Dua Lipa Shimmies to U.K. No. 1 With ‘Dance The Night’
Written by djfrosty on August 27, 2023
Thirteen is the lucky number for Dua Lipa as “Dance The Night” (via Warner Records) completes its coronation on the Official U.K. Singles Chart.
Lifted from the Barbie soundtrack, “Dance The Night” rises 2-1 for its first stint at the summit, doing so in its 13th week on the national tally, published Friday, Aug. 25.
With that effort, Lipa becomes just the sixth British female solo artist to bag four leaders, drawing level with Ellie Goulding, Rita Ora and Spice Girl Geri Halliwell. Only Jess Glynne (seven) and Girls Aloud’s Cheryl (five) have more No. 1s, the Official Charts Company reports.
Lipa previously led with 2017’s “New Rules,” 2018’s “One Kiss” with Calvin Harris, and 2021’s “Cold Heart” with Elton John and Australian electronic production outfit Pnau.
The last British female artist to reign over the U.K. singles chart was Kate Bush, with her 1985 classic “Running Up That Hill,” which exploded off the back of Stranger Things season four.
“Dance The Night” replaces another hit from Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made” (Interscope/Atlantic) which dips 1-2. The podium is completed by Olivia Rodrigo‘s “Vampire” (Interscope), unchanged at No. 3.
Meanwhile, Doja Cat makes an impressive leap on the chart with “Paint The Town Red” (RCA), up 15-4 for a new high. “Paint The Town Red” is the new No. 1 in Australia.
Continuing the Girl Powered look of the U.K. singles chart in recent weeks, female artists lead the top seven tracks, and eight of the top ten.
There’s a notable entry for Oliver Anthony Music‘s divisive Billboard Hot 100 leader “Rich Men North of Richmond,” which cracks the U.K. top 40 for the first time. The independently-released country music hit single is up 64-23 on the Official Chart.
Finally, the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on the Disney+ streaming platform has a measurable impact on the Official U.K. Singles Chart as Florence + The Machine’s “Dog Days” (Island), which appears on the Marvel franchise’s soundtrack, re-enters the top 40. “Dog Days” drops in at No. 27, not far from its peak position of No. 21.