UK Chart Roundup: Pet Shop Boys Get 86'd With "Winner"

This week Wiley's "Heatwave" prevents Calvin Harris' best single in years, "We'll Be Coming Back," from topping the UK chart for a second week. Meawhile, boy band Lawson (who probably think they're not a boy band because they hold guitars) land their second Top 10 single of the year with "Taking Over Me," which debuts at #3. This leaves Redlight's latest dubstep track "Lost In Your Love" to go in at #5 — his highest chart placing yet.

And now to the other business at hand, which is the Pet Shop Boys' rather yikes debut with lead Elysium single "Winner," which ekes into the UK chart at #86. Sure, we can be forgiven for overlooking the fact that the song was technically added to iTunes in early July with no bother to the singles chart — they hadn't really really switched the gears into promo mode yet then, after all.

But now that the official release is here, complete with a four-track EP issued last week and remix EP released (in some countries) this weekend, the #86 placing makes it seem as if the Boys have been, well, 86'd.

Needless to say, it's their worst outing with a lead single from a new album by PSBs. Below is how all their initial offerings from their first 10 studio albums fared in their home country (I'm counting the final peak for "West End Girls," once they'd been signed to EMI — not the very first independent release):

1. "West End Girls" from Please (#1)
2. "It's A Sin" from Actually (#1)
3. "Domino Dancing" from Introspective (#7)
4. "So Hard" from Behaviour (#4)
5. "Can You Forgive Her" from Very (#7)
6. "Before" from Bilingual (#7)
7. "I Don't Know What You Want..." from Nightlife (#15)
8. "Home And Dry" from Release (#14)
9. "I'm With Stupid" from Fundamental (#8)
10. "Love etc." from Yes (#14)

And here's how their lead singles from the three greatest hits compilations wound up:

1. "DJ Culture" from Discography (#13)
2. "Miracles" from PopArt (#10)
3. "Together" from Ultimate (#58)

Of course, no one stays on top forever, and, let's face it — Pet Shop Boys have had an amazing career and outlasted all their previous contemporaries, for the most part. And all is not lest for "Winner." There's still the duo's performance (of "West End Girls") during the London Olympics closing ceremony this evening (they're third in the lineup, behind Emeli Sande and Madness, and just before One Direction). And the physical CD single is #2 on Amazon (it was #1 this morning), while the remix EP released today is #4.

We shall see...

The UK Top 10:

1. "Heatwave" - Wiley feat. Rymez & Ms D *2 weeks*
2. "We'll Be Coming Back" - Calvin Harris feat. Example
3. "Taking Over Me" - Lawson *new*
4. "Spectrum (Calvin Harris Remix)" - Florence + The Machine
5. "Lost In Your Love" - Redlight *new*
6. "Payphone" - Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa
7. "Feel The Love" - Rudimental feat. John Newman
8. "Pound The Alarm" - Nicki Minaj
9. "Black Heart" - Stooshe
10. "Brokenhearted" - Karmin