After releasing 4 Minutes on physical formats last Monday, Madonna and Justin Timberlake’s collaboration, the first single from the pop legend’s new studio album Hard Candy, stays at No.1 for a second week. Sam Sparro builds some momentum and swings back up to his current peak of No.2 with Black And Gold while rapper Wiley scores his first ever top five hit on downloads alone with Wearing My Rolex.

 

1. Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake – 4 Minutes (1)

 

For a second week then, 4 Minutes is the UK’s official chart topper following a sales boost as a result of the physical release of the single which made its way up to No.1 for the first time last week after five weeks inside the top ten. We are still yet to see a track spend just a week at the top in 2008 and have so far had two five weeks chart toppers, a four weeker and now a two weeker from Madonna and friends. This may well be the shortest running No.1 of the year so far with Wiley coming up quickly behind. Even if 4 Minutes does not get a third week at No.1 next week, the ‘Queen of pop’ will certainly debut at No.1 in the album chart with Hard Candy, which is out on Monday.

 

2. Sam Sparro – Black & Gold (3)

 

After a sales increase last week despite a one place drop, Australian born singer Sam Sparro capitalises on this with a chart leap this week, back up a place to his current peak of No.2. It is the fifth week in the top five for the single which has moved 23-4-4-2-3-2 in its six weeks in the top forty so far. Sam’s debut album may well give him another top ten success when released on Monday and this single looks as if it has the legs to hang around for a good few weeks yet.

 

3. Estelle feat. Kanye West – American Boy (2)

 

Down a place from No.2 after previously spending four weeks at No.1, Estelle’s American Boy has just entered the US top 100 where she will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of Leona Lewis, Amy Winehouse and Natasha Bedingfield, all British ladies that have had big success over there in recent months. Estelle will be hoping that this song was not a fluke with the third single from her top ten album Shine, Substitute Love, due for release on June 23rd.

 

4. Wiley – Wearing My Rolex (NEW)

 

A member of the Roll Deep grime rap collective, Wiley’s biggest hit prior to now was Wot Do U Call It? which debuted and peaked at No.31 in April 2004. Roll Deep had a No.11 hit with The Avenue in summer 2005. Wearing My Rolex owes more to the dance genre than the rap genre and the song’s bendy synths are similar to those used on Bodyrox 2006 hit Yeah Yeah. The song has a very clever parody video on YouTube featuring clips of Paul and Heather McCartney seemingly miming to the lyrics of the track. The track has entered the UK top five on downloads alone and looks almost certain to be a future No.1.

 

5. September – Cry For You (5)

 

A second week inside the top five for Swedish singer September’s Cry For You which peaked a place lower at No.6 in her homeland. It’s been a good year so far for Scandi-pop and Eurodance with Basshunter, Robyn and September all scoring top ten hits for Sweden as well as Denmark’s Alphabeat. It will be interesting to see if any more acts from these areas will be launched here in the coming months. September’s last UK single Satellites has seen a huge surge in interest in the last few weeks as a result of this track’s success, re-entering the top 200 this week. Unlike this song which is on Hard2Beat however, Satellites was released here on AATW and is therefore unlikely to be re-released as a future single.

 

6. Flo Rida feat T-Pain – Low (4)

 

Spending an impressive eighth week in the UK top ten, US rapper Flo Rida’s former No.2 hit Low slides a couple of places this week. The song which picked up a lot of its sales on its slow climb up the top forty has sold its 200,000th copy in the UK this week and has therefore gone silver. It is an even bigger success story in the US though where it spent ten weeks at No.1, and has sold well over three million copies there to date. It remains to be seen whether Flo Rida proves to be a one hit wonder here as next single Elevator is due out on the 26th May.

 

7. Usher – Love In This Club (6)

 

Without picking up any download momentum this week, Usher’s new single Love In This Club is down a place this week as Wiley moves above him. While at one point this looked like a future UK No.1, it is highly unlikely that Monday’s physical release of this single will propel the singer to the top of the chart and it will more likely be found in the low end of the top five next week. Not quite matching the success of the start of his last album campaign in 2004 which began with the No.1 singles Yeah! and Burn.

 

8. Will.I.Am feat Cheryl Cole – Heartbreaker (18)

 

Another impressive climb for a single that is yet to be physically, or indeed properly released at the moment. Will.I.Am scores his first top ten hit in the UK away from the Black Eyed Peas this week following the relative flop of I Got It From My Mama late last year. Heartbreaker is currently charting solely from downloads of the cherry picked album track which does not feature the vocals of Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole. When the radio edit and physical formats are released, this song could well be a contender for the UK No.1 spot, but at the very least looks as if it will be a top five hit here in the coming weeks.

