OCC
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Move over the Beatles, Jack Harlow is now in charge of the U.K. singles chart.
The Louisville rapper reaches the summit at the first attempt with “Lovin On Me” (via Atlantic), his fourth top 10 and debut leader on the national singles tally.
“Lovin On Me,” which samples Cadillac Dale’s 1995 R&B track “Whatever,” is the most-streamed track in the U.K. during the latest cycle, with 5.1 million streams, the Official Charts Company reports.
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Previously, Harlow cracked the top frame with 2021 Lil Nas X collaboration “Industry Baby” (No. 3 peak), 2022’s “First Class” (No. 2) and 2023 Jung Kook collab “3D” (No. 5). As previously reported, “Lovin On Me” is the new leader on Australia’s singles survey.
Also new to the Official U.K. Singles Chart, published Friday, Nov. 17, is Dua Lipa’s “Houdini” (Warner Records) which pulls a magic trick with its appearance at No. 2.
The first track from Lipa’s forthcoming third studio album, “Houdini” features production from Tame Impala maestro Kevin Parker and Danny L Harle. Lipa now boasts 14th U.K. top 10 hits, including four No. 1s.
After a record-setting stint at No. 1, and taking honors at the midweek stage of the chart race, the Beatles’ “last” song “Now And Then” (Apple Corps) is dislodged from the summit, tumbling 1-6.
Meanwhile, notes the OCC, drum & bass pair Chase & Status (Saul Milton and Will Kennard) become the first group to collect four simultaneous U.K. top 40 singles since 2010. The duo rack them up with “Baddadan” featuring Bou, Flowdan, IRAH, Triggah and Takura (down 9-10 via EMI), “Liquor and Cigarettes” with Hedex and ArrDee (unchanged at No. 17 via EMI), Stefflon Don collab “Selecta” (new at No. 27 via EMI) and “Disconnect” with Becky Hill (down 27-37 via Polydor).
British drill rapper Mazza L20 snags his first Official Singles Chart entry with “Murdaside” (Mazza L20), new at No. 18, while PinkPantheress and Central Cee arrive at No. 20 with “Nice to Meet You” (Columbia/ Parlophone). PinkPantheress already has three solo U.K. top 40 appearances, and Central Cee has 21.
Finally, the Christmas bells are ringing once again on the U.K. chart as yuletide favorites from Wham! and Mariah Carey make their annual pilgrimage into the top 40. Just one week after setting a record for the earliest appearance of a Christmas song on the tally, Wham‘s “Last Christmas” (Epic) improves 37-26 and “Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (Columbia) lifts 40-28.
It’s official: Beatlemania is back in the U.K.
After the Beatles landed their first No. 1 in 60 years with “Now And Then” (via Apple Corps), the Fab Four is on the brink of converting a rare chart double.
Based on sales and streaming data published by the Official Charts Company, reissues of the Beatles’ greatest hits compilations, 1967-1970 (also known as The Blue Album) and 1962-1966 (or The Red Album), are respectively leading the midweek albums chart.
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The Blue Album, which is on track to eclipse its No. 2 peak, following its initial release back in May 1973, gathers remastered tracks and rarities, and includes the iconic band’s final single, “Now And Then,” which leads the current U.K. singles chart and is heading for a second week at No. 1.
According to the OCC, just 1,000 chart units separate the two Beatles albums (The Red Album peaked at No. 3 back in 1973). If either of those titles are crowned when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published this Friday, Nov. 17, it would give the Beatles a 16th leader, extending their leadership in the all-time list of acts with No. 1 LPs (Robbie Williams is in second place with 14).
Despite calling it a day in 1970, the Beatles could dominate the top 10 with a third title. To coincide with the release of “Now And Then,” a composite boxed set of the two LPs is predicted to crack the top 10 for the first time, at No. 9.
