The bombardment of album releases continues, and the BBC complains about the chart rules.

1 Tones & I – “Dance Monkey”

Six weeks, and despite a wobble a little while back, it’s still growing. Maybe it’ll be one of those number ones that hangs around for ages due to the next wave of big releases holding off for Christmas.

2. Dua Lipa – “Don’t Start Now”

It’s the start of November – it’s time to get that album out for the Christmas market.

1. Tones & I – “Dance Monkey”

Five weeks, and after it seemed to have peaked, it’s growing again. Could be here for a while.

3. Selena Gomez – “Lose You To Love Me”
26. Selena Gomez – “Look At Her Now”

Ah well, another tumbleweed week.

1. Tones & I – “Dance Monkey”

Four weeks and counting, and with a massive lead over the competition (though it does seem to have peaked). It’s going to be here for a while. Wikipedia now lists 19 countries where this has been number 1. And below that… a singularly uneventful top 30.

“Circles” by Post Malone is up 4-3. “South of the Border” by Ed Sheeran featuring Camila Cabello & Cardi B climbs 7-4 – that’s the highest Cardi B has ever been. “Bruises” by Lewis Capaldi climbs 9-6. Aitch gets a third top 10 hit as “Buss Down” climbs 11-8. “Memories” by Maroon 5 climbs 19-10, which is their eleventh top 10 hit. The Harry Styles single that entered at number 3 last week drops to 11, which is not a good sign for his breadth of appeal. “Turn Me On” by Riton & Oliver Heldens featuring Vula climbs 16-12.

15. Meduza, Becky Hill & Goodboys – “Lose Control”

In which a whole bunch of records hit ten weeks on chart and get whacked by the chart rules on older hits, thus allowing… well, some climbers, because there’s still not a huge amount going on in terms of new releases.

1. Tones & I – “Dance Monkey”

Three weeks and counting. This is over ten weeks old as well, by the way, but it’s still growing, so it’s not in danger of being hit by the chart rules just yet. “Ride It” by Regard climbs 3-2, and…

3. Harry Styles – “Lights Up”

Another fairly quiet week on the singles chart coupled with a barrage of new material on the albums.

1. Tones & I – “Dance Monkey”

Second week, and it’s still growing – streams were up to 7.34m last week. Could be around for a while.

2. Travis Scott – “Highest in the Room”

Movement! Or rather, artificial movement! Because, in another of those weeks when the downweighting rule for older singles makes its presence a bit too glaringly obvious, Ed Sheeran’s “Take Me Back to London” reaches its tenth week on chart, and (having peaked a few weeks ago) promptly drops straight from 1 to 13. This rule needs some refining. Meanwhile…

1. Tones & I – “Dance Monkey”

Practically a dead week… but let’s run through it. “Take Me Back To London” by Ed Sheeran featuring Stormzy spends a fifth week at number one, with unspectacular sales/streams but a comfortable lead over the pack. “Taste (Make it Shake)” by Aitch is up to 2, and “Ride It” by Regard climbs into the top 10 at number 5 – overtaking the original Jay Sean version in the process, which only managed number 11. “Dance Monkey” by Tones & I also enters the top 10, by climbing to 7.

I don’t normally mention the fallers, but “Don’t Call Me Angel (Charlie’s Angels)” by Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey drops from 2 to 12 in its second week out, which is really quite unusual for a major release – this sort of first-week fanbase behaviour was common in the days of sales charts, but we don’t see it so much any more. Then we have a string on modest climbers: “Post Malone” by Sam Feldt featuring Rani (17-15), “Be Honest” by Jorja Smith featuring Burna Boy (18-16), “Outnumbered” by Dermot Kennedy (20-17), “Professor X” by Dave (24-19) and “Panini” by Lil Nas X (23-21), none of which particularly merit talking about. More notably, “Wiley Flow” by Stormzy vaults 37-22.

23. Lizzo – “Good as Hell”

Quite a few oddities this week. Plus, a busy week at the top end of the album chart!

1. Ed Sheeran featuring Stormzy – “Take Me Back To London”

Four weeks and counting. It’s still getting eight million plus streams a week, and it holds off a strong challenge from…

2. Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus & Lana Del Rey – “Don’t Call Me Angel (Charlie’s Angels)”

The theme for the new Charlie’s Angels movie (hence the easily searchable bracketed bit in the title), from the all-star collaborative trios of Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, and — hold on, who?!?

Once again, it’s a more interesting week for albums. But let’s get the singles out of the way first.

1. Ed Sheeran featuring Stormzy – “Take Me Back To London”

Three weeks and counting, so it’s now Stormzy’s longest-running number one. Stormzy also has another single out, but we’ll come to that later.

11. Post Malone – “Hollywood’s Bleeding”

How long till they start tinkering with the rules again to speed up the chart, I wonder?

1.  Ed Sheeran featuring Stormzy – “Take Me Back To London”

Second week, and I imagine it’s settling in for the long haul. “Taste (Make it Shake)” by Aitch climbs 6-3 – this is easily his biggest credited hit, though he’s also on the remix version of “Take Me Back to London”, and his guest verse on Young T & Bugsey’s “Strike A Pose” climbs 12-10 this week. “Sorry” by Joel Corry climbs 7-6, and “Ransom” by Lil Tecca climbs 9-7 – the parent debut album “We Love You Tecca” enters at 15.

11. Post Malone – “Circles”

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