This week's Official UK Singles Chart
This week's Official UK Albums Chart
I'm not one to say "I told you so". No James Bond theme tune has ever reached Number One on the UK singles charts, and whilst Skyfall by Adele theoretically had the best chance of any release in recent memory of breaking that particular jinx, the cute Friday morning release plan of her single has indeed scuppered her chance of doing so. Having used up most of its initial momentum charting at Number 4 after two days of sales last week, Skyfall cannot do any more than climb a further two places, matching the Number 2 peak of Duran Duran's A View To A Kill in 1985 as the highest charting Bond theme ever, but still some way short of that elusive chart-topping single.
Beating her to the punch then are the Swedish House Mafia who in a marvellous irony have landed themselves their biggest ever chart single right at the point when they are about to put their partnership on indefinite hiatus. The all-star trio of Axwell, Angello and Ingrosso have had six Top 40 hits in the past two years but have previously never charted higher than Number 4, a position reached by Miami 2 Ibiza exactly two years ago this week and Antidote back in January this year. This week they top the charts for the first time with Don't You Worry Child, their farewell single featuring a powerful guest vocal from Swedish singer John Martin - who also sang uncredited lead vocals on their 2011 Top 10 hit "Save The World".
After some flat weeks, the age of Number One singles selling into six figures appears to have returned, Rihanna's 106,000 last week is topped by the 135,000 copies sold by Swedish House Mafia, making Don't You Worry Child the fourth fastest selling single of 2012 to date - notwithstanding the fact that Skyfall has shifted 176,000 copies in the nine days (across two chart weeks) that it has been available.
How Leona Lewis must view those numbers with wistful fondness, for once upon a time she was guaranteed that kind of opening sale and more. The lack of an album release to accompany her 2011 singles Collide and Hurt sparked widespread speculation that her label and management were rapidly rethinking the club-friendly direction she appeared to be heading in. Now a year delayed, her third album Glassheart is finally deemed ready for release although its two previous singles are relegated to bonus tracks. Instead our first chance to sample the wares of the album proper is new single Trouble which lands at Number 7 this week. Penned by a veritable songwriting committee which numbers Emeli Sande and Fraser T Smith amongst its members, the track takes her ever further from her balladeering roots with a trip-hop rhythm and her first ever rap break, performed by a co-credited Childish Gambino. All eyes will be on the chart placing though, Number 7 is a place better than Hurt but three places short of the peak of Collide and needless to say the single will be charging down the chart in short order next week as it competes with her album for attention. You can't knock a Top 10 hit really and it shows that Leona Lewis is still a star, but it is hard to forget that five years ago she was truly so much bigger.
Hoving swiftly into view from the depths of the chart is Maroon 5's new single One More Night, which climbs to Number 18 this week as the follow-up to Number One single Payphone. Just eight places more and it will mark the first time in their eight year career that the group have managed three Top 10 hits in a row. Meanwhile Taylor Swift as expected charts her third Top 40 hit in as many weeks as the latest promotional track from her still to be released Red album hits the chart. Track of choice this time around is I Knew You Were Trouble which lands at Number 23, the highest charting of the trio to date. Meanwhile 'current' hit single We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together dips to Number 12 this week, exiting the Top 10 after a seven week run.
Heading in the right direction is the subtle Million Voices from Otto Knows which was first released back in August but which has traced a delicate path upwards ever since, rising a place to Number 14 this week in its fifth week on the Top 40.
Those expecting a totally new Number One on the album chart this week were left surprised as Ellie Goulding's second album Halcyon debuts at Number 2, unable to overcome the challenge of Babel by Mumford and Sons which climbs a place for its second spell at Number One. The most extraordinary story of the week however is the presence in the Top 10 chart of three albums all featuring vocals by the same man.
The artist in question is Jeff Lynne who has two of the three highest new entries of the week - his brand new solo album Long Wave at Number 7 and what purports to be a Greatest Hits collection of his old group Electric Light Orchestra entitled Mr Blue Sky at Number 8. I say 'purports' as the album is actually a complete set of re-recordings of the old songs by Lynne who is clearly of the opinion he can improve on the classics he made some three and a half decades ago. To further muddy the waters, All Over The World- The Very Best Of, a collection of the original versions of the hits holds firm this week at Number 10. Barking mad? Absolutely, utterly.
