ARIA CHART WATCH #431

It’s edition #431 of ARIA Chart Watch and once again, we’re taking our weekly stroll through the ARIA top 100s.
Who’s No.1? Who’s jumped? Who’s slumped? Who’s scored themselves a top 100 debut? And who’s picked up new certifications?
Naturally, you’ll discover the answers to all of those questions in the scintillating paragraphs below.
Crack on…

SINGLES
Extraordinarily, there’s still no budging Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber and their global smash ‘Despacito’ from the Australian No.1 position. It’s now wedged atop the ARIA singles chart for a huge 11th straight week, despite challengers from all corners.
Adding weight to its chart clout this week is the fact that ‘Despacito’ has undergone a major certification tweak; up from its double platinum status last week to a fresh new quadruple platinum certification (280,000 units sold) this week.
The song’s biggest challenge this week wasn’t from Liam Payne, nor DJ Khaled. No… it was from Imagine Dragons.
Already its biggest Aussie chart hit to date, ‘Thunder’ rolls from No.4 to No.2 this week and, if it keeps on improving in the days and weeks ahead, could become the band’s first ever No.1 single here.
‘Thunder’ has also undergone a big certification adjustment; it’s newly platinum (70,000 units sold).
The new Calvin Harris single ‘Feels’ improves from No.5 to a new peak of No.3, while Liam Payne’s ‘Strip That Down’ and DJ Khaled’s ‘Wild Thoughts’ are at Nos.4 and 5 respectively (the latter also picking up a new platinum certification).
The new Macklemore single is a hit. It’s up eight more places and into the top ten this week (No.15 to No.7), suggesting that even brighter chart days may be ahead of it.
Shawn Mendes cops a double platinum accreditation for his single ‘There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back’, which maintains a top ten berth (No.9).
Linkin Park’s gold-certified ‘In The End’ re-enters the ARIA top 100 at No.10 as fans paid their tribute to the band’s lead singer Chester Bennington, who died suddenly last week. It doesn’t quite match the song’s peak of No.4 back in 2002, but it’s a great tribute nonetheless.
Kesha is back in the Australian top 20 with her new single ‘Praying’ (No.22 to No.16), while more Linkin Park love peppers the chart at No.18 (a re-entry for ‘Numb’).
Jessica Mauboy’s ‘Fallin’ scores a gold certification (35,000 units down), despite fallin (no-one saw that coming?) from No.11 to No.21.
Hailee Steinfeld’s ‘Most Girls’ is also newly gold certified this week (No.23). But Selena Gomez nabs a platinum accreditation for her recent single ‘Bad Liar’ (down six to No.24).
The week’s highest debut comes courtesy of former 1D member Louis Tomlinson and his new solo release ‘Back To You’. It’s new at No.26, so there’s plenty of work to do if he wants to be playing in the same league as recent top ten singles from his former bandmates.
The Chainsmokers and Coldplay score a fourth platinum certification for ‘Something Just Like This’ (No.27), Demi Lovato’s ‘Sorry, Not Sorry’ for racing into the top 30 (No.35 to No.28) and it’s ‘Congratulations’ to Post Malone, who picks up a new platinum certification for his single, which spends its 21st week inside the ARIA top 100.
The new Selena Gomez single ‘Fetish’ tumbles 15 places from last week’s No.23 debut.
And more Linkin Park love, with ‘Heavy’ and ‘What I’ve Done’ re-entering the top 100 at Nos.39 and 40 respectively.
Another one of those certification tweaks this week goes to the Zedd/Alessia Cara single ‘Stay’. It was a lowly platinum-selling single last week at No.36, but it’s now triple platinum certified (210,000 copies), despite falling seven places to No.43.
Camila Cabello’s debut solo single ‘Crying In The Club’ goes gold (down from No.40 to No.45), Dua Lipa’s new track ‘New Rules’ bullets from a No.83 debut to No.46.
As revealed in The Purge this morning, Halsey’s single ‘Now Or Never’ has been certified platinum, but that certification has yet to show up on the official chart, which still shows the track as being gold certified (No.47).
Linkin Park’s ‘Numb/Encore’ and ‘One Step Closer’ are back in the top 100 at Nos.48 and 49 respectively.
Its location might be out of the top 50 now, but Khalid’s ‘Location’ still scores itself a fresh new platinum certification on its exit. It’s down from No.41 to No.51.
Kygo and Selena Gomez also score a new certification after making their way out of the top 50 with ‘It Ain’t Me’. It’s now triple platinum (No.43 to No.52).
Imagine Dragons’ ‘Believer’ is newly platinum (No.51 to No.55) and there’s more Linkin Park action with both ‘Shadow Of The Day’ and ‘Somewhere I Belong’ making their way back into the top 100 at Nos.59 and 62 respectively.
Good news for Harry Styles this week; his debut solo effort ‘Sign Of The Times’ hitting a new double platinum milestone (No.63).
Lorde’s ‘Green Light’ is also now double platinum (No.50 to No.64) and there are more Linkin Park entries at No.68 (‘Leave Out All The Rest’), No.70 (‘Crawling’) and No.73 (‘Bleed It Out’).
It’s a landmark week for The Chainsmokers’ former No.1 smash ‘Closer’ too. It’s down nine places to No.74, yes, but this week is its one year anniversary on the ARIA singles chart. And what better way to celebrate than by notching up a new certification… this one being 11 times platinum. Yes, that’s a massive 770,000 units sold in Australia.
Drake’s ‘Passionfruit’ takes a tumble (down 21 to No.79) and Kaleo’s ‘Way Down We Go’ goes way down (No.63 to No.80).
Another song that just doesn’t seem to want to go away is Justin Timberlake’s ‘Can’t Stop The Feeling’. It’s still in the countdown after a massive 64 weeks and this week notches up a new seventh platinum certification (490,000 units sold), as it closes in on the magical half million mark.
Logic’s ‘1-800-273-8255’ slumps 23 spots to No.82. Linkin Park’s ‘One More Light’ debuts at No.85. Linkin Park’s ‘Faint’ is back in the top 100 at No.87. ‘New Divide’ and ‘Papercut’ follow, re-entering at No.90 and 91 respectively.
Right down the very bottom of the countdown, we’ve got a No.97 debut for Vera Blue’s ‘Regular Touch’, a 28 place drop (No.70 to No.98) for Calvin Harris, Future and Khalid’s ‘Rollin’ and a new triple platinum accreditation for The Weeknd & Daft Punk’s ‘I Feel It Coming’ (No.80 to No.99).
Coldplay’s ‘Kaleidoscope’ EP is out of the top 100 after just one week (debuting last week at No.56) and The Chainsmokers’ ‘Paris’ hits triple platinum as it closes the door to the top 100 on its way out.

