The tenth studio album for US rockers Foo Fighters called “Medicine at Midnight” becomes their eighth No.1 Album in Australia, equalling the eight albums achieved by Pearl Jam.
“Medicine at Midnight” becomes the 906th No.1 Album in Australia (1965 to 2021), the 756th for ARIA (1983 to 2021), the fifth No.1 album for the year (2021), and the second for an American act after Taylor Swift spent the first two weeks of the year at the top, plus for the bands record label Roswell (through RCA and Sony) it also becomes their eighth No.1 set, made up of seven of their studio albums and their best of collection, which leaps back into the Top 40 this week.
After four (three mostly) Australian acts at No.1, the Foo Fighters new set becomes the first NEW U.S. act at the top this year, while for American artists (solo, duo, group, male or female) this becomes the 320th by a U.S. act to make it to the top here, while for Groups (local or overseas) this is now the 400th No.1 Album by a group and the first for this year.
The band didn’t hit No.1 in Australia until their fourth album “One by One” in 2002, and ever since they’ve hit the top with each successive release in 2005 (“In Your Honour”, 5 weeks and their longest run at the top here), 2007 (“Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace” for 1 week), 2009 (“Greatest Hits” for 1 week), 2011 (“Wasting Light” for 2 weeks), 2014 (“Sonic Highways”, 1 week) and their last was in 2017 (“Concrete and Gold” 1 week). So their tally of No.1 albums rises to eight in total, moving them up to equal fifth alongside Pearl Jam’s eight No.1’s on the list for ‘Most No.1 Albums’, and on the ranking for ‘Accumulated Weeks at No.1: 1965 to 2021’ they rise from 53rd to No.49th, 13 weeks in total from 8 No.1’s, sitting just ahead of Robbie Williams (13 weeks from 5 #1’s).
This is also the first No.1 album to feature the word ‘Medicine’ in its title, but the third for a ‘Midnight’ at No.1 after “Minutes to Midnight” for Linkin Park in 2007 and “Midnight Memories” for One Direction in 2013. The new No.1 album has also managed to land first week at the top in both New Zealand and England too.
Four of the Top 10 debut this week are all within the Top 5, and coming in at No.2 first week is the first best of collection for The Weeknd titled “The Highlights”, which benefits from him playing the Super Bowl 55 half-time performance this past week, while two of the albums current singles’ chart entries are “Save Your Tears” (his latest single jumps to a new peak of No.7) and 2020’s longest running and EOY No.1 single “Blinding Lights” (TW-13). This high entry also becomes his fifth Top 3 placement here, three of which have gone to No.1 in the past, and this new album also comes in at No.2 in England.
Last weeks No.1 album for local rapper The Kid Laroi drops down two places this week to No.3, as “Fuck Love” (mixtape) / “Savage” (EP) dips two places after a single week at the top, while he is also at No.3 over on the singles chart with his track “Without You”. Two further new entries occur next and both are by local Aussie acts; coming in at No.4 with their fourth album is “Shyga! The Sunlight Mound” by Perth’s psy-rock act Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, which is now their first Top 10 placing and their second overall entry, as their third album “And Now for the Whatchamacallit” made it to No.31 in June of 2019.
Kate Ceberano sees her 28th studio album called “Sweet Inspiration” debuting at No.5 this week, her first Top 10 placing since her 2016 “Anthology” best of set made it to No.9 in the first week in May 2016. Overall this becomes only her seventh Top 10 album in Australia (five solo albums and two compiles) plus she was also a part of the 1992 No.1 cast album of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, which gives her an eighth Top 10 album locally.
With a rush of new entries to the upper reaches of the chart this week, there’s a heap of dropping titles. Starting with one place slips for Pop Smoke and Harry Styles’ entries to No.6 and No.7 respectively, followed by “evermore” for Taylor Swift which halves its position from last week and is down four to No.8, while Barry Gibb’s “Greenfields” set is on hold at No.9 this week, it’s followed by a seven place slip to No.10 for the fourth week running U.S.A. and Canadian No.1 set for Morgan Wallen and “Dangerous: The Double Album”.
UP:
TOP 20: The Weeknd sees his 2020 studio album “After Hours” rebound nine spots this week to No.15, thanks to it’s new Top 10 single in “Save Your Tears” (TW-7) and his Super Bowl 55 half-time show. The only other rising album within the Top 20 is Miley Cyrus’ “Plastic Hearts” back up five places to No.17.
TOP 30: The biggest rise within the 21-30 chart region is Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” set which is up only four spots to No.21, while there are single place rises for both the Luke Combs and Lewis Capaldi first albums to No.25 and No.26, with Maroon 5’s “Singles Collection” is on hold at No.28 this week.
TOP 40: There are single place rises for albums by XXXTentaction (#33) and Ed Sheeran’s last duets set (#39), plus a two place rise to No.40 for the Queen soundtrack to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, but with the new No.1 album for Foo Fighters, their 2009 “Greatest Hits” set rebounds sixteen spots this week to land at No.37, its highest placement since March of 2018 and its second week within the Top 50 for 2021 (it was at #46 on the 1st of Feb.).
TOP 50: Three albums move up here, two place rises for “1989” by Taylor Swift (46 to No.44) and “Goodbye & Good Riddance” for Juice WRLD (52 to No.50), while up four spots to No.46 is the film soundtrack for “The Greatest Showman”.
DOWN:
TOP 20: Four albums leave the Top 10 this week, “Bluey The Album” TV Soundtrack by Bluey (HP-1×1, WI10-2), down nine to No.11, “What You See is What You Get” for Luke Combs (HP-1×1, WI10-18) falling five to No.12, “Legends Never Die” for Juice WRLD (HP-1×1, WI10-16), also down five to No.13, and then Billie Eilish with “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” (HP-1×8, WI10-78) which drops four to No.14. Also falling four places are “Future Nostalgia” by Dua Lipa (which could rise again next week thanks to a new expanded ‘Moonlight Edition’ issued on Friday) and “folklore” by Taylor Swift to No.16 and No.19 respectively, while there’s a nine place slide to No.20 for Lime Cordiale with “14 Steps to a Better You”.
TOP 30: AC/DC’s “Power Up” set slides down seven places to No.24, while Spacey Jane’s “Sunlight” dips fourteen chart rungs this week to fall to No.27, followed by a six place slump to No.29 for Elton John’s best of collection called “Diamonds”.
TOP 40: The repackaged and recently physically released album for both Bring Me the Horizon with “Post Human: Survival Horror” and Eminem’s “Music to Be Murdered by” both bypass a Top 30 placing and drop from last weeks Top 20 into the Top 40 this week, BMTH falling fifteen to No.34 and Eminem plummeting twenty-two spots to No.36.
TOP 50: INXS’ “Very Best of” drops down four to No.41 and the Halsey’s set “Manic” falls seven places to No.43, while the self-titled debut Dua Lipa set dips four to No.45. Glass Animals might have the No.2 single in the country for a third straight week, but their parent album “Dreamland” is down eleven places this week to No.49, while last week’s No.18 entry for Arlo Parks drops down into the lower fifty this week.
FURTHER NEW ENTRY:
* #47 (LP#2) – Herald by Odette (EMI Australia) is the second studio album and entry for the local singer, who was born in England and moved to Australia at a young age. Her debut album “To a Stranger” managed to debut and peaked at No.13 in mid-July of 2018, thus this new set becomes her second Top 50 placing in Australia.
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*ARIA Chart info is based on sales for the week from the 5th to the 11th of February, 2021.
Written, Compiled and Researched by Gavin Ryan.
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Gavin Ryan reports with thanks to Australian-Charts.com
