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Feb 28

Charts – 24 February 2017

Posted on Tuesday, February 28, 2017 by Paul in Music

By today’s standards, it’s a busy week!

1.  Ed Sheeran – “Shape of You”

That’s seven weeks.  This seems like a good time to remind you that the previous number one was “Rockabye” by Clean Bandit, which lasted nine.  Anyway, it’s been seven weeks, so it feels like time for another single from the album…

2.  Ed Sheeran – “How Would You Feel (Paean)”

…and here it is!  This isn’t just any old “How Would You Feel”.  This is a paean.  That’s a song of praise or triumph, by the way.  Although the autocomplete prompt on YouTube was “How Would You Feel Pain”, so.  The song feels pretty middle of the road to me, but there’s no denying Sheeran’s star status.

The other single, “Castle on the Hill”, drops one place to 4 this week.  Oh, and this week Sheeran released two new remixes of “Shape of You”, both of which also count towards its chart position, and one of which he promoted on the Brit Awards – so an eighth week seems almost guaranteed.

5.  Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley – “Chained to the Rhythm”

Up two places, and it’s got a video now.  It’s along the lines you’d expect – apparently, the visual signifiers for “we are all consumerised zombies” is the fifties with a dash of the eighties.  Like I said last week, this feels way behind the moment to me – it’s been one of those handwavingly vague themes used for very mildly political pop for ages, half heartedly encouraging a sort of all purpose awareness without being particularly clear about what exactly we’re supposed to be aware of, but at any rate it feels like yesterday’s concern to me.

9.  Kygo & Selena Gomez – “It Ain’t Me”

Oh, now this is quite good.  It feels very Eurovision to me, at least until it gets to the vocal cut-up stuff.  No bad thing.  Kygo is a Danish producer and this is his second top ten hit, after “Firestone” reached number 8 last year.  Selena Gomez, as I’ve said before, is more written about than actually listened to in this country; her records regularly make the top 40 but don’t often get this high.  This is only her third top ten hit, after 2013’s “Come and Get It” and – still, remarkably, her highest UK chart placing – “Naturally”, which made number 7 back in 2010 when she was still being billed as Selene Gomez & The Scene.

13.  Take That – “Giants”

The lead single from their next album.  This is still the three-piece version of Take That.  It’s serviceable but it doesn’t feel like one of their stronger tracks.  It says a lot about the Take That audience that this managed to shift 12,000 copies on CD single, a format you have to go out of your way to track down these days.

20.  Rag’N’Bone Man – “Skin”

Up another five, and slowly gathering pace.

21.  Anne-Marie – “Ciao Adios”

Up from 40 last week, making it the highest climber.

30.  The Chainsmokers & Coldplay – “Something Just Like This”

Debuted at the Brit Awards on Wednesday, so that’s quick.  First time I’ve seen a lyric video with a director credit at the start – the distinction between these things and proper videos continues to erode.  Not a collaboration that that I’d have seen coming, to be honest, but it’s pretty much what you’d expect if you were told these two were going to work together – essentially what a Chainsmokers remix of a vaguely epic Coldplay song might sound like.

31.  James Arthur – “Safe Inside”

Up five for a new peak in its third week.

32.  Maroon 5 featuring Future – “Cold”

Is there anything interesting to say about Maroon 5?  Nothing springs to mind.  Future is one of those rappers who’s been around for years while somehow managing to avoid ever having a hit singles in the UK, even as a guest star.  He’s done okay on the album charts, and his current self-titled album enters at 15 this week.

40.  Martin Jensen – “Solo Dance”

Danish dance music.  This has been just outside the chart for a few weeks, and now scrapes in.  It’s his first hit.  The Wikipedia entry charmingly informs us that it has “reached the Bubbling Under charts in both areas of Belgium”, which seems an odd thing to single out, since it’s actually been a hit in most of Europe.

On the album chart:

  • “Human” by Rag’N’Bone Man has a second week at number 1.
  • “Under Stars” by Amy Macdonald at 2.  Macdonald had a couple of hit singles early in her career before tailing off – 2010’s “This Is The Life” is probably the most memorable – but her albums continue to do well.  Single: “Dream On”.
  • “Prisoner” by Ryan Adams at 3.  That’s his highest chart place to date – his previous best was number 6 with a self-titled album in 2014, but the 2015 album only managed 19, so…  Single: “Do You Still Love Me?”
  • “Future” by Future at 15, which we’ve covered.
  • “Dread Times” by Dreadzone at 39.  Hold on, that Dreadzone?  The ones who had a hit with “Little Britain” in 1996?  Yes, and it’s the first time they’ve made the album chart since LB’s parent album “Second Light” made number 37 in 1995.  Single: “Mountain”.

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