CHART COMMENTARY from JAMES MASTERTON

23/07/07

 

from uk.launch

 

A long time ago when the sun shone every day, when we were promised the best

summer ever by weather forecasters, when you and I were in short trousers,

Tony Blair was the Prime Minister and the football season hadn't quite

finished, a certain record about a well known rain accessory landed at the

top of the singles chart. Two and a half months later it remains there to

enter the ranks of the all-time greatest ever chart singles.

 

Since the inception of the singles chart in 1952, just five singles have had

continuous spells at Number One that run into double figures. 'Cara Mia' by

David Whitfield, 'Rose Marie' by Slim Whitman, 'Everything I Do (I Do It For

You)' by Bryan Adams, 'I Will Always Love You' by Whitney Houston and 'Love

Is All Around' by Wet Wet Wet are now joined by a sixth - 'Umbrella' by

Rihanna and Jay-Z which, as I am sure you have worked out by now, proudly

spends its tenth week at the top of the UK singles chart. Whatever you think

of the record, however annoying it is to hear tinnily on the back of a bus

or on the uninspired playlists of Local FM and however much you may curse

the way the title of the song has unwittingly echoed the miserable British

summer, there is no escaping the fact that to outsell every other track

available for ten straight weeks is nothing less than a phenomenal

achievement. It is now officially the longest running Number One of the

century and its ten week total is now the longest since Wet Wet Wet clocked

up 15 weeks with 'Love Is All Around' in 1994.

 

Technically 'Umbrella' now ranks as the joint sixth longest running Number

One of all time, the ranks of double figure Number One singles swelled by

two other singles - 'I Believe' by Frankie Laine and 'Bohemian Rhapsody' by

Queen whose total number of weeks at the top also propel them into the

all-time list. Indeed it is because of one of those singles that there are

actually two records for "longest run at Number One". The Bryan Adams single

holds the consecutive record at 16 weeks but Frankie Laine can claim a

longer run thanks to the 18 week total of 'I Believe' back in 1955.

 

It is no coincidence that a double figure Number One single has arrived

during a slump in singles sales. When the market is strong and by definition

fast, big selling singles tend to shoot their bolt quickly so to speak,

selling in vast quantities in a short space of time. A smaller market means

that singles destined to sell in quantity will only do so over a longer

period of time. The three celebrated long-runners of the 90s all came

between 1991 and 1994, just prior to the golden age of pop music at the end

of the decade and similarly the 1950s members of the elite list all came in

the pre-rock and roll days in the era of light opera ballads on 78rpm

singles. My personal theory is that headline-grabbing megahits have in the

past been the catalyst for a surge of interest in the singles market. Back

in the 1990s the single was dying as a concept with the public not quite

having got to grips with the idea of buying a three minute track on a CD

that was designed to hold ten. The Whitney Houstons and Wet Wet Wets of this

world helped to change that, people venturing to record shops to own their

own piece of musical history and so too history can repeat itself a decade

and a half later. For something that is supposedly of limited relevance, the

singles chart has received more than its fair share of headlines already

this year, starting with the revolution of the download rules. This week the

double figure feat of Rihanna will make every single newspaper going, the

biggest headlines only ultimately being reserved for the single that finally

brings her run at the top to an end.

 

Actually the run nearly came to an end this week, the steadily declining

sales of 'Umbrella' are narrowing ever further the gap between it and the

rest of the chart. The small matter of a couple of hundred copies separated

it from Kate Nash and 'Foundations' which moves back up to Number 2 this

week and following just behind is Timbaland with 'The Way I Are' which gains

a new peak of Number 3 this week. After five weeks as a download only hit

the single will finally hit the shops this week, but are there enough people

left without a copy to give it the required surge to the top?

 

The only new entry to a quiet Top 10 is Mark Ronson and Lily Allen with 'Oh

My God'. The single moves 12-8 to land two places below the peak of the

Kaiser Chiefs' original. It is the first Top 10 hit for Miss Allen since

'LDN' reached Number 6 in September last year. Her last two singles

'Littlest Things' and 'Alfie' only made Numbers 21 and 15 respectively.

 

The highest new entry of the week comes from acclaimed Scottish newcomer Amy

MacDonald. The latest in the wave of young singer songwriters to have had

their fame sparked by web-based word of mouth, she is the most unlikely

sounding pop star of the year, specialising in folk rock tunes in a manner

which makes her a modern day Joan Baez. Nonetheless at the age of just 19

her influences are rooted in the modern era which makes debut hit 'Mr Rock

And Roll' such an absorbing and attention-grabbing listen. After a slow

download start at Number 79 the song leaps to Number 12 and quite frankly is

deservedly the most diverting new record you will hear this month.

