The official UK singles chart has been making headlines recently due to two singles; “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush and “As It Was” by former One Direction band member Harry Styles. Last week Bush placed at number two and Styles remained at the top of the charts for the tenth consecutive week.
The UK official charts have predicted that Bush’s iconic track will overtake “As It Was” and end Styles’ chart reign, “Running Up That Hill” has seen a recent resurgence in popularity due to its use within the new season of Stranger Things. After the new season of the show dropped the track went viral, many have praised the popular Netflix series for exposing younger fans to the song. Originally released in 1985, the track jumped an impressive six places to position just below Styles’ chart-topping single. If Bush climbs one more chart placement the single will mark her first number one single in over forty years, the singer last topped the UK singles charts in 1978 with the seminal song “Wuthering Heights”.
This week’s single chart also sees Styles score another Official Chart Double; the partner album for “As It Was” has charted at the top of the UK album charts. The singer’s recently released album Harry’s House has placed at number one for the second consecutive week, Styles’ third studio album also contains another commercially successful track. The single “Late Night Talking” was released on 20th May 2022 after being debuted at California’s Coachella festival, the single peaked at number two on the singles charts and remains in the top 10 at number seven.
Much like “Running Up That Hill” another potential high climber is speculated to storm the charts, “Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)” by BTS is predicted to be a high new entry. The newest single to be released by the hugely popular K-pop group dropped on 10th June 2022 and is the lead single taken from their full release Proof, the band’s first anthology album. The album was released the same day as the lead single and was received with great critical acclaim, publications such as Rolling Stone have already sung the album’s praises.
Elsewhere within the charts, “Go” by Cat Burns drops one space to number three. Last week the single enjoyed a placement at number two after spending the previous week at number four. Placing at number four this week is “About Damn Time” by megastar Lizzo, the single is another viral hit which has been utilised as sound within the popular social media app TikTok. The track is the lead single from the singer’s fourth studio album Special, the yet to be released record is scheduled to drop on 15th July 2022 via Nice Life and Atlantic Records.
Closing the official UK singles chart is “Space Man” by Sam Ryder, the fellow TikTok artist’s Eurovision entry has held well within the charts and peaked at number two last month. The high chart position made Ryder the first Eurovision candidate to place high within the singles charts in twenty-six years, Gina G’s “Ooh Aah…Just A Little bit” placed at the top spot after its release in 1996. After coming in eighth place within the Eurovision song contest, the dance infused song charted as the UK’s number one single.
