Well, you wouldn’t have bet on this a couple of years ago.

1.  James Arthur – “Say You Won’t Let Go”

This is James Arthur’s second number one; the first was his X Factor winners single “Impossible”, and that was back in 2012.  At the time, he seemed like one of the more promising winners – “Impossible” is a characteristically wretched production, but the actual vocal is quite decent.  He did release an album in 2013, which got to number 2 on the album chart, spent a respectable three months in the top 40, and spawned a reasonably acceptable number 2 single.

And then he cocked it all up rather spectacularly in 2013, when he got into some ill-advised Twitter feuds, decided he wanted to try his hand at rap, and included some homophobic lyrics which went down quite badly, to the point where iTunes started offering refunds on his album.  Simon Cowell’s label may not care about such things in themselves, but it certainly does care about loose cannons who don’t know when to stop talking.  In 2014 he got more bad press for a mixtape track called “Follow the Leader” (which was another of his deeply unfortunate rap efforts, though the press line that it was “glamorising terrorism” was perverse), and was shown the door.

But a year later, Columbia picked him up, and this is his comeback single, which entered at 25 two weeks ago.  No rap is in evidence.  It sounds more like Ed Sheeran.  It’s a song about growing old together.  It’s a transparent bid to be seen as having matured, but then it has been three years and he’s 28 now.  Evidently enough time has passed for him to be repackaged successfully, and on its own terms, the song itself is fine.

3.  The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk – “Starboy”

An unusually high new entry for 2016.  It’s the lead single from the album of the same name, and it was released without prior warning last Thursday (giving it a day of sales that fell onto the previous week’s chart, but that doesn’t really matter given the time these things take to build).  It may go further, but for the moment it matches the number 3 peaks of “The Hills” and “Can’t Feel My Face” from last year.

You wouldn’t guess that this was a Daft Punk track, but it gives them their first appearance on the singles chart since “Get Lucky” reached number 1 in the summer of 2013.

And now, a parade of singles moving up very, very slightly.

4.  Calvin Harris – “My Way”

Climbing one place in its second week.

9.  Martin Garrix & Bebe Rexha – “In the Name of Love”

Finally edging further up, three weeks after it entered the top 10.

11.  Ellie Goulding – “Still Falling For You” 

Also edging up one place.

23.  Zara Larsson – “Ain’t My Fault”

Climbing 3.  Truly an action packed chart this week.  But it does have a video at last!  They’ve… well, they’ve hired a country house, I guess.

28.  Matoma & Becky Hill – “False Alarm”

Climbing a mighty five places!

36.  Cheat Codes & Dante Klein – “Let Me Hold You (Turn Me On)”

Another poster child for sluggish chart progress, this one has moved 40-43-38-39-38-36.

37.  Hailee Steinfeld & Grey featuring Zedd – “Starving”

Up three.  But this one has a proper video too now.  (By the way, what on earth does “Don’t need no butterflies when you give me the whole damn zoo” actually mean?)

38.  Dua Lipa – “Blow Your Mind (Mwah)”

Ah, and here’s an actual new entry – well, a climber from 46, but it’s new to the top 40.  It’s the follow-up to “Hotter Than Hell”, which got to number 15 in July.   Bit gimmicky, this one.

On the album chart:

• “Young as the Morning Old as the Sea” by Passenger at 1.  Passenger is a one-hit wonder on the singles charts, thanks to 2013’s “Let Her Go”, but he’s still shifting albums.  This is his first number 1, but he’s made the top 5 twice before.  Single: “Home”.
• “Chapter and Verse” by Bruce Springsteen at 2.  A compilation including some unreleased tracks.  Springsteen’s studio albums still regularly go to number 1, so this is hardly a surprise position.  Single: “Growin’ Up”.
• “Illuminate” by Shawn Mendes at 3.  A rare overlap with the singles chart!  “Treat You Better” is still hanging in at number 13.
• “F.E.A.R.” by Marillion at 4.  Another crowdfunded Marillion album.  The title stands for “Fuck Everyone and Run”.  Number 4 makes it their highest placing since “Clutching at Straws” got to number 2 in 1987.  Single: “The New Kings”.
• “Breaking’ Outta Hell” by Airbourne at 9.  Australian rock throwbacks.  First time they’ve made the top 10, because that’s the sort of audience that still buys albums.  Single: “Breakin’ Outta Hell”.
• “The Black Parade / Living With Ghosts” by My Chemical Romance at 11.  Anniversary reissue of the 2006 number 1, backed up with a second disc of demos and the like.  Single: “Welcome to the Black Parade”.
• “Heads Up” by Warpaint at 13.  Californian indie.  The previous album got to number 9, so not much change.  Single: “Whiteout”.
• “Live at the Greek Theatre” by Joe Bonamassa at 17.  Self-explanatory.  Sample track: “Oh, Pretty Woman”.
• “Who Can I Be Now – 1974-1976” by David Bowie at 21.  Considering it only covers three years, you might be surprised to learn that this is a twelve CD, eight-and-a-half hour box set, for the sort of David Bowie fan who aches to own the entirety of “Station to Station” in two different masters.  It does include an unreleased album that went on to be reworked into “Young Americans”, so that’s something.
• “Shine A Light – Field Recordings from the Great American Railroad” by Billy Bragg & Joe Henry at 28.  It’s a collection of cover versions of railroad songs recorded on location at American railway stations.  Seriously.  Single: “The L&N Don’t Stop Here Anymore”.
• “Rosetta” by Vangelis at 40.  A tribute to the Rosetta space probe from twelve years ago.  Not counting film soundtracks, it’s his first studio album since 2001’s “Mythodea: Music for the NASA Mission: 2001 Mars Odyssey”.  Single: “Rosetta Timeline”.