to really bring out the emotion in Joji's voice. This is combined with quite a propulsive groove, but it's the melancholic chord progression that wins me over. The song, however, collapses into an acoustic guitar lick somewhat reminiscent of the main melody from Radiohead's No Surprises, and then from there blossoms into an absolutely beautiful song with lavish strings and an ascending chord progression that genuinely feels heavenly and transcendent, Joji once again proves that he is one of the most interesting faces in R&B, and well, the first half of the song would probably rank quite low in his discography but the second half more than makes up for it, transforming a fairly by-the-numbers song into something truly beautiful. Joji's ambition is palpable and I'm really looking forward to the future with him.
strong 7/10

#76 - Tiësto, Becky Hill - Nothing Really Matters
This is ok, I'll take this any day over whatever Kygo is doing. I think Tiësto puts a bit too much reverb in the mix, and I am not a fan of the "na na na" vocal riff that provides the song's melodic selling point. I don't like the dark, throbbing bass at the drop because I think it's too played out at this point. But the song has a decent vocal performance from Becky Hill and the percussive embellishments make the mix nicely rounded out, though I think it should be crisper and sharper. While this song does the technical things right, it feels undercooked.
light 5/10

#65 - Gerry Cinnamon - Head In The Clouds
I didn't want to like this because I heard a Gerry Cinnamon song that charted a while back and it rubbed me the wrong way, but there is undeniable quality here. The guitar groove is good, the subtle increases in texture with the piano is good, the melody is sticky, Cinnamon's delivery is full of raw personality and his lyrics are actually really great and unique in the current mainstream. Perhaps if this had a hook it would pop more but I somewhat admire its restraint either way.
very strong 5/10

#51 - Playboi Carti - @ MEH
I'm a huge Playboi Carti fan. Last year, with his album Die Lit, Carti redefined what trap could be with a series of repetitive and minimalist trap bangers that have undoubtedly pushed trap into new territory. I wsh the same could be said about his new song though, which seems to lack the same flair. Carti is undoubtedly more coherent here, but perhaps that's how he loses his main selling point. In Carti's music, his animated ad-libs and mindless lyrics merely supplement the blissed-out production, but here there's far less space in the production which draws more attention to his delivery. I would argue his delivery here is a bit too reminiscent of Young Thug's, I feel like Carti's unique trademark is lost. The production is ok, kind of glitchy and spaced out in composition but lacking the texture to pull it off. I don't mind this, but I expect better from Sir Cartier.
light 6/10

#38 - Nafe Smallz, M Huncho - Part Of The Plan
This is pretty bad. I see 2 rappers with by-the-numbers Travis Scott impressions delivering nothing memorable over a swamped out beat with no texture. You'd think 2 rappers who rap melodically would be able to pull off something catchy over the space of this song but no. This screams of phoned in.
decent 4/10

#29 - DaBaby, Roddy Ricch - ROCKSTAR
DaBaby is doing what he can over this production, but it's not enough. The chorus is pretty catchy but I just don't think the upbeat almost Latin-flavoured arpeggiated guitar sample is a good fit for DaBaby's fast and animated flows. The more melodic trap you listen to, the more you realise the entire game is indebted to Young Thug too, as here Roddy Ricch delivers a verse where he's really doing his best impression, and it's distracting.
light 5/10

#25 - Beth Porch - You Taught Me What Love Is
A good singer is one who can command attention without the need for anything else, and this is what Beth Porch does here, over just a spare guitar. She has a powerful voice, and while this is a live recording so it is very rough around the edges, especially when she starts to belt in the second half of the song, there's such a raw emotion that coupled with the guitar, makes for a pretty good song.
decent 6/10

