BoB feat Hayley Williams – Airplanes climbs to #1

Another week and another new number one, as BoB flies up to the top of the charts alongside Paramore singer Hayley Williams. This now makes BoB the first act to have 2 #1 singles this year, following on from Nothin’ On You which features Bruno Mars. This is another one of this year’s #1 singles to hang around the lower reaches then climb to #1, rather like Telephone (Gaga/Bey) and OMG (Usher/Will) have done. On the other hand there are those that enter at #1 then plummet very quickly, such as Dirtee Disco (Dizzee) and Once (Diana Vickers) have done. Last week’s #1 from JLS will probably be in the latter category as it slumps 1-7 this week.

 

Professor Green feat Lily Allen – Just Be Good To Green enters at #5

Stephen Paul Menderson gets his second straight top 5 hit this week as he asks everyone to be good to him, well the public seemingly have by making him #5! This follows up his #3 hit I Need You Tonight which samples the INXS song of a similar title. Like its predecessor, Just Be Good To Green samples a big 1980’s hit, this time it is Just Be Good to Me by SOS Band. The song has also been used by Norman Cook for Beats International’s Dub Be Good To Me, a massive #1 in 1990. Just Be Good To green features Lily Allen and provides her with her fifth top 10 hit in total – previous ones being Smile #1, LDN #6, Oh My God (with Mark Ronson) #8, The Fear #1 and Not Fair #5.

 

Mark Ronson feat Business Intl – Bang Bang Bang enters at #6

UK music producer Mark Ronson makes a return his week with a Bang as he explodes in at #6 with his new single. Ronson first came to light with his 2003 #15 single Ooh Wee then hit the height of his popularity in 2007 with Stop Me (feat Daniel Merriweather) and Valerie (feat Amy winehouse), both of which hit #2. Now he returns alongside New York duo MNDR and rapper Q Tip with the first single to come from his forthcoming third album Record Collection. The song is based on the popular French Canadian children's song Alouette, which means skylark. The chorus directly references lyrics from this song such as "Je te plumerai la tête", which means "I shall pluck your head"!

 

MIA – XXXO enters at #27

Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam gets a second entry in the UK singles chart this week, as her new single debuts at #26. The single is bizarrely titled XXXO, however the album (also out this week) is entitled /\/\/\Y/\. In 2008, Paper Planes made #19 but had a good long chart run thanks to the track’s use in TV programme Pineapple Express and film Slumdog Millionaire.

 

Jason Derulo – What If enters at #40

US singer songwriter Jason Derulo gets his forth UK top 40 hit this week as he enters at the bottom rung, but looking likely to become a big hit in future weeks. Jason’s debut single came last year in the form of the Imogen Heap sampling #3 hit Whatcha Say, followed by #1 hit In My Head and #2 Riding Solo. What If is Jason’s first slow tempo ballad and not to be confused with the Lightning Seeds hit of the same title.

 

Eminem – Recovery climbs back to #1 in the albums chart

US rapper Marshal Mathers III makes a recovery after slipping to #2 last week behind Kylie’s Aphrodite, with whom he swaps places this week. Highest new entry comes in at #3 for the self titled debut album from hot newcomer Eliza Doolittle, talking to the animals has apparently helped her to #3 this week! UK indie rock band Bombay Bicycle Club enter at #8 with their second album entitled Flaws, it seems that the flaws haven’t affected the album’s chart position then! The Coral enter at #16 with their fifth studio album and the first to miss the top 10 since their #5 2002 self titled debut and 2003 #1 Magic & Medicine. Tired Pony are a country music side project for Snow Patrol lead singer Gary Lightbody along with Richard Colburn from Belle & Sebastian, Peter Buck from REM and several others, first album The Place We Ran From enters at #17. Other new entries can be found from MIA, Korn and Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse.

 

Personal opinion

Airplanes has grown on me lots recently and I actually quite like it now and certainly prefer it to the JLS song that it replaced at #1. I still don’t like that Americano track but can see its appeal as it is something different I guess. Professor Green’s song is just like his last in that he totally ruins a classic song, also this is easily the worst thing Lily Allen has ever put her name to. I actually quite like Bang Bang Bang by Mark Ronson, different from his previous stuff certainly. I love Prayin’ by Plan B and am glad to see it get top 20. I also rather like MIA’s new song and Drake’s Find Your Love isn’t that bad either, I am also liking Jason Derulo’s What If.

 

Dizzee Rascal has had two number ones this year as well

And Lady GaGa

Ah yes I forgot about Dizzee because of the bizarre credit on the single and yes Lady Gaga would indeed count even although Bad Romance was a #1 from last year which did reclimb this year.

JLS have also technically had 2, although one was uncredited as part of the larger Helping Haiti ensemble