Welcome to ARIA Chart Watch #502, our second for December and our latest with no changes to the No.1 spots down under.
Yes, both our No.1 single and album are precisely the same as they were last week.
But as you’ll soon discover, there are plenty of moves in the 99 positions below.
Intrigued? Best you read on…
SINGLES
Ariana Grande makes it four weeks atop the ARIA singles chart with her latest smash ‘Thank U, Next’.
No doubt its performance over the past seven days was helped along by the reveal of the music video, which has gathered plenty of traction online this week.
But there’s movement below, with Halsey’s latest hit ‘Without Me’ edging to spaces higher to a new chart peak of No.2. Could she overtake Ariana next weekend and claim her first ever Aussie No.1 solo hit?
George Ezra maintains his No.3 placing with ‘Shotgun’, but there’s a little change in position three; the track achieving a new fourth platinum certification, meaning it’s now sold in excess of 280,000 units in Australia.
Though they lose their grip on a top five berth this week (at the expense of Post Malone and Swae Lee’s ‘Sunflower’), Marshmello and Bastille will also be basking in the Aussie chart glow, after achieving a new double platinum accreditation for their smash ‘Happier’ (140,000 units).
Travis Scott’s ‘Sicko Mode’ is on the up again (back to an equal peak of No.7 and also with a new double platinum accreditation).
And the Ava Max single ‘Sweet But Psycho’ looks like being the first big anthem of the summer, leaping five more places to a new peak of No.8. It also scores a certification this week – a gold one (for sales of more than 35,000 units).
Rita Ora’s ‘Let You Love Me’ slips from eight to ten, but also goes gold, while Mariah Carey’s classic ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ jingles all the way from No.65 to No.14 and, like last year, is well on its way back towards the top ten down under.
5 Seconds Of Summer’s ‘Youngblood’ keeps selling. That track has just smashed through the six times platinum barrier, meaning sales in Australia of more than 420,000 units. It even improves one place to No.16.
Though it arrived with much fanfare last Friday, the new Mark Ronson/Miley Cyrus single ‘Nothing Breaks Like A Heart’ hasn’t arrived with a massive bang on the ARIA singles chart, premiering in (a still decent) position 17.
Kodak Black’s ‘Zeze’ goes gold at No.20. XXXTentacion’s ‘Arms Around You’ goes gold at No.21.
And 6ix9ine’s ‘Mama’ (with Nicki Minaj and Kanye West) enters the Aussie countdown at No.22.
Now he’s been signed to EMI, Kian’s ‘Waiting’ edges higher still (No.28 to a new peak of No.24), gold certifications for both Charlie XCX and Troye Sivan’s ‘1999’ (No.26 to No.25) and Lukas Graham’s ‘Love Someone’ (No.22 to No.26).
6ix9ine’s ‘Kika’ is also in the ARIA top 100 on debut this week, entering at No.30.
There’s a gold accreditation for Morgan Evans’ ‘Day Drunk’ (steady at No.35), a new double platinum one for Panic At The Disco’s ‘High Hopes’ (down 13 to No.37) and an 18 place fall for Lady Gaga’s ‘Always Remember Us This Way’ (No.21 to No.39.
Meek Mill enters at No.42 with ‘Going Bad’ (featuring Drake), The Chainsmokers’ ‘This Feeling’ tumbles 13 to No.44 (with Kelsea Ballerini).
And wouldn’t you know it, Ed Sheeran has the ‘Perfect’ way to spend the festive season… celebrating a brand new tenth platinum certification for his single ‘Perfect’. It’s now sold in excess of 700,000 units in Australia.
Right behind him is a top 100 re-entry for Wham’s Christmas classic ‘Last Christmas’, a ten place drop for Pink’s ‘A Million Dreams’ and a No.64 to No.49 jump for the Ellie Goulding/Diplo/Swae Lee track ‘Close To Me’.
Outside the top 50 this week, things continue to get festive, with a No.54 re-entry (a new peak) for Ariana Grande’s ‘Santa Tell Me’.
Queen’s classic ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ bites the dust, dropping from No.41 to No.56, but the fortunes of Shawn Mendes’ ‘Lost In Japan’ continue to improve. That single gaining another nine positions to No.56 this week (though still a long way shy of its original’s No.27 peak).
Khalid’s ‘Saturday Nights’ is back in the ARIA chart mix (re-entering at a new peak of No.63), while Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s ‘I’ll Never Love Again’ tumbles 21 to No.64.
The celebrations continue for Ed Sheeran this week; scores another huge certification with his former No.1 smash ‘Shape Of You’. It’s spending its 100th week on the Aussie chart in position 67 and has just ticked over to 13 times platinum. It’s now sold a staggering 910,000 units in Australia. Huge.
Also huge is the 20 place drop for the (perhaps ironically titled) ‘Falling Down’ (No.48 to No.68), but it does pick up a fresh new platinum certification for sales of more than 70,000 units.
There’s a debut at No.69 for the NOTD/Felix Jaehn single ‘So Close’, a 20 place drop for Queen’s ‘Somebody To Love’ (No.51 to No.71), a 15 place jump for James Arthur and Anne-Marie’s version of ‘Rewrite The Stars’ (No.88 on debut to No.73) and a 16 place fall for Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ (No.59 to No.75).
The new certifications keep coming; Bazzi’s ‘Beautiful’ now platinum at No.77.
But so too do the big drops; XXXTentacion’s ‘Bad’ down a huge 31 places to No.78.
