So, yeah, still no time to write any reviews this week.  Wolverines vol 1 is next in the queue.  But let’s get the chart post done, since it’s another short one (and largely written already).  So much for last week’s burst of new releases…

39.  Kodaline – “Honest”

Irish rock band, with the lead single from their second album.  The first one gave them a couple of minor hits back in 2013, with “High Hopes” getting to 16.  This doesn’t get close to that, nor does it really deserve to.  It’s a flaccid plodder.

18.  The Weeknd – “Earned It”

Climbing 15, though it’s not going much further in today’s midweeks.  Still, it deserves to cross over beyond the 50 Shades of Grey promotion.  More of the film in a moment.  But first…

8.  Mike Mago & Dragonette – “Outlines”

Mike Mago is a Dutch DJ making his chart debut.  Dragonette are a Canadian synthpop duo.  We’ve had them on the chart before, back in early 2011 when they collaborated with Martin Solveig on the rather excellent “Hello”.  This drops to 20 in the midweeks, so it isn’t sticking around.

The song’s okay.  The video at least looks distinctive, but it really doesn’t go anywhere.

1.  Ellie Goulding – “Love Me Like You Do”

From the soundtrack to Fifty Shades of Grey – because nothing says sadomasochistic pornography like an Ellie Goulding power ballad.  Of course, the Fifty Shades of Grey movie isn’t being marketed as erotica but rather as an Event Romance, which is a rarity in itself.  It’s an interesting sell, because the success of the book was widely credited to the anonymity of e-books.  The movie can’t be pitched as a solitary experience, and hence winds up as a Valentine’s Day release.  And since most love songs in pop music are pretty abjectly devoted to start with, there’s pretty much zero tweaking required to make them seem vaguely thematic.  The video includes clips of the movie, from which we learn that it will feature clothing, helicopters, and cityscapes.

This is Ellie Goudling’s second number one, following “Burn”, which got three weeks in 2013.  Always liked that one.

She seems to be on course for a second week at number one, which will mean two consecutive number ones managing multiple weeks.  Rather depressingly, that hasn’t happened since 2013.

On the albums chart, a similarly quiet week.

• “Shadows in the Night” by Bob Dylan at 1.  Dylan sings Sinatra.  This is his eighth number 1 album, the first coming in 1964, and the most recent in 2009.  Single: “Full Moon and Empty Arms”.
• “Brothers in Arms” by Dire Straits at 8.  A number 1 album in 1985, re-entering because iTunes and Google Play were both discounting it to 99p.  There’s room for debate about whether this should really count, obviously.
• “Full Speed” by Kid Ink at 10.  The follow-up to “My Own Lane”, which made 34 last January.  The singles “Body Language” and “Hotel” both just missed the top 40, despite big name guest stars like Usher and Chris Brown.
• “No Romeo” by Indiana at 17.  You may remember her single “Solo Dancing”, which got to number 14 last May.  You’re less likely to remember the follow-up “Heart on Fire”, which missed the top 75, and resulted in this debut album being pushed back several times before finally slinking out now.
• “Wallflower” by Diana Krall at 19.  She’s a Canadian jazz singer, and this is her eighth charting album.  Here’s the title track on Letterman.