Noah Kahan continues to dominate the UK Official Singles Chart, securing a second week at Number 1 with his reflective folk-pop track “Stick Season”. The Vermont-born artist’s success is marked by 7.5 million streams, making it the most-streamed track in the UK for two consecutive weeks.
However, challenging Kahan’s reign is Sophie Ellis-Bextor, whose 2001 hit “Murder on the Dancefloor” experiences a remarkable resurgence, climbing six places to Number 2. This surge is attributed to the song’s inclusion in the recently released Emerald Fennell-directed film Saltburn, now available on Amazon Prime Video. The disco banger’s streaming figures have doubled to 4.7 million over the past seven days, reigniting the possibility of achieving the Number 1 spot, a feat it narrowly missed in 2001.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor faced tough competition back in 2001, where Daniel Bedingfield’s “Gotta Get Thru This” kept her hit at bay, peaking at Number 2. Now, two decades later, the question arises: Will “Murder on the Dancefloor” finally claim the Number 1 position it deserves?
“Murder on the Dancefloor” isn’t the only track that has got us all feeling the nostalgia due to Saltburn, also on the soundtrack is “Perfect (Exceeder)” by Mason and Princess Superstar which has risen up 14 positions to claim Number 26, this week. Will it continue its rise and grab a brand new peak? It’ll have to rise past Number 3 to do so, as that is where it peaked in 2008, behind Mika’s “Grace Kelly” and Just Jack’s “Starz in Their Eyes”.
In addition to the main chart battle, the Top 5 also includes Jack Harlow’s “Lovin on Me” falls to the Number 3 spot, while “Prada” by Cassö, D-Block Europe, and Raye drops to Number 4, and another down-mover is “greedy” by Tate McRae., Teddy Swims experiences a significant breakthrough as “Lose Control” enters the Top 10 for the first time, grabbing Number 6.
It seems film and TV soundtracks are extremely prevalent as The Weeknd, Playboi Carti, and Madonna have rebounded with their song “Popular” taken from the HBO show The Idol which has risen astronomically up 37 places to match their previous peak of Number 11; the track of which is Madonna’s highest-charting single in the UK since 2009.. Liam Gallagher & John Squire’s “Just Another Rainbow”, marks Gallagher’s highest-charting solo single to date reaching Number 16. Then there’s Sabrina Carpenter claiming her first Top 20 with “feather”, hitting Number 19.
Another film’s soundtrack has launched another comeback, this time it’s the release of the romantic-comedy film Anyone But You, which includes Natasha Bedingfield’s hit track “Unwritten”, which re-enters the Top 40 after 19 years, hitting Number 24. Can this track also rise up and top its previous peak of Number 6 from 2004? The peak chart number was also its debut chart number, getting stuck behind Band Aid 20’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas”, Ice Cube’s “You Can Do It” featuring Mack 10 and Ms. Toi, Destiny’s Child’s “Lose My Breath”, Girls Aloud’s “I’ll Stand By You”, and Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”.
As the chart landscape continues to evolve, the competition remains fierce. Will Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s nostalgic hit secure the top spot, or will Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” maintain its grip for another week? Or will someone new come along? Only time will tell as the UK Official Singles Chart unfolds.