Taylor Swift tops both charts for a second week, although her album sales take a hefty tumble.

With such a big lead in last week’s singles chart, it is no surprise that Taylor Swift gets a second week at number one with The Fate Of Ophelia. Her five UK number one singles have now spent a total of twelve weeks at the summit, almost as long as Alex Warren’s Ordinary managed earlier this year.

While remaining at number one, Taylor Swift has not repeated last week’s feat of occupying the whole of the top three. She does, though, still have three songs in the top six which isn’t bad going. Opalite is at number four with Elizabeth Taylor at six.

HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI & KPop Demon Hunters Cast climb back up to number three with Golden. Olivia Dean’s Man I Need is at number two where it took up near-permanent residency for so long.

While the three-song rule is usually applied to the lead artist, all the songs from the KPop Demon  Hunters cast which include the cast among the credited artists have been subject to this rule. The fact that some have HUNTR/X as the first-named artist while others have Saja Boys listed first has been deemed irrelevant. Some people will have been very grateful. This week, one of the Saja Boys songs has fallen below How It’s Done, another song credited to HUNTR/X, EJAE, AUDREY NUNA, REI AMI & KPop Demon Hunters Cast. Therefore, Soda Pop drops out (from last week’s number seven) while How It’s Done is a new entry at number twelve. The soundtrack album is consigned to the compilations chart where it is number one for a seventeenth week this week.

TikTok continues to help launch the careers of singer-songwriters. This week it’s the turn of 20-year-old Londoner Sienna Spiro. She has released a string of singles since the beginning of last year, but without any chart success (apart from reaching number 89 in Ireland). This week she breaks her duck as Die On This Hill enters at number 26.

Over the last few years, we have been treated(ish) to multiple hits from former members of One Direction and members of various KPop bands. This week we get a double whammy as Blackpink’s Jisoo has teamed up[ with former One Directioner Zayn Malik to create Eyes Closed, a song which is rather better than I expected. It is a new entry at number 37.

Last week Taylor Swift topped the albums chart with over 400,000 sales of her new album The Life Of A Showgirl. It was always highly likely that she would get a second week, and so it has come to pass. Her fourteen number one albums have now spent a combined 34 weeks at the top. However, her chart sales have fallen somewhat faster than might have been expected. It is still likely to spend several more weeks at number one between now and next January, but perhaps she will be beaten more times than I thought last week.

Richard Ashcroft, formerly of The Verve, enters at number three with his latest solo album Lovin’ You. He will shortly be resuming his role as support act for Oasis on their reunion tour.

Olivia Dean achieves a chart double of her own (after completing a more conventional one two weeks ago) by sitting at number two on both charts. The Art Of Loving is back up one place to the runner-up spot. Sabrina Carpenter is still at number four with Man’s Best Friend. The Weeknd’s Highlights compilation is at number five. That album has now spent 173 weeks (well over three years) in the top ten without ever quite getting to number one.

The only other new entry in the top forty is Calum Scott’s Avenoir at number 31. 

Three hits compilations re-enter the top forty. Best Of 50 Cent is at number 34, Maroon 5’s is at 37, one place below The Best Of Pitbull.

Finally, I owe an apology to fans of Tame Impala. The band, basically Australian multi-instrumentalist Kevin Harper with other musicians joining him on tour, had a new entry at number 40 in the singles chart with the rather marvellous Dracula, but I missed it. This is Tame Impala’s first UK top forty single some sixteen years after debut single Sundown Syndrome.