 

9. Duffy – Mercy (8)

 

The year’s biggest selling single, Duffy refuses to leave the UK top ten after three months and has now sold close to 400,000 copies. Duffy’s debut album Rockferry also remains top five this week having sold over half a million copies so far. The next single from the Welsh singer is the emotional ballad Warwick Avenue. The video debuted this week and has propelled the single into the top 75 this week meaning that it is almost certain to join Mercy inside the top forty next week well ahead of its physical release on May 26th.

 

10. Scouting For Girls – Heartbeat (14)

 

British indie pop trio Scouting For Girls seem to follow the same chart pattern with all of their singles. The songs enter low on downloads alone, the physical release makes hardly any impact and then as the songs start to pick up airplay, they jump into the top ten a number of weeks later. Heartbeat is the third top ten hit for the band as it jumps four places this week and follows the bouncy formula of their last two singles She’s So Lovely and Elvis Ain’t Dead. Their former No.1 self titled long player is also in the top ten of the album chart this week.

 

Other notable movers and shakers in the top 40:

 

12. Alphabeat – Fascination (13)

 

Danish six piece Alphabeat’s first UK release, Fascination, has had an interesting chart run so far moving 23-7-6-13-10-12-12-13-12 in its first nine weeks in the top forty. With continuing airplay and the ongoing Popjustice Wonky Pop tour of which they are the headline act, the single refuses to go away and has sold over 100,000 copies in the UK so far. The song will need to fade soon though or it is in danger of overshadowing the release of the pop act’s second single 10,000 Nights which is due out on May 26th. The band’s debut UK album, This Is Alphabeat, which is a revised version of their self titled Danish album, is due out a week later on June 2nd.

 

14. Nickelback – Rockstar (16)

 

Another song that refuses to disappear, Canadian rock act Nickelback are higher with this single now than they were after its physical release propelled it to No.20 last November. Since that point its downloads took off hugely and the single, which has now gone gold in the UK selling over 400,000 copies, is poised to overtake 2002’s How You Remind Me as their biggest selling hit. Rockstar has now spent twenty weeks in total in the UK top twenty, peaking at No.2 earlier in the year. The next single from the band’s reinvigorated 2005 album All The Right Reasons is a re-release of Photograph, which was originally a minor UK hit in late 2005 when it peaked at No.29.

 

16. Pendulum – Propane Nightmares (NEW)

 

British based Australian dance act Pendulum have had mild success here in recent years with their last single Granite, which peaked at No.29 last November, being their biggest hit up until now. Propane Nightmares is an indie-rave/drum and bass crossover and is arguably much more accessible than previous singles, hence its impressive top twenty debut on download sales alone. With the physical single released on Monday, it should be in contention to give the band their first top ten hit this time next week.

 

18. Adele – Cold Shoulder (53)

 

The second fully released single to be taken from Adele’s debut No.1 album 19, Cold Shoulder is her third top forty hit and leaps an incredible thirty five places following its physical release last Monday. It follows the limited 7” only single Hometown Glory which has charted as a downloaded album track, and the No.2 single Chasing Pavements which has gone silver in the UK and is one of the year’s biggest selling singles. All three singles are very different and Cold Shoulder is a more uptempo song than its predecessor allowing for a number of dance remixes to be commissioned, the most popular being by British duo Basement Jaxx.

 

25. Cahill feat. Nikki Belle –Trippin’ On You (31)

 

Having charted as a download release for two weeks, AATW signed Cahill’s Trippin’ On You has climbed again this week as a result of its physical release, though as I suspected not into the top twenty, proving that even dance singles cannot now receive the traditional significant physical boost that they have been used to in the past couple of years. Nevertheless, it is the first time in the top thirty for the song which is a cover of Oris Jay’s 2002 single Trippin’ which peaked at No.42.

 

26. Nelly feat. Fergie – Party People (39)

 

Still a while away from a physical release, rapper Nelly and singer Fergie continue their upwards progress with their collaboration Party People which is benefiting from increased radio and TV airplay and jumps thirteen places as a result. Nelly’s last UK hit single was a couple of years ago when his Janet Jackson duet Call On Me reached No.18. Fergie has had a number of hits in the last eighteen months away from her band Black Eyed Peas. While three of them reached the top ten, the last single from her album The Dutchess, Clumsy, only peaked at No.62 after receiving no physical release due to poor download sales.

