Leona Lewis bags the biggest No.1 of the year while Take That also impress

 

X Factor winner Leona Lewis has scored her second No.1 with new single Bleeding Love. The song that was released on downloads and physically last Monday sold a staggering 219,000 copies to debut at the top spot, the fastest selling No.1 single since Leona’s last release, the 2006 Christmas No.1 A Moment Like This. The song automatically enters the year to date top 20 singles and looks set to give Rihanna’s Umbrella and Mika’s Grace Kelly a challenge to claim the biggest selling single of 2007. Leona wasn’t the only success story this week with a number of other new releases proving their worth in the biggest chart battle for years.

 

Boyband Take That returned this week with new single Rule The World. The song, taken from the soundtrack to the new fantasy film Stardust, sold 98,000 copies this week to climb from its debut position of No.46 last week (based on leaked download sales) to No.2. The track eclipses Avril Lavigne’s Girlfriend which was 2007’s previous biggest selling No.2 clearing 40,000 copies in a week. Rather more impressively it beats the first week sales of their own 2006 comeback single Patience which sold around 60,000 copies on its first physically released week with just over 20,000 on downloads alone the week before. This two week total was still lower than that of the eagerly anticipated epic ballad Rule The World which is not currently available on their huge comeback album Beautiful World though a re-release is due out in the next few weeks featuring this track and a few other new additions. The single massively restores the band’s fortunes after the relative flop of I’d Wait For Life which could only reach No.17 a few months back.

 

Finishing 3rd in the big chart battle is McFly who debut at No.3 with The Heart Never Lies. This is the first time in many months that the entire top 3 have been new entries to the top 40 and uniquely mirrors the top 3 of Christmas 2006 where Leona was No.1 followed by Take That and McFly at No.2 and No.3. The Heart Never Lies is a new track from McFly’s forthcoming Greatest Hits album and has sold well enough to be No.1 on most weeks thanks to their week long in-store signings as well as their pre-order text service. However the staggering success of Leona and Take That meant that McFly did not emulate the No.1 success of many of their other singles. Nevertheless, they should be given credit for the fact that this seems more like a genuinely popular single than many of their past hits taking into account that it has been a relatively popular download hit throughout the week as well as selling well physically. This incredible battle in the top 3 has perhaps proved wrong anyone who thought that pop was dead with a clutch of huge hits from the genre breathing life into a flagging singles chart over the past seven days.

 

Sugababes have had the longest running No.1 single of their career but About You Now gives way to some new pop songs and slides to No.4 this week whilst still maintaining healthy sales that would have been sufficient for No.1 on most weeks. Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson’s cover of Valerie slides to No.5 this week on its 3rd week in the top 5 and is the only non pop song in this week’s top 5. The biggest shock of the week is the three place slide for Britney Spears. Her new single Gimme More debuted on downloads alone at No.3 last week but after physical release drops back to No.6. No song before this has ever fallen in the top 40 on its week of physical release. However this is not because the song dropped in popularity, more the fact that it was pushed down by so much competition this week. For all the hype that this comeback has achieved, Gimme More has still only managed to peak at No.3 in the US, the UK and Australia. Timbaland is also a victim of this week’s high sales, dropping back a place to No.7 with new single Apologize. The song which features rock act One Republic soared to No.6 last week but it is almost certain to improve on that peak next week when it is physically released.

 

British dance act Freemasons also surged last week, from No.21 to No.8, and that is where they remain this week with Alanis Morrissette cover Uninvited. The Hoosiers dip five places to No.9 with Goodbye Mr A while Oasis round off the top 10 with a new entry. Lord Don’t Slow Me Down is the first ever download only release from the band and enters, and you suspect it will peak at, No.10. It therefore matches the peak of the only other previous top 10 download only release Nelly Furtado’s Say It Right. Feist’s 1234 which reached No.8 a few weeks back sold almost entirely on downloads but it had in fact had an unscuccessful physical release a few months prior to its chart peak.

