WEEK ENDING 3rd MARCH 2018

Annihilating all-comers for a fifth straight week at Number 1 this week, is Drake with "God's Plan".  He has now become just the seventh artist to have spent a total of at least 20 weeks at Number 1 in both the UK & US.  The other 6? - Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Madonna, Elton John, Rihanna & Justin Bieber.  For full details, see the relevant post elsewhere on this blog.

This is "God's Plan".

Stuck at 2 for a third week is Rudimental, Jess Glynne & Macklemore with "These Days", with Jess Glynne's total of 261 weeks on the UK Singles chart putting her into the list of the Top 100 artists of all-time.

After a month at Number 4, Dua Lipa moves up one more place to Number 3 this week with "IDGAF", while STILL climbing the chart after more than six months, up 2 places to Number 4, is Portugal.The Man with "Feel It Still".

Up six places to Number 5 this week, from the new "Black Panther" movie soundtrack, is "All The Stars" from Kendrick Lamar & SZA, giving both artists' their first UK Top 5 hit.

Here is the video.

Down 3 places to 3 is the lead single from the current Number 1 album, "The Greatest Showman", "This Is Me" by Keala Settle & the Greatest Showman Ensemble, while down 2 to 7 is Ramz with "Barking".

Static at Number 8 is "For You (Fifty Shades Freed)" from Liam Payne & Rita Ora, while up 10 places to 9 is Marshmello featuring Anne-Marie.

This is "Friends".

Back up 4 places to 10 is Camila Cabello with "Never Be The Same".

Another ten place climber this week is by an artist enjoying his first Top 30 hit in the UK.  (Andrew) Bazzi is of Lebanese American descent, and became famous first as a Vine celebrity and then hit the big time when this track was used as an internet meme through the use of a Snapchat filter.

Up to Number 27 this week, this is "Mine".

Up 13 places to Number 37 this week is a collaboration between Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey.

This is "The Middle".

Another big climber of the week moves up 20 places to Number 39, and is the second entry in the chart for US singer Hailee Steinfield, and also the second from the soundtrack of the latest "Fifty Shades" movie.

Featuring US musician/producer Michael Tucker (AKA BloodPop), this is "Capital Letters".

Up 12 places to 44 after a month on the chart is the latest track from CLiQ & Alika.

This is "Wavy".

Up 16 places to 45 this week, is the newest release from George Ezra.

From his upcoming second album "Staying At Tamara's", this is "Paradise".

This week's highest climber moves up 24 places to Number 48 this week. 

Boosted by his appearance on last week's Brit Awards, this is Stormzy & MNEK with "Blinded By Your Grace - Pt 2".

As usual I finish off with tracks from the US & UK Number 1 albums.  In the UK, still there for a seventh week in a row, and now the most successful movie soundtrack since "Grease" in 1978, the Number 1 album is the soundtrack to the movie "The Greatest Showman".

From the album, and sung by Keala Settle & the Greatest Showman Ensemble, this is the recent Top 3 hit "This Is Me".

In the US, a different soundtrack album takes the honours.

From "Black Panther: The Album, Music From And Inspired By", this is "Pray For Me" by the Weeknd & Kendrick Lamar.

   UK NUMBER 1's/NUMBER 2's ON THIS DAY 

 
1 year ago - Shape Of You - Ed Sheeran/How Would You Feel (Paean) - Ed Sheeran

5 years ago - One Way Or Another (Teenage Kicks) - One Direction/Thrift Shop - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz

10 years ago - Mercy - Duffy/What's It Gonna Be - HtwoO featuring Platnum

20 years ago - Brimful Of Asha - Cornershop/My Heart Will Go On - Celine Dion

30 years ago - I Should Be So Lucky - Kylie Minogue/Beat Did - Bomb The Bass

40 years ago - Take A Chance On Me - Abba/Figaro - Brotherhood Of Man

50 years ago - The Mighty Quinn - Manfred Mann/Cinderella Rockafella - Esther & AAbi Ofarim

60 years ago - The Story Of My Life - Michael Holliday/Magic Moments - Perry Como

US NUMBER 1's ON THIS DAY 

1 year ago - Shape Of You - Ed Sheeran/I Don't Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker) - Zayn & Taylor Swift

5 years ago - Harlem Shake - Baauer/Thrift Shop - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz

10 years ago - Low - Flo Rida featuring T-Pain/With You - Chris Brown

20 years ago - My Heart Will Go On - Celine Dion/Nice & Slow - Usher

30 years ago - Father Figure - George Michael/Never Gonna Give You Up - Rick Astley

40 years ago - (Love Is) Thicker Than Water - Andy Gibb/Stayin' Alive - Bee Gees

50 years ago - Love Is Blue (L'Amour Est Bleu) - Paul Mauriat & his Orchestra/G(Theme From) Valley Of The Dolls - Dionne Warwick

Don't forget you can see all the latest UK & US Top 40 videos on my YouTube channel - Chart Blog UK 

How many weeks can Drake clock up - see you next week, same time, same place.

For those of you in the Vale of Glamorgan area in South Wales, tune into Bro Radio on 98.1 FM on Tuesday evening from 7 to 9 pm to hear my dulcet tones as guest co-presenter on the Gareth Long show.  For everyone else, join me here column next week.