It’s a busy week for once! And this wasn’t in the script…

1. Alex Warren – “Ordinary”

This entered at number 7 five weeks ago, dropped out of the top 10 in its second week, and has been climbing ever since. It’s his first UK number 1; the track has also been a number 1 in several European countries. He has two other tracks on the chart: “Carry You Home”, which enters the top 20 for the first time (having first charted last September, though it went away for a while); and “Burning Down”, which climbs to a new peak of 28 (it first charted briefly in October and re-entered in February).

Streaming is up on all three tracks, and the most likely reason is that he’s starting his UK tour this week. None of this is reflected in his chart record in his native USA, where he’s yet to get a single into the top 40.

2. Chappell Roan – “The Giver”

Obviously, this was the record that everyone expected to be number 1, and it was ahead in the midweeks. As it turns out, Alex Warren beats it by a solid 20%. So it’s not a second number one straight out of the gates, but Chappell Roan hits have previously climbed and stuck around for ages. The Sunday midweeks have it dropping to 4, admittedly, which would put it behind “Pink Pony Club”, but it’s still a decent first two weeks.

7. Playboi Carti – “Evil J0rdan”
10. Playboi Carti & The Weeknd – “Rather Lie”
21. Playboi Carti & Skepta – “Toxic”

His third album “Music” enters the album chart at number 1, which is a huge step up for him – his previous two albums reached 27 and 17. “Evil J0rdan” is his highest position for a completely solo single, though it matches the position of “Timeless” with the Weeknd. Basically, what we’ve got here is a track that’s been around as a YouTube video for months getting an official release, plus two tracks with big name guest stars. I can’t say “Evil J0rdan” or “Toxic” do anything for me, but the Weeknd track is pretty good. The Sunday midweeks have all of these tracks dropping out of the top 20 (which is far down as that chart goes).

17. Sleep Token – “Emergence”

Their first hit single, but their third album “Take Me Back to Eden” reached number 3 in 2023. They’re usually classed as a metal band, but this is a good 2:45 deep before it gets to anything like that. It’s a surprising record to find in the singles top 40, since they’ve never come anywhere close to having a hit before. And while there are parts of this six and a half minute track where you can see a conventional pop song trying to get out, other parts are distinctly lopsided.

Officially, the band members are anonymous, although a bit of googling will establish that this is more of an open secret than anything else (not least because the two core members are presumably the people credited as songwriters). And no, they’re not people who are more famous for something else.

25. Jade – “FUFN (Fuck You For Now)”

Jade Thirlwall from Little Mix reached number 7 with her debut solo single “Angel of My Dreams” last year, but three further singles have missed the top 40 since then. The budget of this video suggests that the record label have kept the faith, and they are finally rewarded with a second hit. It’s co-written by Raye, though it really sounds more like Lady Gaga. It’s a lot better than the title would suggest.

30. Lil Tecca – “Dark Thoughts”

A second hit for New York rapper Lil Tecca – the first one was “Ransom”, which reached number 7 all the way back in 2019. He’s released plenty of material since then – four albums, in fact, none of which charted in the UK either.

31. Adele – “Hometown Glory”

It’s gone viral on TikTok, apparently. It was Adele’s second top 40 hit, reaching number 19 back in 2008.

38. WizTheMC and bees & honey – “Show Me Love”

Debut hit. He’s from Cape Town by birth, but grew up in Germany and now lives in Canada. His discography extends back to 2018 but this track seems to be his first hit anywhere, with moderate success around Europe. The track has been climbing from the lower reaches for a couple of weeks, so it has momentum – it was at 53 last week, and the Sunday midweeks have it climbing into the top 20.

40. Ely Oaks – “Running Around”

Another debut hit on a climb from the lower reaches. He’s an Austrian producer.

This week’s climbers, other than the Alex Warren tracks already mentioned:

• “Anxiety” by Doechii climbs 4-3.
• “Busy Woman” by Sabrina Carpenter climbs 8-6.
• “Love Me Not” by Ravyn Lenae climbs 27-26.

The ten tracks leaving the top 40 this week – ten! It’s like old times! – are:

• “Arm’s Length” by Sam Fender, which entered at 14 and lasted 7 weeks.
• “Sailor Song” by Gigi Perez, a former number 1 which has been around since August aside from a single week interruption over Christmas.
• “Tell Me” by Sonny Fodera & Clementine Douglas, after a single week at 39.
• “Garden of Eden” by Lady Gaga, an album track which got a single week at 23.
• “The Door” by Teddy Swims, which re-entered at 35 last week.
• “Crush” by AJ Tracey & Jorja Smith, which entered at 23 and lasted 4 weeks.
• “It Isn’t Perfect But It Might Be” by Olivia Dean, which entered at 36 and lasted a fortnight.
• “Like Jennie” by Jennie after a single week at 36.
• “Luther” by Kendrick Lamar & SZA, after an 11-week re-entry run that peaked at number 4.
• “All the Stars” by Kendrick Lamar & SZA, after a 5-week re-entry run that peaked at 5.

On the album chart, Playboi Carti is number 1.

3. Steven Wilson – “The Overview”

His joint highest album position, along with 2017’s “To The Bone”. His last four albums have all reached either 3 or 4. It’s a concept album about the Overview Effect (the change in perspective reported by some astronauts on viewing the Earth from space). It’s prog rock, if that wasn’t already clear.

11. Slow Readers Club – “Out of a Dream”

That’s their highest chart position since “The Joy of the Return” reached number 9 in 2020 (which remains their peak). The two albums in the interim landed at 29 and 33, so this is a big return to chart form. Wikipedia describes them as a rock band but the single above is closer to synthpop.

25. Ricky Warwick – “Blood Ties”

His eighth solo album and the first to chart, but he’s had top 10 albums as a member of both the Almighty and Black Star Riders.

38. Florence + The Machine and Jules Buckley & His Orchestra – “Symphony of Lungs – BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall”

It’s a live album playing her first album with an orchestra.

40. Charli XCX – “Brat And It’s Completely Different”

Finally, a £50 vinyl release of the remix version of “Brat”. Since the chart compilers classed the digioriginal remix version was classed as a bonus track on the original album,