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[ThePensmith]

Hello everyone, sorry it's a bit later than planned but here comes my personal top 20 singles that were meant to go up last Friday. Dua Lipa scored her second number one in the last three months seven days ago, but can 'Physical' stay on top today in the face of major competition from Niall Horan, James Blunt with Ward Thomas and the return of the Pussycat Dolls? Let's find out...

THEPENSMITH'S TOP 20 SINGLES CHART
Week ending 14th February 2020
© AM LIMITED 2020

1. (1) DUA LIPA - Physical
2. (HNE) NIALL HORAN - No Judgement
3. (NE) THE PUSSYCAT DOLLS - React
4. (2) JONAS BROTHERS - What A Man Gotta Do
5. (NE) JAMES BLUNT FEAT. WARD THOMAS - Halfway
6. (3) JP COOPER - In These Arms
7. (4) NERVO FEAT. PLASTIK FUNK & TIM MORRISON - Dare Me
8. (5) BECKY HILL FEAT. SHIFT K3Y - Better Off Without You
9. (6) SELENA GOMEZ - Rare
10. (7) MEGHAN TRAINOR - Blink

11. (9) THE SHIRES - Lightning Strikes
12. (NE) LÉON - In A Stranger's Arms
13. (10) NO ROME FEAT. DIJON - Trust3000
14. (NE) HANNE LELAND - It's Your Eyes I See
15. (NE) CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS - People, I've Been Sad
16. (11) NIALL HORAN - Put A Little Love On Me
17. (12) DJ SPOONY PRESENTS GARAGE CLASSICAL FEAT. PALOMA FAITH - Movin' Too Fast
18. (8) NADINE COYLE - All That I Know
19. (13) CAMILA CABELLO - Easy
20. (NE) FLEUR EAST - Lucky

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



It's a busy old week this one, with seven brand new entries, thirteen records going down, and one non mover. But despite some fierce competition, Dua Lipa sits proudly atop the pile for a second week with 'Physical'. No record in the seven weeks of 2020 that have elapsed thus far has spent longer than a fortnight at the top - and it's been even longer since a record spent as many as four weeks at the summit - so all eyes will be on her next week to see if she can break through that barrier.

Back to this week though, and leading the charge of our new hits is Niall Horan, for now unable to add a third consecutive solo chart topper (fifth overall) to his steadily growing pile, with the release of 'No Judgement', the third single from his now confirmed second solo album 'Heartbreak Weather', scheduled for release on 13th March. It enters at this week's #2, whilst his former chart topper 'Put A Little Love On Me' remains a top 20 fixture, down five places to this week's #16. It should be worth pointing out though that that particular single didn't make the top of our chart until its fourth week around at the start of this year, so there may still be time for it to improve before his album's release.



Surely cursing their bad luck and timing this week are a returning Pussycat Dolls. The burlesque act turned girl group, who topped our charts three times with 'Don't Cha', 'Stickwitu' and 'Beep', were last seen over ten years ago, when they had the last of their eight top 20 hits with 'Hush Hush, Hush Hush'. In the time since their acrimonious split, Nicole Scherzinger has been a solo star with varying degrees of success - she enjoyed a chart topper in July 2014 with 'Your Love' - whilst the others that weren't her retreated to relative anonymity or small scale presenting / reality TV stints.



They reconvened in November last year to announce a comeback tour for this spring and a much talked about performance on the (frankly dismal) last series of The X Factor, on which they performed a medley of their greatest hits, which included a teaser of brand new single 'React'. Now fully unleashed in its full form, it is the second biggest new arrival of the week, entering at #3 - their biggest hit since 'Buttons' with Snoop Dogg made the same position in June 2006 - although you can't help but wonder if it would have made a greater impact being released a bit sooner than this week.

New at #5 this week are both James Blunt and Ward Thomas, who have teamed up together for a new version of the former's new single 'Halfway', and are currently on tour around the UK together as well. It restores both artists to a top 5 berth - Blunt for the first time since 'Bonfire Heart' made the same position in October 2013, and Ward Thomas since 'Lie Like Me' got to #3 in August 2018.



Léon belatedly follows up her debut hit this week. The Swedish singer-songwriter made #7 on the second go around for 'Falling' back in August last year, and went onto spend ten weeks on our chart, but the going is a little slower for brand new release 'In A Stranger's Arms', which enters at this week's #12.



Hanne Leland enters at #14 with 'It's Your Eyes I See', her seventh top 20 hit, and also the exact same position her last single, 'The Nights I Can't Sleep' entered at last September. Meanwhile, Christine and the Queens also return with 'People, I've Been Sad' this week, which at least is a four place improvement on her last single 'The Walker' from exactly a year ago, but unless a climb is in store in the coming weeks she's still searching for another top 10 hit.





Fleur East rounds off the new arrivals this week at #20 with 'Lucky'. The X Factor and I'm A Celebrity star has finally confirmed details of her new album 'Fearless', which is out next month, and from which this is her third single. Of her activity on my chart to date, more of her hits have come in the last two years than they have at any other point.



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 2006: Meck and Leo Sayer spend a second week at the top with 'Thunder In My Heart Again', plus classic hits from The Ordinary Boys, Liz McClarnon and Will Young



1. (1) MECK FEAT. LEO SAYER - Thunder In My Heart Again



2. (2) THE ORDINARY BOYS - Boys Will Be Boys
3. (HNE) LIZ MCCLARNON - Woman In Love / I Get The Sweetest Feeling
4. (4) WILL YOUNG - All Time Love
5. (3) DEAD OR ALIVE - You Spin Me Round
6. (5) THE SOURCE FEAT. CANDI STATON - You Got The Love
7. (NE) GOLDFRAPP - Ride A White Horse
8. (6) CHRIS BROWN FEAT. JUELZ SANTANA - Run It!
9. (NE) JESSE MCCARTNEY - Beautiful Soul
10. (NE) FRIDAY HILL - One More Night Alone