Boggling Minds Since March
I am, in theory, supposed to be bringing you the news. Supplying revelations, extoling the unexpected. Providing explanations as it were.
But alas I've got nothing to present as a surprise or a fascinating development. Ordinary by Alex Warren remains by any measure a phenomenally, incredibly, mind-bogglingly popular piece of music. Skipping across enough demographics to ensure that even four months after its release and first charting, it remains by some considerable distance the most popular choice of music stream in the country.
So it is hardly revelatory to note that the record spends an 11th straight week at the top of the Official UK Singles chart. Those who have been reading previous columns will know what that means: equalling the No.1 run of Bad Habits by Ed Sheeran to become the joint-biggest No.1 hit of the decade so far. Only four other singles in chart history have had longer unbroken runs at the top of the charts. Alex Warren is also now level with Slim Whitman's Rose Marie as the longest-running solo No.1 hit by an American performer. Frankie Laine's 18-week TOTAL run with I Believe notwithstanding.
But the count to the end of the line is also about sales numbers. And, you will be relieved to hear, Ordinary is down once again, its total chart sale of 61,286 units the lowest since its first week at the top all those months ago. But here's the problem. The market overall took a huge dip meaning the decline of Ordinary is LOWER. Its ACR clock resets. Is a 14th week in the offing?
The Spring 2025 format of Chart Watch also involves our regular look-in on the singles that line up behind Mr Warren in the Top 3. For the last few weeks this has been something of a back and forth chart battle, Pink Pony Club taking an early week lead only to be pegged back at the death by Love Me Not. But this week the places are reversed and Chappell Roan moves back to No.2 with the single that - lest we forget - was Ordinary's immediate predecessor at the top of the charts. And we really once more have to pay some kind of tribute to the song's extraordinary staying power. Pink Pony Club has now been the No.2 single for 8 weeks in total, equalling a record but for its brief sojurn at the top of the charts back in March. This is also now its 16th week in the Top 10, every single one of which has been spent in the Top 5 and all but one of those in the Top 3.
Just one single in the Top 10 reaches a new peak, and pleasingly that is last week's highest new entry as Skye Newman's Family Matters edges up to No.6.
Rolling In Consistency
The Chart Watch format also requires us to acknowledge this week's "token" new entry in the Top 10. But wouldn't you just know it, this week it is a sodding Alex Warren track. Bloodline is the hit in question, a track that has the added bonus of being an entirely new piece of work, the song not appearing on his You'll Be Alright Kid (Chapter 1) album. Entering at No.9 it also hands a first ever UK Top 40 hit to American C&W star Jelly Roll, the rapper and singer having been propelled into the mainstream in the past year after more than a decade of releasing independent albums (and with a series of mix tapes to his name prior to that). Until today however his only British chart hit had been his guest role on Machine Gun Kelly's Lonely Road which limped to a No.67 peak in August last year.
Back to Bloodline, and you may be relieved to note it isn't going to turn into an Ordinary-level behemoth, having more in common with Warren's other hit single Carry You Home and indeed if we are being honest every single country-pop crossover track of the last 18 months - and also The Nights or Hey Brother by Avicii if we are being honest. But just like this column, it is a formula that works, so why not stick to it.
If You Should Live
Relax though, there are other new entries. Making an impressive enough No.19 first week out is Can't Decide by Max Dean, Luke Dean and Locky (the first two are cousins, not brothers). A contender for club hit of the summer, the track is a sped-up reworking of the rather more sultry sounding 2 Much by Quendresa, which was released to little attention a year ago. Is it possible we will get to see both remake and original charting side by side before too long? Make it happen, Britain.
With A Bullet
The man who first brought Kelly Roll to the charts is back with his own hit as well, Machine Gun Kelly (or MGK as he styles himself these days) is brand new at No.31 with Cliché, his biggest chart hit (under either name) since My Ex's Best Friend made No.30 in late 2020. His new hit is a worthwhile listen, the Blink 182 revival you never knew you were hankering for.
Better By Myles
One place behind is Myles Smith who now has his full complement of chart hits as brand new track Gold debuts at No.32, joining Nice To Meet You (No.14) and Stargazing (No.42) on the Top 100. In here we should also momentarily commiserate with Benson Boone who released a new single Momma Song which would probably have just qualified for a Top 40 position. But he already has three bigger hits on the chart. So it is for now starred-out and doesn't qualify. Stop streaming Beautiful Things already, we've all moved on.
Kimono Something
The story of the albums chart this week was supposed to be recounting the tale of Sparks reaching No.1 for the first time ever. Alas Mad!, the 28th studio album from the now nearly 80 years old Mael brothers has to content itself with a No.2 position. Although this is still far and away their highest charting record ever and arrives exactly 51 years to the week since their biggest hit single This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us was also at its No.2 peak.
Truly though they will be kicking themselves. A No.1 record was there for the taking. Top of the charts instead is Sabrina Carpenter's Short N' Sweet for its fifth spell at the summit, every one of which so far has lasted just seven days. Her sale is a quite frankly miserable 9,684 - the lowest for a No.1 album since Lewis Capaldi made it to the top with just 8,513 sales in the first week of 2024.
Finally we should acknowledge, among the handful of eternal catalogue hits that just never go away, Mr Brightside by The Killers sits this week at No.61 on what is now its landmark 200th week on the published Top 75. It has similarly clocked up 459 on the Top 100 overall. Both are all-time records.
