UK Top 40 Singles Chart: Spanish Song "Despacito" Tops UK & Billboard Charts, Busts Through the Language Barrier

I have ALWAYS wanted an opportunity to write on how music is SO damned universal, that when UK Top 40 Singles Chart topper Despacito (Remix) (feat. Daddy Yankee & Justin Bieber) by Luis Fonsi came along and I was preparing to begin reviewing the weekly chart for my blog, I just had to go grab it!

I must admit, when I first heard the song on BBC Radio One a couple of weeks ago, I was immediately drawn to it.

The song is SO catchy. It didn’t surprise me at all when in the following week Despacito remained at number one after being 12 weeks in the UK chart.

The song is the first mostly Spanish language top 10 since "Macarena" in 1996-97. "This is great for Latin music!" Fonsi told Billboard, where it also graced the #1 position in the singles chart that same week. Driven by a new remix featuring Justin Bieber, for the first time in more than 20 years a mostly Spanish-language song ranks in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. But what is SO refreshing about this particular song is that it sounds REALLY good. A good song transcends language, by all means, confirming yet again, that good music is good music, and that language is absolutely irrelevant.

Bieber, meanwhile, doubles his longest Hot 100 Billboard reign. Of his four prior No. 1s, he had ruled the longest with "Sorry," for three weeks in early 2016.

The rest of the tracks in the UK Top 40 Singles Chart  are also ‘good music’ across the board, with Ariana Grande’s soaring vocals in One More Time at #2; and the utterly infectious Unforgettable (feat. Swae Lee) by French Montana at #3; and at number 4 Strip That Down (feat. Quavo) by Liam Payne adding a more quirky R&B vibe which I quite like; and brand new entry 2U (feat. Justin Bieber) by David Guetta breaks into the chart in the number 5 position; with the rest of the Top 10 looking like this: #6 Mama (feat. William Singe) - Jonas Blue; #7 I'm The One (feat. Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper & Lil Wayne) - DJ Khaled; #8 There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back - Shawn Mendes; #9 Slow Hands-  Niall Horan; #10 Attention - Charlie Puth.

With such good music being released at the moment, overall, the UK Chart Show is sounding better and better week on week. That being said, I couldn’t help but mention how utterly insane I am for up-tempo old-school-esq vibe That's What I Like by Bruno Mars, sitting at #27 this week… mind you, it’s been in the UK Top 4o Singles Chart for 19 weeks.

Meanwhile, Stateside, Bruno Mars' "That's What I Like" drops 2-3 on the Hot 100, following six weeks at No. 2 after it topped the May 13-dated chart. Still, it paces Radio Songs for a seventh week, with 154 million in audience (down 7 percent), tying his longest command as a lead artist with "Just the Way You Are" (2010) and "Locked Out of Heaven" (2013); he's led longer only as featured on Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk!" (12 weeks, 2015). "Like" also leads Hot R&B Songs for an 18th week.

To get the complete run down of the UK Top 40 Singles Chart this week before the next 1800 GMT Chart Show Friday 23rd June updates the chart, click here. 

I hope you've enjoyed my very first Chart review. Catch up with you again when I review the next Chart rundown.

JOETT
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