Jan 6th 17: First List–First Hits

The first #1 of the new year is the last #1 of the old year: Rockabye by Clean Bandit Feat. Sean Paul & Anne-Marie spends a third week at the German top which marks the 15th consecutive week a British act appears there. For featured artist Sean Paul it is now the longest running #1 hit he appears on as Cheap Thrills alongside SIA left the top after two weeks in April 2016.

Almost exactly a year after Alan Walker's first hit Faded charted for the very first time he can launch a second top 5 hit as Alone goes 8–4 in its fifth chart week.

The first new top 10 hit stops by at #6. Shed A Light is an all star collaboration by Robin Schulz & David Guetta Feat. Cheat Codes. For Robin Schulz this is a return to top 10 status after a year although it is his seventh within three years. David Guetta already has now 18 top 10 hits under his belt–Shed A Light being the third consecutive and it is one of two simultaneous hits as Would I Lie To You sits pretty at #8 still.


As all Christmas tunes leave the list this week we do have 20 songs that were not listed the week before. 18 of them re-appearing in the list–it is the highest amount since March 2010.

2016: Alan Walker & Bonez MC Are The Winners

Most sold single of 2016 is Faded by Norwegian newcomer Alan Walker. It appeared first on January 15th and reached the top four weeks later where it spent ten weeks. The song sits pretty at #65 in the last issue of the year so it had a 51 weeks chart run so far. With two further top 10 hits (Sing Me To Sleep #10 and Alone #8) Alan Walker is the most succesfull new act in 2016 at all and establishes himself as one of the steadiest act. He is joined by Bonez MC & RAF Camora who also could launch three consecutive top 10 hits at the end of 2016. The triple also was completed by Calvin Harris who added two top 10 songs in 2016 to his account.

Back to Bonez MC. He is the newcomer of the year in some other terms. First of all his collaboration album with RAF Camora Palmen aus Plastik ranks as the best sold rap album of the year (#12 on the official album charts of the year) and at #5 (resp. #20) with partner Gzuz and High & Hungrig II. On the singles charts 35 tracks involving him were listed on the charts. Never before an act had that much tracks charting in one calendar year–even after Michael Jackson's death in 2009 "only" 23 songs charted again. Additionally Bonez MC had three times more than 10 tracks simultanously in the list. He definitely is the most present artist of the year 2016.

The number 1 statistics knows two further winners:
Rag'n'Bone Man delivered with Human the longest running #1 hit of the year. The song spent 12 weeks at the top. Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole was the last one doing so back in 2010. Singer Rory Graham also is the best performing British act since exactly 20 years. Back than Sarah Brightman had a 13 weeks run at #1 alongside Andrea Bocelli on the song Time To Say Goodbye (Con Te Partiro).

Second name to mention is Sean Paul. The singer appeared on two #1 hits in 2016.

Dec 30th 16: The Christmas List

As this issue reflects all sales in between 23rd and 29th of December it also represents the most loved songs under Christmas trees (and otherwhere) for Germany. Of course the real holidays only cover half of the time–so it is no wonder having a completely un-Christmas #1 hit. It is once again Rockabye by Clean Bandit Feat. Sean Paul & Anne-Marie which rises back to the top. It is the second week for the collaboration there. Perspectives are quite good that this last #1 of the year will become the first #1 of 2017 too.

Former #1 hit Human by Rag'n'Bone Man drops to #2 again and probably will now slide down constantly. On the list of the year 2016 it ranks at #9 as the longest running #1 hit.

The Christmas hits start at #4 as there Hallelujah by The Pentatonix pretty sits. The midweek sales list had the song at #2 only, the midweek #1 at the end of the week find itself at #5. It is All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey which reaches its new peak in its 52nd chart week and now ranks as the second highest hit of her at all. Only her #1 song Without You from 1994 performed better.
52 weeks inside the charts to get a peak sounds spectacular–in fact it ain't. Last Christmas reached its peak position in January 2008 in its 72nd chart week–and still ain't the slowest sleeper hit. Sky And Sand by Paul & Fritz Kalkbrenner had an 83 weeks run before reaching #29 in November 2011.
In real time (not in chart weeks) one song this week had a much longer way to its peak than All I Want For Christmas I You. It is Thank God It's Christmas by Queen which can re-enter at #48 and sets a new bench after 31 years.

