Turnover at the top seems to be returning to something more normal.  After the epic runs earlier in the year, we’ve had six different number one singles in the space of ten weeks.  The latest being…

1.  Sam Smith – “Too Good At Goodbyes”

New entry at number one.  See, it still happens sometimes.  This is the lead single from Smith’s second album, and it’s already his sixth number one.  That makes it sound like the first album was an unstoppable juggernaut, but in fact it’s a bit more complicated.  2013’s “La La La” was a guest shot on a Naughty Boy single.  2014’s “Money On My Mind” and “Stay With Me” were indeed regular singles from the album.  2015’s “Lay Me Down” was a charity release.  And “Writing’s On The Wall”, later that year, was a non-album Bond theme.  Still, Bond themes don’t routinely go to number one, so that was a pretty clear sign that people were waiting for new Sam Smith material.

It’s number one on sales and two on streams, which is a decent balance.  It may have helped that Spotify had a video for it on their playlist, though I’m not sure if video plays actually count towards the singles chart, come to think of it.  The song is much what you’d expect from a Sam Smith ballad – bit middle of the road, but pleasantly plaintive for all that.

4.  Zayn featuring Sia – “Dusk Till Dawn”

This is the lead single from Zayn Malik’s second album.  And if he spent the first album ostentatiously backing away from One Direction and trying to convince us that he’s a bad boy now, this is very much a tack in the other direction.  Given that the chart positions tailed off rather sharply after his number 1 debut “Pillowtalk”, perhaps that shouldn’t be a surprise.

So for “Dusk Till Dawn”, Zayn has got in Sia.  And together they’ve… made a Sia record.  Thing is, Sia does big belting choruses and has a memorable voice, and Zayn Malik… used to be in One Direction.  It’s not a comparison that does him many favours.  But it’s an acceptable second-tier Sia single, I guess.

“Havana” by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug climbs 11-10, giving Cabello her first top 10 hit as a solo artist.  “Questions” by Chris Brown is up 16-13.

16.  Logic featuring Alessia Cara & Khalid – “1-800-273-8255”

1-800-273-8255 is the American National Suicide Prevention Hotline, so that pretty much tells you where this one is going.  It’s a good video, considering that in five minutes this sort of thing is always going to veer into melodrama.  I’m not entirely sure it’s the sort of song that calls for guest singers, but it’s 2017 and that’s the norm.

Logic’s been around for a few years, and his album made number 20 in the spring, but this is his first appearance on the singles chart.  Alessia Cara’s only solo UK hit is last year’s number 28 “Here”, but she was also on Zedd’s “Stay”, which made the top ten in April.  Khalid is the same guy who made his chart debut guesting on “Silence” by Marshmello when it entered at 39 last week (it climbs to 34 now).

“Bestie” by Yungen featuring Yxng Bane rebounds to 17 for a new peak (just).  “Lonely Together” by Avicii featuring Rita Ora is up 35-21, as it seems to be breaking from the pack on his current EP.

27.  Kelly Clarkson – “Piece by Piece”

Kelly Clarkson only has sporadic hits in the UK, but she does still notch them up from time to time.  Her last appearance as lead artist was in 2015, when “Heartbeat Song” made the top 10.  Now she’s back with a new single.  It’s called “Love So Soft”, and it enters this week at number 81.

Meanwhile… here’s a track that’s been out for over a year, and staggered to 95 on its original release.  Maybe it works better in America where people are more invested in her celebrity arc (even though the song is self-explanatory – it’s about her father leaving her as a child, and her husband restoring her faith in fathers, basically).  Then again, maybe it’s just the sort of thing which plays better as a talent show audition piece.  Which is why it’s here: somebody did it on X Factor.

It used to be more common for back catalogue material to chart on the back of an X Factor cover, but it’s been less common of late.  The 2017 season has only just started, so time will tell if this is an anomaly or a return to previous levels of chart influence.

28.  Stefflon Don & French Montana – “Hurtin’ Me”

That’s the same Stefflon Don who was on “Instruction” by Jax Jones, getting her first lead hit.  “Instruction” drops out of the top 40 this week, by the way.  French Montana’s “Unforgettable”, which had 15 weeks in the top 10 until the rules changes booted it on its way, is still hanging around just inside the top 20.

“If I’m Lucky” by Jason DeRulo climbs 32-30, and we mentioned Marshmello already.

On the album chart:

• “Sleep Well Beast” by The National is number 1.  It’s the seventh studio album by these indie throwbacks.  Only the last three charted in the UK, and this is their first number one.  Single: “Day I Die”.
• “Nothing But Thieves” by Broken Machine is number 2.  That pushes Ed Sheeran down to number 3, for only the second time since his album came out… twenty-eight weeks ago.  Anyway, this is more mildly-alt rock.  The debut album made number 7 a couple of years ago, so this is a step up.  Single: “Sorry”.
• “Hitchhiker” by Neil Young is number 6.  Technically this is his thirty-eighth studio album, but it was actually recorded in 1976 and rejected by his label at the time.  Most of the songs on it have been released elsewhere since then, but not in these exact versions.  Single: “Powderfinger”.
• “Hippopotamus” by Sparks is 7.  A new Sparks album, with a return to their arch art-pop style.  The Mael brothers haven’t had a top ten album since 1974 and they now have an average age of seventy.  Not that you’d know it from the single below.

• “Out of All This Blue” by the Waterboys is 8.  The Waterboys haven’t had a top 10 album since 1993, but they did make a bit of a chart comeback with their previous album “Modern Blues” (number 14 in 2015), so this is less surprising.  Single: “If The Answer Is Yeah”.
• “Sleep No More” by Jack Savoretti re-enters at 11, after originally making number 6 on release last year.  Not sure what that’s about.  Anyway, here’s “We Are Bound”.
• “Native Invader” by Tori Amos is 16.  This is Tori Amos in protest mode.  She was going to make an album about the musical traditions of North Carolina, but that was before the election and, well.  Number 16 is about normal for her these days.  Single: “Cloud Riders”.
• “In The Lonely Hour” by Sam Smith re-enters at 20, because the single has reminded everyone about him.  It spent a total of eight weeks at number 1 in 2014 and 2015.
• “Wake Up Now” by Nick Mulvey is 25.  This is the guy who had a minor hit with “Cucurucu” from his previous album in 2014.  That album made the top 10, so diminishing returns.  Single: “Mountain To Move”.
• “Antisocialites” by Alvvays is 28.  Canadian indie.  It’s their second album, but the first to have any impact in Britain.  And it’s pronounced “always”.  I guess it’s easier to Google this way?  If you already know that’s how it’s spelt?  Single: “Dreams Tonite”.
• “Live at the O2 Arena + Rarities” by Alter Bridge is 36.  Self-explanatory.
• “Will To Power” by Arch Enemy is 37.  Swedish metal!  Here’s the title track.