In non-Beatles activity, drum ‘n’ bass act Chase & Status could snag a fifth UK top 10 with 2 RUFF, Vol. 1 (EMI), new at No. 3 on the Official Albums Chart Update, while a 10th anniversary edition of Passenger’s All the Little Lights (Cooking Vinyl) is set to arrive at No. 5. The British singer and songwriter’s fourth studio album originally peaked at No. 3 back in 2013 and is one of his six U.K. top 10s, including a No. 1 for 2016’s Young As The Morning Old As The Sea.
New Order’s Substance (Rhino) compilation from 1987 is targeting a No. 6 reentry, following a multi-format reissue, while South Africa-born, London-based alt-pop artist Baby Queen (Quarter Life Crisis at No. 7 via Polydor), and U.S. country star Chris Stapleton (Higher at No. 10 via EMI) are eyeing their first top 10 slots.
Christmas comes early to the U.K. singles chart as perennial hits by Wham and Mariah Carey begin their annual march back up the tally. While the Beatles’ plunder the record books with “Now And Then” (Apple Corps), which blasts to No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, 60 years after their last leader, two […]
Despite a challenge from Oasis and BTS’ Jung Kook, Taylor Swift holds onto her U.K. chart crown for a second week with 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (via EMI).
The fourth in Swift’s re-recording projects, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) squeezes past Oasis’ The Masterplan (Big Brother), which enjoys a new chart life thanks to a 25th anniversary.
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Originally released in 1998, The Masterplan gathers b-sides from the Britpop era giants’ first three albums, 1994’s Definitely Maybe, 1995’s (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? and 1997’s Be Here Now, and is led-off by “Acquiesce,” a quintessential fan favorite.
The leader at the midweek point, The Masterplan re-enters the chart at No. 2, its original peak position following its release in 1998. It’s the U.K.’s best-seller on wax during the latest chart cycle.
The top new release on the fresh chart, published Friday, Nov. 10 is Jung Kook’s Golden (BigHit Entertainment), which completes the podium at No. 3. Golden becomes the highest-peaking album from a member of BTS, and the best chart position for a solo Korean artist, the Official Charts Company confirms. Album track “Standing Next to You” bows at No. 6 on the national singles chart, his fourth U.K. top 10 this year.
Meanwhile, legendary English pop artist Cliff Richard snags his 48th U.K. top 10 album with Cliff With Strings – My Kinda Life (EastWest/Rhino), new at No. 5, ahead of Johnny Marr’s Spirit Power: The Best Of Johnny Marr (BMG), debuting at No. 7, marking the ex-Smiths guitarist’s fifth solo U.K. top 10 appearance.
It’s Beatlemania once again on the U.K. Singles Chart as “Now And Then” (Apple Corps) powers to No. 1. As fans of the Fab Four feel the rush of nostalgia, the 2000 career retrospective 1 returns to the top 40 at No. 21. The album has logged 444 weeks on the tally, including one week at No. 1 back in 2000.
Finally, titles from Gregory Porter (Christmas Wish at No. 14 via Decca), Caroline Polachek (Desire I Want To Turn Into You at No. 23 via Perpetual Novice) and Van Morrison (Accentuate The Positive at No. 39 via Exile) enter the top 40 for the first time.
The Beatles make history, many times over, with “Now And Then” (Apple Corps) which powers to No. 1 in the U.K.
The Fab Four’s “last” release powers to the summit of the Official U.K. Singles Chart, published Friday, Nov. 10, having opened at No. 42 based on just 10 hours of sales and streams.
The outright leader at the midweek point, when it outpointed the rest of the top 5 combined, “Now And Then” is the Beatles’ 18th U.K. No. 1, extending their record as the British act with the most leaders. The King, Elvis Presley, reigns over that particular list, with 21 No. 1s.
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Also, “Now And Then” tops the weekly tally a full 60 years and six months after the Beatles’ first No. 1, “From Me To You,” marking the longest gap between an act’s first and last chart-topping hit, the Official Charts Company reports.
For the record, the Beatles’ first single “Love Me Do,” the b-side to “Now And Then,” peaked at No. 17 back in 1962.
