UK Chart Notes

• These days nothing can stop Leona Lewis. She earns the UK triple crown chart award this week (if such award existed), topping the singles chart, the airplay chart and the albums chart. Ka-ching. "Bleeding Love" further solidifies itself as the UK's biggest hit this year, spending a fourth week at #1, beating out competition from Take That, Timbaland, and Kylie Minogue--more on her in a minute. The song also spends a second week at #1 at radio. Over on the album's chart, Leona's debut, Spirit, sold an amazing 375,000 copies, breaking the record previously held by Arctic Monkeys for most records sold in the first week by a debut artist. I feel I've devoted more than a fair share of ink to Leona lately, but in the English-speaking pop music world, there is no bigger story right now.
• Coming in at a disappointing #4 is Kylie Minogue, with what was supposed to be her big comeback single, "2 Hearts." Even with Leona around, this single should have easily snagged #2. That it also gets beaten by Take That and Timbaland shows that many of her fans are taking a pass on this. A pity, for although different, it's a cool song. Put in perspective this is certainly not the worst a first single from a Kylie album has done. "The Word is Out" and "What Kind of Fool" missed the top 10, and "Some Kind of Bliss" peaked at a lousy #22. But given that she's hit #1 five times with an album's first single, and #2 three times, I was expecting better. Let's hope X fares better on the albums chart when it comes out in 8 days.
• British indie group Bloc Party earns a top 10 hit at #8 with "Flux." The very up-tempo single was added to A Weekend in the City for a digital re-release out tomorrow. This is the band's 4th top 10 hit, the last being this album's first single, "The Prayer," which hit #4 earlier this year.
• An oddity at #9, Scottish folk group Runrig earns their first top 10 hit with a recording of Scottish folk song "Loch Lomond." This version of the song features the Tartan Army singers, which is some sort of sports thing (football, aka soccer).
• Spice Girls backpedal three spots to #23 with "Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)." Not a good sign, although they are sure to rebound into the top 10 next weekend, following physical release tomorrow. Still, if Kylie couldn't depose Leona, I doubt this single will be able to. After slipping a bit last week on the airplay chart, they reach a new peak there at #16.
• Amy Winehouse scores a chart oddity for a second week in a row. Last week with charted with two versions of "Valerie." This week, her April single "Back to Black" makes a surprise return to the chart at #30. This is actually the second-highest the song has charted--it peaked only at #25. She is also still up at #5 with "Valerie." Not sure why "Back to Black" is suddenly popular again; perhaps because her husband was jailed this week and people feel sorry for her?
• Another oddity at #37. Led Zeppelin's most famous song, "Stairway to Heaven" finally charts on the UK singles chart. It is only their second top 40 single, after "Whole Lotta Love" hit #21 in 1997. Despite their fame, they are an albums act. The occasion is the release of Mothership, a hits compilation, coupled with this year's new UK chart rules that allows any track to chart, regardless of whether its a physical single release.
• Outside the top 40, Hard-Fi flops at #45 with "Can't Get Along (Without You)," surely a bitter disappointment after their last single, "Suburban Knights" was their highest-charting single. Also a flop, the new Duran Duran single, "Falling Down," which limps onto the chart at #52, one place above their lowest charting single ever, "Someone Else Not Me."
• Finally, Leona Lewis, lands four of her album's other tracks within the top 75, led by "Whatever It Takes" at #61, followed by "Footprints in the Sand" at #65, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" at #73 and "A Moment Like This" reappears at #74.
• Next week the Spice Girls will try to unseat Leona Lewis with their first single in 7 years, "Headlines (Friendship Never Ends)." T2 Featuring Jodie might have better luck with "Heartbroken," which debuted at #14 on downloads this week. Also out, new singles from KT Tunstall ("Saving My Face"), Justin Timberlake and Beyonce ("Until the End of Time"), Shayne Ward ("Breathless"), Se:Sa Featuring Sharon Phillips ("Like This Like That"), Reverend and the Makers ("Open Your Window"), Maroon 5 ("Won't Go Home Without You"), and Athlete ("Tokyo").