Talking 'bout Last Christmas. That classic also enters the top 10 again at #7. It is this the third time matching the peak position of its initial release in 1984 but falling three ranks short of the all time peak in 2008. Worth mentioning this is only the fourth top 10 week for the song.

The whole top 100 contain 19 Christmas related hits. Some of them also reach new peaks as there are:
Feliz Navidad by Puerto Rican Jose Felícíano – the song was released in 1970 but first charted in December 2007 reaching its so far peak on the list of January 4th at #42. This year the song climbs to #37 in its 32nd chart week.
Merry Christmas Everyone by Shakin' Stevens – in 1986 after its release the song reached #75 for one single week. This season it rises to #38. It is only the fourth chart week.
Christmas Time by Bryan Adams – released in 1985 it peaked in its second chart week a year before at #64. This year it goes one rank higher to #63.
Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney – released in 1979 it enters the German charts this year for the very first time at #77.
My Only Wish (This Year) by Britney Spears – lands seven ranks higher than 2015 at #83. It's only the second chart week at all.
It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year by Andy Williams – the US American entertainer only had two chart hits in Germany so fas. In 1963 and 1971. His Christmas Song was originally released in 1963 but re-edited several times the past years. Now it starts own chart life at #86 ending a more than 45 years long absence.
Even longer Brenda Lee did not appear in the list. Her last entry dates back to January 1965. With Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree she celebrates a seventh chart hit in Germany at #98 and now is the artist with the longest break ever: almost 52 years.
Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms – a complete new name to the German list. The USAmerican singer died in 1997 already. His 1957 Christmas song is his first chart appearance at all (#90).
All together this week ranks as the one with most re-entries of the year as there are seven songs back on the list. It is this a result of minor relevance as we had while the end of the 2000s much much more re-entries every single week.


Luckily it's not all about Christmas tunes. At #8 Alan Walker can launch his third top 10 hit in 2016. Alone for sure is one of the first hits we will have in 2017.
ZAYN can enter the top 20 with a second song. I Don't Wanna Live Forever from the Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack features Taylor Swift who has her first top 20 appearance since two years.
In its fourth chart week Now & Later by Sage The Gemini goes 64–35.
And almost at the very end Shakira & Maluma rise slowly with Chantaje 86–72.

As this is the last issue of the year it also finishes the survey of most successful songs of the year. Getting the crown in the very last moment The Sound Of Silence by Disturbed spends a 19th week inside the top 10 and with this is the longest running top 10 hit of 2016. Of course Love Yourself and Geiles Leben both spent 20 weeks inside the top 10 but started their runs in 2015 already.

Dec 16th 16: Clean Bandit & Sean Paul Got A Second #1 Hit and Imperator Kollegah Invades The List

After eleven weeks there is a change at #1: Rockabye by Clean Bandit Feat. Sean Paul & Annemarie benefits from the decreasing sales numbers of Human and becomes the 13th number one of 2016. It is the second for both Clean Bandit and Sean Paul, the Jamaican singer additionally is now the act with most number one hits in one year as this is the second one he appears on. And he is the first Jamaican artists gaining two songs at number one in Germany at all.
It is this again a number one song with a social story as lyrics–something a long time didn't happen that permanently.

alle farben launches its fourth top 10 hit within three years as Bad Ideas jumps 18–9. So far every single by the project that entered the charts at least reached top 10 status. This is a 100% sense for the mood of the day.
alle farben is the fourth German act inside the top 10–that means a presence of German act we didn't had for exactly a year.

