Singles:
There has been a different number one for each of the last eight weeks - but the sequence is halted by Jessie J, whose latest hit Domino sold 64,255 copies (12.01% more than the week before) to fight off the threat of a pair of European dance records featuring Australians, and Rizzle Kicks’ Mama Do The Hump.
The latter disc trailed its European rivals all week but finally overcame them to climb 3-2 with sales up 28.80% week-on-week at 52,928.
Tucked in just behind it, Titanium rises 8-3 (48,851 sales) for France's David Guetta and Australian singer/songwriter Sia, while the week’s highest debut, Antidote - pairingThe Swedish House Mafia and Knife Party - sold 46,757 copies to debut at number four. It is the fourth straight Top 10 hit for The Swedish House Mafia - a collaboration between Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello - and the first for Aussie duo Knife Party.
Although it spawned two number ones, Pixie Lott's debut album Turn It Up didn't produce any other Top 10 hits, but follow-up Young Foolish Happy makes it three out of three as Kiss The Stars jumps 14-8 (26,983 sales). The album - also home to the number one hit All About Tonight and the number 10 single What Do You Take Me For? - has been less convincing thus far, climbing no higher than number 18, whereas Turn It Up got to number six. Young Foolish Happy improves 86-52 (3,237 sales) this week, increasing its overall sales to 70,843 – 8.28% of the 855,805 copies that Turn It Up has sold.
With new entries still thin on the ground, several songs continue to climb the chart, including Pitbull's International Love (23-13, 18,620 sales, feat. Chris Brown), Kelly Clarkson's Stronger (21-11, 24,720 sales), and Somebody That I Used To Know by Gotye feat. Kimbra (36-21, 14,236 sales).
Cher Lloyd's first two singles peaked at their debut positions - Swagger Jagger at number one, and follow-up With Ur Love (feat. Mike Posner) at number four - but third single Want U Back improves 56-26 (9,730 sales) on its second week on the list, and helps to stabilise parent album Sticks & Stones, which moves 30-28 (5,613 sales). Meanwhile, her fellow X Factor season seven (2010) graduates One Direction register the third Top 40 hit from their debut album, Up All Night. After reaching number one with debut single What Makes You Beautiful, and number three with Gotta Be You, they debut at number 28 (9,446 sales) with One Thing.
One Direction's album has sold significantly more than season seven winner Matt Cardle's debut set, Letters, and even Lloyd is catching up. Sales to midnight on Saturday are as follows: Up All Night – 499,850, Letters – 245,271 and Sticks & Stones – 198,199. Like Lloyd and One Direction, Cardle reached number one with his debut single (When We Collide) but had to settle for sixth place with second single Run For Your Life, and came a real cropper with third single Starlight, which limped to number 185 on the sales tally, despite getting enough exposure to reach number 23 on the radio airplay chart. A fourth 2010 X Factor contestant, Rebecca Ferguson, has also sold more albums than Cardle. Despite thus far taking only one single - the number 10 hit Nothing Is Real But Love - from her debut album, Heaven, the set has sold 405,932 copies in seven weeks.
The late, great Etta James finally succumbed to leukaemia on Friday (20th) five days before her 74th birthday. James’ 1963 recording Something’s Got A Hold On Me provides the vocal sample for current Top 10 hits Good Feeling by Flo Rida (2-5, 38,247 sales) and Avicii’s Levels (4-7, 28,895 sales). Coverage of James’ demise precipitated a 637.10% leap in sales of At Last, the title track of her 1961 debut album. The track sold 6,896 copies last week, and makes its Top 40 debut at number 39, having previously peaked at number 69 in September 2010, after being sung on The X Factor by Katie Waissel. The original flipside of At Last was I Just Want To Make Love To You which provided – also belatedly – James’ only previous Top 40 entry, reaching number five in 1996, when being used as the soundbed to a Diet Coke commercial. The track has normally sells around 100 copies a week but sold 1,458 copies last week, raising its sales since 1996 to 153,410. At Last has sold 117,659 copies since digital sales were first tracked in 2004. James’ third highest-selling track in the digital age, I’d Rather Go Blind, has sold 20,259 copies in the same timeframe, including 1,621 last week – enough for it to earn its Top 200 debut at number 177.
Overall singles sales are down 2.94% week-on-week at 3,296,518 – 4.79% above same week 2011 sales of 3,145,938.
