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Mar 9

Charts – 8 March 2019

Posted on Saturday, March 9, 2019 by Paul in Music

So the singles chart is looking a bit becalmed again…

1.  Lewis Capaldi – “Someone You Loved”

That’s two weeks, with a lead over Calvin Harris equivalent to 6,000 sales.  The previous single “Grace” climbs to a new peak of 21.  Meanwhile, “Don’t Call Me Up” by Mabel, which I didn’t think much of, moves 5-3, so what do I know?

6.  The Jonas Brothers – “Sucker”

There is, if you prefer, a Director’s Cut of this video available.  It’s half as long again, which seems excessive, so I’m going with the regular version.  The Jonas Brothers were one of those Disney-orbiting acts who were involved in Camp Rock back in 2005 or so.  They split in 2013, and this is something of a surprise reunion.

You’ll see some coverage talking as if a Jonas Brothers reunion is a big deal in itself, but that’s more true in America, where they had a few years worth of hit singles on the back of their Disney careers.  In Britain, their only vaguely significant hit single was “S.O.S.”, which made number 13 in 2008 – though Nick Jonas had some solo hits a couple of years back, and Joe Jonas is a member of DNCE, who made “Cake By The Ocean” (and failed to make the top 40 with the follow-up).  So they’re hardly guaranteed a top ten hit on name value alone.  They’re here at least in part because the single is not bad at all; it’s co-written by Ryan Tedder, but it’s got a bit more life to it than many songs that have his name attached..

“Just You and I” by Tom Walker climbs 10-8, as his debut album “What A Time To Be Alive” enters at number 1.  “I’m So Tired” by Lauv & Troye Sivan climbs 17-14.

18.  Roddy Ricch x Chip x Yxng Bane – “How It Is”

Well, the production’s quite good, but everything else is just meandering.  Yxng Bane gets his biggest hit since “Answerphone” reached the top 10 a year ago.  Chip is the guy who started off as Chipmunk back in 2009; he hasn’t had a top 40 hit since he guested on a Wiley single in 2013.  Roddy Ricch is from Compton, and this is his first appearance on the singles chart.

“Murder On My Mind” by YNW Melly climbs 31-20, and I refer you to last week’s post.   Little Mix featuring Ty Dolla $ign’s “Think About Us” edges up one more place to 22, and Kehlani’s “Nights Like This”, also featuring Ty Dolla $ign, moves 33-29.

32.  Swarmz featuring Tion Wayne – “Bally”

Tion Wayne’s second hit of the year, after guesting on NSG’s “Options”, which is still in the top 10.  Swarmz is a London rapper, and this is his first hit.  The track’s been out for a couple of months, but a remix video just came out, which must have helped.  I prefer the remix, but the hook’s great either way.

34.  Sigrid – “Don’t Feel Like Crying”

Meanwhile, Norwegian pop.  Sigrid had a top ten hit last year with “Strangers” and didn’t manage to follow it up – the follow-up “High Five” stalled at 59.  This is the final single before the album comes out (it should chart next week) and it’s… in third gear?  There’s something missing here.

Over on the album chart, it’s a busy week.  I’ve already mentioned Tom Walker at number one…

2.  Bryan Adams – “Shine A Light”

His fourteenth studio album, and the title track is co-written by Ed Sheeran – not that you’d know, for a change.  Since the ailing album charts favour legacy acts, number 2 for a Bryan Adams album really isn’t that surprising – he did the same thing with his previous studio album in 2015.

6.  Hozier – “Wasteland Baby”

You may remember his 2014 hit “Take Me To Church”.  This is the belated follow-up album, and it’s a second top ten entry, so not bad after a five year gap.  The single above is rather good, though the video is horrendously over the top.

13.  The Prodigy – “Their Law – The Singles 1990-2000”
26.  The Prodigy – “The Fat of the Land”
35.  The Prodigy – “No Tourists”

The natural consequence of the death of sometime frontman Keith Flint earlier in the week is the return of the Prodigy’s greatest hits album from their 90s-era prime, the return of their 1997 album “Fat of the Land” (the one with “Firestarter” and “Breathe” on it), and – perhaps a little more surprisingly – their last album “No Tourists”.  It’s maybe a little more surprising that none of these records make the singles top 40; “Firestarter” is the highest, at number 58.  But “Firestarter” was in 1996.  Today it sounds more or less conventional, but at the time, it was viewed as unusually harsh and aggressive for a number one.  Of course, in those days a number one single got played in prime time on Top of the Pops to people who weren’t otherwise paying attention – something that doesn’t apply to anything like the same extent in the current atomisation of pop culture.

18.  Solange – “When I Get Home”

The second album to chart by Beyoncé’s sister, who does not have quite the same mononymity cachet – her Wikipedia entry is headed “Solange Knowles”, while “Solange” is still assigned primarily to the beheaded 9th century saint.  Then again, singles like the track above suggest that Solange is not exactly bending over backwards for commercial success.  It’s worth a play, though.

21.  While She Sleeps – “So What”

They’re a Sheffield metalcore album and this is their fourth album.  The first two landed in the twenties, the next one made number 8… but it looks like they’re back where they started.

And now, in one of those wonderful genre whiplashes that only the album chart can provide…

23.  Daniel O’Donnell – “The Gold Collection”

This greatest hits album by the MOR veteran offers sixty songs, and nearly three and a half hours of Daniel O’Donnell.  Daniel O’Donnell did have a string of minor hits in the 1990s, most of which are on this album, but sadly YouTube is very short of early Daniel O’Donnell videos, so here’s his final top 40 hit, “Crush On You”, which reached number 21 as late as 2006.  Some top quality swaying going on there.

24.  Original West End Cast – “Heathers The Musical”

Just what the world needs: a cast recording of the Heathers musical, not by the Broadway cast from 2014, but by the current London cast.  Okay.  Alright.

28.  Sundara Karma – “Ulfilas’ Alphabet”

They’re an indie band from Reading, and this is their second album.  The first was “Youth Is Only Ever Fun In Retrospect”, which reached number 24 a little over two years back.

30.  Lil Skies – “Shelby”

He’s a Pennsylvanian rapper.  This is his second album, but the first one (“Life of a Dark Rose”) did nothing in the UK.

38.  “The Best of Everything – The Definitive Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers”

It’s another epic greatest hits collection – 2.5 hours, 38 songs.  We’ll go with “I Won’t Back Down”, which was credited just to Tom Petty as a single, but it’s on the album, and it was his biggest hit single (28 in 1989).

Bring on the comments

  1. JB says:

    I feel immensely smug that I immediately twigged that the Daniel O’Donnell video was filmed in St Andrews from that thumbnail image alone.

  2. Taibak says:

    JB: Bloody hell, how did I miss that?

    Should have spent more time in the quad, I guess.

  3. Evilgus says:

    Does anybody else ever wonder how they managed to spend 4 years in St A’s? It’s tiny…

    … And I had to travel to Dundee on the bus each month for my comic fix 🙂

  4. Taibak says:

    Try four months. Just long enough to be considered a high risk for mad cow disease then back to the States.

    Still, some of the best times I’ve ever had. Damn near went back there for my postgraduate degree.

    Of course, I’m also still self-conscious about mixing up “trousers” and “pants” and still eat chips with a fork, but that’s besides the point….

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