Welcome to the official home page of James Masterton, author of an alarmingly long-running weekly analysis of the UK singles and albums charts.
I've been writing about the British charts online since 1992, my weekly column dedicated to telling the story behind each hit, putting chart moves and records in their full context. Across many different publications this has been essential reading for music fans since the very earliest days of the internet. Each week I've tried to tell the full story behind this week's UK charts. Who is Number One, and why? What are this week's biggest new entries? And who is this Drake guy anyway?
You can also read here the archives of my past work, a library of columns dating back to October 1992.
But here you can also read some of my other writings, from retrospective pieces on old chart countdowns through to memories of favourite songs and other more in-depth looks at issues relating to the British music charts. Updates to these tend to be rather more sporadic than I would sometimes wish, but the latest articles can be found on the feed below, or in a more structured form by clicking on the blog link above.
Latest Blog Posts
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From The Vault: How Soon Is Now
"A shyness that is criminally vulgar". The Smiths' ode to the angst of the unloved is - scarily - 40 years old. It remains Morrissey's most celebrated and affecting lyric.
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Defying Gravity
It ain't easy being green, just ask Elphaba. The signature song from Wicked winds up a UK Top 10 hit for the very first time thanks to the brand new movie. But just what is the song all about deep down?
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From The Vault: Pillowtalk
Topical, as he's staging live shows in Britain for the first time in forever, a short and sweet dive into ZAYN's debut solo hit (and his only UK No.1 single to date) - Pillowtalk.
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People Watching
Sam Fender's highest new entry ever took him straight into the UK Top 5, just a few weeks before Christmas. And our AI hosts love it to bits.
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From The Vault: Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through
"The angels had guitars even before they had wings". Jim Steinman's ultimate paen to the redemptive power of rock and roll remains one of his most powerful lyrics. But will Steve and Sharon end up moved by it too?
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Angel Of My Dreams
Jade Thirwall's viscious swipe at the fame that made her landed her a huge smash hit on her debut. And Steve and Sharon get where she is coming from.
