1. Singles
  2. Albums
  3. Film
  4. MoreView all charts
Previous
Next

Official Singles Chart on 2/3/2018

2 March 2018 - 8 March 2018

The Official UK Singles Chart reflects the UK’s biggest songs of the week, based on audio and video streams, downloads, CDs and vinyl, compiled by the Official Charts Company. The UK Top 40 is broadcast on BBC Radio 1 and MTV, the Top 100 is published exclusively on OfficialCharts.com. View the biggest songs of 2024 so far.

 

Hot right now

Decorative flameDecorative flameDecorative flame

Join the conversation by joining the Official Charts community and dropping comment.

Already registered?

Log in

No account?

Register

avatar

I.B.

1

I forsee another 256 bleeding' weeks at the top for Drake.

DP

David Potter

1

Simple question. I probably already know the answer (it boost sales) but why do artists use bad language in their tracks.? Ed Sheeran's River is a good example, with Eminem as guest swearer.
It takes time to edit out the swear words before playing to an audience / family.
Why do it in the first place and then produce an expletive free version for play on radio.?
I would rather buy in confidence, than mistrust. And why aren't the clean versions available for sale.?
You can only buy the dodgy versions.

avatar

James England

0

Just the sign of the times. Sadly, standards have dropped. There's no reason to have swearing in any song. Donald Trump said he likes to grab women by the and he was voted in as US President! Further proof of a decline in moral standards.

avatar

Piran

5

My thoughts & observations on the UK charts as always…

- ‘God’s Plan’ by Drake is #1 on the singles chart for a sixth consecutive week. For four of those weeks, it has blocked ‘These Days’ in the runner-up position.

- ‘IDGAF’ by Dua Lipa is the new #1 on the radio airplay chart.

- This week saw five new songs arrive into the Top 40, four of which are debuts & the highest of them is ‘Psycho’ by Post Malone ft Ty Dolla $ign at #4. His watered-down raps have made him an unlikely pop star & while he might not be the best songwriter, his melodies & the instrumentation he uses allow his hits to become generally a bit more memorable than most of his peers in the same genre. With ‘Psycho’, I honestly think we get one of his strongest performances yet. The issue of him extending his syllables to a few beats long to fill the patches in his writing still remains & he still doesn’t feel fully engaged with the song vocally, but despite the usual content of discussing excessive fame, it also explores Post Malone’s lifestyle & the trust issues he has in a little bit more detail, although him & Ty Dolla $ign sound like they’re having a bit more fun here & their vocals blend surprisingly well. However, what really caught my attention here was the production; the hook slips into this chittering beat accompanied with harpsichord plunks & watery synths, which along with the smoothness of Post Malone’s voice makes this both enjoyable & relaxing. In other words, I really wouldn’t mind if this becomes the next #1 or if it at least sticks around in the Top 10. Other than ‘Candy Paint’, probably the best thing he’s put out. Good stuff!

- 5 Seconds Of Summer make their seventh appearance inside the Top 40, as ‘Want You Back’ debuts at #22 this week. I’m kind of surprised that their comeback wasn’t a lot bigger, with this being their first charting appearance since July 2016 & the mainstream market is seriously lacking many boybands right now, especially from earlier in the decade. The thing is, 5 Seconds Of Summer also brought a pop-punk style to their music, the kind of which did reasonably well in the late 00s & I wish it had stuck around, so was the quality still there on ‘Want You Back’? Well, yes for the most part, although I’m not sure if this is the right direction for the boys to go in. This does have a slick, rhythmic edge that I like & Luke Hemmings going into the falsetto in the hook is fine & even though he’s the only member of the group who sings on this, him taking the lead of a frontman on this isn’t bad. However, that’s my take on the whole song in general… it’s only okay; nothing that really stands out or wows me here. The lyrics tell of their: past, present & future as a group, as well as the happiness & heartbreak they’ve experienced together. If you were expecting them to stick with their original sound, you’re probably going to end up disappointed, but I can definitely see them getting more radio support now. It’s good to have the guys back, but it’s not one of my favourites from them.

