Here we go with episode 429 of ARIA Chart Watch.
There’s not much to report for the No.1 position on either chart this week; both remaining unchanged again.
But there’s plenty of action in the 99 spots below. So let’s crack on with this week’s ARIA Chart Watch.
SINGLES
It’s now nine weeks on the fly for Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber’s ‘Despacito’ atop the ARIA singles chart. And once again that superstar collaboration has been able to hold off the likes of Niall Horan (No.2), DJ Khaled, Rihanna and Bryson Tiller (No.3) and Liam Payne (No.4).
Calvin Harris tried and failed to crack the top five with every one of the single releases from ‘Funk Wav Bounces Vol.1’ until now. He’s broken that hoodoo, thanks to the vocal stylings of Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry and Big Sean; the superstar collaboration improving from No.9 to No.5.
Rita Ora edges towards another top ten Aussie single with her latest track ‘Your Song’. In its seventh week of local chart action, it improves from No.14 to No.12.
Maggie Lindemann’s ‘Pretty Girl’ is up again (No.23 to a new peak of No.16), French Montana’s ‘Unforgettable’ is into the top 20 (No.21 to No.18) and the new Kesha single ‘Praying’ is the week’s highest new entry at No.19.
Two singles in a big hurry this week are the new Macklemore single ‘Glorious’ (which bullets into the top 50 from No.51 to No.22) and Sam Hunt’s ‘Body Like A Back Road’ (which bullets 20 places to No.23).
Jessica Mauboy’s latest single, however, is ‘Fallin’. Literally. It’s down ten places to No.25.
A little further down, Zedd scores a little more Aussie chart love with his new single ‘Get Low’, which features the vocals of former One Direction star Liam Payne. It’s new at No.39.
Calvin Harris’s ‘Slide’, which shifted up from No.52 to No.38 last week, achieves a fresh new double platinum certification for sales in excess of 140,000 units (No.40).
The new Peking Duk/AlunaGeorge single ‘Fake Magic’ improves eight to No.42.
Beyond the walls of this week’s top 50, we have a couple of former top 20 favourites floundering.
The first is the Harry Styles single ‘Sign Of The Times’, which drops a fair way (18 places) and is now out of the top 50 (No.34 to No.52).
The post-‘Voice’ sales week hasn’t been kind to winner Judah Kelly either. Though his single ‘Count On Me’ debuted at a respectable No.19 last week, it finds itself out of the top 50 entirely this week; down 34 places to No.53.
Axwell & Ingrosso’s ‘More Than You Know’ jumps 24 from last week’s No.78 debut and Teddy Cream’s cover of the Daryl Braithwaite classic ‘Horses’ premieres at No.55.
Rudimental’s ‘Sun Comes Up’ improves two places on last week’s No.64 debut, Starley’s ‘Call On Me’ is down 17 to No.76 and, into the 90s, the new Demi Lovato single ‘Sorry Not Sorry’ makes its Australian chart entry at No.90.
Katy Perry’s ‘Chained To The Rhythm’ looks like it’s about to spend its last week in the ARIA top 100, falling from No.77 to No.100.
Gone this week from the top 100 entirely is Hoseah Partsch’s ‘Paper Planes’, which he performed on ‘The Voice’ Grand Final the week prior. It was at No.35 last week, meaning it’s lost more than 65 places in a week.
ALBUMS
Right, that’s the singles done with for the week… now onto the albums.
And, you guessed it, it’s Ed Sheeran who once again leads this week’s parade; his album ‘÷’ showing no signs of slowing.
Even the superstar power of Jay-Z and Haim were no match for our favourite British ginger.
In fact, Jay-Z and Haim also missed out on the No.2 position this week too, as Lorde strengthens; ‘Melodrama’ improving from No.3 to No.2.
Jay-Z debuts in the No.3 position with ‘4:44’, with Haim settling for position four with ‘Something To Tell You’, both on debut.
There’s not a whole lot of movement elsewhere in the top ten, with the usual suspects all moving a few places here and there.
The Jungle Giants just miss a top ten berth with their new LP ‘Quiet Ferocity’. It’s new at No.11, easily eclipsing the No.25 peak of their previous album (2015’s ‘Speakerzoid’).
Stone Sour’s ‘Hydrograd’ falls from its No.2 position and out of the top ten (No.2 to No.12); the rest of the teens a mixture of Ed Sheeran (‘x’ and ‘+’), Adele and some soundtracks (‘Trolls’, ‘Moana’, ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’).
With his singles hitting, DJ Khaled’s album ‘Grateful’ arrests some of last week’s losses. The album debuted at No.7 two weeks back and dropped to No.37 in its second week. It’s back up another 15 places in week three.
Rag ‘N’ Bone Man’s ‘Human’ jumps from No.38 to No.27, ‘The Very Best Of INXS’ improves again (No.46 to No.35), but Royal Blood’s ‘How Did We Get So Dark?’ loses ground, dropping 17 places to No.36.
US rapper 21 Savage scores some top 50 Aussie chart love with his debut album ‘Issa Album’, which enters at No.42.
There’s also a No.47 debut for the soundtrack to the new movie ‘Baby Driver’.
But Tex Perkins, Don Walker and Charlie Owen (aka Tex, Don & Charlie) don’t fare quite so well in their second week as they did in their first with their latest album ‘You Don’t Know Lonely’. Though it debuted at a decent No.14 last week, it’s down 36 places this week, almost losing its footing in the top 50.
The boys from In Stereo don’t quite match the top 20 success of their previous two EPs with their third ‘Day In, Day Out’, which enters at No.54.
Hillsong Worship’s ‘Let There Be Light’ is up from No.94 to No.58 and Rise Against’s ‘Wolves’ leaps from No.76 to No.60, but Lady Antebellum’s ‘Heart Break’ tumbles 18 places to No.61 in week five.
After rushing back into the countdown a couple of weeks back following its repackage, Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ soundtrack is on the wane again, plunging 41 places to No.68.
Pete Murray’s ‘Camacho’ is down 13 (No.56 to No.69), Tina Arena’s ‘Greatest Hits/Interpretations’ is down 25 (No.47 to No.72) and Radiohead’s ‘OK Computer’ tumbles 29 (No.44 to No.73). Alt-J’s ‘Relaxer’ continues the slides (No.60 to No.79).
There is a little No.91 debut for the Split Enz live album ‘Live, Alive Oh’.
And there’s a 41 place fall for Vince Staples’ ‘Big Fish Theory’ (No.57 to No.98).
Superfruit’s album ‘Future Friends : Part One’, however, suffers the week’s biggest fall. It was at No.31 last week and sheds more than 69 chart places to be outside the top 100.
For a full run down of the ARIA top 50s, head over to the ARIA CHARTS WEBSITE (now with a fresh new look, with fresh new features) every Saturday from 5:00pm AEST.
toby says
The charts are so boring these days. I miss the mid-2000s with lots of high debuts and new entries.
(Ps/this is not a reflection on your terrific work auspOp.)