With Hallelujah by the Pentatonix moving to #15 an interesting change of demand in Christmas tunes is obvious. Leading the list of seasonal tunes a comic rap track sits at #8 with Holz (Weihnachts-Edition) by the 257ers. Runners up is the a capella version of the Leonhard Cohen song followed by All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey recorded in 1994 ranking at #23 in its 50th chart week. The all time favorite Last Christmas by Wham! from 1984 drops 13 places to #27.

The new single by Alan Walker Alone indeed only rises one place now reaching #20. Anyway it is the third top 20 hit of the Norwegian artist in 2016.

A week before the release of the winter edition of their album Palmen aus Plastik (now named Tannen aus Plastik) MC Bonez & Raf Camora launch An ihnen vorbei. The track starts chart life straight at # 22 even outselling the best performing track from Kollegah's new album Imperator that rocks to #1 on the album's list. Kaiseraura only manages to climb to #28 but is one of 17 tracks that manage to chart as single track too. Only one single track from the album does not chart at all. By doing so Kollegah has most tracks simultaneously on the list–falling only one short of his own record set on May 23rd 2014. He also now is the act with most different tracks charting on the single's list–even outselling veteran Bushido. Of course he also is the act with most tracks not reaching the top 20. That feat only two tracks had the honour to reach in 2014. And the imperator is not at all the act with most charting tracks in a calendar year. This honour still belongs to MC Bonez who collected 26 tracks so far this year–six more than Kollegah.

With Kollegah invading the list the amount of songs in German is 36–songs involving Germans are 42. This is the best result of 2016 but still a bunch of tracks low than exactly one year ago.

All in all this week there are 19 songs completely new inside the list. This also is the biggest amount of whole 2016.

April 1st 16:

It is indeed the eighth consecutive week at the German top for Alan Walker and his hit Faded.

It is again a very calm week with a completely static top 5 and no new song inside the top 10. The only song new inside the whole top 20 lands at #20 as sleeper hit Never Forget You by Zara Larsson & MNEK reaches a new peak in its 24th chart week.

Want to know about real new hits? Well–
45–27 goes NØ by Meghan Trainor
and 52–29 goes Cake By The Ocean by DNCE
both in the third chart week.

The highest new entry comes again from German rapper Kollegah. It is the third time that a song with him is the highest newcomer of the week. But it is this time also the weakest. #70 sees MP5 arriving. The track comes from Seyed who invited Kollegah. Seems that German gangster rap is not on its hiatus right now.

March 25th 16: Alan Walker Becomes Most Successful Norwegian Act

It is the seventh consecutive week at the very top for Alan Walker and his chart debut Faded which means never before a Norwegian act spent as long at no.1 in Germany. Neither a-ha nor Marit Larsen (both had a five weeks run) nor plastic project Aqua (six weeks). And as the new midweek chart issue predicts Alan Walker will be the top of all songs next week also.

Also #2 and #3 are glued at their position. It is this a fifth week in a row for Die immer lacht by Stereoact Feat. Kerstin Ott and Stressed Out by the twentyøne piløts.

With the SeeB remix of I Took A Pill In Ibiza (originally recorded by Mike Posner a second Norwegian act enters the top 10. The track lands at #7 and doubles the feat of June last year when also two Norwegians appeared simultaneously inside the German Top 10.
Additionally at #87 the new singly by KYGO Fragile enters the list. It is a surprising collaboration with British Labrinth. This production is the sixth Norwegian this week which marks again the hiatus of presence of production coming from the Scandinavian country.

These weeks we're whitnessing a period of very slow chart turnover. In fact this week is the third in 2016 that only six songs can enter or re-enter the list meaning every forth week there is almost no change of songs inside the survey.

March 18th 16: Frozen Top 5

As the early spring usually ain't showing much musical turbulence it is no surprise having also in 2016 a calm March. It is this the third consecutive week with a very static top. This current week the complete Top 5 is tied meaning Alan Walker spends a sixth week at #1 with Faded. He is now alongside synthetic pop project Aqua the Norwegian act spending most time at #1.

