Well, I was expecting a new number one, but…

1. Alex Warren – “Ordinary”

Four weeks, and still growing (slightly). It has a massive lead – beating the number 2 and 3 singles combined. Which is all the more surprising, since…

3. Ed Sheeran – “Azizam”

This is the lead single from Sheeran’s next album “Play”, and you’d have thought it ought to walk to number 1, but no. It’s still his 42nd top 10 hit, mind you, and it’s actually his highest placing single since “Eyes Closed” was a number 1 in 2023. His side project “Autumn Variations” later that year didn’t produce any big hits, and his 2024 Christmas single “Under the Tree” missed the top 40. Still, they weren’t fully promoted. “Azizam” is a full scale release.

It’s something of a break for him to go with an upbeat pop track for the lead single, though it feels like song with a strong chorus that’s killing time during the verses. Not sure this is the time to be releasing a video about what a great time he had holidaying in the USA, either, to be honest.

10. Sleep Token – “Caramel”

Well, this is a surprise. Sleep Token had their first hit single with “Emergence”, which reached number 17 a few weeks back. It dropped out of the top 40 after two weeks so presumably there was a lot of week-one fanbase interest. But here’s the follow-up “Caramel” in the top 10. It seems there’s a gap in the market for a prog Linkin Park.

23. Miley Cyrus – “End of the World”

This is the lead single from her ninth album. It’s very soft rock, but “Let’s pretend it’s not the end of the world” seems like a good theme if you’re wanting to do upbeat in 2025. Number 23 is quite low for the lead single on a Miley Cyrus album – “Flowers” was the lead single from the last album, and it went straight to number 1 for ten weeks.

31. Morgan Seatree – “Say My Name”

Debut hit. He’s a DJ from Manchester, and this has been climbing from the lower reaches for several months. God only know how he got a solo credit on it, because it’s a remix of “Spectrum” by Florence and the Machine – which previously reached number 1 in 2012 in a remix by Calvin Harris. Normally I’d say that this indicated that the sample had been re-created for the commercial release, but the official YouTube video does credit Florence, and for some reason the charts don’t. I think it may be something to do with the fact that there are some remixes available which only credit Seatree, even though they still seem to contain the same vocal sample.

34. PinkPantheress – “Tonight”

This is the lead single from her upcoming mixtape. She has a patchy chart record – occasional big hits, a few tracks that land about here and quite a few that just vanish.

36. Nathan Dawe & Abi Flynn – “Here In Your Arms”

We haven’t seen Nathan Dawe since 2023, when he reached the top 10 alongside Joel Corry and Ella Henderson. Abi Flynn gets her debut hit. This is another track that’s been climbing from the lower reaches for a couple of months – it was at 54 last week.

Sabrina Carpenter has re-entries with “Juno” at 34 and “Taste” at 37 – that’s because they were previously disqualified under the three-song limit, but “Please Please Please” and “Bed Chem” both get downweighted this week and drop below them.

There are quite a few climbers this week:

• “Show Me Love” by WizTheMC and bees & honey climbs 14-8.
• “Love Me Not” by Ravyn Lenae climbs 15-14.
• “Mutt” by Leon Thomas climbs 22-19.
• “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else” by Benson Boone climbs 28-21.
• “Back to Friends” by sombr climbs 35-25.
• “Tell Me” by Sonny Fodera & Clementine Douglas climbs 36-26.
• “Undressed” by sombr climbs 37-28.
• “Running Around” by Ely Oaks climbs 38-32.

The eight tracks leaving the top 40 are:

• “Please Please Please” and “Bed Chem” by Sabrina Carpenter, both of which get DQd as explained above.
• “The Door” by Teddy Swims, which re-entered at 37 two weeks ago.
• “Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga, which lasted 9 weeks and peaked at 3.
• “Sailor Song” by Gigi Perez, which re-entered at 33 two weeks ago.
• “Dandelion” and “Intro (End of the World)” by Ariana Grande, album tracks which placed at 19 and 26 respectively last week; her third track, “Twilight Zone”, drops from 5 to 16.
• “Dilemma” by Nemzzz featuring Central Cee, after a single week at 39.

Just three new entries on the album chart:

1. Elton John & Brandi Carlile – “Who Believes in Angels?”

This is Elton John’s tenth number one album. The others are “Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player” (1973), “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” (1973), “Caribou” (1974), “Elton John’s Greatest Hits” (1974), “Sleeping With the Past” (1989), “The Very Best of Elton John” (1990), “Good Morning to the Night” with Pnau (2012), “Diamonds” (2017) and “The Lockdown Sessions” (2021). Brandi Carlile has eleven Grammy awards to her credit but has never previously charted in the UK.

3. Black Country, New Road – “Forever Howlong”

Matching the position of their previous studio album “Ants From Up There” in 2022. It’s had very good reviews.

10. Ethel Cain – “Preacher’s Daughter”

Chart debut. This came out in 2022 but has built some interest in anticipation of a second album due out later this year. It’s here because of a vinyl re-issue which accounts for almost all of its chart points.