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[ThePensmith]

Happy Friday, and happy new month people! Time once again to bring you my personal top 20 for this week. Seven days ago, Jennifer Lopez became the fourth new number one in as many weeks with 'Limitless'. But is it's time at the top going to be likewise or will new entries from Busted, Julia Michaels and new girl group Unperfect see to it otherwise? Let's find out...

THEPENSMITH'S TOP 20 SINGLES CHART
Week ending 1st February 2019
© AM LIMITED 2019

1. (HNE) BUSTED - Radio
2. (2) FOUR OF DIAMONDS - Blind
3. (3) NOW UNITED - All Day
4. (4) WESTLIFE - Hello My Love
5. (1) JENNIFER LOPEZ - Limitless
6. (NE) JULIA MICHAELS FEAT. NIALL HORAN - What A Time
7. (NE) UNPERFECT - Gots To Give The Girl
8. (6) CLAIRE RICHARDS - Shame On You
9. (5) LOS UNIDADES FEAT. PHARRELL WILLIAMS & JOZZY - E-Lo
10. (NE) BACKSTREET BOYS - Breathe

11. (8) LAUV - Superhero
12. (9) FLEUR EAST - Favourite Thing
13. (10) OLLY MURS - Excuses
14. (7) ASTON MERRYGOLD - Poison Ivy
15. (11) GEORGE EZRA - Hold My Girl
16. (NE) BANANARAMA - Dance Music
17. (12) JESS GLYNNE - Thursday
18. (13) WARD THOMAS - No Filter
19. (NE) CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS - The Walker
20. (14) RAE MORRIS - Dancing With Character

Compiled from my own personal listening in the last seven days across streaming, digital and physical formats.

KEY

(1) - last week's position
(HNE) - highest new entry
(NE) - new entry
(RE) - re-entry

CHART COMMENTARY



Once again, the merry-go-round of brand new number ones on my chart continues apace into the new month. For even though it retains a place in the top 5 this week, Jennifer Lopez still takes a four place tumble with 'Limitless'. Debate about this sudden instability at the summit is for another week though. For now, let's give a hearty congratulations to Busted, who with the release of their fourth studio album 'Half Way There' today (1st February) find themselves the proud recepients of what is only their second number one, as 'Radio' follows up the top 5 success of 'Nineties' back in November by debuting straight in at the top of my chart.



It's not unfair to say it's from the more softer, 'Sleeping With The Light On' end of their remit, but it's still an undeniably enjoyable record, worthy of its place both in their canon of great pop singles and its place at the top this week. And that's not all. As coming sixteen years and two weeks after their first number one ('Year 3000' in January 2003), they now wrestle away from Britney Spears the record for having the longest gap between chart toppers in my chart history (Britney had to wait eight years and two months between 'Me Against The Music' with Madonna in November 2003 and 'Hold It Against Me' hitting the summit this very week in 2011).

It's a busy top 10 again this week, with Busted leading the head of four new entries. But we just need to take a moment here to praise the continuing success of Now United's 'All Day', the former number one from last month becoming the longest runner in the upper echelons just last week, and on its tenth week this week, it holds its place at #3 for a third straight week. After just five weeks, it's currently my biggest single of 2019 on my year to date chart.

Considering that this is a record which first charted at the end of November last year, and which not only fell as far as #8 before it finally topped the chart on its sixth week at the start of January, that is not only an impressive feat of stability in a time where the turnover at the top of my chart has been rapid fire to say the least, but it means this single has crossed the border into genuine phenomenon territory.

The only apple cart it's served to upset however, is the overshadowing of what is meant to be Now United's next single, 'How We Do It' - the theme from a soon to be launched ad campaign for Pepsi that they are starring in no less - and which is now currently slated for release at the tail end of this month, having been pushed back from what was initially intended to be its release date - today.

With they and also Four of Diamonds and Westlife holding steady with their top 5 positions from last week, it falls to the record at #6 to claim the week's second biggest new arrival. Julia Michaels first burst into my top 10 in 2017, reaching #9 with 'Issues'. She then followed that with a guest vocal on Clean Bandit's 'I Miss You', which hit the top 5 that same year.



She now adds a long awaited third top 10 hit to her lot this week, following the release of her 'Inner Monologue Pt 1' EP. 'What A Time' is its first single, and a collaboration with her former tour buddy Niall Horan, which thus gives the Irish charmer the seventh top 10 hit of his post-One Direction solo career too. This is a truly magnificent collaboration and I wouldn't be surprised at all if it climbs next week.

Here's an interesting retro fact for you. This time 10 years ago, the pop production giants of the 00s, Xenomania, headed by Brian Higgins, were toasting a straight 52 weeks - a chart year to you and me - of having at least one or more of their hits for the likes of Girls Aloud, Sugababes, Gabriella Cilmi or Alesha Dixon being inside the top 75, making them the most successful songwriters of the year in my personal chart.

The last 10 years have proved to be a lot more sporadic for the team, who have had a fair share of misses more than hits, their last top 5 record coming on 'Hair Down' for Mollie King eighteen months ago in September 2017 (who's now quit music to focus on a fairly lucrative presenting career at Radio 1), and their last number one even further back than that in September 2011 for King's former band The Saturdays on their single 'All Fired Up'.

Could it be then, that we are about to see a renaissance of sorts for the pop team that defined the 00s? There's a lot to suggest that the #7 debut for their new four piece girl group Unperfect this week could be the start of something good. Though not the most immediate of records, 'Gots To Give The Girl' calls to mind both early Sugababes and Bananarama and is a charming pop single the more you listen to it. Remember where you saw them first.



And speaking of Bananarama, Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward are now a duo again following the temporary return of Siobhan Fahey to the fold for their 30th anniversary lineup tour in 2017 - and are back inside my top 20 at this week's #16. 'Dance Music' is the first single from forthcoming eleventh studio album 'In Stereo' - due out in April - and is their first single to reach my top 20 since 'Move In My Direction' hit #13 in August 2005.



Backstreet Boys released their 'DNA' album this week - which is looking set to be their first number one album in the States for eighteen years. Here, it's second single 'Breathe' follows up the #9 success of their last single 'Chances' to give them back to back top 10 hits for the first time since 2005, entering at #10. Christine and the Queens' last single '5 Dollars' was a top 5 hit last September, climbing over a period of a month from its initial #20 entry point. I don't see the same happening for its follow-up, 'The Walker' (new at #19) just yet, but at the very least it's her third top 20 hit off current album 'Christine'. She has also been nominated for a BRIT Award for Best International Female at this month's ceremony, which she looks very likely to win.



FLASHBACK TOP 10
Your chance to see how my personal top 10 was looking on this week in the last 20 years. This week in 2011: Britney Spears returns to the top eight years after her last chart topper, plus classic hits from Bruno Mars, Rihanna and Wretch 32



1. (HNE) BRITNEY SPEARS - Hold It Against Me



2. (1) BRUNO MARS - Grenade
3. (2) RIHANNA FEAT. DRAKE - What's My Name?
4. (4) DIDDY - DIRTY MONEY FEAT. SKYLAR - Coming Home
5. (5) WRETCH 32 FEAT. L - Traktor
6. (3) DAVID GUETTA FEAT. RIHANNA - Who's That Chick?
7. (NE) MARTIN SOLVEIG FEAT. DRAGONETTE - Hello
8. (6) KATY B FEAT. MS DYNAMITE - Lights On
9. (5) CHERYL COLE - The Flood
10. (NE) CHRIS BROWN - Yeah 3x

This post has been edited by ThePensmith: Feb 1 2019, 09:36 PM