The impressive numbers behind the latest No. 1 are worth a closer a look.
“Now And Then” chalks up 78,200 combined chart units in the U.K., including 48,600 sales (physical and download) – making it the fastest selling single of 2023.
It’s 38,000 physical sales are the most by a single in almost a decade. The last record to top it was “Something I Need,” by The X Factor 2014 champion Ben Haenow, which raked in 47,000 physical sales. It’s the fastest-selling vinyl single of the century so far with 19,400 copies sold on wax in the U.K., and it’s easily the group’s most-streamed single (5.03 million plays) and video (2.15 million plays) in a seven-day cycle.Also, the Beatles are the act with the longest gap ever between No. 1 singles (54 years), and the oldest band to top the national singles chart. Surviving members Ringo Starr (83) and Paul McCartney (81) are the second and third oldest chart-topping artists, respectively, after Sir Captain Tom Moore, who was 99 when the charity fundraiser “You’ll Never Walk Alone” (Decca/Universal) with entertainer Michael Ball and the NHS Voices of Care Choir led the tally in April 2020.
“If there were ever any doubts that the Beatles are the greatest band of all time,” comments Martin Talbot, CEO of the Official Charts Company, “they have surely consigned them to history this week.”
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There’s not so much as a morsel of hope for a reunion, though a U.K. No. 1 album should give some comfort to long-suffering fans of Oasis.
The Britpop-era heavyweights lead the chart race with The Masterplan (via Big Brother), which enjoys a revival thanks to a 25th anniversary reissue.
Originally released in 1998, the LP collects b-sides from the Manchester band’s classic first three albums, 1994’s Definitely Maybe, 1995’s (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? and 1997’s Be Here Now, and is led-off by “Acquiesce,” considered a stone-cold Oasis classic.
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The original version of The Masterplan peaked at No. 2 on the national chart. If it does manage to go one better, it would give Oasis a ninth leader (including all seven studio albums), and first in 13 years — since 2010 hits compilation Time Flies… (1994-2009).
The Masterplan would need to dethrone Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (via EMI), which is does on the Official Chart Update. The fourth in Swift’s recording projects, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) dips 1-2 on the chart blast.
Meanwhile, BTS singer Jung Kook is on track to land the top debut on the national chart with Golden (Interscope), which is forecast to start at No. 3. That would Jung Kook the highest-charting solo album in the U.K. from a member of BTS.
Legendary English pop singer Cliff Richard is on course for a 48th U.K. top 10 appearance with Cliff with Strings – My Kinda Life (EastWest/Rhino). The career retrospective, which collects some of Richard’s top hits, reimagined with orchestral arrangements by Chris Walden, is set to start at No. 4.
The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr could nab a fifth U.K. top 10 album with Spirit Power: The Best of Johnny Marr (BMG), new at No. 6 on the midweek tally, while records from Caroline Polachek (Desire, I Want To Turn Into You reentering at No. 7 via Perpetual Novice) and Van Morrison (Accentuate The Positive at No. 9 via Exile) are close behind.
Finally, as the The Beatles fly towards a record-setting 18th No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart with “Now And Then,” the Fab Four’s hits collection 1 (Apple Corps) is set for a top 40 reentry, at No. 19. The album led the survey for nine consecutive weeks following its release back in 2000.
As previously reported, “Now And Then” is currently outselling the rest of the top 5 combined.
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums and Singles Charts are published late Friday, Nov. 10.
The Beatles’ “last” song “Now And Then” is on track for the U.K. chart title.
Based on sales and streaming data captured from the first 48 hours in the chart week, “Now And Then” is in pole position, outselling the rest of the top 5 combined, the Official Charts Company reports.
If it holds its spot, “Now And Then” will become the Fab Four’s 18th U.K. chart-leader, and their first in 54 years, since “The Ballad of John and Yoko” topped the weekly tally back in 1969.