- ‘Paradise’ by George Ezra continues to build its momentum as it leaps 45-30 on its sixth week inside the chart. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that George Ezra is only 24 years old, as he’s always been singing in a deep, soulful tone that makes his vocals sounds way more mature than most other artists of the same age. With ‘Paradise’, it’s a really good sign for that upcoming second studio album of his & probably one of his most likeable tunes to date. The main point of the song focusses on the joyous certainty with love & this serves as an ode to a wild romance. His personality shines through the entire song, with enthusiasm & warming energy. The delivery is light-hearted, yet charming & the lyrics might be simple & sensual, but it’s such a charming hit that it’s difficult to not get into this. It’s got some good sales looking at iTunes right now, so who knows, maybe this is a big hit in the making?

- ‘Lullaby’ by Sigala & Paloma Faith is the next new entry, starting its chart run at #32 this week. I’m sure you’ve all heard of Paloma Faith’s vocals on the massive #1 dance hit was ‘Changing’ by Sigma & for an artist who has an easily recognisable voice, she fitted that genre of music a lot better than expected. Thankfully, she repeats it here, even though I’m not sure if the song is as good. I think the lyrics about Paloma Faith is hoping for a particularly guy to look after when she’s down, as she’ll do the same back for him. Meanwhile, Sigala hasn’t really changed at all, still covering the track with a tropical beat & while his production might be dated at this point, it still has a feel-good vibe to it which is going to go down well at clubs & festivals, so pay attention to this one, because I have a feeling it could become a lot bigger.

- Finally, rapper Hardy Caprio makes his debut appearance inside the Top 40, as ‘Rapper’ enters at #34. Considering this is the first minor hit he’s had, I didn’t really have any expectations going in & what we got is something that I don’t like as much as I should to be honest. There’s no doubt that does stand out from most of the grime songs that are in the chart right now, with the bounce to the melody making this have an addictive groove & Hardy Caprio is at least making an effort to show his attitude in this. That said, when you look into the content, which is bragging about luxuries & how popular is he with the girls, along with the fact that he’s not a distinctive rapper & there are so many forced rhymes, it’s barely passable & I’m probably going to forget this song even exists by the time I post my next review.

- On the albums chart, the soundtrack to ‘The Greatest Showman’ spends an eighth consecutive week at #1. I think it’s fair likely to become album of the year at this point, unless ‘÷’ overtakes it again or Adele releases a new album before the end of 2018, both of which I don’t see happening.

- The rest of the Top 5 is: ‘÷’ by Ed Sheeran (stationary at #2), Dua Lipa’s self-titled debut album (stationary at #3), ‘Human’ by Rag’n’Bone Man (stationary at #4) & ‘Gang Signs & Prayer’ by Stormzy (10-5).

- Speaking of ‘÷’, this is its 52nd week inside the Top 10, making Ed Sheeran the first artist ever to have three albums spend a year inside the region. ‘x’ rising 13-10 gives that album a 98th week in total inside the Top 10!

- Looking ahead to next week, these songs could be entering the Top 40 for the first time: ‘Dancing’ by Kylie Minogue, ‘Top Off’ by DJ Khaled ft Jay-Z, Future & Beyoncé, ‘Wavey’ by CLiQ ft Alika, ‘Hangman’ by Dave, ‘Sad!’ by XXXTENTACION, ‘Cigarette’ by RAYE ft Mabel & Stefflon Don, ‘Love Lies’ by Khalid & Normani, 'Meant To Be' by Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line & maybe even more.

- Elsewhere, I like the gains for ‘Friends’ & especially ‘Say Something’ inside the Top 10!

- Thanks for reading everyone! I hope you all have a good weekend. :)

- My latest Crown Note chart: https://crownnote.com/charts/piran-delves/pirans-top-40-65

avatar

Foxes

1

Hey Piran! I don't mind seeing 'God's Plan' at #1 again, but I think it's time for something new at #1, and the same goes for 'The Greatest Showman' on the albums chart. I don't really see 'God's Plan' leaving any time soon, though, and I don't really see 'These Days' becoming the next #1 either. I think that 'IDGAF' has some potential, as does 'FRIENDS' if they both manage to keep up their current momentum. Other than that, I can only see some new song taking the top spot as 'Psycho' is basically non-existent on sales anymore, and is dropping on streams.

