This week's Official UK Singles Chart

This week's Official UK Albums Chart

 

On the surface it has "corporate brainstorm" written all over it: "OK so we have Elvis… with an orchestra!" Yet despite the plucked out of the air nature of the concept, I Can Dream, the collision between the voice of long-deceased Elvis Presley and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra turns out to have been an inspired idea. The collection storms to the top of the Official UK Albums chart in some considerable style, the second fastest selling new album of the year giving the legendary Rock N' Roll singer his 12th Number One album exactly 59 years to the week after his first.

This new chart-topper moves The King ahead of Robbie Williams as the man with more Number One albums than any other. Madonna remains the all-time champion soloist with 12, whilst the all-time UK record belongs to The Beatles who have managed 15 Number One albums to date.

Passing away over 38 years ago, Elvis furthermore tops the album chart longer since his death than any other late star. There are some records that nobody truly aspires to.

Elvis' success denies Rod Stewart the chance to have a new Number One album of his own, his new collection Another Country debuting at Number 2. Now aged 70, he would have become only the second septuagenarian to reach Number One, hard on the heels of 73-year-old Bob Dylan who managed the trick back in February.

Adele, on the other hand, is only 27, even if the title of her forthcoming new album would like us to think she's still only 25. Whilst we wait for the inevitable sales juggernaut to arrive, its lead single Hello clocks up a second week at the top of the Official UK Singles chart, naturally enough in a manner which suggests nothing is likely to move it anytime soon. The single of the moment was streamed a further 5.78 million times and sold a further 121,000 downloaded copies for a total tally of 179,000 chart sales. In two weeks the single has clocked up over half a million chart sales and seems set to become a million seller by the end of the year.

This sadly leaves Justin Bieber's Sorry continuing to knock on the door at Number 2, his 4.41 million plays and 48,000 downloads enough to make him an easy Number One artist under any normal circumstances - of which of course these are not.

New to the Top 10 this week is MNEK whose collaboration with Swedish singer Zara Larsson Never Forget You moves 11-7 after a six-week climb. It is the British producer's biggest hit single to date as a lead artist, this following his guest artist credit on Gorgon City's Ready For Your Love which reached Number 4 in February 2014.

Ariana Grande's two previous Top 10 hits both opened their chart account at Number One, the Iggy Azalea-featured Problem and the Jessie J and Nicki Minaj collaboration Bang Bang both coming in 2014. Despite a strong opening show at the weekend her new single faded as the week went on, leaving Focus to debut at a slightly disappointing Number 10. It is the lead single from her forthcoming new album Moonlight.

The return of the X Factor live shows last weekend should theoretically have given a sales boost to the two acts who performed live across the two broadcasts. Well, that kind of happened but not in the manner we've come to expect in the past. Reigning champion Ben Haenow finally got to perform debut single Second Hand Heart on the show, even if he had to do it without his co-performer Kelly Clarkson whose pregnancy meant she could not travel to appear. Having fallen back to Number 26 last week the single now rises to Number 22, so still one place short of its debut chart peak. Face facts, this is the most disastrous start to a singles chart career for any X Factor winner ever.

Better news at least for Little Mix who performed on the Sunday results show a medley of both former Number One hit Black Magic and their current single Love Me Like You. The latter is the one that benefits the most rising to Number 19 to land its highest chart peak to date.

Also new this week is Lost Frequencies with the follow-up to huge Number One smash hit Are You With Me. The Belgian producer's new single Reality makes a bow at Number 29. The single has already topped charts in Belgium, Austria and Germany.

Although little is likely to shift Adele from the top of the charts next week, keep an eye out for Jess Glynne's Take Me Home which debuts at Number 46 and which is set for a great deal of exposure over the next week as the official record of the annual BBC Children In Need telethon. Another single taken from her I Cry When I Laugh album, the track becomes the sixth overall to chart (although only its fourth official single release) and is incredibly her tenth chart single in just under two years following her debut in February 2014 on Clean Bandit's now-legendary Rather Be.

SmallLogo



Hits of 1988
Hits of 1989