#20 - Sam Smith, Demi Lovato - I'm Ready
This is an odd song, but I'm very surprised by how much it works. We're treated to a dark trap knock, something that took me completely aback when I saw the song's lineup and after having listened to both artists' recent output. Both Smith and Lovato deliver good performances with decent-enough lyrics. The chorus is a show-stopping, melodramatic plea into the void: "I'm ready for someone to love me" - it has all the hallmarks of a song that could fall flat on its face, but it doesn't, and with some tweaks to the production this could be great, it retains a uniqueness. This pushes both singers out their comfort zone, and they pull it off. I don't like everything, for example I would prefer a crisper mix and possibly some more interesting texture (the weird sample in the trap beat is a step in the right direction) but I'm surprised this even works at all to be honest.
decent 6/10

#5 - Live Lounge Allstars - Times Like These
I do like this. The mix is so rich and textured, so lovely to listen to, so enveloping. Every artist does their bit, and that's what's this is all about. The composition is great. This is a lovely moment of coming together and making music. I don't love this, I think it is a slight touch too oversold at times, but I really like the sentiment and the instrumental texture is so deliciously satisfying.
strong 6/10

#1 - Michael Ball, Captain Tom Moore, The NHS Voices Of Care Choir - You'll Never Walk Alone
I picked the wrong time to start reviewing, because what can you say about a song like this. What can you criticise? All I can say is this. I'm really glad that Captain Tom Moore has been given this platform, to sing his heart out over this song, in these odd times. Now listen, is this a revelation to listen to: no. But really a song like this transcends the 4 minutes and 10 seconds it's on, it's a cultural landmark, it stands to represent something greater which permeates the very fibre of our society. And as such an event, it's admirable. The production of the song is nice but for me, I don't like the choral elements. Michael Ball's performance is good. It's a nice song, but really what else is there to say? I'll leave it at that from me.
strong "exempt from criticism"/10

Fatigue really set in towards the tail end of this review so cut me some slack!! That was a lot of music!! But anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you're all doing well.

Dave Grohl for Number 1 next week, lets do it

A question for all you chart freaks out there. This is the third time a version of this song is #1 which is great but probably not a record?

Does anyone have a list of what songs reached #1 at least three times with three different artists?

Thanks in advance :)

These are three tracks I wanna see in the Top 40:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cvhfq3eF2gI
I love this amazing song! If I hadn’t found it on Forza I wouldn’t have set off a wave. If you aren’t getting Kings & Queens into the Top 40, can it be this? It’s too good!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w9uWPBDHEKE
Trap is really popular with me right now, and what better way to make it better with this fire song from Jack Harlow? It’s at #46 right now, but please Britain, make this your next big rap hit!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k3-fAXbCa44
I miss Juice WRLD so much! His delivery here hits deep and different. It’s one of the more emotional hip-hop tracks too with the depressing lyrics and trippy production. It also has Lil Uzi in it, so that’s a plus. I want to see this in the charts ASAP and it’ll probably be big on mine too!

Take your time... :)

TRAP AND HIP HOP COME FROM USA DARK AGE............. THE NEW ORDER AND THE ILLUMINATI PAY FOR THIS AND WORK YOUR BRAIN........... UK WHAT HAPPEN WITH YOU........YOU NEED MORE DANCE MORE FUNNY, MORE BRITISH POP, USA PAY FOR THIS CHART.... IS NOT REAL, THE 80 THE 90 WAS REAL... IN THE REST OF THE WORLD WE CAN T UNDERSTAND

Another Ava single missing the top 40 because her team make terrible decisions like promoting Salt at the same time (although it's the superior song).

Kinda want Times Like These to be #1 next week but also kinda want Blinding Lights to have a record breaking four stints at #1...

Song 1: 😵💡

Why are all the buttons for different charts broken? They just keep reloading this week’s singles chart.

Looks like it's going to be another really busy week on here! :)

I'll be back on again at some point over the weekend, but until then, here's another Emoji Challenge...

Remember when "We'll Meet Again" was #20 in First Look? Yeah...

My Top 10 songs of the week now! Enjoy! :)

1) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cvhfq3eF2gI
2) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bJwLnupq74U
3) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pok8H_KF1FA
4) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4oL1IlbjS_8
5) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jJPMnTXl63E
6) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PEEoaKwwxbg
7) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gvPMVKUI9go
8) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EOxj2ROIxok
9) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-V2PxXsctV0
10) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2I1ZU5g1QNo

Sales are in my profile for those who are interested!

