Good afternoon on this very chilly Friday afternoon. Time to kickstart your weekend with my personal top 20. Last Friday, Coldplay's Los Unidades record 'E-Lo' climbed to #1 on its fourth week, but can it hang on there for a second week, or will it be bumped off by new records from Westlife and Aston Merrygold? Here's your answer...

 

THEPENSMITH'S TOP 20 SINGLES CHART

Week ending 18th January 2019

© AM LIMITED 2019

 

1. (HNE) ASTON MERRYGOLD - Poison Ivy

2. (NE) WESTLIFE - Hello My Love

3. (2) NOW UNITED - All Day

4. (1) LOS UNIDADES FEAT. PHARRELL WILLIAMS & JOZZY - E-Lo

5. (3) LAUV - Superhero

6. (4) FLEUR EAST - Favourite Thing

7. (5) OLLY MURS - Excuses

8. (6) JESS GLYNNE - Thursday

9. (7) GEORGE EZRA - Hold My Girl

10. (NE) WARD THOMAS - No Filter

 

11. (9) RAE MORRIS - Dancing With Character

12. (8) SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR - Take Me Home (Orchestral Remix)

13. (NE) ALBIN LEE MELDAU - Bounce

14. (10) LITTLE MIX - Think About Us

15. (11) CLEAN BANDIT FEAT. MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS & LUIS FONSI - Baby

16. (14) ELLIE GOULDING FEAT. DIPLO & SWAE LEE - Close To Me

17. (NE) KT TUNSTALL - Human Being

18. (14) MICHAEL BUBLÉ - Love You Anymore

19. (15) TAKE THAT - Out Of Our Heads

20. (16) ALL SAINTS - Testament In Motion

 

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

 

 

Only one record spent just seven days at number one on my chart last year (Rak-Su with 'I Want You To Freak'). We can safely say for now that that won't be the case this year, as just three weeks into 2019, we have the relatively novel experience of writing about yet another brand new number one single on my personal chart, as Los Unidades and friends proved unable to extend the surge to the top they enjoyed with 'E-Lo' last week beyond seven days, dropping to this week's #4.

 

The single that replaces it is a special one for the artist in question, as it just so happens to break a duck or two. This year marks 10 years since Aston Merrygold backflipped his way into the spotlight as part of JLS, with whom it's fair to say he has enjoyed the majority of his success on my personal chart. From the minute their post-X Factor debut 'Beat Again' roared to #1 in July 2009 for a three week run, the boyband enjoyed a run of a further twelve top 5 hit singles - nine of which also topped my chart - before they split in 2013.

 

Aston embarked on the inevitable solo career in 2015, kicking things off with a #2 smash in July that year with 'Get Stupid'. Subsequent singles have struggled though, and when he parted ways with his label, it appeared the early promise of his debut had lost its lustre before he'd even got started. So it was that with his debut solo album 'Showstopper' sitting in 'Coming Soon' release schedule hell, Aston entered the series from last of BBC ballroom contest Strictly Come Dancing in 2017. Tipped by many for glitterball victory, there was much shock and controversy when he was booted off halfway through the show, by what many thought was tactical undermarking from two of the show's judges.

 

 

However, the wave of subsequent public support ensured that he not only returned to and won the show's festive special last year, but also sold out a UK tour of his own, and appeared alongside fellow Strictly contenders and champs Louis Smith and McFly's Harry Judd in Rip It Up, a dance and musical tribute show to the swinging 60s that will arrive in the West End in the spring, following a well recieved national tour of theatres.

 

Into the richness of all this comes 'Poison Ivy', his first brand new material since his last single 'Precious' peaked and entered at #18 just over a year and a half ago. Premiered online over the Christmas break, and with a Batman aping video, it's grown in stature to ensure that Aston not only lands the eleventh chart topper of his career (including his ones with JLS) but also the first solo chart topper from their number. Aside from himself, only his colleague Marvin Humes with his dance collective LuvBug came close to topping the summit before, reaching #2 with 'Resonance' in October 2014. Want some more? It's also the first single since Olly Murs' 'Moves' last autumn to debut at number one. A roaring success all round.

