Rihanna - Diamonds enters at #1

The Barbadan hit machine that is Rihanna gets herself another UK chart topper this week as new single Diamonds debuts stright in at #1. Robyn Rihanna Fenty was first seen in the UK charts with #2 debut Pon De Replay and has since scored a massive 32 top 20 hits (including several features). This is her 7th #1 in total; following Umbrella, Run This Town (with Jay Z), Take A Bow, Only Girl (In The World), What's My Name and We Found Love. Rihanna has corwritten Diamonds with Sia (Fulmer), who has had 2 top 10 hits with David Guetta and a top 5 with Flo Rida this year, as well as a #10 hit of her own Taken For Granted. Diamonds thus knocks Gangnam Style down to #2, there is huge competition for her next week from Adele and Swedish House Mafia.

 

One Direction - Live While We're Young enters at #3

The odds on favourites for this week's number one looked to be the highly anticipated new single from One Direction, however in the end Live While We're Young debuts at #3. The 1D boys first rose to fame when they came third in 2010's X-Factor, then last year What Makes You Beautiful sold massively on its first week to debut at #1. This was followed by #3 hit Gotta Be You and #9 One Thing, from their big selling debut album Up All Night. Like Rihanna's Diamonds, this new single has not been held back for a long period of time, but has had a fair number of pre-orders. Live While We're Young is taken from the boys' forthcoming Take Me Home album ... many teenage girls would love to!

 

Adele - Skyfall enters at #4

As if 1D vs PSY vs Rihanna wasn't enough of a chart battle, Adele joined the race after releasing her highly anticipated Bond theme Skyfall on Friday. For over a year it was speculated that Adele was recording and performing the theme to the new James Bond film Skyfall, those romours have been proven to be true. The track premierred on Friday and was released then, and so enters at #4 selling 84k in just 2 days with the likelihood of becoming the first #1 Bond theme ever next week. Adele Laurie Blue Adkins first came on the scene in 2008 with #2 hit Chasing Pavements, followed by 3 more smaller hits, from her debut album 19. Then last year 21 came along and broke many records, in the process selling over 4.5 million copies. The 3 huge singles from that were #2 Rolling In The Deep, million selling #1 Someone Like You and huge selling #11 Set Fire To The Rain, there were also 3 further album tracks from 21 to chart in the top 100. Adele also debuts at #37 this week with her cover of Bonnie Raitt's I Can't Make You Love Me, also recorded by the likes of Prince, Kenny Rogers, Paul Carrack and Bon Iver, however only George Michael and now Adele have had top 40 hits with the song.

 

Ellie Goulding - Anything Could Happen enters at #5

Ellie Goulding proves that indeed Anything Can Happen as she is another of this week's big new entries, completing a top 5 made up of last week's number one and new entries. Ellie first debuted with huge #4 hit Starry Eyed in 2010, followed by a #1 album Lights, #26 single Guns & Horses and #19 single The Writer. She also featured on Tinie Tempah's #12 hit Wonderman and scored he biggest hit to date with a cover of Elton John's Your Song, making #2. Lights was released as a single after that but could only limp to #49 here, whilst hitting #2 in the US. Anything Could Happen is the first single to be taken from her 2nd album Halcyon, out next week.

 

Jason Mraz - I Won't Give Up climbs to #11

Jason Mraz's I Won't Give Up is the latest track to reach a new peak due to a performance on X-Factor. The single was first released earlier this year, peaking at #13 but selling very well in the process. The same can be said for Jason's only other UK top 75 hit I'm Yours, which peaked at #11 in 2008 but has now become the biggest selling non-top 10 hit, having sold well in excess of 700k so far. The aforementioned Set Fire To The Rain is not far behind as the highest selling #11 hit in this country.

 

Nicki Minaj - Va Va Voom entrs at #20

Trinidad born US rapper Nicki Minaj gets herself another top 20 hit this week as new single Va Va Voom zooms in at #20. Onika Tanya Maraj first came on the scene in 2010 with minor top 30 hits Moment 4 Life, Check It Out (with Will i am) and Girls Fall Like Dominos. Then in 2011, Nicki scored her first big hit in the form of #8 smash Superbass, followed by #16 Rihanna collaboration Fly. Then earlier this year she scored a massive #2 hit Starships, which has sold in excess of 800k so far this year. That was followed by #8 peaking Pound The Alarm and now the #20 entry point for Va Va Voom. The last 3 singles are taken from her second album Pink Friday : Roman Reloaded, with the previous singles all being from her debut Pink Friday.

 

Taylor Swift - Red enters at #26

Releasing promotional singles leading up to the release of an album is becoming quite popular recently, with Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and David Guetta doing it recently. Red is the third pre-album single to come from Taylor Swift's forthcoming album of the same name, following last week's begin again and the full single We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (still in the top 10 at #10). Love Story remained Taylor's highest peaking UK single and oly other one to make top 20, peaking at #2 as her debut single in 2008.

 

The Other Tribe - Skirts entrs at #36

The Other Tribe are a new 6 piece indie band who mat whist studying at Bristol University and formed the band last year. The rather unusual 6-piece band have played many live venues and have become famous for their painted bodies! They have since gathered a big following with support from the likes of Radio 1, and now a top 40 single with debut single Skirts as it debuts at #36. One to watch for the future me thinks!

 

Muse top the album charts

UK rock band Muse top the album charts with 6th album Second Law, becoming their 4th straight #1 album. Mumford & Sons drop to #2, whist Pink and the Killers stay at #3 and #4 respectively. Harmony group The Overtones debut at #6 with their 3rd album Higher, whilst ELO are back at #10 with their compilation All Over The World. DJ Fresh enters at #14 with his Next Levelism album, a place higher than Van Morrison's live set Born To Sing, No Plan B (he's at #24 this week!).

 

Personal opinion

I am happy to see Rihanna top the charts as I love the song Diamonds, good to see her not doing another dance-pop type song again. I do actually quite like 1D's new song, even if it is a rehash of What Makes You Beautiful and One Thing. However Adele's Skyfall has to be the best ever Bond theme, right up there with A View To A Kill and Live & Let Die for me. I am a huge fan of Adele and think this is a great Adele song too, not quite on a par with Someone Like You but there again not much is for me. I really like Ellie Goulding's new one too, I'm a big fan of hers as well. Were it not for that rubbish Gangnam Style, this would have to be the best top 5 this year so far. Va Va Voom is typical Nicki Minaj, absolute rubbish! I am undecided on Skirts by The Other Tribe and on Red by Taylor Swift. I'm not a huge fan of Muse but it's good to see another rock album do well, roll on Ellie next week.

Diamonds is not Rihanna's best and Gangnam Style isn't anywhere near good enough to be called awful. One Direction's song is indeed rather like What Makes You Beautiful which makes it a decent pop song but nothing original. Skyfall is definitely one of the best Bond themes for a long time and I rather like Ellie Goulding's latest.