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Jan 9

Charts – 8 January 2012

Posted on Monday, January 9, 2012 by Paul in Music

It’s always quiet in early January, since nobody starts promoting new singles until Christmas is comfortably behind them.  Things start to pick up a little this week, but it’s still not exactly a jam-packed chart.  With the Christmas novelty records also out of the way, that leaves the long-running hits from last year to trade places at the top of the chart.  Last week it was Coldplay.  This week, for some reason, it’s “Good Feeling” by Flo Rida, which came out in November and has been hanging around the top ten for eight weeks.

This is Flo Rida’s fourth UK number one, the others being “Right Round” with Kesha from 2009, his guest appearance on “Bad Boys” by Alexandra Burke later that year, and “Club Can’t Handle Me” with David Guetta from  2010.  As I explained back when it first charted, it’s based on the instrumental “Levels” by Avicii, which in turn rebounds from 12 to 4 to this week.  Since I last wrote about “Levels”, it has spawned a proper official video.  Unfortunately, it’s not very good.  Personally, if I were you, I’d stick with the fan video from last year.  But if you feel euphoric dance records are improved by insincere existential bleakness… well, here you go.

The highest new entry this week, presumably hoping to sneak a number 1, and doubtless rather disappointed to find itself stuck behind two records that have been out for months, is “Troublemaker” by Taio Cruz at number 3.  It’s a Taio Cruz single, much like the others.  It’s an entirely passable pop single, in a more-of-the-same kind of way.

Also in the top ten are a couple of notable climbers taking advantage of the lack of competition.  Rizzle Kicks’ “Mama Do The Hump” reaches number 5 in its fourth week, while Jessie J’s “Domino” leaps from 34 to 8, and seems to be challenging for number 1 next week.  Its appeal eludes me, but then I guess the real Katy Perry hasn’t had anything out in a while.

Further down the chart, number 16 is a rather lowly entry for JLS’ “Do You Feel What I Feel?”, the third single from their current album.  To be fair, the album’s been out since November, and their fans presumably own it all already – but judging from the iTunes chart, this is going to swandive straight out next week, and that’s not in the script for a JLS single.  If you’re trying to place the hook, it’s lifted from “Do You See What I See”, best known in the Bing Crosby version.  The video features some rather blatant product placement for Volvo, because heaven knows there’s nothing the JLS fan base love more than spending their Christmas money on a nice new Volvo.

Number 21 is a cover of “Higher Love” by James Vincent McMorrow, which is being used in adverts for Lovefilm.  McMorrow’s been floating around for a couple of years picking up good reviews, but this is his first chart appearance.  Strangely, it seems that adverts are more effective than radio airplay when it comes to these sorts of minimal cover versions.  No proper video, but this is the official lyric video.  (Really, it is.)

The original version reached number 13 in 1986 for Steve Winwood, making it his biggest solo hit.  His biggest hit period was as a member of the Spencer Davis Group, who reached number 1 in 1965 with “Keep On Running”.

Number 31 is “Hold On” by Skepta, whose breakthrough into the mainstream appears to have stalled somewhat.  Considering he sat out the whole of 2011, he might have hoped for his comeback single to do better than this (which matches the chart placing of his last single “Cross My Heart”).

And number 37 is “Home Again” by Michael Kiwanuka, a soul singer who the BBC are pushing as the next big thing of 2012.  He supported Adele on her tour last year. I suspect he’s going to be more of an albums act, but this is rather good.

Bring on the comments

  1. AJ says:

    God damn, Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love” is a hell of a catchy song.

  2. John says:

    The First Choice ad, which was all over tele during Christmas, uses Flo Rida’s “Good Feeling”, that might explain it’s rise to #1 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1TZrmxSKKQ

  3. Kate the Short says:

    WHUT. The ad associated with the Good Feeling vid is for Romney for President. Ah, because he’ll be president one day. There we go. Annnnnnnnd it’s his travelogue. And a bit of a concert vid. Meh. Love the song, though.

    Avicii: Bizarre.

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