The one and only new song inside the top 10 comes in at #6. It is the new single of SIA from her album This Is Acting. Cheap Thrills is a collaboration with Jamaican Sean Paul. It is the fifth top 10 hit for the Australian singer and songwriter–only her second as lead artist and better than her first solo hit Chandellier from summer 2014 that stopped at #10. Sean Paul already has nine top 10 hits under his belt–last on in summer 2013.

As Stimme by EFF leaves the top 10 there are only four tracks involving Europeans inside. It is the lowest result since May 2013.

A few places lower Coldplay can enter the top 20 with Hymn For The Weekend. Once again a Coldplay song with an longer taking rise.

The highest new entry lands at #30–some places higher than the week before. Ariana Grande launches with Dangerous Woman a seventh chart hit and the third missing the top 20.

At #44 a summer hit re-enters after getting used on Let's Dance a week ago. FEDER Ft. Lyse had their Goodbye rising to #8 and spent 30 weeks inside the charts. Now both sneak in for a further week.


On the lower end of the list at #64 a European country takes its first steps on the mainstream pop market. Era Istrefi comes from Albania/Kosova and launches her very first chart hit with Bon Bon. The song is as international as any other production coming from the big pop nations and probably this first appeaerance can leave some marks on the European pop map.

March 11th 15: Silence

What the hell is going on in Germany? Nothing! At least if you have a look at the song charts. The second consecutive week the complete top 10 stays almost unchanged. Only places 5 and 6 twist as places 9 and 10 doing so also. This means Alan Walker spends a fifth comfortable week at the top with Faded. Still the catchiest tune at all and right now one of the hits of still young 2016.
Five weeks at #1 doubles the result of last Norwegian #1 single coming from Marit Larsen in 2009.

The longest top 10 runner is Love Yourself by Justin Bieber that is one of the movers at #5.
One amazing story con be told from inside the top 10 although. Look at #8 and you will see there a song sitting for a fifth time. Yes Me, Myself & I by G-Eazy & Bebe Rexha spent five weeks inside the top 10–all of them at #8.


The first mover lands again as deep as #12. It is this week SIA feat. Sean Paul who can make their song Cheap Thrills a full 16 places to heights both didnt seen for some time. Leading act SIA had her last appearance inside the top 20 in summer 2014 when Chandellier even hit #10. Sean Paul was absent since late summer 2013–back then it was Other Side Of Love that had a short visit at #3. To add this word: if someone had doubted dancehall would be dead or a product for special interests this last success of the sound shows how vital the genre still is.

Mover #2 stops at 19 in the face of Mike Posner's I Took A Pill In Ibiza tropic housed by Norwegian SeeB. It is the highest position the US American singer ever achieved and SeeB could be the next KYGO.


As new music has some difficulties making instant impacts on the charts there are more songs we earlier called sleeper hits. As an example this week Never Forget You by Zara Larsson & MNEK reaches a new peak at 28. It is already the 21st chart week of the song–so it took both half a year to become a proper medium hit.


The highest new entry comes in at #41. It is Fifth Harmony's recent single Work From Home. Their first hit made it up to #16 during past year.

It is hardly seen that an artist does have simultaneous entries in one week. Mostly that appears alongside a highly recommended album release. This week there is San Francisco based Daya who lands two new songs inside the survey without any album received or other big event going on. It is just an coincidence. At 69 she sings alongside The Chainsmokers on their new single Don't Let Me Down and further down at 91 she enters with her standalone song Hide Away. As also Flume enters the list at 86 there is a bunch of songs representing a slightly new sound mostly produced around the Pacific Ocean.

At #96 an almost exactly 10 years long absence ends as Massive Attack brings its new song Ritual Spirit in the list. It is only the fifth chart entry for the band which sounds quite strange as the duo has had a huge musical impact and still does to the new generation of TripHop artists.


On The Way Up are:
SAX by Fleur East going 56–43 in its fourth chart week
Keeping Your Head Up by Birdy jumping 91–49 in its fifth chart week after some TV promotion for her new album Beautiful Lies scheduled for end of March

March 4th 15: German Eurovision Preselection

The top end of the german song chart stays almost frozen–the first four places show now move at all as there is Faded by Alan Walker still #1 followed by STEREOACT, the twentyøne piløts and jonas Blue.
Having Faded a fourth week at #1 this is right now the most successful song of the still young 2016. Let's wait what here will happen next weeks.

