Is the theme of 2025 going to be “records that were overlooked several years ago”, then?

1. Chappell Roan – “Pink Pony Club”

Two weeks. It has a lead of more than 15% over the number 2 single, but she does have a new single out – the first actually new single she’s released since breaking through last year – so we’ll see what the first week audience is for that.

4. Doechii – “Anxiety”

This is the track sampled in Sleepy Hallow’s “Anxiety”, which re-entered at number 15 last week after going viral, and is still hanging around at 16 this week. Or to be slightly more accurate: Doechii’s original version of this was a home recording released in 2019, and that’s the one which is sampled by Sleepy Hallow. That version has been on YouTube for years, but hasn’t previously been released to streaming services. The viral surge has prompted an official release, but this version is actually a re-recording, not the same one that was sampled. It’s her second top 10 hit, and the higher one – “Denial is a River” got to number 9. Obviously, following it up this quickly with a record that’s both great and different, even if it goes back years, is a good sign for her.

23. Lady Gaga – “Garden of Eden”

This is an album track from “Mayhem”, which enters as her fifth number 1. The others are “The Fame” (2009), “Born This Way” (2011), “Artpop” (2013) and “Chromatica” (2020). She’s released two studio albums since 2020, but both were arguably side projects – “Love for Sale” was a Tony Bennett collaboration that got to number 6, and “Harlequin” was a soundtrack album that only reached number 11. When she releases a regular Lady Gaga album, it’s still a big deal.

“Abracadabra” climbs 6-3 (returning to its previous peak), while “Die With A Smile” rebounds from 22-18.

36. Jennie – “Like Jennie”

The release week single from her debut solo album “Ruby”, which enters at number 3. It’s her fifth top 40 hit, but one of them was a guest appearance on a Weeknd single (which reached number 21). The other four all placed between 36 and 39. You can’t say she isn’t consistent. Another track from the album, “Handlebars”, just misses the top 40 – which is slightly surprising, since not only does it also have a video, it features Dua Lipa. Mind you, “Like Jennie” is the more interesting record. Not everyone can carry off this sort of monumental ego trip, especially on a single that places at number 36, but I think it works.

This week’s climbers:

• “Ordinary” by Alex Warren climbs 3-2.
• “Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga climbs 6-3, returning to its previous peak.
• “Busy Woman” by Sabrina Carpenter rebounds from 12 to a new peak of 8.
• “Sorry I’m Here For Someone Else” by Benson Boone climbs 30-25.
• “Love Me Not” by Ravyn Lenae climbs 38-27, which is nice to see.

There are three new entries, plus two re-entries for tracks that are hovering around the 40 mark. The five tracks leaving the chart this week are:

• “It’s OK I’m OK” by Tate McRae, which re-entered at 35 last week on the release of the parent album.
• “Denial is a River” by Doechii, after a nine week run, peaking at 9.
• “Raving in the Studio” by Aitch & Bou, which re-entered at 22 two weeks ago on the strength of a remix.
• “Wildflower” by Billie Eilish, which has been around since August and peaked at number 7 in November.
• “Who” by Jimin, which re-entered at 23 last week and promptly vanishes again. There’s something weird going on with this track.

On the album charts, “Mayhem” by Lady Gaga is number 1, and “Ruby” by Jennie is number 3. We’ve covered both of those. “So Close to What” by Tate McRae actually climbs 6-4 in its second week, which is rare enough to be worth mentioning.

17. Spiritbox – “Tsunami Sea”

Canadian metal. It’s their second album; the last one came out in 2021 and got to 19.

25. Jethro Tull – “Curious Ruminant”

Their 24th album. They’ve released three albums since 2022, following a break of nearly 20 years – the first reached number 9 and the second reached number 17, so diminishing returns are at work.

29. The Wildhearts – “Satanic Rites of the Wildhearts”

Their 11th album, although there’s some odd line-up flux at work here. Their previous album, “21st Century Love Songs”, reached number 9 in 2021. But it featured a reunion of the classic band line-up, who fell out the following year and split. This version of the Wildhearts is longtime member Ginger Wildheart, the bass player from the band’s 2000s line-up, and two completely new members.

38. HotWax – “Hot Shock”

Rock band from Hastings. It’s their debut album.