 

Also on the climb into the Top 20 is Mika with his third single 'Big Girl

(You Are Beautiful) which moves 33-14. Like most of the tracks on his album

it is a bright, happy go lucky pop tune with a verse that is almost as much

a singalong as the chorus. It's fate is to be just as good as 'Grace Kelly'

which unfortunately means it just cannot have the same impact that his debut

hit (still the biggest seller of the year) managed in the dark January days.

It seems odd to damn a single just for being as good as its predecessors,

but this is the problem he faces.

 

Biffy Clyro land their third Top 20 hit of the year this week, new single

'Folding Stars' making a debut at Number 18 on physical sales. Although a

Top 10 hit eludes them for the moment they can take some satisfaction from

the fact that their current album 'Puzzle' has spawned the most successful

run of hit singles of their career. In their four year career they had yet

to reach the Top 20 but have now done so three times in a row, their biggest

so far being Number 13 track 'Saturday Superhouse' which hit the chart in

March.

 

With the first "High School Musical" film having produced a couple of hit

singles last year (most notably 'Breaking Free' which made Number 9 in

October) it was perhaps inevitable that the sequel would see its songs

heading chartwards. The first of those arrives this week at Number 20 in the

shape of 'What Time Is It'. Diminishing returns are inevitable with these

kind of projects but this new single has at the very least beaten the Number

40 peak of Part 1's finale 'We're All In This Together' which crept to

Number 40 just before Christmas. The film itself has yet to be seen,

receiving its US premiere in a few weeks time with the UK one set to follow

shortly after that, suggesting that this may not be the last we have seen of

Cast Of High School Musical 2. The breakout star of the project has been

lead actress Vanessa Hudgens who released a solo album in America last year

on the back of the success of the first film. Once free of her "musical"

commitments I suspect an international career is inevitable. It is wrong to

confess I'm more of a Cheetah Girls man myself?

 

The ability of US R&B hits to make the chart weeks ahead of proper release

comes to the fore once more down the bottom end of the Top 40. New in this

week at Number 32 is the superstar pairing of R Kelly and Usher with 'Same

Girl'. Take from R Kelly's album 'Double Up' it is the followup to 'I'm A

Flirt' which was only released a few weeks ago and which made Number 18.

Usher has been absent from the charts since 2005s 'Caught Up' but with the

release of 'Same Girl' not due until August 13th it seems inevitable that

this collaboration will return him to the heights he hit back in 2004 with a

string of hit singles that included no less than two Number Ones.

 

Finally for this week, one other bit of history repeating that has come

about as a result of Rihanna's unexpectedly long stint at the top. Back in

1991 and 1993 both Bryan Adams and Whitney Houston saw the releases of their

followup singles collide with the continuing run of their Number One hits.

So it was that 'Can't Stop This Thing We Started' joined 'Everything I Do (I

Do It For You)' in the Top 20 whilst 'I'm Every Woman' landed at Number 5 in

February 1993 just as 'I Will Always Love You' slipped down to Number 4.

This week in 2007 'Shut Up And Drive' by Rihanna makes a download only

appearance at Number 65 and whilst it doesn't actually come out officially

until September 3rd, you can bet your life that it will be joining

'Umbrella' in the Top 20 at the very least within the next few weeks.

 

 

Thanks for posting Mark.

Whatever you think

of the record, however annoying it is to hear tinnily on the back of a bus

or on the uninspired playlists of Local FM and however much you may curse

the way the title of the song has unwittingly echoed the miserable British

summer, there is no escaping the fact that to outsell every other track

available for ten straight weeks is nothing less than a phenomenal

achievement. It is now officially the longest running Number One of the

century and its ten week total is now the longest since Wet Wet Wet clocked

up 15 weeks with 'Love Is All Around' in 1994.

 

All very well and good, but "there is no escaping the fact", that's it's c**p!.

James recently said that the Rihanna single has achieved something

amazing, as it has outsold over 5 Million Tracks, (Down Loads etc), for

all these Weeks at Number 1.

 

In fact nearly all the 5 Million Tracks are old Hits, or Album Tracks,

or Hits that have sold Millions on Compilations & Studio Albums, over

many Years. He goes on as if they were all rivals for the Number 1 spot

for the past 10 Weeks.

 

The truth is that Rihanna has really outsold 1 Chart Position for the

past 10 Weeks - the No.2 Hit. Even then it has only outsold them because

the No.2 Hits were on even lower Sales than her No.1 was reaching.

 

Mr. Masterton has a very simple minded way to look at the No.1 spot,

as held by Rihanna. He talks garbage, basically - exaggerated rubbish....

Edited July 24, 200718 yr by zeus555