As 2007’s X Factor is close to finishing, last year’s victor keeps the top spot

 

Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis has managed an incredible 7th week at No.1. It is by far the most successful single to come from a reality TV show act (in terms of chart longevity) and equals Cher’s 7 week run at the top with Believe at around the same time of the year in 1998. The only acts to have exceeded Leona’s tally in the last ten years are Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy from 2006 and Rihanna’s 10 week monster Umbrella from earlier this year. No.2 for a third week and another long running No.2 for 2007 is T2 feat Jodie Aysha with the garage anthem Heartbroken. Only Take That’s Rule The World and Kate Nash’s Foundations have been more prolific runner’s up this year, spending 4 and 5 weeks respectively in second place.

 

Completing a static top 3 this week is Girls Aloud’s 17th top 10 single Call The Shots. It has been at No.1 on iTunes all week but its surprisingly low physical tally has seen it stay in third place this week. Nevertheless, it matches the two weeks at No.3 achieved by Something Kinda Ooooh and is far more popular with the general public than their last three singles I Think We’re Alone Now, Walk This Way and Sexy! No, No, No…Timbaland’s Apologize takes advantage of the chart lull this week and climbs back up a place to No.4. The track, which features US rock act One Republic, has spent 8 weeks inside the UK top 10 now. It truly cements Timbaland’s reputation as one of 2007’s biggest hit makers. The No.1 single Give It To Me spent 10 weeks in the top 10 earlier in the year while the chart topping follow up The Way I Are managed 12 weeks inside the top 10 during the summer. This gives him a total of 30 weeks inside the UK top 10 so far this year and that’s without counting the huge Ayo Technology with 50 Cent and Justin Timberlake.

 

On its 7th week in the top 5, Rule The World by Take That slides another place, down to No.5 this week. The track, which is close to 300,000 sales, proves that Take That’s comeback after a 10 year break has been truly astounding. They have amassed 23 weeks in the top 10 with Patience, Shine and Rule The World in the last 12 months while Beautiful World is back in the album’s top 10 this week and nearing its two millionth sale. Alicia Keys continues her top 10 success with No One which is back up a place to its peak position of No.6 on its 5th week in the top 10. Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse score a 10th week in the top 10 with Valerie this week which swaps places with Alicia and slides a place to No.7. It has so far sold quarter of a million copies and is by far the biggest selling hit single for both Mark and Amy in the UK.

 

‘The download effect’ has another success story this week. Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You would have been eligible for the top 10 around Christmas time last year but was excluded as singles had to have a physical release to be allowed to chart up until January this year. However, with the restrictions gone the chart has seen a barrage of seasonal classics in the chart in the past few weeks. And with the big day getting nearer, the songs are getting higher. The song was originally a No.2 hit in 1994 losing out to East 17 for the Christmas No.1. It is therefore back in the UK top 10 this week for the first time in 13 years, climbing from No.23 to No.8 on downloads alone. Shayne Ward proves that even he can have hits with longevity as Breathless, the follow up the long running No U Hang Up/If That’s Ok With You, slides just a place on its third week in the top 10. Rounding off the top 10 is a former US No.1 hit from Soulja Boy. The song Crank That is a crunk song with an infectious dance and it moves up four places to No.10 still on download sales alone. Therefore the UK top 10 this week features 6 British acts and 4 American acts with no other countries getting a look in.

 

The next big significant move is at No.12. Jumping from No.33 it’s the Christmas classic Fairytale Of New York from The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl. The Irish band originally released the single in 1987, losing out on Christmas No.1 to Pet Shop Boys’ Always On My Mind. The song was re-released in 2005 reaching No.3 and again last year peaking at No.6. It is physically re-issued yet again tomorrow and will undoubtedly return to the top 10 for the 4th separate time next week. The Elvis re-issues series finally draws to a close this week with Burning Love. The song originally peaked at No.7 in the UK in 1972 and 25 years later it returns 6 places below its original peak. The singles have shown incredible consistency over the past few months, all going in between No.11 and No.17, though none could reach the top 10. All of the singles in his 2005 No.1’s re-issues series went into the UK top 5 with three of them returning to No.1.

 

Contrary to popular belief, Cascada are in fact a trio. Though many people think that the lead female singer, Natalie Horler, is a solo artist under the alias Cascada, there are two producers in the band, Manian and Yanou. The latter had a UK No.1 with DJ Sammy and Do in 2002 with Heaven. Though the producers are German, Natalie was born to British parents but raised in Germany. Unlike most ‘Europop’ one hit wonders, Cascada have had a string of hits that continues this week. They reached the top 10 with Everytime We Touch (#2), Truly Madly Deeply (#4) and Miracle (#8) while their debut album Everytime We Touch - The Album reached No.2 and has sold over 400,000 copies so far. What Hurts The Most is one of the decade’s classic ballads and has been covered by a number of acts including US country act Rascal Flatts and Irish girlband Bellefire. It was a minor hit here in 2005 when former S Club 7 singer Jo O’Meara reached No.13 with the song. Cascada have turned it into a club song and the song debuts at No.16 on downloads this week with their 4th top 10 hit looking almost certain next week when it is physically released.

 

Arctic Monkeys miss the top 10 for the first time in their career with Teddy Picker which has had its physical release this week. The track jumps from No.112 and follows 5 consecutive top 5 hits including two No.1 singles. The Enemy have been one of 2007’s most successful new acts and their new single We’ll Live And Die In These Towns makes an even more impressive jump up the chart from No.175 to No.21. It is the band’s 4th hit of 2007, the biggest being the No.4 single Had Enough. Wham were one of the 80’s biggest acts and their 1984 single Last Christmas is the biggest selling single ever in the UK not to reach No.1 (it was beaten by Band Aid, which also featured lead singer George Michael). The song is a true classic and returns to the UK top 40 this week thanks to the new download rules, climbing from No.50 last week.

