I don't mind the odd old song getting resurgence but this is honestly the worst state of the charts I have seen for new music, like what is going on? Maybe people really are just THAT lazy lol. It's so frustrating for newer artists too.

I think they'd do well to do what Australia has and have a recurrent chart but then I guess that doesnt really reflect true popularity so idk.

https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19870315/7501/

On this week in 1987 there were 3 old songs in the top 10, two of them were already top 10 hits and two of them held the top 2 at the same time in 1987! Old music invading the charts is nothing new, it's the issue of things sticking around too long after obviously peaking that bothers me.

33 minutes ago, gasman449 said:

https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19870315/7501/

On this week in 1987 there were 3 old songs in the top 10, two of them were already top 10 hits and two of them held the top 2 at the same time in 1987! Old music invading the charts is nothing new, it's the issue of things sticking around too long after obviously peaking that bothers me.

And two others were covers of old songs.

39 minutes ago, gasman449 said:

https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19870315/7501/

On this week in 1987 there were 3 old songs in the top 10, two of them were already top 10 hits and two of them held the top 2 at the same time in 1987! Old music invading the charts is nothing new, it's the issue of things sticking around too long after obviously peaking that bothers me.

Classic songs used in ads for levi jeans charted regularly in the late 80s and early 90s.

Back then of course, people had to go out and buy the record in a shop for it to chart

Edited Sunday at 21:125 days by mrpopquiz

The issue also is that a lot of new music just isn’t that good. The idea that the charts should be filled with new music made sense in the physical era, but in the streaming era people aren’t going to exclusively listen to 2026 releases. It sounds like people want a Billboard Hot 100-style chart that’s more explicitly about marketing new artists than reflecting true popularity.

A chart position is just a number, you can remove all the old songs from the charts and disadvantage them as much as you can but it won’t make new music any more popular in reality.

3 hours ago, Jack said:

Can we rein in the fiat 500 crushed velvet heart FM listeners from that boiled chicken and steamed rice of a song immediately please

Honestly!! I like it but it’s very bland and very much overstated it’s welcome !

I like the ancient classics coming back (and it's unlikely they will be back for an annoyingly long period of time) but not the ones from the past year or so hanging around indefinitely by default just because nobody's put out much that really clicks with the masses recently.

Even Harry Styles and Olivia R couldn't manage it properly and they are massive names.

Rein Me In keeps seeing these big comebacks come and go.

TL;DR: FFS WILL SOMEONE FINALLY RELEASE A REALLY GOOD ANTHEMIC SONG THAT APPEALS TO A HUGE RANGE OF PEOPLE ACROSS VARIOUS DEMOGRAPHICS SO WE CAN FINALLY REIN REIN ME IN IN FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.

And I LIKE Sam Fender!

But even he must know this is average by his standards.

Edited Sunday at 22:035 days by HiyaLuv!

4 hours ago, ___∆___ said:

Massive for Chemical Brothers and their first Top 10 since 2005.

Theme for Velodrome peaked at #9 in 2012.

I always thought it was a good result for Go to get on daytime R1 (they'd been around a good 20 years by then and hadn't had a Top 40 hit for eight years) and in the Top 50 in the first place so the fact it's heading for the Top 10 is sensational.

It doesn't feel long ago enough to be nostalgic about but I'm 43 so of course 2015 feels like three years ago at best!

Plus it's their best song if you ask me, I was weirdly never massively bothered about their two #1 hits when I was a teenager (always hugely preferred Hey Boy Hey Girl), but this was always instant euphoria/dopamine.

Are Radio 1 playing it outside of the chart show?

Are we entering into a new era where new music is only one part of what the charts are about these days due to the sheer number of viral throwbacks resurrected by new TV shows, films and social media movements?

Answers on a postcard I guess.

2026 is putting 1987 to shame in resurrected throwback terms!

Edited Sunday at 22:195 days by HiyaLuv!

3 minutes ago, Nightingale said:

Theme for Velodrome peaked at #9 in 2012.