1 Jessie J 64,255
2 Rizzle Kicks 52,928
3 David Guetta/Sia 48,851
4 Swedish House Mafia vs. Knife Party 46,757
5 Flo Rida 38,247
7 Avicii 28,895
8 Pixie Lott 26,983
11 Kelly Clarkson 24,720
13 Pitbull/Chris Brown 18,620
21 Goyte 14,236
26 Cher Lloyd 9,730
28 One Direction 9,446
39 Etta James 6,896 (117,659)
59 Florence + The Machine [SIO] 5,082
67 Florence + The Machine [NLNL] 4,368
177 Etta James [IRGB] 1,621 (20,259)
To Date Singles
Etta James - I Just Want To Make Love To You 153,410
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Albums
Released exactly a year ago, Adele's 21 celebrates its birthday by returning to the top of the album chart. The album racks up its 20th week at number one overall while commencing its fifth run at the summit. Only 12 other albums have had five or more runs at number one, with Abba's Gold: Greatest Hits being the most recent addition to the club when it returned to the summit in 2009. 21's return to number one is, however, attended by sales of only 20,978 copies, fewer than the 23,029 copies it sold at its previous low point 12 weeks ago, and fewer copies than any other album has sold while at number one in any of the 629 weeks that have elapsed thus far in the 21st century.
On a more positive note, after a year on release, 21 has racked up a massive 3,855,535 sales, including
747,926 downloads and
3,824 12-inch albums. It is by far the biggest selling album of all-time digitally, outselling the number two and three titles - Lady GaGa's The Fame
(353,749) and The Kings Of Leon's Only By The Night
(332,428) - combined.
For the second week in a row, a fanbase act made a sufficiently strong opening to top the initial midweek sales flashes but eventually debuted outside the top three.
Rave metal band Enter Shikari's third studio album, A Flash Flood Of Colour was at number one until Friday but ended up debuting at number four (19,451 sales). The Hertfordshire band's first album, Take To The Skies, debuted at number four on sales of 27,901 in 2007, while 2009's Common Dreads sold 14,978 copies to debut and peak at number 16. Several Enter Shikari compilations and live albums have also been released though none managed to dent the Top 50. The Maccabees third album, Given To The Wild, which topped initial sales flashes a fortnight ago, eventually debuted at number four, and falls this week to number 16 (8,867 sales).
With third single No Light, No Light debuting at number 67 (4,368 sales), and second single Shake It Out rebounding 77-59 (5,082 sales), Florence & The Machine's Ceremonials album regains its Top 10 status. The album debuted at number one in October but exited the Top 10 after three weeks. Its 21-8 jump this week bring the album its highest chart placing for nine weeks. Sales of 11,769 raise its overall tally to 412,655. Florence's debut album Lungs also gravitates higher, ending a 10 week absence from the Top 50 by improving 54-47, with sales of 3,539 copies increasing its career tally to 1,476,828.
After some low level singles and EP releases and high profile gigs, London indie band The Tribes' newborn debut album Baby is delivered to a number 20 debut on sales of 7,608 copies.
Easing 31-48 (3,485 sales) on its third week in the album chart, Skrillex’s Bangarang remains the only title in the Top 200 not yet available physically. Due for release on CD next Monday (27th), the album - officially an EP, featuring collaborations with Ellie Goulding, Wolfgang Gartner and The Doors - debuted at number 36 a fortnight ago. It is only the second album to make the Top 40 on digital sales alone - the first was Slash's self-titled 2010 album, which debuted and peaked at number 30 on downloads alone, before vinyl and CD editions kicked in. Only five other albums have made the Top 75 on download alone: in 2010, Lil' Wayne's I Am Not A Human Being reached number 72; and in 2011, Ed Sheeran's No 5 Collaborations Project reached number 46, Adele's iTunes Festival - London 2011 EP reached number 74, Worship Central's Spirit Break Out reached number 48 and Lowkey's Soundtrack To The Struggle reached number 57.
Overall album sales are down 8.30% week-on-week at 1,591,839 - their lowest level for 18 weeks, and 12.69% below same week 2011 sales of 1,823,183.
1 Adele 20,978 (3855,535)
2 Ed Sheeran 20,779 ??
4 Enter Shikari 19,451
8 Florence + The Machine 11,769 (412,655)
16 Maccabees 8,867
20 Tribes 7,608
28 Cher Lloyd 5,613 (198,199)
47 Florence + The Machine 3,539 (1,476,828)
48 Skrillex 3,485
52 Pixie Lott 3,237 (70,843)
To Date Albums
Pixie Lott - Turn It Up 855,805
One Direction - Up All Night 499,850
Rebecca Ferguson - Heaven 405,932
Matt Cardle - Letters 245,271
Enter Shikari - Common Dreads 14,978