 

There are five other new songs joining the UK top 40 this week. Elvis Presley debuts at No.17 with If I Can Dream, his latest re-release and the lowest charting to date. US boyband Backstreet Boys were a huge force in the late 1990’s but it looks like their star shines less brightly nowadays with new single Inconsolable, released on downloads and physically, only reaching No.24. Their last comeback in 2005 gave the ‘boys’ 2 top 10 hits, Incomplete and Just Want You To Know, both of which peaked at No.8. Channel U favourites N-Dubz who won the MOBO award for Best Newcomers debut at No.26 with You Better Not Waste My Time. The London trio originally released a low budget video for this track last year when it was the b-side to I Swear. However the band produced a new video and the song is their first top 40 hit and proves that they have an ever growing fanbase in the UK. Dance act Samim debut at No.29 with Heater. The instrumental song which has a melody based entirely around an accordian could well be a top 10 hit next week. The final new hit in the top 40 this week is Kiss Kiss by Chris Brown. The US singer’s biggest UK hit is the 2006 No.2 hit Run It.

 

There are four songs climbing in this week’s top 40. Rihanna’s Umbrella just won’t go away and moves back up to No.33 from No.36 last week. Rihanna’s new single Hate That I Love You is also moving the right way in the chart going up from No.29 to No.25. Along with Shut Up & Drive Rihanna has an impressive three top 40 hit singles simultaneously this week. Fergie’s biggest hit Big Girls Don’t Cry is back up a couple of places to No.21 while Phil Collins continues to reap the benefits of the Cadbury’s advert with In The Air Tonight moving back up a place to No.16.

 

The album chart this week is less eventful but there is a brand new No.1 for The Hoosiers. The band, who have already scored two top 10 singles, debut at No.1 with The Trick To Life. Van Morrison debuts at No.2 with Still On Top-The Greatest Hits, while the top three is rounded off by producer Mark Ronson. Version climbs from No.8 back to the top 3 off the back of Valerie’s success. The album has peaked at No.2 so far. Last week’s No.1 from The Stereophonics falls all the way back to No.6 signalling their declining popularity. Other new entries in the top 40 come from Neil Young (No.14), Santana (No.16), Michael Ball (No.20), Orson (No.25), Serj Tankian (No.26) and Stylistics (No.32).

 

With her impressive sales to consider Leona Lewis is the favourite to stay at No.1 next week with Bleeding Love. However her biggest challenge should come from Irish boyband Westlife. The boys have notched up 14 No.1 hits since 1999 and her well known for their covers of older songs reaching No.1 in November for a token week. Last year it was The Rose, the year before it was You Raise Me Up (though that managed two weeks at No.1) and in 2003 it was Mandy. Michael Buble cover Home may well fall short though thanks to Leona and potentially Take That who could well stay ahead of Westlife with Rule The World. Timbaland releases Apologize physically and it should move into the top 5 next week. Other singles out physically that are likely to be in the top 40 next week are Samim, Robyn, Avril Lavigne, Akon, Celine Dion, Elliot Minor, Elvis Presley and Keane. The following week will see the return of two of the biggest names in music. Kylie Minogue and Spice Girls are both scheduled to release the downloads of their new singles on November 5th.

 

Related Link: http://www.buzzjack.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=54423

 

On the front page, great article I love it, your best yet.

Cheers Mikey, when you told me how many people read it I was shocked so thought I'd start putting a bit more effort into it on eventful weeks like this one!

hey i am a big britney fan and was disappointed at her fall to number 6, i came across this at a britney site, and was wondering if there is an ounce of truth to this, or just another britney fan deluding themselves,

 

"'Gimme More' has fallen to #6 in the UK ! Come on guys we need to get her to #1. Now I've been explained by SeanPaul, one of our visitors who lives in the UK, that a DJ in the UK said that the Gimme More cd-single sales won't count until next week! This would be because of the fact that a second version of 'Gimme More' will be released in the UK this week. I can not verify this information but lets hope that it's true and that 'Gimme More' will rise on the charts next week"

Another great commentary.

 

Finishing 3rd in the big chart battle is McFly who debut at No.3 with The Heart Never Lies. This is the first time in many months that the entire top 3 have been new entries to the top 40 and uniquely mirrors the top 3 of Christmas 2006 where Leona was No.1 followed by Take That and McFly at No.2 and No.3.

 

How amazing is that.

 

Well done to them all.

Thanks Gooddelta, always a good read.

Great article!

The Kylie + Spice Girls battle should be good too!

Pop is back :cheer:

Amazing sales for all of the top 5!

I think leona will do it next week again!

GREAT READ FELLA, LOVEZ IT

Cheers for all your comments!