It only got to 9 on the physical chart, it didn't chart officially. Looks like Wikipedia got that wrong!

Edited Sunday at 22:195 days by gasman449

6 minutes ago, Nightingale said:

Theme for Velodrome peaked at #9 in 2012.

Wikipedia appears to say so but it absolutely did no such thing 😂

EDIT: what @gasman449 said!

Edited Sunday at 22:165 days by Lee_J11

10 minutes ago, Lee_J11 said:

Wikipedia appears to say so but it absolutely did no such thing 😂

EDIT: what @gasman449 said!

On the Physical Singles Chart - somebody should edit that!

https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/physical-singles-chart/20120916/1/

Can't say I'm buying into arguments that music has gotten worse in 2026. For one, it's the conspiracy theory that takes root every year because some fraction of people have just aged out of it for a number of reasons, but also it feels like a psychological consequence of reinforcing an opinion from the consensus of the charts. It won't feel like new music is as important if there aren't as many peppering the top of the charts as usual (never mind the fact that many more hits just don't function as a sharp beacon of attention anymore), and doubly so if what's getting up the top doesn't suit either your narrative, or that of those around you (I think being surrounded by once optimistic, now dissenting voices is one of the biggest ways to grow cynical of anything). One person's 'omg this hit song just changed the game' is another person's 'what the heck, this isn't music anymore'.

Like, for me, the charts felt most important*, crucial, vital in a random period of time that happens to correlate with me spending all day in group chats & forum threads, overly scrutinising every scrap of movement I saw on the iTunes charts, every week tallied up by major hit songs at #1, in the top 10, in the top 50 etc. In reality, digital sales doubled, almost tripled a couple of years later which by all accounts meant that it mattered more, but because I, and everyone else around me, we were all worn down by the dramatics that had come before, because we'd all gotten older and more level-headed about these things, it didn't feel like it mattered as much. I understand the need to want to internally & externally justify an unwanted, but unavoidable feeling, but I spotted that generational cycle of cynicism back when I was a teenager and vowed never to get sucked in by it.

*And as for music itself, it was by a wide margin the most important thing in my life in my late high school years. The catch was that I got sucked in by TV & radio countdowns and convinced myself that bands I can guarantee almost no one has ever heard of (and certainly less now), were vitally important. You'd never know this because I wasn't buying music, I wasn't talking about it to anyone (who could I talk to?), but I suspect that there are many such cases that go largely off the grid, and that to me, signifies that music's importance well out-strips the 'damning' metrics.

10 hours ago, HiyaLuv! said:

Are Radio 1 playing it outside of the chart show?

Go isn't currently being played outside of chart show and Anthems. I'd imagine they'll start to pick it up on recurrent plays later this week if they do.

15 hours ago, Dan17F1 said:

'This spike in popularity is due to Go being included in the new Netflix action-thriller Apex, starring Taron Egerton and Charlize Theron.'

Oh really? I had no idea it was in that film... ;)

Ask @Jade I'm sure she'll be able to confirm

(watched the film last night btw, it's pretty good)

Interested to see how close Michael Jackson is to Tame Impala.

Looking forward to seeing how The Covasettes do with their album - they have a ton of variants, pop up shop, signings, launch shows etc., and they said the album had its biggest sales day yesterday since it was announced for pre-order.

43 minutes ago, ___∆___ said:

Looking forward to seeing how The Covasettes do with their album - they have a ton of variants, pop up shop, signings, launch shows etc., and they said the album had its biggest sales day yesterday since it was announced for pre-order.

What's a Covasette?

Alexis Strum said on Instagram yesterday she was in the midweek album top 40 - and that she expects to be number 20076547 by Friday but for a day she was a top 40 queen

Wondering if Drake can dethrone Sam / Olivia with the album drop this coming Friday?or if it’s all down to the Ariana lead. I’ve actually always loved the song but didn’t at all expect it to be a one week number one never mind 10+ weeks!

Still hoping Human Nature can be one of the Michael top 40 tracks at some point too!