It’s been a long time since we had a genuinely busy week. Now we’ve got one, and surprisingly, it’s not just the Christmas records that are responsible.

1. Gracie Abrams – “That’s So True”

Four weeks. She must have a good chance of hanging on until whatever Christmas record dethrones her, since she heads up a static top 3. Bear in mind that almost all the Christmas records are at the disadvantage of being permanently downweighted, because they’re back catalogue tracks – Abrams would have been number one this week anyway, but not by much.

4. Kendrick Lamar – “Squabble Up”
5. Kendrick Lamar & SZA – “Luther”
6. Kendrick Lamar featuring Lefty Gunplay – “TV Off”

The maximum three tracks from his sixth album “GNX”, which got a surprise release and enters at number 1 on the album chart. His only previous UK number 1 album was “To Pimp a Butterfly” in 2015; the two albums since then both got stuck at number 2. “Damn” (2017) landed behind Ed Sheeran’s “Divide” in its seventh week, but “Mr Morale & The Big Steppers” (2022) was beaten by the first week sales of a Florence & The Machine album that had far less staying power.

Number 4 matches Kendrick’s previous highest position on the singles chart, but that was as a guest on Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” in 2015 – not exactly a highlight of his discography. His previous best as a lead artist was number 5 with “All the Stars” in 2018. Oddly enough, that had SZA on it too. This is also the first chart appearance for Californian rapper Lefty Gunplay.

If it wasn’t for the three-song cap, the entire album would have placed in the top 40. Which is why the three-song cap was introduced in the first place.

7. Cynthia Erivo featuring Ariana Grande – “Defying Gravity”
13. Ariana Grande – “Popular”
14. Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo – “What Is This Feeling”

These are three tracks from the soundtrack of Wicked. You might spot a common theme: these are the tracks that the Ariana Grande fans are cherrypicking. But it does also give us the first two hits for actress Cynthia Erivo.

These are unusual tracks to make the singles chart – we’re in the territory of outright musical theatre here. “Defying Gravity”, in particular, is over 7 minutes long, although it’s also the only one of these songs which has charted before, in a version by the cast of Glee which reached number 38 in 2010.

I’m not quite sure how the three-song limit works on this – there’s another Ariana Grande track further down the chart (you can guess which one), but she’s only credited as a featured artist on “Defying Gravity”, and I think that doesn’t count towards the cap. However, if I remember rightly, the last time we had lots of musical tracks making the top 40 was with The Greatest Showman, and at that point I think they basically treated everything from the album as by “cast of X” for the purposes of the three-song rule.

And we’re still not on to the Christmas records.

21. Stromae & Pomme – “Ma Meilleure Ennemie”

From the soundtrack of Arcane: League of Legends, and it’s a rare French language hit. It’s a second hit single for Stromae, who reached number 25 with “Alors On Dance” in 2010; he’s had several number 1s in his native Belgium, and has a respectable track record on the continent, but the British have always had a limited appetite for foreign language songs where the lyrics are more than just slogans.

Right, on to the stuff you were expecting.

27. Ariana Grande – “Santa Tell Me”

Originally released in 2014, when she was still a rising star, this didn’t chart until 2017, but it’s been back every year since. It got to number 8 last year, which was its all time peak.

30. Bobby Helms – “Jingle Bell Rock”

A 1957 single by Bobby Helms which didn’t chart in the UK at the time, although a version by Max Bygraves charted in 1959, and Helms himself did have some mid table UK hits in the late fifties with other tracks. His original version of “Jingle Bell Rock” didn’t make the UK top 40 until 2019, though. It made the top 10 in the last two years. Its all time peak is number 7 in 2022, matching the Bygraves version.

31. Ed Sheeran & Elton John – “Merry Christmas”

Number 1 for three week on release in 2021, and it made the top 5 in the two years following. I still think it’s rubbish.

32. Kelly Clarkson – “Underneath the Tree”

Kelly Clarkson deserves better than to be known for one Christmas record, but at least it’s a good one. This reached number 30 on release in 2013, and it’s been back every year since 2017. It reached an all time peak of 12 in 2022, and only fell one place short of that last year.

34. The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl – “Fairytale of New York”

Number 2 on release in 1987, when it was held off the Christmas number 1 by the Pet Shop Boys’ version of “Always On My Mind”. And that’s a very good record too, but this is the cultural institution. It’s been back every year since 2005  and it’s made the top 10 every year since 2017.

39. Andy Williams – “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”

This dates from 1963, but wasn’t released as a single, and so it didn’t make the top 40 until 2007. It didn’t return until 2016, but it’s been back every year since. Its all time peak is number 9, reached in 2021 and again last year.

40. Shakin’ Stevens – “Merry Christmas Everyone”

The Christmas number 1 of 1985 – complete with the bleakly silent opening minute of its video – has been back every year since 2014. It got to number 6 in 2019, 2020 and 2021, but it’s fallen a little bit short of that since then. It still got to number 10 last year, though. For anyone under the age of about 50, Stevens is probably known exclusively for this track, but he did have a string of hits in the early 80s, including three other number 1s, with his 50s throwback gimmick.

This week’s climbers are all Christmas records, since everything else gets shoved down by the six high new entries.

• “Last Christmas” by Wham! climbs 16-8.
• “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey climbs 17-10.
• “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee climbs 34-20.

The fourteen (!) tracks leaving the top 40 this week including some long running tracks, some of which might yet return after Christmas:

• “Move” by Adam Port, Stryv and Keinemusik – which seems to be the credit they’ve finally settled on – lasted 19 weeks and peaked at 10.
• “Diet Pepsi” by Addison Rae had 9 weeks on chart, and peaked at 10.
• “Heavy is the Crown” by Linkin Park re-entered at 21 last week.
• “Two Faced” by Linkin Park had a single week at number 22.
• “Running Wild” by Jin had a single week at number 25, and drops straight out of the top 100.
• “It’s OK I’m OK” by Tate McRae entered at 14 and fell from there, but lasted 10 weeks.
• “Disease” by Lady Gaga entered at number 7 but leaves the top 40 after only four weeks
• “Stargazing” by Myles Smith, which peaked at number 4, had 12 weeks in the top 10, and lasted 28 weeks in the top 40.
• “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey, which peaked at number 3, spent 13 weeks in the top 10, and lasted 31 weeks in the top 40.
• “Prada” by cässo, Raye & D-Block Europe got to number 29 on a seven-week re-entry run.
• “Hot to Go” by Chappell Roan had 23 weeks in the top 40 after a slow burn, and peaked at number 4.
• “Close to You” by Gracie Abrams re-entered at 31 two weeks ago.
• “Stick Season” by Noah Kahan had re-entered in the low 30s three weeks ago.
• “Too Sweet” by Hozier had two weeks at number 1 in April, but lasted 35 weeks on the top 40.

On the album chart, “GNX” by Kendrick Lamar is number 1, but we’ve covered that.

2. Michael Kiwanuka – “Small Changes”

His fourth album, all of which have reached the top 4. His second album was a number 1, but 2019’s “Kiwanuka” got stuck at 2 behind a Jeff Lynne album, and now the poor guy runs into an unexpected Kendrick Lamar release.

12. Father John Misty – “Mahashmashana”

His previous album reached number 2 in 2022, but that seems to have been outlier – the album before that also got to 12.

14. Wizkid – “Morayo”

This is his highest placing UK album, but it’s marginal – the previous one reached number 16, and the one before that got to 15. So he’s very consistent.

36. Marilyn Manson – “One Assassination Under God – Chapter 1”

This is his first album since 2020; his last two albums both made the top 10, and number 36 is his lowest position for a studio album since 1996.