On the albums chart I really don't know what could possibly take the #1 spot next, as 'The Greatest Showman' is far ahead of anything else, and when its closest competition is a year-old album it really doesn't look good for any other albums (congrats to Ed though for becoming the first artist ever to have 3 albums spend a year or more in the Top 10, with 'x' actually closing in on its 2nd year!). The next release I can see knocking 'The Greatest Showman' off the top is Anne-Marie's 'Speak Your Mind', but that's still over a month away. I can honestly see 'The Greatest Showman' overtaking '÷' (9 weeks) and '21' (11 weeks) to have the longest consecutive run at the top of the chart this decade. It's already overtaken '25' (7 weeks) and matched 'x' (8 weeks).

As for the new entries this week, I quite like 'Psycho' (though I do still prefer 'rockstar') and 'Rapper' (though I prefer 'Unsigned'), though I'm not really a fan of 'Want You Back', 'Paradise' or 'Lullaby'. I really like seeing 'Supermarket Flowers' re-enter, though. Do you think that it'll manage to beat its current peak of #8? I'm not too sure at the moment as it's falling on both sales and streams and I think it may fall out of the Top 40 entirely next week, but it could definitely increase in the future.

I'm pretty surprised to see 'IDGAF' become #1 on the radio chart, though, given the nature of the song. It's definitely a pleasant surprise, though! Speak to you soon! :D

avatar

Piran

1

Hey Gameskiller! I agree with you on both of those points on the singles & albums chart really. 'God's Plan' isn't a bad song & I still really love the soundtrack to 'The Greatest Showman', but they've both been blocking better songs & albums from hitting the top spot.
Even then, do you know much 'The Greatest Showman' led by this week? Imagine if that blocked Anne-Marie's upcoming album from debuting at #1?
What amazed me is that 'x' is the album with the longest stay in the Top 10 this decade, with 98 & even Adele's '21' in second is a fair way behind with 77.
I only think 'Supermarket Flowers' can pass its #8 peak if it becomes the next single instead of 'Happier' (which would seem wise at this point) & a really emotional video for it is released.
Haha, yeah, I wonder what the last time was where a #1 on airplay had a swear word in its title, if ever.
See you soon! :D

avatar

Foxes

0

Sorry for the late reply. I've been really busy over the past week so I've not had nearly as much time as I would've liked to come on here or CrownNote.
'The Greatest Showman' actually had its worst week at #1 yet, but it was still over 20,000 copies ahead of '÷'. 'The Greatest Showman' sold 36,312, while '÷' sold 15,229 (both including streams). It's a pretty similar story on the singles chart as well, with over 10,000 copies between 'God's Plan' (57,021) and 'These Days' (46,585). In fact, 'God's Plan' would've been able to keep #1 based on its streams alone, as it got 49,259 streaming equivalent sales. 'IDGAF' saw a big boost of almost 15% to 39,335, though, so I can really see that being the next #1 when 'God's Plan' eventually gets hit with the 300:1 ratio.
Yeah, the longevity of 'x' really is pretty incredible, especially since it's still reaching the Top 10 3 and a half years after its release! I think that 'x' should be able to reach 2 years in total in the Top 10 before the end of 2018, and I definitely don't see '÷' leaving this year, so '÷' really has potential to beat the record for longest consecutive run in the Top 10 by any album, which is currently held by 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' with 98 weeks (not including "Various Artists" albums).
I think that 'Supermarket Flowers' will be the next single as well, but I'm still not sure if it'll beat #8. I was pretty confident that 'Happier' would've beaten its peak of #6 following a performance at the BRITs and a release as an official single, but I don't think that 'Supermarket Flowers' will perform nearly as well. I think that Ed may have chosen this one to set expectations for his next album, as he's already stated that it will not be a pop album and that he does not expect it to have huge sales like '÷' or 'x'.
I don't think that there has ever been a #1 on airplay that's had a swear word in its title before, so it looks like 'IDGAF' gets to make history as well! :D