Congrats to Captain Tom!

We all salute you, Captain Tom! 🙏

And good job to all of you who sent this all the way! :D

God bless Tom Moore what an amazing man, even The Weeknd wanted him to get the number one spot

NEW ENTRIES BEST TO WORST
Beth Porch- You Taught Me What Love Us [7/10]
DaBaby Ft. Roddy Ricch- ROCKSTAR [6/10]
Sam Smith & Demi Lovato- I'm Ready [6/10]
Gerry Cinnamon- Where We're Going [4/10]
Nafe Smallz Ft. M Huncho- Part Of The Plan [3/10]
Micheal Ball & Captain Tom Moore- You'll Never Walk Alone [Unscoreable/10]
BBC Radio 1- Times Like These [Unscoreable/10]

Anyone interested in the sales?

Fine, if you aren't going to get 'Kings & Queens' into the Top 40, can you get this Ava Max song there instead? It's incredible! Thanks to Coolocelot for the recommendation. ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvhfq3eF2gI

WEEKLY CHART REVIEW (24/04/2020 - 30/04/2020)

So some people actually thought the charity single from Captain Tom Moore might’ve lost its lead by today, but not me, with an 18k sales lead over The Weeknd on Wednesday night, I knew he was definitely getting that #1!

Honestly, it might just be my favourite chart moment of 2020 so far! I’m not saying it’s my favourite version of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ by any means, but it’s the idea that’s won me over. This is a cover of a classic that couldn’t promote sticking together & friendship between others any better, so the fact that it’s gone to #1 in time of Captain Tom Moore’s 100th birthday is amazing enough to see, but it’s the fact that his efforts have helped raise over £28 million for the NHS at the time of this post has the power to save so many lives that’s really warmed my heart! Of course, he’s no stranger to saving lives, as he’s also a former war veteran. Congrats to Michael Ball & the NHS Care Choir too, let’s not forget them! Big respect for all of them, strong 8/10 here.

Actually, while we’re on the topic of charity songs, there’s a real chance that the Radio 1 live lounge song called ‘Times Like These’ with so many artists on it could climb all the way to #1 next week, looking at those early sales numbers (already Top 5 overall after just 24 hours of tracking!). I wouldn’t even rule out ‘Blinding Lights’ going back to the top at some point in the future either!

In fact, I’ll discuss the two charity songs that entered right now! Firstly, we’ve got the Live Lounge Allstars, which features 24 massive global acts, covering a throwback from the Foo Fighters, who also appear here! Anyway, this is giving me all the motivation to keep going during lockdown. When previous campaigns in this lane were written, they were to support specific groups on people, but I think we can agree that this is a topic that affects everyone, so it would make sense to combine so many musical genres together & yet, every artist featuring on this gets the chance to stand out here, but the harmonies accompanied with a gentle twinkle & the melodic guitar strums are also impeccable! So yeah, absolutely wonderful & while it’s the kind of collaboration where replay factor may drop off fairly fast, for now, I’m so chuffed to see this so high up already & it’s my favourite debut of the week! Strong 9/10 for this one.

Secondly, thanks to her stunning BGT audition, Beth Porch makes her chart debut with ‘You Taught Me What Love Is’ (#25). My whole family teared up when watching this last week! Not only are the soothing vocals & range so emotional, but the fact that she performs like this to unwell children & the connection a nurse has with them in making sure they’re better is another huge positive here. To be honest, if there was a little more swell on the guitar & dynamic in her delivery, this would’ve been another perfect score for me, but as it is, yeah, as someone who’s worked with ill children myself, this really resonated with me! Light 9/10 for this one & she really should’ve got the Golden Buzzer!

