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[ThePensmith]

THEPENSMITH'S TOP 20 SINGLES CHART - THE YEAR SO FAR
© AM Limited 2019

1. JONAS BROTHERS - Sucker (#1, March)



2. P!NK - Walk Me Home (#1, March)
3. JULIA MICHAELS FEAT. NIALL HORAN - What A Time (#1, February)
4. NOW UNITED - All Day (#1, January)
5. MABEL - Don't Call Me Up (#2, March)
6. BUSTED - Radio (#1, February)
7. WESTLIFE - Hello My Love (#2, January)
8. LAUV - Superhero (#3, January)
9. LOS UNIDADES FEAT. PHARRELL WILLIAMS & JOZZY - E-Lo (#1, January)
10. JESS GLYNNE - Thursday (#1, December*)

11. GEORGE EZRA - Hold My Girl (#1, November*)
12. FOUR OF DIAMONDS - Blind (#2, January)
13. OLLY MURS - Excuses (#2, January)
14. NOW UNITED FEAT. BADSHAH - How We Do It (#2, March)
15. JENNIFER LOPEZ - Limitless (#1, January)
16. EMMA BUNTON - Baby Please Don't Stop (#3, March)
17. FLEUR EAST - Favourite Thing (#4, January)
18. THE VERONICAS - Think of Me (#1, April)
19. LSD - Mountains (#2, February)
20. RAK-SU - Into It (#2, March)

Compiled from my personal listening on physical, streaming and digital formats across the 17 chart weeks covering Friday 28th December 2018 - Thursday 18th April 2019. Figures in brackets indicate song's peak position and the month it reached that peak. Asterisk indicates that the song reached its peak position in 2018.

2019 SO FAR: COMMENTARY


(Above) Jonas Brothers own 2019's biggest single on my chart so far

It's official: things are speeding up again where my chart is concerned for turnover. At the same stage of the year twelve months ago, just six different singles had taken turns at the top of my chart. Fast forward to April 2019 and we've had ten different records at number one, meaning that if the rate of turnover continues (as it undoubtedly will) we are categorically on course to beat last year's total of fifteen different singles at the top. The biggest of them all at this stage, with just six weeks on my chart to its name at time of writing, is of course 'Sucker' by Jonas Brothers.

Of the six weeks it's been around since its release, four of those have been at the top of my chart after it climbed there on its second week in March. It's the only record to last more than two weeks at the summit so far this year, and is a run that only came to an end just this week when The Veronicas knocked them off the top with 'Think of Me'. The latter record is probably poised to be higher still by the time we next do a check up on its year to date ranking - after just one week on the chart it's already 17th for 2019.

Interestingly, of the ten records that have been at number one so far in 2019, only two of them are a long way off being in my top 20 for the year so far. The singles in question were both one week wonders, namely 'Pretty Shining People' from George Ezra (#1 in March, #23 for the year so far) and 'Poison Ivy' from Aston Merrygold (#1 in January, #37 for the year so far). George Ezra in particular has the odd situation of his only 2019 release to date being outperformed by a release of his from last year, as 'Hold My Girl', his six week chart topper from last autumn still kept performing well into 2019 and is currently 11th for the year so far, meaning that he is highly unlikely to repeat his feat from 2018 of securing all of his singles in the top 10 of the year.

Speaking of 2018 releases, both Jess Glynne's 'Thursday' (#10 for 2019 so far, and #1 last December) and Now United's 'All Day' (which climbed to the top of my chart in January on its sixth week following its release in November last year, #4 for 2019 so far) have performed better than all but four of my 2019 chart toppers. Now United look poised to have success still with both 'How We Do It' (#2 in March, #14 for 2019 so far, and still inside my weekly top 20 at time of writing) and also with their forthcoming new single 'Beautiful Life', due to arrive at the end of May.

Of the eight months still left of the year, long term it's hard to say what will be joining this list. It's highly probable that Westlife will register a few more big hits before the year is out and before they release their new album 'Spectrum' in September - their comeback single 'Hello My Love' (#2 in January, #7 for 2019 so far) and 'Better Man' (#2 in April, currently 29th for 2019) have done very well so far. Likewise Busted (#1 in February with 'Radio', sixth for 2019 so far) are set to keep performing well with further singles from their 'Half Way There' album.

Looking ahead to the next few weeks, Rak-Su - whose new single 'Yours or Mine' is set to make a big impression on my weekly chart this coming Friday (26th April) - are probably set for more big success, with their #2 hit from March, 'Into It', in 20th for the year so far. We're also a week away from the arrival of 'Late Night Feelings', the hotly anticipated and tipped new single from Mark Ronson with Lykke Li - the follow up to his Miley Cyrus collaboration 'Nothing Breaks Like A Heart' which, despite only peaking outside my top 20 at #21 in January, is currently the 40th biggest single on my chart so far this year. We shall see a week on Friday if it lives up to that promise...