Latest Site News

[ThePensmith]

Happy Friday one and all, it's time once again to give you my personal top 20 singles for this week. Have Busted hung on to make it three weeks at number one - or have Julia Michaels and Niall Horan bumped them off? Maybe a new hit from Jack & Jack? Here's where we find out...

THEPENSMITH'S TOP 20 SINGLES CHART
Week ending 15th February 2019
© AM LIMITED 2019

1. (4) JULIA MICHAELS FEAT. NIALL HORAN - What A Time
2. (1) BUSTED - Radio
3. (2) LSD - Mountains
4. (3) FOUR OF DIAMONDS - Blind
5. (5) DIDO - Give You Up
6. (HNE) JACK & JACK - Daydreaming
7. (6) NOW UNITED - All Day
8. (7) WESTLIFE - Hello My Love
9. (8) UNPERFECT - Gots To Give The Girl
10. (NE) PET SHOP BOYS - Give Stupidity A Chance

11. (10) JENNIFER LOPEZ - Limitless
12. (NE) KELLY ROWLAND - Crown
13. (9) MATE - Myself
14. (11) CLAIRE RICHARDS - Shame On You
15. (12) LOS UNIDADES FEAT. PHARRELL WILLIAMS & JOZZY - E-Lo
16. (13) BACKSTREET BOYS - Breathe
17. (14) LAUV - Superhero
18. (15) FLEUR EAST - Favourite Thing
19. (16) OLLY MURS - Excuses
20. (18) GEORGE EZRA - Hold My Girl

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



Another very slow week - with none of the three new arrivals to this week's chart breaking into the top 5 - means some consolidation of popularity for existing hits. And for the first time in a month, we have the more familiar sight of a record climbing to the top.



Congratulations therefore, to Julia Michaels, who has her first ever number one single on my personal chart this week as 'What A Time' moves up again to the summit on its third frame. It's a hearty congratulations also to her guest star Niall Horan, who now has a second chart topper to his name to follow his own 'Too Much To Ask' which hit the top in September 2017.

Busted respectfully dip to #2 with last fortnight's chart topper 'Radio', whilst the rest of last week's top 3 all drop a place to accomodate my new chart topper. Dido stays put at #5 this week with 'Give You Up', meaning our biggest new arrival this week lands at #6. US pop heartthrobs Jack & Jack had the biggest single on my chart in 2018 that didn't reach number one, as guest artists on Jonas Blue's #2 hit 'Rise' in June.



However, their last single 'No One Compares To You' was a relative flop, only debuting and peaking at #16 in October before falling off in short order. Thankfully their fortunes are restored with new single 'Daydreaming', the second off their debut album 'A Good Friend Is Nice', which gives them their second top 10 hit this week.

Also back inside my top 10 this week - but only just - are a duo of a very different kind. Pet Shop Boys are now celebrating their 35th anniversary this year since the release of their worldwide chart topper 'West End Girls' in 1984, a whole fifteen years before my chart started being compiled. Since my first personal chart in 1999, Neil and Chris have managed to notch up fifteen top 20 hits - biggest of all of course, being their chart topping 'Love etc' which reached number one 10 years ago next month.



The last of those top 20 hits came six years ago, when 'Leaving' debuted and peaked at #19 in September 2012. 'Give Stupidity A Chance' is probably their most politically earnest record in sometime, and is off a new EP titled 'Agenda', to be followed by a new album at the end of the year. At the very least it is their highest charting single on my chart for 10 years - the last time they got this high was with their festive offering 'It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas' which was top 5 for the festive period in 2009.

Our last newcomer of the week sees a return of a very different sort. Kelly Rowland was last on our chart eight years ago in December 2011, when 'Down For Whatever' got as high as #9. 'Crown' narrowly avoids joining it in the top 10 by debuting at #12, but at the very least it is her 23rd top 20 hit including the eleven hits she notched up with Destiny's Child. Only her former bandmate Beyoncé Knowles can claim to have had more top 20 hits combined solo and in the group - she has had 29 to date, but hasn't added to that total since 'Best Thing I Never Had' made #11 in July 2011.



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 2007: Kaiser Chiefs grab their first number one with 'Ruby', plus classic hits from Klaxons, Gwen Stefani and Justin Timberlake



1. (HNE) KAISER CHIEFS - Ruby



2. (1) KLAXONS - Golden Skans
3. (NE) GWEN STEFANI - The Sweet Escape
4. (2) JUST JACK - Starz In Their Eyes
5. (NE) JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE - What Goes Around (Comes Around)
6. (NE) EMMA BUNTON - All I Need To Know
7. (3) NELLY FURTADO - Say It Right
8. (4) KELIS FEAT. CEE-LO - Lil' Star
9. (5) THE FRAY - How To Save A Life
10. (NE) SNOW PATROL - Open Your Eyes