UK Singles Chart, 5/21/11

1. The Lazy Song - Bruno Mars

It's a lazy Sunday evening in my house, so it feels appropriate to see this at #1, even if it is a little surprising. In the US, this isn't nearly as big as his other two recent hits, yet in the UK it becomes his third straight #1 hit. The last act to hit #1 with their first three singles from one album? That would be Black Eyed Peas, who hit #1 in 2009 with "Boom Boom Pow," "I Gotta Feeling" and "Meet Me Halfway," the first three singles from The E.N.D. "The Lazy Song" is also Mars' second #1 hit this year, making him the first artist to score a second #1 in 2011.

4. Give Me Everything - Pitbull feat. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer

Pitbull climbs eight notches with "Give Me Everyting," tying "I Know You Want Me" as his highest charting single as lead artist. If you include his guest turns on Alexandra Burke's "All Night Long" and Enrique Iglesias' "I Like It," this is Pitbull's fourth #4 hit.

6. The Edge of Glory - Lady Gaga
(11. Judas - Lady Gaga)

Lady Gaga's record company seems determined to launch her new album next week with a hit. So quickly gears have shifted from the underperforming "Judas" to a new third single, "The Edge of Glory," which does successful manage to eclipse her last single's #9 peak, debuting at #6. Still, when you consider that "Born This Way" only peaked at #3, this still isn't the #1 hit you imagine she is looking for. "Judas" itself gets a bit of a bump this week, up 9 spots to #11.

9. I Need a Dollar - Aloe Blacc
10. Nobody's Perfect - Jessie J

Mr. Blacc climbs another notch with "I Need a Dollar" while new British superstar pop singer Jessie J trades places with him, dropping a notch to #10. Has this single already cooled off? I would have thought she'd be good for a top 5 hit at least.

13. Finish Line - Yasmin

British singer/DJ Yasmin didn't chart very high with her last single, "On My Own," hitting #39. I found this surprising, as I thought it had a rather cool trip-hop sound. She's done quite a bit better with the follow-up, "Finish Line," in at #13 this week. It's a more conventional sound, but not a bad one.

15. Love Love - Take That

After the relatively poor chart positions of "Kidz" (#28) and "Happy Now" (#52), it's nice to see them at least make the top 20 with this new single, "Love Love," which may have suffered from having been available only at midweek. It's not from their album Progress, but rather the soundtrack to the upcoming summer action flick, X-Men: First Class. Can I still hope for another decent hit single from Progress? We'll see what happens this summer.

17. Sun Is Up - Inna
18. Mr. Saxobeat - Alexandra Stan

Romanians are few and far between when it comes to the UK singles chart. So I imagine this has never happened before--two Romanian acts back-to-back in the top 20. Debuting at #17 is the new single from dance pop singer Inna, scoring her third top 20 hit. And at #18, the first hit single for singer Alexandra Stan, also a dance pop song, climbs 11 notches this week.

29. Just Can't Get Enough - Black Eyed Peas
30. Just Can't Get Enough - Good Child Foundation

These two songs actually have nothing to do with each other besides sharing a title. One is the Black Eyed Peas' recent top 10 hit, the other is a remake of Depeche Mode's '80s classic. But it's not just any remake or your ordinary charity tune for that matter. The song is performed by Thai Children for the Good Child Foundation, an organization that promotes education for underprivileged children in Thailand, with a particular emphasis on those with Downs Syndrome. There's more to the story though. This release is dedicated to the memory of Reamonn Gormley, a 19 year-old who was murdered earlier this year in an apparent act of street violence as he walked home from a pub. Gormley worked for Good Child Foundation, and the proceeds of this single will be split between that charity and a Scottish anti-violence charity.