 

27. Gabriella Cilmi – Sweet about Me (34)

 

Following its use on the new advert for Sure deodorant and increasing promotional activity from the Australian singer this week, Gabriella Cilmi once again finds herself at a new peak position in the UK and inside the top thirty for the first time with a song that has already topped the charts in her native Australia. As a result of the increased exposure of this single, Gabriella’s debut album Lessons To Be Learned has also risen to a new peak position this week. Whether both the single and album can ‘do a Nickelback’ in the coming weeks remains to be seen.

 

30. The Script – We Cry (NEW)

 

Straight into the top forty on downloads alone is the debut single by Irish trio The Script. Danny, Mark and Glen are from Dublin but currently reside in London. They have recently been touring the UK as the support act to The Hoosiers, whose new single they beat this week. Their sound is not rock as such but includes elements of pop, hip hop, R&B and soul, much like bands such as Maroon 5 or Crazy Town and is incredibly radio friendly. The single is released on Monday and should find itself contending for a top ten position or at the very least top fifteen this time next week.

 

34. Ashlee Simpson – Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya) (NEW)

 

Jessica’s sister, Ashlee Simpson has actually had a few successful hits in the UK, though many people would be hard pushed to name any of them. Her debut single Pieces Of Me reached No.4 in 2004 while 2005’s La La peaked at No.11 and 2006’s Boyfriend went as high as No.12. The first single from Ashlee’s new album Bittersweet World is a quirky pop song produced by none other than Timbaland and considering its not out as a physical single for a few weeks, is doing well on downloads alone and should provide the singer with a fourth UK top twenty hit in the coming weeks.

 

35. The Hoosiers – Cops And Robbers (64)

 

The third top forty hit in the UK for the quirky British/Swedish trio, it is the fourth single to be taken from the band’s debut No.1 album The Trick To Life. The first two singles which were very similar style to this song were huge top five hits in 2007 but the more indie sounding and less radio friendly third single, Worst Case Scenario, only reached No.76 in the UK and is therefore not officially seen as a ‘hit’.

 

38. Robyn – Who’s That Girl (66)

 

Jumping on downloads alone this week to give Swedish singer Robyn her 7th UK top forty hit to date, Who’s That Girl is the fifth single to be taken from the singer’s current self titled album. Konichiwa Bitches missed the top 75, With Every Heartbeat was a huge summer No.1 single last August, Handle Me got to No.17 while Be Mine became her third UK top ten hit earlier this year. Who’s That Girl is more stylish electro pop from the confident if odd singer and with a physical release of the single on Monday, should be considerably higher next week.

 

40. The Wombats – Backfire At The Disco (81)

 

Leaping forty one places after its physical release last Monday, Backfire At The Disco is now the fourth UK top forty hit for the UK indie band The Wombats following Kill The Director (#35) and the top fifteen hits Let’s Dance To Joy Division (#15) and Moving To New York (#13). This single was originally the band’s first release, exactly a year ago where it could only make it as high as No.67 but it does far better second time around. All four singles are on the band’s debut album A Guide To Love, Loss And Desperation.

 

Next weeks chart

 

Madonna will be hoping that 4 Minutes will match the three weeks at No.1 achieved by her last lead single Hung Up in 2005, but she faces stiff competition from Wiley who is the current iTunes No.1 and despite not being released on physical until May 5th, could pose a significant threat to her crown as a download only release. Physical releases are due on Monday from Usher, Pendulum and The Script, any of whom could end up in the top ten this time next week while Brit & Alex, Ben’s Brother, The Delays, Hadouken, Jay Sean, One Night Only, Robyn and Jack McManus’ physical releases should ensure them all a top 75 placing if not a top 40 hit for many of them in seven days time. The big album release on Monday is Hard Candy by Madonna which is practically guaranteed the No.1 spot while Portishead’s long awaited new album and Sam Sparro’s debut album should find themselves in the top ten next week.

Estelle will be hoping that this song was not a fluke with the second single from her top ten album Shine, Substitute Love, due for release on June 23rd.

 

I'm pretty certain that American Boy was the second release from Shine (I believe the first was Wait A Minute - however that may have been cancelled).

 

Other than that, a great read!

I'm pretty certain that American Boy was the second release from Shine (I believe the first was Wait A Minute - however that may have been cancelled).

 

Other than that, a great read!

 

cheers Paul :D you're right (as always :rofl:) I can't believe I forgot about that song, I even mentioned it in my commentary before

 

edited!

Great commentary, as ever!

 

(Adele has moved 53-18 though, not 51-18)

Great commentary, as ever!

 

(Adele has moved 53-18 though, not 51-18)

 

cheers epk! corrected :D