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[ThePensmith]

Hello all - sorry it wasn't up yesterday but I had an unexpected bit of time off so decided to use it wisely and go see the family for a bit. Here comes my personal top 20 for this week - is Himesh Patel about to make it three weeks on top, or will the might of new entries from Rak-Su and Oscar Scheller with Lily Allen prove too strong a challenge? Here's your answer...

THEPENSMITH'S TOP 20 SINGLES CHART
Week ending 26th July 2019
© AM LIMITED 2019

1. (1) HIMESH PATEL - Yesterday
2. (HNE) RAK-SU - Rotate (Clockwise)
3. (2) SHAWN MENDES FEAT. CAMILA CABELLO - Senõrita
4. (NE) OSCAR SCHELLER FEAT. LILY ALLEN - 1%
5. (4) MABEL - Mad Love
6. (6) ED SHEERAN FEAT. KHALID - Beautiful People
7. (5) JP COOPER FEAT. ASTRID S - Sing It With Me
8. (2) WESTLIFE - Dynamite
9. (7) JONAS BROTHERS - Cool
10. (NE) MARVIN HUMES - Dan Stuckie

11. (9) NOW UNITED - Paraná / Beautiful Life
12. (10) LITTLE MIX - Bounce Back
13. (8) WARD THOMAS - Breathe In
14. (NE) UNPERFECT - I'm A Dreamer
15. (11) MARK RONSON FEAT. LYKKE LI - Late Night Feelings
16. (12) KATY PERRY - Never Really Over
17. (13) JULIA MICHAELS - Hurt Again
18. (NE) JOHN NEWMAN - Forever's Not Long Enough
19. (16) JESS GLYNNE FEAT. JAX JONES - One Touch
20. (17) CRAIG DAVID - When You Know What Love Is


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 week, and even with a slew of new entries, the number of challengers to my chart summit who've tried - and failed - to oust Himesh Patel from the summit grows again, as the Brit actor and singer spends a third week at the top of my chart with 'Yesterday'. The title track from the hit movie is now the third single out of my sixteen chart toppers so far this year to spend as many weeks at number one.



Beyond that, there is not much more to comment on that hasn't already been mentioned, suffice to say though it'll be interesting to see whether Himesh follows this up in anyway, even if it's not with another song from the soundtrack - there are whispers abound of an appearance from him on an ensemble charity album for BBC Children in Need towards the end of this year alongside his co-star in the film and Mamma Mia 2 starlet Lily James, who had a top 20 on my chart exactly a year with 'When I Kissed The Teacher' from the soundtrack of said film. Watch this space as they say.

Rak-Su are thus relegated to chart best men once again, as they score this week's highest new entry with 'Rotate (Clockwise)'. This brand new song is the follow up to their April chart topper with 'Yours Or Mine', and becomes the third #2 hit of their career. Of their seven singles so far, only one has failed to make even the top 10 ('The Real Thing (Holidays Are Coming)' limping to a desultory #19 last December) so if nothing else they have a consistent hit rate to boast of.



The new arrival at this week's #4 marks a debut for one man - and the welcome return of another. Instrumentalist and superproducer Oscar Scheller has been producing and releasing music since 2015, but only now does he breakthrough into my chart in a big way, with '1%' - a tale of running out of phone battery on a night out - hurtling to a top 5 debut. It's no doubt been helped by the guest vocals from Lily Allen, who despite having had a further four top 40 hits on my chart since December 2013 thus returns to my top 5 for the first time since her version of Keane's 'Somewhere Only We Know' gave her her fourth number one - and the Christmas chart topper for that year.



It's official: Marvin Humes is now a chart veteran. If that sounds too hasty a label to place on him, then it needs only us to remind that he has charted under four different incarnations since 2004: on three top 20 hits for Simon Webbe backed vehicle VS, thirteen top 5 hits - including ten chart toppers - with JLS, three top 20 hits with LuvBug, and now four top 20 hits just credited to himself, the latest of which is 'Dan Stuckie', entering at this week's #10. A more contrasting parallel between this deep house floorfiller and 'Beat Again' you could not make.



It's fair to say that Unperfect are badly needing a boost to their fortunes. The Xenomania backed girl group have already had two top 10 hits since their launch at the beginning of the year with 'Gots To Give The Girl' and 'Looking for a Hug', but even with its use in a new ad campaign for soft drinks, 'I'm A Dreamer' has disappointed in a bad way with this #14 entry point. Whatever magic touch Brian Higgins had with producing hit after hit for Girls Aloud ten years ago seems to be deserting him on the strength of this performance.



Similarly, John Newman seems to be struggling based on the #18 entry for his new single 'Forever's Not Long Enough'. The second single from his still yet to be confirmed third album, and the follow-up to 'Feelings' which made #14 back in May, he too is in need of another top 10 hit, the last of which on my chart came three years ago when 'Give Me Your Love' with Sigala and Nile Rodgers made #8 in June 2016.



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 2001: A third chart topper in a row for Destiny's Child, plus classic hits from Atomic Kitten, Robbie Williams and Ian Van Dahl



1. (HNE) DESTINY'S CHILD - Bootylicious



2. (NE) ATOMIC KITTEN - Eternal Flame
3. (1) ROBBIE WILLIAMS - Eternity / The Road To Mandalay
4. (5) IAN VAN DAHL - Castles In The Sky
5. (2) ROGER SANCHEZ - Another Chance
6. (3) OPM - Heaven Is A Halfpipe
7. (NE) CATATONIA - Stone By Stone
8. (4) CHRISTINA AGUILERA, LIL' KIM, P!NK & MYA - Lady Marmalade
9. (6) SISQO - Dance For Me
10. (7) WHEATUS - A Little Respect