Brit Sweep: January 15, 2016...

It's time to head across the Atlantic to check out the songs reaching the official singles chart in the UK this week. And after last week's domination by Justin Bieber, who had the top three singles on the chart, this week is all about the Thin White Duke, as the passing of musical legend David Bowie on Sunday caused a national mourning and remembrance, especially given the massive amount of great work he left behind, as well as the suddenness of the news. I mean, he just released an album on Friday, obviously knowing he didn't have much time left, but to the rest of us, the shock was seismic. As a result people rushed to buy Bowie music, with Amazon even selling out of his physical product. Nineteen albums of his come on to the albums chart, and thirteen of his songs reach the top-100 on the singles chart today, including two from his new Lazarus album. (Oh, by the way the Biebs spends a sixth non-consecutive week at #1 with "Love Yourself", and he also stands at #3 and #4.) [I'm going to include the Bowie re-entries as well, since only two other artists have songs entering the chart.]

The king of the Bowie songs from this week turns out to be "Heroes", which re-enters at #12. Back in 1977, the song spent two months on the chart, reaching #24...

(Click below to see the rest of the post)


My personal fave of Bowie's, "Life On Mars", comes back in at #16. The song went to #3 in 1973...

"Starman", from his classic Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars album from 1972, lands at #18. It went to #10 the UK back then...

Bowie's 1983 "comeback" single, the Nile Rodgers-produced "Let's Dance", returns at #23. The song was his fourth to top the English chart...

Possibly what could be a consensus for his "signature song", David's "Space Oddity" ascends to #24. In 1969, the song went to #5 in Britain, and on its re-release in 1975 climbed all the way to #1, his first in the UK...

Another #1 for David is the song at #43, his collaboration with Queen, "Under Pressure"...

The latest single from Bowie's last album, Blackstar, which enters at #1 on the albums chart, is the haunting "Lazarus". It comes in here at #45...

At #49 is "Changes", which had never appeared on the charts before, being an album cut in the UK from his 1972 album Hunky Dory...

The lead single and title track from Blackstar finds itself at #61...

David's second #1 UK hit from 1980 "Ashes To Ashes" falls in at #62...

His 1974 single "Rebel Rebel" fights in at #65. Back then it climbed to #5...

The title track to his Ziggy Stardust opus rockets in at #76. It's also its first time on the chart...

Sia claims one of the two non-Bowie entries at #82 with "Reaper". It's from her upcoming This Is Acting album...

American rapper G-Eazy and singer Bebe Rexha take the other slot at #96 with "Me, Myself & I". G-Eazy also appears on the biggest radio hit of the week, Grace's remake of "You Don't Own Me"...

Rounding it out at #97 brings us back to Bowie with his "China Girl". In 1983 the single made it to #2...