Olivia Rodrigo continues her reign over the Official Singles Chart as Good 4 U claims a fourth consecutive week at the top, becoming the longest-reigning Number 1 rock single in 18 years.
Are we witnessing the return of rock music to the Official Singles Chart?
With more than double the chart sales of its closest competition, Good 4 U boasts 9.8 million UK streams this week, the pop-punk hit is now the longest-reigning rock-influenced chart-topper since 2003, when Evanescence spent four weeks at Number 1 with Bring Me To Life.
While the charts may have been dominated by rap and pop in recent years, Rodrigo’s spell at the summit appears to be ushering in a wave of rock-inspired hits to the Official Singles Chart.
Two more entries in this week’s Top 40 are waving the flag for the genre: Italian rockers and Eurovision winners Måneskin climb five places into the Top 10 at Number 7 with I Wanna Be Your Slave, and Willow (formerly Willow Smith) is new at Number 33 with pop-punk track Transparent Soul ft. Travis Barker. Originally released in April, the song has rocketed up the Top 100 over the past three weeks and is set to become Willow’s first Top 40 single in 10 years since Whip My Hair.
While the Official Albums Chart has continued to showcase the best that rock has to offer, it’s certainly more rare in recent years for these acts to find success in the Official Singles Chart.
The likes of Bring Me The Horizon, Yungblud and rapper-turned-pop-punk artist Machine Gun Kelly have enjoyed several stints in the Top 100 over recent months and years, but it’s a significant moment to see three guitar-driven songs in the Top 40 in 2021, two of which are firmly situated in the Top 10.
“It has long been anticipated that rock would one day return to the Official Singles Chart, but few would have expected it to be pioneered by an ex-Disney Channel actress and a Eurovision winning act. But that’s what appears to be happening, thanks to Olivia Rodrigo and Italian Eurovision winners Maneskin.”
Meanwhile, Galantis, David Guetta and Little Mix climb two to Number 4 with Heartbreak Anthem, a new peak for the track, and ArrDee’s Oliver Twist climbs one to Number 6.
Mimi Webb lands straight in at Number 12 with this week’s highest new entry Dumb Love – her second Top 20 single following Good Without, which holds at Number 9 this week.
Elsewhere in the Top 20, Calvin Harris’ By Your Side ft. Tom Grennan rises 2 to Number 13, while Tom Zanetti scoops a new chart peak with Didn’t Know, up four to Number 14. Lorde returns with eagerly-awaited new single Solar Power at Number 17, her third Top 20 hit in the UK.
Anne-Marie and Niall Horan’s Our Song climbs four to Number 18 – Anne-Marie’s eighth Top 20 and Niall’s third as a solo artist.
Following England’s strong start to Euro 2020, football anthem 3 Lions by David Baddiel, Frank Skinner & The Lightning Seeds re-enters at Number 22. The track was also issued on red vinyl this month to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
This week’s scorching hot weather continues to send Harry Styles’ Watermelon Sugar (25) and Navos’ Believe Me (26) rebounding back up the Top 40, and finally, Doja Cat’s latest release Need To Know debuts at Number 37, Doja’s seventh UK Top 40.
