The Hit Parade

Yeah, I was way ahead of my time, using Spotify 15 years before it was even invented. Anyway, I've just finished it. Let's see if I can post the link. Yes I can 32 hours of music! And that's only the tracks that are on there.

If the charts were decided on exclamation marks, Matt Goss might have been in luck.

I'm halfway through compiling these into a Spotify playlist (literally - I've taken a break at the end of 1990) if anyone's interested.

That is good. Bit unfortunate about the Courteeners song title though!

Amazing how quickly people have started talking seriously about a Number One album for James Arthur.

21/23: There were two that I knew weren't written by the performers but wasn't aware of the original recordings of. Coincidentally, I was (and still am) listening to the original of one of the songs in the quiz! I got that right, obviously.

You can mention next week that his album was released on his birthday (assuming it goes T40, obv).

Can I just point out that I listen to Radio 2 and I think it's shit as well? I always thought it was young people who liked it.

Makes you wonder how far they'll drop this week.

I was totally expecting Shawn to be #1 on iTunes. I'm more surprised to see Marillion so high up though. Not surprised there's enough demand, I just thought people would be buying it places other than iTunes.

You mean the version that got played on the radio wasn't six minutes long? It must have just felt that way.

Ever?

I know the actual sales difference won't be huge, but I'm surprised to see these two so far apart (especially as it's this way round).

Realised I'd better post the answer to my little question before the thread closes. The connection between Sean Paul and Kendrick Lamar is that they both . Some of the other answers were probably true too, but not what I had in mind.

It probably means a lot less to somebody like Olly Murs, because he is so loved by UK radio that anything he releases is guaranteed to be a huge airplay hit, however appealing it is to a wider public.

Have to say it never occurred to me that the same person could like both Sean Paul and Kendrick Lamar. Bonus pop trivia points if you know what they have in common (other than appearing on Sia records, obviously).

Rita Ora

Am I the only one who'll admit being old enough to know it's not a new single? It's so old that he refers to wearing jeans as if it's a bad thing. (1979, to be exact).

Mind you, The Fall have released a lot more albums than her and they've never had a Number One either.

I presume the Trio reissue was postponed to avoid overshadowing Dolly's new material.

I said on Twitter they really should have included The Farm in this. Their first album was a Number One and the others didn't even make the Top 75 (even with some hit singles).

If it's a grat, what does it matter when in the week you release it?

There's always an element of luck in these things, and I don't think it's a coincidence that all three of the songs we're talking about stretched their runs over the summer period when the record industry tends to go quiet. For example, if Justin Timberlake had chosen to do some UK promotion for his single, he might have overtaken for at least a week or two.

Are the Chainsmokers just releasing a single every fortnight now?

Just to be a pedant here - 'Saturday Night' was the first DEBUT single to enter at Number One (apart from a couple of technicalities). So it's not really ironic, because Wet Wet Wet had been around since 1987 and thus were in no position to do what Whigfield did.