avatar

Piran

1

That's fine! I've always been busy with exam revision & nights out too, so this is the first time I've posted anything on here in like five or six days now! :P
To be honest, with Ed Sheeran's next album, he's done well enough on the charts anyway that I don't think it bothers him about how well his songs perform there, as long as his album has commercial success & he releases the kind of music he wants to, not necessarily the most popular.
I'll post more about this in my weekly chart review (I know I said it'd be up on Saturday, but it might not be up until later or even tomorrow), but 'IDGAF' fell 1-6 on the airplay chart this week, while 'Feel It Still' rises to the top spot. I think the latter could have one of the longest climbs to the top of the airplay chart since debuting on it initially, but 'Perfect' or potentially 'Thinking Out Loud' could be contenders for that too. :)
I'll talk to you again soon. :D

D.

D .

1

Wow Wow Wow !!! K Y L I E still DANCING the chart !!!!!

V

Vikingman

1

I am in the older audience and I do wonder how on earth Drake spends so long at number one when the lyrics are so bad. These Days by Rudimental is actually very catchy and deserves to be number one, hopefully next week. I take what is in the singles chart these days with a pinch of salt as quality of a lot of songs in the charts is garbage. I think the singles chart is meaningless these days.
You only have to look at the album chart to see what artists are popular long term ... Fleetwood Mac, Bob Marley, Abba, Queen, Ed Sheeran etc.

avatar

Painmix King

1

So Drake still at number 1, but yet No.2 is the highest position reached in the sales chart. Farcical!

avatar

Dan Love

4

How is it? He's extremely popular with younger audiences. Most people I know know about drake and have listened to his single.

Also founding your opinion on sales is like founding your opinion on physical sales. They are such a small factor in the charts and what is left of them generally represents on older audience who don't like drake

avatar

Jamie Crampton

2

According to OCC it's one million plays a day on Spotify. Really? 1 million? UK only? Rubbish. Spotify's reporting is manipulated by the record companies (who they are partly owned by) and if there was any sense of "fair play" they'd be investigated for fraud. Nothing against Drake, I don't even like Rudimental but to have a number one denied by something that isn't even in the top 5 of sales is ludicrous. Without even mentioning the farce over his last single which was still number 1 when it couldn't sell enough to be in the top 10.

S

S0me1

2

Honestly if you knew the younger audience it would really not be a surprise to you that Drake does get that many streams. I really don't get why people seem to think that Spotify or record companies would have any interest in fixing the chart, it would not make anyone any money as it is Spotify that pays the record companies for streams, not the OCC. From my experience in college, God's Plan is far more popular than These Days and the streaming reflects that.

avatar

Dan Love

1

They may be manipulated but surely any platform can be manipulated in the same way?
And maybe other platforms aren't manipulated because they're not as popular as streaming?

avatar

Jamie Crampton

1

I thought the whole idea of these charts was to be accurate? Yes there was fixing in the older days to some degree but my points are (1) noone seems to be verifying these streams and (2) a record that is number 1 appeals to more people than one which is number 2, always been the way, so fixing your record to be number 1 will generate more sales than it being number 2. Also Spotify is skint, has massive debts and the record companies have a massive influence on what gets promoted by them, they're hardly likely to say no are they.

avatar

James England

0

If Spotify and other music apps like Deezer scrapped their free models and forced consumers to pay to hear music... who knows, these apps might yield some profit! Seems kinda obvious logic to me but if Spotify wanna give us free music (which is chart eligible) then why should people complain? Free music for all! Seems a dumb way to run a business, though.

avatar

Piran

2

Generally a decent week, although nothing too interesting happening.
'God's Plan' still at the top is a bit of a bore at this point, but I'm happy that 'Psycho' debuted at #4, as it's definitely one of the best songs Post Malone has released. I also like 'Say Something' & 'Supermarket Flowers' experiencing big gains from the Brits!
My full review should be up either later tonight or some time tomorrow! :)