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[ThePensmith]

Happy Friday people - here comes my top 20 for this week, slightly earlier than scheduled as I am otherwise engaged this afternoon. We said hello to our third new number one single in as many weeks last week when Mark Ronson made a commanding debut at the top with Lykke Li on 'Late Night Feelings'. Has his second number one held on for another week or will new singles from Jonas Blue and Madonna prove too strong a challenge? Here's where we find out...

THEPENSMITH'S TOP 20 SINGLES CHART
Week ending 10th May 2019
© AM LIMITED 2019

1. (1) MARK RONSON FEAT. LYKKE LI - Late Night Feelings
2. (2) AVICII FEAT. ALOE BLACC - SOS
3. (3) THE VERONICAS - Think Of Me
4. (5) JONAS BROTHERS - Sucker
5. (HNE) JONAS BLUE FEAT. THERESA REX - What I Like About You
6. (6) OLLY MURS - Feel The Same
7. (7) ELLIE GOULDING - Sixteen
8. (4) RAK-SU - Yours or Mine
9. (NE) MADONNA FEAT. MALUMA - Medellín
10. (8) BUSTED - Shipwrecked In Atlantis

11. (10) MABEL - Don't Call Me Up
12. (9) THE VAMPS - Missing You
13. (NE) MICHAEL RICE - Bigger Than Us
14. (11) LSD - Heaven Can Wait
15. (12) EMMA BUNTON FEAT. JADE JONES - You're All I Need To Get By
16. (15) WESTLIFE - Better Man
17. (17) P!NK - Walk Me Home
18. (16) JESS GLYNNE - No One
19. (NE) CROOKED COLOURS FEAT. LADYHAWKE - Never Dance Alone
20. (NE) JAMES MORRISON - Feels Like The First Time

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



Presiding over a static top 3 - the fourth such instance of this in the last six months - Mark Ronson and Lykke Li are still able to hold the top of my chart for a comfortable second week with 'Late Night Feelings'. With Avicii and Aloe Blacc holding at #2, The Veronicas likewise at #3 and Jonas Brothers climbing back up a place to #4, we have the unusual situation of 80% of this week's top 5 being songs that have been at the top of my chart at some point in the last five weeks.

This relative becalming of the top end of the chart can largely be attributed to the fact that none of the existing enduring hits were going to be troubled by the two of this week's five new entries that break the top 10. That's not to do a disservice to Jonas Blue mind, whose new single debuts at #5 as this week's highest new hit. 'What I Like About You' is now the DJ and producer's fifth top 10 single on my chart, and is a collaboration with little known vocalist Theresa Rex.



Now for something that's been a rare sight certainly in the last decade: a new single from pop icon Madonna entering my top 10. To find the last time a brand new single from her Madgesty got this high was when 'Celebration', the title track off her 2009 greatest hits collection made #3 on my chart that September.



Singles off her subsequent albums - 2012's 'MDNA' and 2015's 'Rebel Heart' - produced a low charting lead single off both but nothing more. So it's better news for 'Medellín', a collaboration with Colombian singer songwriter Maluma, and the first single off her new album 'Madame X', which this week charges in at #9. Maluma's appearance - which is also his debut - means he is only the second Colombian act after fellow country woman Shakira to make an appearance on my chart.

Also new this week is the debut single from Michael Rice. It is his shoulders that the hopes of a nation rest on next weekend, as he is the UK entry for this year's Eurovision Song Contest. His song 'Bigger Than Us' is at the very least the highest placing Eurovision entry for Blighty on my chart in three years, even if for now it narrowly misses the top 10 with this #13 entry. Our 2016 entrants Joe and Jake remain the highest charting to date (#1 with 'You're Not Alone' exactly three years ago this week) followed by 1999 representatives Precious (#5 with 'Say It Again' two decades ago to the week).



Rounding off the top 20 this week are our last two new hits of the week. Firstly we say hello to Australian electronica and dance act Crooked Colours who make their debut on my chart at #19 with 'Never Dance Alone'. And anything Mark Ronson can do with one of the electropop maidens of ten years ago they can too it seems, for this is a collaboration with Ladyhawke, the New Zealand born singer songwriter who had a string of top 40 hits on my chart back in 2008, biggest of all being her #13 smash 'My Delirium' in December that year, making this her third top 20 outing.



James Morrison also arrives with the second top 20 hit in a row from his current album 'You're Stronger Than You Know'. 'Feels Like The First Time' is the follow up to 'My Love Goes On', his duet with Joss Stone that hit my chart back in February, and enters at this week's #20.



Lastly, thanks to our regular reader WhoOdyssey who dutifully pointed out an error in our commentary last week regarding Vampire Weekend's 'This Life'. It is in actual fact the second single off their new album 'Father of the Bride' - the first was 'Harmony Hall' at the beginning of this year. 'This Life' is still on my chart this week but falls fifteen places to #28.

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 2002: Holly Valance kisses off all her opponents for a second week at the top with her debut, plus classic hits from Ronan Keating, Sugababes and H & Claire



1. (1) HOLLY VALANCE - Kiss Kiss



2. (HNE) RONAN KEATING - If Tomorrow Never Comes
3. (2) SUGABABES - Freak Like Me
4. (NE) H & CLAIRE - DJ
5. (NE) NIGEL & MARVIN - Follow Da Leader
6. (3) *NSYNC FEAT. NELLY - Girlfriend (Remix)
7. (4) TWEET - Oops! (Oh My)
8. (NE) AALIYAH - Rock The Boat
9. (5) S CLUB JUNIORS - One Step Closer
10. (NE) RUSSELL WATSON FEAT. FAYE TOZER - Someone Like You