Queen’s ‘We Are The Champions’ slides 26 to No.87, Guy Sebastian’s ‘Before I Go’ loses all the gains it made last week, dropping 26 to No.88 and Billie Eilish’s ‘Bellyache’ drops 14 from last week’s No.75 debut.
The Kygo/Imagine Dragons single ‘Born To Be Yours’ tumbles 19 (to No.92) and Band Aid 30’s version of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ is back in (No.94).
Though it’s finally gone from the ARIA top 100 this week, the Keala Settle single ‘This Is Me’ (from the soundtrack of ‘The Greatest Showman’) scores a fresh new triple platinum accreditation, having sold more than 210,000 units.
ALBUMS
As mentioned in the intro paragraph, there’s no change to the No.1 spot here on the ARIA albums chart either.
Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga continue to hold with the soundtrack to their smash movie ‘A Star Is Born’, ahead of the soundtrack to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and Queen’s ‘Greatest Hits’ (both steady in positions two and three respectively).
With those three firmly wedged in their positions, The 1975 had nowhere to go except No.4 on debut with their new long player ‘A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships’.
Looks like Christmas trumps love; Michael Bublé’s festive collection ‘Christmas’ is back into the top five (No.9 to No.5), ironically preventing Michael Bublé’s latest album ‘Love’ from holding onto a top five berth (No.4 to No.6).
Big news this week for the soundtrack to ‘The Greatest Showman’. It notches up one full year on the ARIA chart this week and does so with a huge new boost to its certification figures, shifting from platinum last weekend to triple platinum this week. That’s 210,000 sales in the bag.
After her ARIA wins last week, Amy Shark’s ‘Love Monster’ creeps its way back into the ARIA top ten (No.12 to No.10), with bullets close behind for John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John’s ‘Friends For Christmas’ (No.29 to No.13) and Mariah Carey’s classic ‘Merry Christmas’ (No.30 to No.14).
The Christmas flavour continues, with jumps for Human Nature’s ‘The Christmas Album’ (No.21 to No.15), Mark Vincent’s ‘It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year’ (No.32 to No.17) and David Campbell’s ‘Baby It’s Christmas’ (No.24 to No.18).
Mumford & Sons’ ‘Delta’ drops (No.10 to No.21), as does Missy Higgins’ ‘The Special Ones’ (No.7 to No.22).
Ariana Grande’s ‘Sweetener’, on the other hand, is up (No.31 to No.23).
Samantha Jade’s ‘The Magic Of Christmas’ loses five places from last week’s No.23 debut (the only Christmas album going backwards in the sales race this week, right when it should be picking UP sales).
Meek Mill scores a No.30 debut with ‘Championships’, Rita Ora’s ‘Phoenix’ dips 16 from last week’s No.15 debut and there’s a huge No.88 to No.32 rise for the Calum Scott album ‘Only Human’ (No.88 to No.32).
A little further down, Ski Mask The Slump God’ enters at No.35, Little Mix drops from No.19 to No.38 with ‘LM5’ and Earl Sweatshirt debuts at the even No.40 mark with ‘Some Rap Songs’.
Albums by Paul Kelly, Keith Urban and Ziggy Alberts are back into the top 50, while Clean Bandit just scrape into it with a No.48 debut for their new long player ‘What Is Love?’.
Outside the top 50, Bon Jovi’s ‘Greatest Hits’ leaps 20 to No.52 and The Wiggles ‘Wiggly Wiggly Christmas’ is back in the ARIA top 100 at No.54.
But P!nk’s ‘Greatest Hits… So Far’ is down from No.40 to No.55.
Elvis is back… well, ‘Christmas With Elvis’ is back (No.58 on re-entry).
5SOS’s ‘Youngblood’ rebounds from No.75 to No.61, but Barbra Streisand’s ‘Walls’ loses six (No.56 to No.62), Roy Orbison’s ‘Unchained Melodies’ (with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) is down 19 (to No.63) and Midnight Oil’s ‘Armistice Day’ loses 20 to No.65. Rüfüs Du Sol’s ‘Solace’ also slides this week, down 21 to No.67.
Lee Kernaghan is back with ‘Driving Home For Christmas’ (No.68), as is Pentatonix with ‘That’s Christmas To Me’ (No.72).
There’s a No.71 debut for the Def Leppard best-of, but a mammoth fall for Andre Rieu’s ‘Romantic Moments II’. That album rocketed 70 places to No.27 last week, but this week it’s back down again, down to No.73 (a 46 place fall).
Alessia Cara introduces ‘The Pains Of Growing’ to the No.76 position on debut.
Also down this week are the Red Hot Chili Peppers best of (down 39 to No.81) and Morgan Evans’ ‘Things That We Drink To’ (down 23 to No.82).
Shania Twain’s ‘Greatest Hits’ is back (No.83) as she touches down for her Australian tour, while there’s a No.84 debut for the Olafur Amalds long player ‘Re:Member’.
The new Muse album ‘Simulation Theory’ is almost out of the top 100 after four weeks in (down another 30 places to No.92 this week), while Metro Boomin’s ‘Not All Heroes Wear Capes’ loses 31 places to No.97.
Right at the very tail end, Pentatonix scores a No.100 debut with ‘Christmas Is Here’.
Karise Eden’s ‘Born To Fight’ is gone from the top 100 after last week’s No.37 debut.
For a full run down of the ARIA top 50s, head over to the ARIA CHARTS WEBSITE every Saturday from 5:00pm AEDT.
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