Australia, after six long weeks, you have officially consigned Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars to the No.2 position on the ARIA singles chart. But that’s not the only bridesmaid position Mark finds himself in this week. Who’s claimed the No.1 chart scalps? Best you get you get your teeth into this week’s Chart Watch.
SINGLES
Though an earworm it may be, it would appear that Australians are finally beginning to tire of Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ ‘Uptown Funk’. They’re prised out of the No.1 position this week by Jamaican performer Omi, who climbs from three to one with his smash ‘Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn remix)’, notching up a fresh new platinum certification in the process.
Hozier, therefore, drops to No.3 with ‘Take Me To Church’, but even it sports a new accreditation; double platinum, thanks very much.
Even newcomer James Bay is getting in on the certification action; his breakout smash ‘Hold Back The River’, while steady at No.4, achieves gold after six weeks in.
Sia’s ‘Elastic Heart’ improves from No.8 to No.5 and The Avener’s ‘Fade Out Lines’ enters the top ten (No.14 to No.8), as does Calvin Harris and Haim’s ‘Pray To God’ (No.26 to No.10).
Also picking up chart places this week; Robin Schulz with ‘Sun Goes Down’ (No.30 to No.13) and Meghan Trainor’s ‘Dear Future Husband’ (No.27 to No.16), but the party’s apparently over for Peking Duk and Safia’s ‘Take Me Over’, which tumbles from No.9 to No.20.
Jumps for both Taylor Swift (‘Style’ – No.38 to No.21) and Avicii (‘The Nights’ – No.45 to No.23) sandwich a fall for Nicki Minaj’s ‘Bed Of Lies’ (No.13 to No.22).
Meghan Trainor’s ‘All About That Bass’ hits six times platinum (No.29), the Charli XCX single ‘Break The Rules’ drops 14 places to No.30 and Tinashe scores some top 50 Aussie chart love ahead of her forthcoming visit; her single ‘2 On’ hitting a new peak of No.34.
The week’s highest new entry was seemingly a battle royale. But it was the return of US girl group G.R.L who pipped Maroon 5 for the honour. ‘Lighthouse’, the girls’ first single without Simone Battle, premieres at No.38. Defeat will be sweet for Maroon 5, with ‘Sugar’ debuting one step behind at No.39.
The Weeknd’s sexy slow-burning ‘Earned It’ (from the ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’ soundtrack) bullets from No.68 to No.44, but Chris Brown’s ‘Ayo’ loses 15 places in week two.
Kelly Clarkson just misses a top 50 berth with her new single ‘Heartbeat Song’. It was tracking rather well on iTunes throughout the week, but when it comes to the official chart, it calls the No.51 position its home in its first week of local love.
Chet Faker’s ‘Talk Is Cheap’ at No.52 (up 18) and Jai Waetford’s ‘Shy’ – lifted from the EP of the same name – premieres at No.54.
More jumps… Mashd N Kutcher’s ‘Do It Now’ (No.80 to No.56) and Philip George’s ‘Wish You Were Mine’ (No.96 to No.59), plus another debut… The Wombats’ ‘Greek Tragedy’ (No.61), but Kanye and Paul McCartney continue to tumble with ‘Only One’. The much talked about single debuted in the No.8 position just two weeks ago, dropping to No.44 last week. It’s now down to No.67.
New entries pepper the lower reaches of the countdown; Childish Gambino with ‘Sober’ at No.76, Kid Ink ftg. Chris Brown with ‘Hotel’ at No.81 and Hayden James with ‘Something About You’ at No.85.
Lorde’s ‘Yellow Flicker Beat’ slowly flickers out (down 30 to No.87) and The Script debut at No.93 with ‘No Good In Goodbye’.
ALBUMS
The (ahem) ‘Title’ of Australia’s number one album belonged to Meghan Trainor for one short week. The album has slipped to No.5 on this week’s countdown and has been replaced in the top spot by… Taylor Swift.
Despite a No.1 smash, Mark Ronson couldn’t quite do enough to out-perform Taylor on the albums chart, settling for a No.2 debut for his new album ‘Uptown Special’. Though we hear that the contest was tight.
Fall Out Boy are also in the top five race this week. Their newbie ‘American Beauty/American Psycho’ premieres in the No.3 position, with Ed Sheeran’s ‘x’ relegated to No.4.
British trancemasters Above & Beyond must have done something right during their new years visit to Sydney and Melbourne. Enough to see their new album ‘We Are All We Need’ debut at No.11 on the albums chart. It’s the boys’ first ever top 50 chart position in Australia – on either the singles or albums charts.
The top 20 debuts continue with Joey Bada$$’ ‘B4.DA.$$’ (No.17) and Enter Shikari’s ‘Mindsweep’ (No.19).
The Decemberists are new at No.27 with ‘What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World’ and Björk follows at No.28 with ‘Vulnicura’, a surprise digital-only rush-release earlier in the week.
Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ re-enters at No.32, with some relatively clean chart air, Paul Kelly’s ‘The Merri Soul Sessions’ jumps from No.47 to No.34, Storm The Sky’s ‘Permanence’ debuts at No.45 and Melinda Schneider and Beccy Cole are back in favour with ‘Great Women Of Country’, which leaps from No.85 to No.47.
Just missing the top 50 this week are new entries for both O’Shea and Belle & Sebastian. For the former, it’s ‘The Famine And The Feast’ which debuts at No.52; for the latter ‘Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance’ at No.57. Maroon 5’s ‘V’ splits the difference with a re-entry at No.54.
Milky Chance’s ‘Sadnecessary’ tumbles from No.33 to No.59, Ellie Goulding’s ‘Halcyon Days’ drops from No.44 to No.64 and the ‘Sound Of The ’80s’ compilation drops from No.46 to No.71.
Howard Shore’s ‘The Hobbit : The Battle Of The Five Armies’ premieres at No.74, Justice Crew’s ‘Live By The Words’ drops from No.54 to No.81 and the new Lupe Fiasco album ‘Tetsuo & Youth’ debuts at No.85.
Raised Fist’s ‘From The North’ (No.93) and Wednesday 13’s ‘Monsters Of The Universe : Come Out And Plague’ (No.95) wrap up this week’s top 100 debuts.
2 Cellos’ new album ‘Celloverse’ suffers one of the biggest drops of recent chart memory. After debuting at No.24 last week, it’s more than 76 places lower this week… and out of the top 100 entirely.
For a full run down of the ARIA top 50s, head over to the ARIA CHARTS WEBSITE, now every Saturday from 6:00pm AEDT.
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