 

The record that debuts behind Aston at #2 is from an artist with a equally large part to play in 21st century pop history where boybands are concerned. 2011 was when the remaining quartet of Westlife last released a record, and it was 2010 when they last had a single inside my top 20, when 'Safe' debuted and peaked at #20. After their farewell concerts in 2012, rumblings of a full scale reunion have occured ever since, finally proving to be true at the tail end of last year when they announced a series of now sold out arena and stadium dates to mark this year being their 20th anniversary since they made their debut.

 

A new record deal with EMI has also been signed, and a new studio album is to follow at the end of this year. The first offering from it is 'Hello My Love' - which was actually released last Thursday (10th January) before last week's chart was published, hence why it entered at a non-canon #48 position last week with just 24 hours of listening behind it. A full week's worth of streaming and listening have powered its 46 place leap to this week's #2, although it is still credited as a new entry - just narrowly failing to become what would only have been their second number one on my personal chart (their Comic Relief cover of Billy Joel's 'Uptown Girl' being the only chart topper they've had to their name thus far).

 

 

One can only speculate therefore, how it might have performed had they just waited to release it last Friday like everybody else who released a new single, but with a performance on Graham Norton under their belts and another on the National Television Awards next week in the pipeline, it could yet happen for them. And in fact, all of this semantics over release scheduling and lost streams/listens is to take away from the fact that this is probably one of the best things they've recorded, co-written with their long time collaborator Steve Mac who wrote many of their hits, as well as a guest penning from Ed Sheeran, making this the fourth top 5 single he's been involved with in the last four months. Welcome back lads.

 

It's welcome back also to sisterly country duo Ward Thomas who claim their second top 10 hit this week - albeit only just. With their long awaited new album finally set for release next month, 'No Filter' improves on the #12 peak of last single 'Never Know', entering at #10, but they still have some way to go to repeat the top 5 success of 'Lie Like Me' last August.

 

 

Swedish soul pop singer Albin Lee Meldau was last on our chart in May last year when his debut single 'The Weight Is Gone' stormed into the top 10 at #8. It would appear he's not one for striking whilst the iron is hot, hence why eight months later he belatedly follows it up with 'Bounce', missing out on joining its predecessor in the top 10 by five places with its #13 entry point. A good record, but one that you suspect has been hampered by lack of momentum more than anything.

 

 

And finally this week, for the first time in twelve years, KT Tunstall notches up two consecutive top 20 hits in a row. 'The River' debuted and peaked at #11 in September last year, and now 'Human Being', the second single from her current album 'Wax' debuts at this week's #17.

 

 

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 2009: Little Boots smashes into the top with her first single, plus classic hits from Girls Aloud, The Saturdays and Kid Cudi

 

 

1. (HNE) LITTLE BOOTS - Stuck On Repeat

 

 

2. (NE) GIRLS ALOUD - The Loving Kind

3. (1) THE SATURDAYS - Issues

4. (2) JAMES MORRISON FEAT. NELLY FURTADO - Broken Strings

5. (NE) KID CUDI VS. CROOKERS - Day 'N' Nite

6. (3) GABRIELLA CILMI - Warm This Winter

7. (4) MGMT - Kids

8. (NE) KEVIN RUDOLF FEAT. LIL' WAYNE - Let It Rock

9. (6) THE KILLERS - Human

10. (5) LEONA LEWIS - Run

Hello ThePenSmith!

Really like the debut for "Hello My Love", nice to see Westlife back and this song is great!

Great chart!

Hello ThePenSmith!

Really like the debut for "Hello My Love", nice to see Westlife back and this song is great!

Great chart!

 

Thanks Sergej :D It really is a fantastic record. I think their comeback has been more well recieved than people thought!