Outside of those, the biggest release of the past week was the collaboration between Sam Smith & Demi Lovato, called ‘I’m Ready’ (#20). Sadly, while I was excited to see the two names on the same song, I’m rather underwhelmed by this! I’ve known both of these to be very powerful singers when they’re at their best, but here, their vocal performance just doesn’t reach a climax at all when you’re expecting it to throughout the entire song! Not only that, but the chorus is repetitive & the whole topic behind the song is rather bland too, Besides, if you were really ready for someone to love you, shouldn’t you have sounded more intriguing & made sure the production had at least a bit of sparkle & affection to it? Ultimately, it’s just really forgettable & I don’t think much effort was put into it at all, sorry! Light 4/10.

Then there’s ‘Rockstar’ by DaBaby ft Roddy Ricch (#28). Now we get to two trap artists who are among my favourite newcomers in the genre & wow… yeah, this will definitely get some replay from me! The bubbling deep rumbles immediately set a serious scene, then DaBaby just comes out with one of his most fast-paced flows to date & his singing is surprisingly decent. Unfortunately, I can’t say Roddy Ricch does as well here, but at least he still sounds sincere enough to fit in on this! That’s the thing, while the content isn’t anything much of a progression, I’m a lot more convinced when you actually sell it well, which I think mostly happens here. It’s not the best rap hit here right now, but it’s still enjoyable overall as someone who’s getting more into this kind of sound, so I’m giving it a light 7/10!

Then we’ve got a debut for Nafe Smallz & M Huncho with ‘Part Of The Plan’ (#38) & sadly, given that this is the same duo that brought us the atrocity that was ‘Thumb’, I had no expectations that it would be good & much to nobody’s surprise, I really don’t like this! Neither artist sounds as hard as they think they do as there’s way too much mixing on the auto-tune. Not only that, but despite them switching up their melodies, it’s done in a way that’s so abrupt, there’s absolutely no chemistry between them & the softer trap beats adds no substance nor groove to make this the slightest bit interesting! Light 3/10 here & as expected, the worst debut of the week.

The last new entry of the week is ‘Where We’re Going’ by Gerry Cinnamon (#39)! Man, with all the support Radio 1 was giving this guy, it was only a matter of time before he made the Top 40 again, especially with an album boost for this. Anyway, I think this is awesome! The upbeat folk instrumentation & pure charisma of Gerry Cinnamon makes this immediately likeable even if you’re not a fan of the genre, This genuinely reminds me of something the Gallagher brothers would’ve done with Oasis in terms of vocal delivery & while I wouldn’t put Gerry Cinnamon anywhere close to their level of iconic quality, this is the kind ef song that gives home in difficult times, especially when you read the lyrics. I’m giving this a light 8/10 for now, with the potential to climb!

As for the albums side of things, it’s a little disappointing to see Dua Lipa drop from the top spot, but hey, I’ll certainly take Gerry Cinnamon replacing her there.

That’s it for today, but next week, apart from potentially more singles to combat Covid-19, rock had such a huge day of new music with The Rolling Stones & The 1975 coming back, along with a big resurgence for Foo Fighters, but whether or not they can stick around until this time next week is another question. Looks like KSI will get the highest debut of the week again with ‘Houdini’!

Beyond that, stay safe & have a good weekend. :)

YNWA: 82,000
BL: 69,000

Source: OCC

Funny how Ava is missing the top 40 AGAIN

Tom Moore is an amazing inspiration at times like these and has really made a difference throughout his life such as COVID-19 and WWII, admittedly I prefer Blinding Lights as a song, but Tom Moore truly does deserve Number 1 as an IRL hero, well done Sir! I wonder if Blinding Lights can retake it next week to be the first song ever to get four seperate stints at number 1!

"The sun will shine again, and the clouds will go away."

You know, seeing a literal hero score an official UK #1 single in time for his 100th birthday is amazing as it is, but the real highlight about his story is that he’s raised over £28 million for the NHS at the time of this post! That money has the potential to save so many lives.

This is definitely my favourite chart moment of 2020 so far. History has been made, guys! :D