Latest Site News

[ThePensmith]

THEPENSMITH'S CHART OF THE YEAR: THE TOP 40 SINGLES OF 2018
© AM Limited 2018

1. GEORGE EZRA - Shotgun (#1, June)



2. CALVIN HARRIS & DUA LIPA - One Kiss (#1, April)
3. LSD - Thunderclouds (#1, September)
4. RUDIMENTAL FEAT. JESS GLYNNE & MACKLEMORE - These Days (#1, April)
5. GEORGE EZRA - Paradise (#1, March)
6. GEORGE EZRA - Hold My Girl (#1, November)
7. JESS GLYNNE - I'll Be There (#1, May)
8. TAKE THAT - Out Of Our Heads (#2, October)
9. MICHAEL BUBLÉ - Love You Anymore (#2, November)
10. JONAS BLUE FEAT. JACK & JACK - Rise (#3, June)

11. OLLY MURS FEAT. SNOOP DOGG - Moves (#1, October)
12. GRIMES x BLEACHERS - Entropy (#1, February)
13. ALL SAINTS - After All (#1, August)
14. CLEAN BANDIT FEAT. DEMI LOVATO - Solo (#2, April)
15. CRAIG DAVID FEAT. BASTILLE - I Know You (#1, January)
16. CHEAT CODES FEAT. LITTLE MIX - Only You (#2, July)
17. JESS GLYNNE - All I Am (#2, September)
18. NOW UNITED - All Day (#2, November)
19. CAMILLA CABELLO - Never Be The Same (#1, January)
20. ARIANA GRANDE - No Tears Left To Cry (#2, May)

21. JESS GLYNNE - Thursday (#1, December)
22. SHAWN MENDES - In My Blood (#2, March)
23. ED SHEERAN - Perfect (#1*, January)
24. CHRISTINE & THE QUEENS - 5 Dollars (#5, September)
25. DENNIS LLOYD - Nevermind (#2, August)
26. ALL SAINTS - Love Lasts Forever (#2, June)
27. LAUV - I Like Me Better (#4, September)
28. RAK-SU - I Want You To Freak (#1, October)
29. KYLIE MINOGUE - Dancing (#2, February)
30. BADDIEL, SKINNER & THE LIGHTNING SEEDS - Three Lions (#1, July)

31. NOW UNITED - Who Would Think That Love? (#2, September)
32. NIALL HORAN - Finally Free (#3, July)
33. CLAIRE RICHARDS - On My Own (#4, August)
34. DUA LIPA - IDGAF (#3, January)
35. WARD THOMAS - Lie Like Me (#3, August)
36. MAROON 5 FEAT. CARDI B - Girls Like You (#5, June)
37. FOUR OF DIAMONDS FEAT. BURNA BOY - Name On It (#4, June)
38. BUSTED - Nineties (#4, November)
39. LITTLE MIX - Think About Us (#2, December)
40. RAK-SU FEAT. BANX & RANX - Pyro Ting (#2, July)

Compiled from my personal listening on physical, streaming and digital formats across the 52 chart weeks covering Thursday 28th December 2017 - Thursday 27th December 2018. Figures in brackets indicate song's peak position and the month it reached that peak. Asterisk for Ed Sheeran indicates that 'Perfect' reached its peak position in 2017.

END OF YEAR COMMENTARY


(From L-R) Just three of the artists who hit it big on my charts in 2018: George Ezra, Jess Glynne and LSD

Up until 2011, no male solo artist had ever taken the title of the biggest single of the year in my personal chart history. But Bruno Mars became the first that year with 'Grenade', and since then, the year end title has been taken another four times by the men; twice by Pharrell Williams (one of which, in 2013, was with Daft Punk on 'Get Lucky', the other was with 'Happy' in 2014), and once apiece by Justin Timberlake (2016, 'Can't Stop The Feeling) and Ed Sheeran (2017, 'Castle On The Hill'). And for 2018, a male solo artist has taken my top honours for the year once again - in more ways than one.

When 'Don't Matter Now', the first single from his second album 'Staying At Tamara's' got no higher than #13 in July 2017, the signs didn't initially look promising for George Ezra to better the success of his 2014 debut 'Wanted On Voyage', which had produced 'Budapest', the seventh biggest single of that year. 'Paradise' was the album's second single, and entered at #16 in the first week of February this year, but then kept on climbing before it finally ascended to the top of the chart in March, where it stayed for five weeks. The same pattern befell 'Shotgun' - debuting at #14 in late May, before zooming to number one in June initially for two weeks, and then returning for another five weeks in July and August after the returning 'Three Lions' had had its fortnight at the top during World Cup mania, in total spending seven weeks at the top as well as twelve weeks inside the top 3.

