Gnarls Barkley suffers huge chart drop-out

Source: Music Week

 

 

Gnarls Barkley's Crazy was yesterday poised to win another place in the record books, only this time with the dubious honour of suffering the biggest drop-out in UK chart history.

 

The Warner Bros single, which ushered in a new chart era in April by becoming the first hit to make number one exclusively on download sales, has now set another chart first by becoming the first Top 10 victim of a recently-introduced rule automatically excluding tracks once they have been physically deleted.

 

A week ago Crazy stood at number five on the combined chart and was last week selling enough units digitally and physically to secure a place in or around the Top 10, but because of this regulation it has been removed from the chart. It now shares the distinction with Simon & Garfunkel's Mrs Robinson EP, which disappeared from the chart in 1969 following a new rule to exclude EPs, of being the only hit to drop completely out of the chart from the Top 10.

 

Crazy's early chart exit - which is expected to figure in a debate tomorrow (Tuesday) when the Chart Supervisory Committee again discusses chart rules surrounding downloads - has been triggered by Warner Bros as a way of moving its Gnarls Barkley project onto the next single.

 

"Nine weeks at number one is a great achievement, but it's a fantastically brilliant album and we want to focus on the depth of it, especially here in the UK which is where it all started," says Warner Bros managing director Korda Marshall. "There are at least four tracks on it that we want to bring out as singles and there's a plan to tour the UK, so it won't help to have everyone just focusing on Crazy."

 

The chart rule affecting Crazy was introduced in March at the same time it was agreed download sales could be added to the chart a week before an equivalent physical release goes on sale. Under this exclusion rule, labels must give retailers a week's notice about deletion plans and then two weeks later the deleted track will be removed from the chart, irrespective of where it would have been placed.

 

Crazy's rapid exit is only bound to add fuel to the ongoing debate about when download sales should count towards the chart. With digital sales now making up around 50% of the Top 40, the BPI is pressing for all downloads to be included, although sections of retail want restrictions to continue for fear their businesses would be disadvantaged

"Crazy's early chart exit - which is expected to figure in a debate tomorrow (Tuesday) when the Chart Supervisory Committee again discusses chart rules surrounding downloads - has been triggered by Warner Bros as a way of moving its Gnarls Barkley project onto the next single."

 

 

There lies the reason for the deletion: it's nothing to do with moving projects on, it's to focus the debate tomorrow on allowing downloads to chart regardless of physical availability. The next meeting of the Chart Supervisory Committee is in September, and the BPI will want the chart to have new rules about downloads in place long before then.

however with 11 weeeks on chart looking back in future editions of the hits book it wont look as odd as shut up and dance (no. 2 2wks), chemical brothers ep (no 13, 1 wk) or southhamton fc supporters (16 1 wk)

The song may re-enter if download rules are changed.

shut up and dance (no. 2 2wks)

 

Heh - one of the greatest chart runs of all time. Shame it bankrupted them.

 

The song may re-enter if download rules are changed.

 

Or if import copies become available - as the original is no longer in the chart, an import version will be eligible (provided it complies to chart rules) and downloads of the single track (but not of bundles that matched the deleted domestic release) will count with the import release.

 

It would be listed as a new entry, however (due to different catalogue numbers).

 

Stupid Chart Rules ! :angry:

Edited June 19, 200619 yr by fiesta

Biggest drop outs prior to Gnarls Barkley

 

1 Mrs. Robinson [EP] Simon and Garfunkel (1969) 31-29-30-27-9

2 Loops Of Fury EP The Chemical Brothers (1996) 13

3 It's Gonna Be A Cold Cold Christmas Dana (1976) -18-4-4-9-14

4 Silver Shorts The Wedding Present (1992) 14

5 16 Bars The Stylistics (1976) -11-7-7-14-15

6 Art For Art's Sake 10CC (1976) -17-7-5-11-15

7 Dr. Love Tina Charles (1977) -7-8-4-12-15

8 Raving I'm Raving Shut Up And Dance (1992) 2-15

9 California The Wedding Present (1992) 16

10 Southampton Boys Red 'n' White Machines (2003) 16

 

"Sixteen Reasons" by Connie Stevens also dropped out of the chart (then a top 50) from #9

 

45-45-22-15-17-19-11-17-11-18-9-OUT

 

That must be one of the strangest chart runs ever. The song did re-enter though, at #45 two weeks later.

Diana Decker - Poppa Piccolino dropped out of the chart entirely from #2 - however the chart was only a top 12 in those days!