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“Now And Then” actually debuted at No. 42 in the U.K. last week based on just 10 hours of sales, but is now expected to jump 41 places to the top of the Official Singles Chart when chart is published this Friday, Nov. 10.
The crown would cap a remarkable journey for “Now And Then.” The track began life as a demo written and sung by John Lennon, was later developed and worked on by Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, and now completed by Paul and Ringo, the surviving members of The Beatles, more than 40 years after the group began work on it.
The late Lennon’s vocals and piano part were recorded to tape at New York’s Dakota Building in the 1970s, and remained there until film director Peter Jackson and his team at WingNut Films developed the MAL audio technology, powered by AI, which could separate the stems. The result is a lush production, with a string arrangement, written by Giles Martin, Paul and Ben Foster, and featuring contributions from all four Beatles.
On the day of its release last Thursday (Nov. 2), “Now And Then” was named as BBC Radio 1’s Hottest Record. The song is all-love, McCartney told Radio 1’s Clara Amfo. “Just a loving feeling,” he says of the recording, “because that’s often what we were trying to do with our records, we were trying to spread love. And in this one it is very poignant. It’s John talking about ‘I miss you’ and stuff like that so, I think emotion, that would be the key word for people to take away from it, ‘emotion’.”
Jackson helmed the official music video for “Now And Then,” which dropped last Friday.
The closest competition on the First Look chart, according to the Official Charts Company, is BTS star Jung Kook’s “Standing Next To You,” which is eyeing a No. 2 start. That would be the K-pop artist’s highest peak of his solo career in the U.K. Jung Kook has three U.K. top 10s to his name, with a best of No. 3 for 2023’s “Seven” featuring Latto.
Taylor Swift buries her rivals under a mountain of sales and streams in the U.K. as 1989 (Taylor’s Version) debuts at No. 1.
Swift’s latest release, the fourth of her six recording projects, clocks up a “massive” 184,000 chart units, the Official Charts Company reports, more than double that of the original 1989’s opening-week sales of 90,000, accumulated following its release in 2014.
That opening result crushes the previous record holder for 2023, Lewis Capaldi’s Broken By Desire to Be Heavenly Sent, which scored 95,000 chart units in its week one.
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The runaway leader at the midweek stage, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) outperforms the rest of the top 10 combined during the latest cycle, and is the fastest-selling vinyl release of the year, with 62,000 copies sold, according to the OCC.
It’s Swift’s 11th chart-topping U.K. album, extending her own record as the woman with the most U.K. leaders this century, and the female artist with the 11 consecutive No. 1 albums in the briefest timeframe, at 11 years.
Among female artists, only Madonna has more — with 12. It’s only a matter of time before TayTay catches up with the Queen of Pop.
With Swift’s “Vault” cut “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version) reigning over the national singles survey, TayTay collects another chart double.
It’s by no means the only new release to make its impact felt on the latest albums tally. Veteran electronic act Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark snag a highest-charting studio album across a career spanning 45 years, with Bauhaus Staircase (100 Percent Records), new at No. 2. That equals the peak position of OMD’s 1988 hits compilation The Best of OMD, one of their eight U.K. top 10s.
Rolling Stones’ latest leader Hackney Diamonds (Polydor) drops 1-3, while Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inducted pop-rock band Duran Duran earn a 12th U.K. 10 with Danse Macabre (BMG), their Halloween-themed 16th studio album.
Also new to the top 10 are albums from James Blunt (Who We Used to Be at No. 5 via Atlantic), CASISDEAD (Famous Last Words at No. 7 via XL Recordings) and Alfie Boe (Open Arms – The Symphonic Songbook this week at No. 10 via BMG).
Taylor Swift will be crowned when the U.K. albums chart is published later this week.
The U.S. pop singer opens-up a monster lead in the U.K. chart race with 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (via EMI), which is currently outperforming the rest of the top 40 combined, the Official Charts Company reports.
