Lola Young's Messy remains at the top of the singles chart for a fourth week. Taylor Swift gets a record-breaking thirteenth number one album.
Lola Young stays at the top of the singles chart. Taylor Swift gets another number one album with a late release.
Lola Young’s Messy extends its run at the top to four weeks. It is the longest running new song at number one by a British act since Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding spent a total of eight weeks there with Miracle in spring 2023. Her song with Tyler The Creator, Like Him, is a re-entry at number 38.
Kendrick Lamar soars 25 places to number two with Not Like Us. For an explanation why, see the albums section.
Lady Gaga’s Abracadabra climbs three places to number three. Chrystal falls to number five with The Days.
The stream of solo singles by members of K-Pop bands continues with the arrival of Born Again by Lisa, Doja Cat and Raye at number thirteen. It’s not very good.
Chappell Roan was among the performers at last weekend’s Grammy Awards ceremony. That has helped Pink Pony Club to jump to a new peak of number four nearly five months after it made its top forty debut. Roan’s Red Wine Supernova returns at number 32. It spent ten weeks in the top forty last year, but got no higher than number 31.
Singer-songwriter Alex Warren gets his first top ten hit with this week’s highest new entry Ordinary at number seven. While it is not a masterpiece, it is still better than just ordinary. Warren reached number 35 last autumn with Burning Down. Its top forty run lasted just two weeks, but it is back this week at a new peak of number 34.
Sza and Kendrick Lamar have been hanging around the lower reaches of the singles chart since the start of the year with 30 For 30. This week it climbs into the top forty for the first time at number 39. In an age when the cricket authorities keep inventing ever shooter versions of the game, the title seems like a bizarre score from a new version scheduled to last even longer than a five-day Test match. Unfortunately, the song is so boring that it seems to last a lot longer than a Test match.
Taylor Swift continues to be in the phase of her career when even an album released part way through the week can go straight to number one. Lover (Live From Paris) was released in a limited edition in 2023. Now, in time for Valentine’s Day, it has been given a wider release including a heart-shaped vinyl edition (pass the sickbag). It is not available on streaming sites, so it is the first album to reach number one purely on sales for eight years
The last album to top the chart on sales alone was Taylor Swift’s own Reputation. That is one of Swift’s thirteen number one albums. She is now ahead of Madonna as the female solo artist with the most number one albums. She and Elvis Presley have had more chart-topping albums than any other non-British act. Eight of Swift’s number ones have come in the 2020s.
Before the release of Lover (Live From Paris), Dublin band Inhaler were leading the pack with their new album Open Wide. The band is still probably best known for featuring the vocal talents of Elijah Hewson, son of Paul, or Bono to use his stage name. Unless he is keeping it very quiet (which would be understandable) his bandmate Robert Keating is not related to Ronan. Open Wide ends up at numbertwo.
Last weekend Kendrick Lamar performed at half-time in a glorified version of catch which Americans like to call a sport. His album GNX climbs back up to number three.
After continuing to use the name Years & Years for his solo career, Olly Alexander has now released Polari, his first album under his own stage name. The album takes its name from a slang language used by gay men at a time when homosexual acts between men were illegal in the UK. The language enjoyed a raised profile when it was used by two characters in the 1960s radio comedy Round The Horne, The album of the same name is at number seventeen.
Dream Theater get an eighth top forty album with Parasomnia at number 23. They are one place (and seven top forty albums) ahead of Block 33 who make their debut with The Promised Land at number 24.
Recommended Comments