And then he made it a hattrick when 'Hold My Girl' was promoted to single status at the end of October, debuting at #2, and then climbing to the top for a six week stay in November and December. 'Shotgun' is unsurprisingly the biggest of all three, and takes the title of 2018's biggest single on my personal chart. And that's not all - because with 'Paradise' finishing in fifth place, and 'Hold My Girl' in sixth, it means George is the first artist for twenty years to register all three of his hit singles from the last twelve months in the top 10 of my end of year chart, making him by far my biggest artist of the year. The last to achieve this feat - and all with chart toppers too coincidentally - were S Club 7 in 1999, although crucially, the biggest of their three hits ('Bring It All Back') had to settle for second place for that year, behind Britney Spears with 'Baby One More Time', making George's achievement all the more remarkable.

In all, fifteen records took turns at number one over the course of 2018 - two more than 2017's tally of thirteen - and all except three ('Never Be The Same' by Camilla Cabello for two weeks in January, 'Three Lions' from Baddiel, Skinner and The Lightning Seeds for two weeks in July, and 'I Want You To Freak' by Rak-Su for one week in October) spent at least three or more weeks at the top. However, only seven of those chart toppers made my year-end top 10, thanks to the strong performances in the summer by 'Rise' from Jonas Blue feat. Jack & Jack (tenth for the year, peaked at #3 in June), and then by the duopoly of Michael Bublé's 'Love You Anymore' and Take That's 'Out Of Our Heads' in the autumn (eighth and ninth for 2018, both peaked at #2 in October and November). Both the latter two singles are still inside the top 10 of my weekly chart as we speak after a run of nearly three months between them.

Jess Glynne had a remarkable 2018 too, and is the year's top female solo artist. A guest feature alongside Macklemore on Rudimental's 'These Days' entered our chart at the end of January, and took nine weeks to get to #1 for three weeks in April. She was back again at the end of May when 'I'll Be There' triumphed for a four week run, peaked at #2 in September with the follow-up 'All I Am', and then 'Thursday' spent three weeks at #1 in December, as well as taking the year's Christmas number one single. However, it is her two earlier hits of the year that finish highest, with 'These Days' fourth for 2018 and 'I'll Be There' in seventh place.

Seven of the acts (including a handful of double appearances) on my end of year chart are those who made their debut this year. LSD - the supergroup project consisting of Labrinth, Sia & Diplo (who have all charted before as solo artists) - had by far the biggest release for a debut act, notching up a three week run at the top in September with their third single 'Thunderclouds', and it was still holding up well in the weekly top 20 at the time of writing. It finishes third overall for 2018.

Even though it first entered my chart at Christmas 2017, Watford based boyband Rak-Su started the year at #2 with their X Factor winners single 'Dimelo' (#57 for the year) and then in silver medal honours again in July for 'Pyro Ting' (#40 for the year), before they had their first number one in October with 'I Want You To Freak' (#28 for the year). Their fourth single, 'The Real Thing (Holidays Are Coming)' in December, was a disappointment however, but even with its #19 peak and only three weeks on the chart so far, it is still enough to make them the biggest debut act and biggest boyband of the year.

Kudos also, to co-ed supergroup Now United, who are the second biggest debut act, with three top 5 singles to their name, of which two ('Who Would Think That Love?', #31 for 2018, #2 in September and 'All Day', #18 for the year, #2 in November) made it into my top 40 of the year. Even though the highest position they got was #2 with Cheat Codes on 'Only You' in July (#16 for the year) and 'Think About Us' in December (#39 for the year), Little Mix finished once again as the year's top all female group, just seeing off the veteran but much loved All Saints, who celebrated their 21st anniversary in August, and had a further three top 10 hits this year, including a #2 for 'Love Lasts Forever' in June (#26 for the year) and a chart topper for three weeks in August with 'After All' (#13 for the year).

TOP 10 ARTISTS OF THE YEAR ON MY PERSONAL CHART

1. GEORGE EZRA
2. JESS GLYNNE
3. CALVIN HARRIS
4. RAK-SU
5. LSD
6. DUA LIPA
7. NOW UNITED
8. OLLY MURS
9. LITTLE MIX
10. ALL SAINTS

Based on collective chart performance over the 52 chart weeks covering Thursday 28th December 2017 - Thursday 27th December 2018.

MY BIGGEST SINGLE OF THE YEAR: 2017 - 2008

2017: Ed Sheeran - Castle On The Hill
2016: Justin Timberlake - Can't Stop The Feeling
2015: Little Mix - Black Magic
2014: Pharrell Williams - Happy
2013: Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams - Get Lucky
2012: Emeli Sandé - Next To Me
2011: Bruno Mars - Grenade
2010: Owl City - Fireflies
2009: Little Boots - Stuck On Repeat
2008: Gabriella Cilmi - Sweet About Me