The Suedehead2 Chart Commentary 21st January 2022

It’s a first Disney number one on singles and The Wombats get a first topper on albums

It’s amazingly true to announce the first-ever song from a Disney film to top the chart - never before has any of the many often Oscar-Winning songs from the likes of Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, The Lion King and endless others topped the UK singles chart, despite being almost universally-known and beloved by many. So, Encanto, following it’s release on Disney+ announces the arrival of a new force to rival audio streaming for chart places. It’s all down to the wonderful Lin-Manuel Miranda, the man behind award-winning musicals In The Heights and Hamilton, and who previously had starred in Mary Poppins Returns, a good film with some great songs, including Lin-Manuel crooning the fab Underneath The Lovely London Sky right at the start of the movie. We Don’t Talk About Bruno eases to the top spot and credits (deep breath) Carolina Gaitan, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Geurrero, Stephanie Beatriz, and The Encanto Cast. It would have made this a lot easier if they’d just gone for “The Encanto Cast” rather than list everyone from the end-credits of the film, but hey ho. Jessica Darrow (not including the entire cast of Encanto) also take Surface Pressure to 5, and Stephanie Beatriz gets a second credit on The Family Madrigal along with Olga Merediz and The Encanto cast up to 15.

That means Gayle for now has to settle for a single week of abcdefu on top, now nestling at 2 with Adele’s It Might Be Easy On You (Yawn) But It’s Not Easy On Me lingering about at 3 while the way better current single Oh My God has to settle for a climb to 18, some place off its peak of 2. Fireboy DML & Ed Sheeran take Peru to a new peak of 4, which means 3 of the top 5 have some sort of South American connection, what with Encanto being set in Columbia. Ecuador has previously been a chart hit (for Sash!), as has Brazil (many versions), Argentina (many versions Don’t Cry For Me-ing) and Voodo Chile. OK, pushing it with Jimi Hendrix there. Columbia has never been a hit single, though Oasis took their song of that name into the album charts on Definitely Maybe, and the record label of that name had hordes of hits.

Lost Frequencies and Calum Scott edge up to 11 with Where Are You Now, Belters Only & Jazzy make me feel good at 17, up 18 places, and Luude helps Colin Hay get his 2nd-highest-charting single at 19 39 years since Down Under first topped the chart for Men At Work. Things get a bit Hazey for me at 26, as Packs & Potions sounds like another Encanto track new in - sadly not, it’s a beats-heavy-rap track from the Liverpudlian rapper, though I am in favour of Scouse Rap as a thing. Plus points for only having one of the obligatory rap song cliches (the b word), but I’ve deducted a few for the lyric translation “I’m the best, I’m the best, I’m the best” pretty much.

Elsewhere, Tiesto and Ava Max re-enter the top 40 at a new peak of 35 with The Motto, Gunna, Future and Young Thug climb to 37 still pushin’ P, and Game and Kanye West are new at 32 with Eazy. Sampling the late Eazy-E’s Eazy Does It, The Game gets his first top 40 credit since 2008, and Ye gets his 49th with a ditty referencing his Ex Kim Kardashian, incorporating most of the rap song obligatory cliches, mixed in with a dose of self-pity, self-promotion, indignation, and the unusual-for-him hint of ego. I can’t speak for everyone, but it’s very difficult for me to identify with multi-millionaires a bit disgruntled with something someone said or did. It’s prob just me though, I mean it’s not as if I have had to suffer criticism from supporting a multi-billionaire in his aim to make rich-people richer and poor-people poorer, so what do I know?

On albums, The Wombats’ Fix Yourself, Not The World finds itself on top giving the Liverpool-based band a first number one with their 5th proper studio album over 15 years, and the 4th top 5 in a row. Given they haven’t troubled the singles chart for over a decade, that’s pretty good. That leaves Ed Sheeran at 2 again, and Adele at 3 again despite the PR weeping boost over a spot of Covid-delayed Las Vegas residency. Bless. I know I always burst into tears when I can’t turn up for work due to circumstances beyond my control. The Weeknd drops from the top spot to 4, and Bonobo is new at 5 with Fragments, the British ambient musician’s 2nd top 5 in a row and 3rd top 40 album in 9 years. The 45-year-old Simon Green has been making albums for 22 years, so long-term perseverance has paid off.

Elvis Costello, along with his Imposters (a former hit-making pseudonym for the former Declan McManus was The Imposter) enter at 6 with The Boy Named If, Elvis’ hit-making album career now up to 45 years since his spiky New Wave debut with My Aim Is True. Radio 2 has been plugging the singles, which have been somewhat of a return to previous more-commercial periods, and the reward is his highest-charting album since 1994’s Brutal Youth hit 2 and a 12th top 10.

Outside the top 10, The Lumineers enter at 18 with Brightside. Obviously hoping we all look on the Brightside of life, which hasn’t quite worked as the US folkrock band’s 4th album falls short of the top 10 for the first time. Ho Hey, lads, eh? At 35, The Temperance Movement have Caught On Stage: Live And Acoustic, the veteran British musicians have been touring for 10 years with no previous chart success, but obviously building up a live fanbase. That concludes the new stuff I’m afraid as Radiohead, Magnum and FKA Twigs failed to scrape into the Friday official top 40 after looking likely, bad news especially for Magnum looking for a 50th anniversary Hard-Rocking new studio album entry.