The UK Top 40 race: The singles currently dominating streaming and radio waves midweek
Who is in pole position midweek to top the UK Top 40 Charts before this weekend’s announcement?
- Will it be another blanket Taylor Swift midweek chart on streaming services this week?
- We take a look at real-time figures courtesy of Soundcharts to bring to you the midweek chart action from Spotify, Apple Music and UK radio.
- The Official UK Top 40 Chart will be announced once again on BBC Radio 1 this Friday from 4pm BST.
Has interest in Taylor Swift's latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, already waned, or is she on track to dominate streaming services again this week?
The truth is complex; after the record-breaking first week—fuelled by multiple album variants—industry analysts predicted a substantial free-fall in second-week album sales figures. Those analysts estimated the album would drop by around 90% in units.
But don't fret, Swifties! This sales drop isn't a sign that people are "bored." It's simply the predictable result of the heavily "front-loaded" release strategy. Crucially, Taylor Swift remains overwhelmingly dominant on streaming services.
Today, being a Wednesday, means that the chart week is almost over. We've been checking the latest real-time figures from music data provider Soundcharts, aggregating data from Spotify and Apple Music streams, along with radio airplay across the country.
This information isn't the final word, but it's a strong indicator of what to expect when the Official UK Top 40 is announced this Friday afternoon.
So, from your headphones to your car stereo—what's been making the biggest moves on streaming and airplay charts this week?
The Midweek Chart - Top 10 on Spotify, Apple Music and radio play (October 22)
Spotify
It’s been a few weeks, but the Taylor Swift domination of Spotify is starting to dissipate, according to the midweek chart. Although she still takes up five spaces out of the top ten most streamed songs in the UK currently, it’s not quite as blanketed as previous weeks - with Olivia Dean, HUNTR/X, RAYE and Alex Warren all breaking up the domination.
Spotify - Top 10 midweek
- Taylor Swift - The Fate of Ophelia
- Olivia Dean - Man I Need
- Taylor Swift - Opalite
- RAYE - WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!
- HUNTR/X - Golden
- Taylor Swift - Elizabeth Taylor
- Taylor Swift - Father Figure
- Olivia Dean - So Easy (To Fall In Love)
- Alex Warren - Ordinary
- Taylor Swift - The Life of a Showgirl (featuring Sabrina Carpenter)
Apple Music
The Swiftogeddon is also starting to vanish from the Apple Music charts also; though once again the singer is omnipresent with no less than five songs from The Life of a Showgirl still within the top ten on the streaming service, it is broken up by (once again) Olivia Dean, HUNTR/X and Alex Warren - could someone knock her off the top spot by the end of the week, or will the Showgirl juggernaut go on?
- Taylor Swift - The Fate of Ophelia
- Olivia Dean - Man I Need
- Taylor Swift - Opalite
- HUNTR/X - Golden
- Taylor Swift - Elizabeth Taylor
- RAYE - WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!
- Taylor Swift - Father Figure
- Taylor Swift - The Life of a Showgirl (featuring Sabrina Carpenter)
- Alex Warren - Ordinary
- Olivia Dean - So Easy (To Fall In Love)
UK radio play
Speaking of being toppled from the top, after a lengthy amount of time at the pinnacle of the UK airplay charts since we started looking at midweek performance, Lady Gaga’s ‘The Dead Dance’ has finally been surpassed from the number 1 position she held. Who replaced her?
Who do you think?
But admittedly, it has taken Taylor Swift two weeks to become the most played song on radio stations across the country, with Gaga falling into second position and not a sight of Swift elsewhere in the top ten. Instead, we’ve seen rises for Myles Smith, Ed Sheeran, RAYE and an appearance from Calvin Harris, just coming in at 10th position with ‘Blessings’
UK radio play - midweek top 10
- Taylor Swift - The Fate of Ophelia
- Lady Gaga - The Dead Dance
- Ed Sheeran - Camera
- Alex Warren - Ordinary
- Ed Sheeran - Sapphire
- RAYE - WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!
- Myles Smith - Stay (If You Wanna Dance)
- HUNTR/X - Golden (Acapella)
- Olivia Dean - Man I Need
- Calvin Harris - Blessings
When is the Official UK Top 40 announced this week?
The Official UK Top 40 is announced every Friday afternoon on BBC Radio 1 during The Official Chart Show, which runs from 4pm BST to 5:45pm BST.
The full Official Singles Chart Top 100 is typically posted on the Official Charts Company's website shortly after the broadcast concludes.
We’re taking early predictions on this year’s Christmas Number 1 race - who do you think will throw their hat into the festive ring this year and look to earn the top spot this year? Let us know your predictions for releases by dropping the writer of this article an email with your best guesses.