ALBUMS
LOTS of information to digest on the singles chart this week, but we’re not done with you yet…
We’ve got a No.1 debut for the new Lana Del Rey album ‘Lust For Life’ to tell you about on the ARIA album chart!
Yes, Lana makes it four number ones from her last four albums this week, knocking Ed Sheeran from the No.1 position.
Ed’s actually down to No.3, as fans grieving the loss of Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington send their five times platinum debut album ‘Hybrid Theory’ back towards the top of the chart. In fact, it re-enters the chart at No.2 this week, ironically equal to its highest position, achieved 15 long years ago.
The band’s latest album ‘One More Light’ rockets from No.87 to No.4 and ‘Meteora’ re-enters the countdown at No.5.
All of which means that Vera Blue misses out on a No.3 debut for her debut album ‘Perennial’. Vera has to settle for No.6 on debut, sandwiched between Linkin Park re-entries (‘Meteora’ at five and ‘Minutes To Midnight’ at No.6).
There’s another top ten debut thanks to Tyler The Creator, whose ‘Flower Boy’ is new at No.8.
Katy Perry’s ‘Witness’ is down from No.4 to No.12 and though down six places to No.13 this week, Kendrick Lamar’s album has done enough in its 15 weeks on the Aussie chart to achieve a fresh new gold sales certification (35,000 units down).
Meg Mac’s ‘Low Blows’ is down from a No.2 debut to No.15 and Calvin Harris’s ‘Funk Wav Bounces Vol.1’ drops from No.9 to No.16.
Also dropping from the top ten this week is Jay-Z’s album ‘4:44’. It’s down from No.6 to No.22.
Another high profile passing this week sees ‘Gurrumul’ from Dr.G Yunupingu re-enter the ARIA top 100 at No.27, ahead of Jay-Z and Linkin Park’s ‘Collision Course’ (No.28 on re-entry).
k.d.Lang’s Australian tour has done wonders for sales of her debut album ‘Ingenue’. The reviews were incredible. So too, it seems, was the pick-up in sales as a result. It’s up 60 places to No.30.
Hillsong United’s ‘Wonder’ is down from No.18 to No.33, Stone Sour’s ‘Hydrograd’ is down from No.19 to No.34.
More Linkin Park re-entries at Nos.38 and 40 (‘The Hunting Party’ and ‘Living Things’ respectively).
In This Moment’s ‘Ritual’ cracks the top 50 on debut (No.43), as does Nine Inch Nails’ ‘Add Violence’ (No.44).
Linkin Park are in the action again with ‘A Thousand Suns’ (re-entry at No.47) and their ‘Studio Collection’ (a new entry at No.49).
On the precipice of the top 50 this week, we’ve got Bliss N Eso’s ‘Off The Grid’ (down 18 to No.50), while Pete Murray’s ‘Camacho’ tumbles just enough to land outside of it (down 20 to No.51).
Michael Ball and Alfie Boe are ‘Together’ and their album lands at No.56 on debut. Linkin Park’s ‘Road To Revolution’ live album, meantime, returns to the chart at No.59.
The ‘Descendants 2’ compile is new at No.64, Gurrumul’s ‘The Gospel Album’ is back in at No.66, The Beatles’ ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ plunges 37 spots to No.70 and the new Foster The People album ‘Sacred Hearts Club’ premieres at No.71.
But there are more drops; Zara Larsson’s ‘So Good’ down 12 to No.73, DJ Khaled’s ‘Grateful’ down 29 to No.73, the ‘Beauty & The Beast’ soundtrack down 21 to No.75.
Halsey’s album ‘Hopeless Fountain Kingdom’ plummets (down from No.39 to No.85). But Oh Wonder’s ‘Ultralife’ plunges even further (down a staggering 55 places to No.92).
Meek Mill’s ‘Wins & Losses’ is in there on debut (No.91).
Six albums from last week’s top 50 have disappeared entirely from the top 100 this week. Mura Masa’s self-titled set is down more than 51 places, Planetshakers’ ‘Legacy Pt.2 : Passion’ drops more than 54 and The Kite String Tangle’s self-titled album slumps more than 64 spots.
Think those drops are big? Alpha Wolf’s ‘Mono’ drops more than 71 places from last week’s No.29 debut. The Vamps’ ‘Night & Day’ plummets more than 78 positions after debuting last week at No.22.
But the biggest fall of the week? That’d be the ‘Punk Goes Pop Vol.7’ compilation, which debuted last week at a very respectable No.10. It’s plunged more than 90 places to be gone entirely from this week’s 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.

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