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Nov 18

Charts – 17 November 2017

Posted on Saturday, November 18, 2017 by Paul in Music

Nice quiet week.  We start with…

1.  Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug – “Havana”

Three weeks at number one, and there’s not much more to say about that.  If you’re into statistical quirks, you might be interested to note that it’s not number one on the pure sales chart, or on the pure streaming chart; but what it does have is a balance between both sources.   The streaming number one is “Rock Star”, and the sales number one is “Anywhere” by Rita Ora, which climbs 5-2 to become her biggest hit since “I Will Never Let You Down” reached number 1 in 2014.

7.  Eminem featuring Beyonce – “Walk On Water”

This is the lead single from his ninth solo album “Revival”, and if it wasn’t for the big name guest star, it would be a surprising choice, since it’s basically five minutes of Eminem rapping over a piano.

“I walk on water but I ain’t no Jesus / I walk on water, but only when it freezes”.  Yes, it’s another of those songs about how very successful and famous people are in fact also human and have feelings and stuff.  By the last verse, he’s moved on to acknowledging that his imperial phase is over and people don’t actually care as much as they used to – which is at least a new topic for Eminem, and the elephant in the room for somebody whose stock in trade has often been talking about his own iconic status.  Ironically, he hasn’t been this high up the chart since “The Monster” reached number 1 in 2013.  For that matter, it’s the highest position that Beyonce has reached since 2015, when her guest shot on Naughty Boy’s “Runnin’ (Lose It All)” reached 4.

Below that, we have a nice string of uneventful climbers.  “Man’s Not Hot” by Big Shaq climbs 11-8 to enter the top 10 – impressive for a slow-burn novelty hit.  “Blinded By Your Grace – Part 2” by Stormzy featuring MNEK jumps 22-12.  And  “I Miss You” by Clean Bandit featuring Julia Michaels climbs 23-14, so it’s gaining momentum after an unexpectedly slow start.

17.  MK – “17”

Climbing 25-20, but it’s got a video now.  That’s Lisbon in the video, apparently.  I like the Italian house piano on this, it’s a nice change from the deluge of tropical house we’ve had this year.  “Let You Down” by NF climbs 24-23, and “Gucci Gang” by Lil Pump climbs 38-27.  And… it’s that time of year again.

29.  Elbow – “Golden Slumbers”

This is the soundtrack for the John Lewis Christmas advert, the modern British tradition in which a winsome cover version and a sentimental video remind us that John Lewis department stores are a beloved British institution.  Seriously, this is a thing now.  It’s a Beatles cover, of course – the original is from “Abbey Road”, and it’s ideally suited for John Lewis advert purposes, because it was only ninety-two seconds long to begin with.  Elbow haven’t had a hit single since 2008, when “One Day Like This” reached number 4; none of their other singles ever got past 19.  There have been four Elbow albums since 2008, but none of them produced any hits.  John Lewis soundtrack covers aren’t guaranteed to chart; last year’s single was Vaults’ version of “One Day I’ll Fly Away”, and that only got to 53.  But they usually do respectably.

And there’s nothing of any significance below 30.  On the album chart…

  • “Reputation” by Taylor Swift at 1.  Well, no surprise there.  It’s her third number one album.  “Ready For It” is at 35 this week, and surprisingly it’s the only Swift track in the top 40 singles.
  • “Diamonds” by Elton John is 5.  It’s a greatest hits box set, basically – nearly four hours of Elton John, but the official theme is his collaboration with Bernie Taupin, which allows them to leave off “Candle in the Wind”.  Let’s have the ultra-80s “Nikita”,
  • “Instant Pleasures” by Shed Seven at 8.  Their first album since 2001, though they’ve been playing shows on and off for ten years.  This is pretty typical of where their albums used to place back in the day.  Single: “Room In My House”.  (The video confirms that Shed Seven are definitely twenty years older than they used to be.)
  • “When You’re Smiling” by Bradley Walsh at 11.  Another entry in the singing quiz host subgenre, and the follow-up to last year’s “Chasing Dreams” (which got to 10).  I can’t seem to find anything promoting this on YouTube, which is fair enough really, given the target audience, so here’s the Spotify link.
  • “Rule the World – The Greatest Hits” by Tears for Fears at 12.  Not to be confused with “Tears Roll Down – Greatest Hits 82-92”.  “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” was indeed their biggest hit, reaching number 2 in 1985.
  • “Stronger Thru The Years” by Cliff Richard at 14.  His sixty-third top 40 album, in a career running without interruption since 1959.  This is a compilation, billed as “2 CDs featuring timeless songs of love and reflection”.  It’s mostly from the early part of his career, but it’s got “Devil Woman”, so let’s have that.
  • “Jupiter Calling” by The Corrs at 15.  Their second album since reforming a couple of years ago, and their lowest position for a new studio album (though only by one place).  Single: “Butter Flutter”.
  • “Standards” by Seal at 17.  It’s Seal singing standards.  This is in the range of where his recent albums have placed.  Single: “Luck Be A Lady”.
  • “Synthesis” by Evanescence at 23.  Well, it’s a change from the Christmas releases, at least, Evanescence haven’t had a hit album since their self-titled release in 2011.  This is supposed to be semi-orchestral new arrangements of their back catalogue material.  Single: “Hi-Lo”.
  • “Kidz Bop 2018” by Kidz Bop Kids at 28.  Follow-up to “Kidz Bop”, which made number 7 in April.  This is the UK expansion of the weird US Minipops covers brand.  Song choices range from the natural to the mystifying; Ed Sheeran’s “Castle on the Hill” is a nostalgic reminiscence about being fifteen, but here it is anyway.

Bring on the comments

  1. clay says:

    “Candle in the Wind” WAS a collaboration with Taupin, though. Both the original and the Diana version featured his lyrics.

    Maybe Sir Elton’s as sick of it as the rest of us. (Well. the original holds up, since I haven’t heard it 48,000 times.)

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