1989 (Taylor’s Version) reigns over the midweek chart, and is already the year’s best-selling album, amassing 148,000 chart units. That’s more combined units in just three days than Lewis Capaldi’s second LP Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent (95,000 combined units), the previous leader for 2023, clocked in its first full-week. And it’s roughly double the sum collected by Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds (Polydor), the current leader on the weekly chart and, until now, one of the three best-sellers of 2023.
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When the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published late Friday, Oct. 3, Swift will nab her 11th U.K. No. 1 album, a tally that includes the original recording of 1989, which ruled for a single week in 2014. That result would extend her record as the female solo artist with the most chart-topping albums this century. Only Madonna, with 12 U.K. No. 1s, leads Swift on the all-time tally.
The re-recorded edition of 1989 is the fourth of Swift’s six “versions,” and features three bonus tracks and five songs from the “Vault.”
Swift is likely to nab a chart double. Based on midweek singles sales and streaming data published by the OCC, “Is It Over Now” slides into pole position, ahead of “Slut” and “Style,” respectively.
Meanwhile, OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) is on track for an eighth top 10 album with Bauhaus Staircase (100 Percent Records), new at No. 2 on the midweek tally, ahead of the Stones’ Hackey Diamonds, down 1-3 on the chart blast.
Duran Duran’s “ultimate Halloween party” album Danse Macabre (BMG) is forecast to enter the chart at No. 4, for what would be the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers’ 12th U.K. top 10 LP. The new set, a collection of covers, reinterpretations of DD songs, and three new numbers, is the followup to Future Past, which opened and peaked at No. 3 in 2021.
Also eyeing top 10 berths are new releases from James Blunt (Who We Used to Be at No. 5 via Atlantic), CASisDEAD (Famous Last Words at No. 6 via XL Recordings), Alfie Boe (Open Arms – The Symphonic Songbook at No. 7 via BMG); Simple Minds’ live recording New Gold Dream – Live from Paisley Abbey (No. 8 via BMG), Billy Bragg’s career retrospective The Roaring Forty 1983-2023 (No. 9 via Cooking Vinyl) and Gaslight Anthem (History Books at No. 10 via Rich Mahogany Recordings).
The Taylor Swift takeover is in full swing on the U.K. chart blast.
Based on sales and streaming data for the first 48 hours in the U.K. chart week, Swift is on track to nab the top three spots with songs from 1989 (Taylor’s Version): “Slut,” “Style” and “Is It Over Now,” respectively.
According to the Official Charts Company, just over 200 chart units separate the three songs at this early stage in the chart cycle.
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Swift couldn’t possibly do any better. Unlike Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, the OCC‘s chart rules dictate that a maximum of three tracks by the same artist can impact the top 100 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart.
“Slut,” written by Taylor, Jack Antonoff and Patrik Berger, and “Is It Over Now,” written by Taylor and Antonoff, are two of the album’s five “Vault” tracks, works that were written during the original 1989 sessions, but never made it to the finished version (for the record: 1989 logged one week at the U.K. chart summit in 2014).
The original cut of “Style,” written by Taylor, Max Martin, Shellback and Ali Payami, was released as the third single from first version of 1989, and peaked at No. 21 in the U.K.
The fresh album (via EMI in the U.K.) features newly recorded editions of all 13 original songs, plus three bonus tracks (“Wonderland,” “New Romantics” and “You Are In Love”) and the “Vault” tracks (“Is It Over Now?,” “Now That We Don’t Talk,” “Say Don’t Go,” “Suburban Legends” and “Slut”).
Swift already has 23 top 10 singles in the U.K., including two No. 1s: “Look What You Made Me Do” (from 2017) and “Anti-Hero” (2022). The extend to which she expands on that tally will be revealed late Friday, Nov. 3, when the Official U.K. Singles Chart is published in full.
Thanks to the Taylor Swift effect, Kenya Grace’s three-week reign with “Strangers” (FFRR) looks set to come to a halt. It’s down 1-5 on the First Look chart, just behind Casso, Raye and D-Block Europe’s “Prada” (Ministry of Sound), set to dip 2-4.