 

Continuing the Christmas theme, Andy Williams jumps from No.43 to No.25 with It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year. Prior to this year the song had never been a UK hit before but thanks to its classic status and the fact that it is currently being used on a popular Marks & Spencer advert, it becomes a top 40 hit this week. Wizzard’s I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday may have been outshone by Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody when they were both originally released in 1973 but this week Wizzard are the winner’s. The rock act’s single has become one of the most enduring Christmas classics and this week jumps from No.65 to No.27. The single peaked at No.4 on its original release in 1973. Just for a change there is a new entry to the top 40 that isn’t a Christmas song next. Producer Peter Gelderblom has re-mixed Red Hot Chilli Peppers 2002 No.2 hit By The Way as the basis to Waiting 4 which is up to No.29 this week after a physical release. American rap artist J Holiday soars from No.97 to No.32 with Bed this week after its physical release.

 

Shakin’ Stevens was a huge star in the 1980’s and the decade’s biggest singles artist according to the Guiness Book Of Hit Singles. He was due to release Merry Christmas Everyone in 1984 but feared that it would get overshadowed by Band Aid and Wham so he held it back until 1985. Sure enough, it was a Christmas No.1 and another well loved classic in the UK. It returns to the top 40 at No.33 this week and gives ‘Shaky’ his biggest hit single since 2005’s No.20 hit Trouble. That was a cover of the Pink song and was released to mark him winning ITV1’s reality show Hit Me Baby One More Time. Foo Fighters score their second top 40 hit of the year with Long Road To Ruin, the follow up to The Pretender which only left the top 40 last week. It’s the second single from their No.1 album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace.

 

The aforementioned Slade re-enter at No.37 with Merry Xmas Everybody this week. The song, which has passed a million sales in the UK, was a huge 5 week No.1 hit single in 1973 and has returned to the UK top 75 many times since. Slade were one of the biggest acts of the 1970’s and one of the few acts who had the fanbase to score No.1 singles that debuted at the top of the chart. Out of their six No.1 hits in the UK, three of them debuted at the top spot, almost unheard of in the 1970’s. And the final new entry goes to Band Aid. Do They Know It’s Xmas is the 2nd biggest selling single of all time in the UK selling over three million copies. The original which was released in 1984 to highlight famine in Ethiopia featured an ensemble of stars of the day including Paul Young, U2, George Michael Culture Club and Bananarama amongst others.

 

In 1989 Band Aid II hit the top spot with a PWL production featuring Kylie & Jason, Bros, Cliff Richard, Chris Rea, Lisa Stansfield and Bananarama again amongst others. And most recently in 2004, Band Aid 20 reached No.1 with a new cover of the song that featured Dido, Robbie Williams, Chris Martin, Sugababes, Busted and Bono amongst others. The 1984 original remains the most popular to this day. The chart has a hugely nostalgic feel to it this week with 10 songs in the top 40 pre-dating this millennium. Others could soon make a return to as Christmas songs by The Killers, Chris Rea, John & Yoko, Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Boney M, Cliff Richard, Aled Jones and Dean Martin all featuring in the top 100 this week.

 

Leona does the chart double for a fourth week this week as Spirit spends a 4th week as Britain’s No.1 album. Westlife continue their yearly album’s success with Back Home, which is back up a place to No.2 this week while Shayne Ward’s Breathless slides a place to No.3, all three of these being part on Simon Cowell’s record labels S or Syco Music. The Eagles are back up a place to No.4 with Long Road Out Of Eden while Kylie Minogue is down a place with X at No.5. Andrea Bocelli is up two places to No.6 with Vivere, his best of collection, while Whitney Houston’s Ultimate Collection moves back up three places to No.7. Led Zeppelin’s Mothership is down a couple of places to No.8 while the year’s biggest seller from Amy Winehouse is a non-mover at No.9. Rounding off the top 10 is Take That’s Beautiful World, last year’s Christmas No.1 album. The only new entry in the top 50 this week is Perfect Day from Cascada which debuts at No.12 as the follow up to their aforementioned No.2 debut album from earlier in the year.

 

Next week is the final chart before Christmas and should be very interesting indeed. With the X Factor winner, Rhydian, Leon or Same Difference looking to be the Christmas No.1 with a cover of Mariah and Whitney’s 1998 hit When You Believe, next week is the final chance of 2007 for any other act to score a No.1 single in realistic terms. Leona Lewis will be looking set to continue her chart domination with Bleeding Love but with the single out for an 8th week and also featuring on the UK’s No.1 album and the No.1 compilation, Now 68, it will be a huge challenge for her to make it eight weeks at the top. T2 and Girls Aloud are not far behind sales wise and could climb to the top next week. Soulja Boy, Shaun The Sheep and Cascada are the big physical releases on Monday while The Pogues are also physically re-issuing Fairytale Of New York. Other singles released physically on Monday that could make the top 40 are due from Amy MacDonald, Amy Winehouse, Newton Faulkner, Plain White T’s and Stereophonics.

 

http://www.buzzjack.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=58105

 

Marvellous Job Richard Well Done

 

Only 1 mistake Slade were 37 not 36 or are they i'll have another check

No you're right, my mistake :P I'll edit it

bump in case anyone wants something to read before the chart predictions come in

Very good read - MUCH better than James Masterton