A little change goes on at #5/6 as Rihanna feat. Drake rise one single place eith Work. It is 17th song by Rihanna that can reach the top 5.

The first real mover lands at #12. It is Ghost by Jamie-Lee Kriewitz the song which was chosen on Thursday 25th of February for representing Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest. In December singer and song won already casting contest The Voice of Germany.
Right after the TV show the song managed an chart re-entry at #65. Now it shoots to #12 falling one place short of the result from December. It exactly matches the peak of past years winner Andreas Kümmert who did not start at the European stage at all. By failing of entering the top 10 at all Ghost probably does not have the best perspectives for the contest in May. Let's wait what happens.
Runner's up Alex Diehl sneaks in at #44 with Nur ein Lied. Also he misses the result of his first chart appearance back in November 2015 when he stopped at #33.


Second new song inside the top 20 is Flo Rida's My House which goes 21–16. It already took the song more than ten months to go so far as it first appeared as an album cut of same titled collection in April 2015.

Highest new entry starts chart life at #26. Taken from his new album Udo Lindenberg is back with Durch die schweren Zeiten. It is the highest charting song by him since late 2011.

Due to its use in a Tatort criminal a song recorded in 2011 enters the list for the very first time. The duo Smith & Burrows consists of Tom Smith of The Editors and Andy Burrows of Razorlight. Both covered the #2 hit Wonderful Life originally by Black in 1987. The song now charts at #47. It is the fourth version of the tune.

New songs at the lower end of the list:
88–72 In The Night by The Weeknd
84–74 Middle by DJ Snake Ft. Bipolar Sunshine

Feb 26th 16:

It is the third week for Alan Walker's Faded at the top of the German list. It now matches the result of predecessor Stimme by EFF.

Die immer lacht by STEREOACT feat. Kerstin Ott goes #2 and the twentyøne piløts rise three places to #3 with Stressed Out. #2 in the US and Switzerland so far is the highest position the song had acclaimed.

In its fifth chart week Work by Rihanna Feat. Drake reach the top 10. The track stops at #6. It is Rihanna's 23rd top 10 hit and the 14th this decade alone which makes her the most successful artist according to top 10 performance. 113 weeks is the total songs by her spent inside the top 10.
Her duetting partner on Work–Canadian rapper DRAKE–now gets his first top 10 hit ever in Germany.

The highest new entry comes in at #44. Diese Nacht ist jede Sünde wert is the seventh chart hit for Andrea Berg and her highest appearance at all.

Febr 19th 16:

A second week at the top for Norwegian DJ Alan Walker with Faded. Also the #2 stands still with Jonas Blue's version of Fast Car.

The highest new arrival into the top 10 comes from US American twentyøne piløts. Their Stressed Outs jumps 23–6 in its fifth chart week.
Also new inside the top 10 is Elle King. After eight weeks inside the list bouncing around she finally can made it 14–10 with her Ex's & Oh's.
By the arrival of these two US Amercian productions the presence of Europeans inside the Top 10 drops to a low level of five songs–as low as at beginning of September 2013. Of course that doesn't mean European song production has a baisse at all. Inside the top 20 still 12 songs come from Europe–it is some songs short of the 18 productions high of summer 2015 but still a proper result.


Finally the Rihanna-Drake collabarotion Work gets some steam and rises 22–12. It is the highest position the Canadian rapper ever achieved eclipsing the success of his other collaboration with Rihanna What's My Name in February 2011.

On the way up also Mike Posner is. The SeeB remix of his I Took A Pill In Ibiza goes 59–42.
26 places up and a firste appearance inside the upper half–that's the result for Jamie Lawson. The Zwette remix of his Wasn't Expecting That stops at 48. And a jump of 35 places alligatoah takes with Du bist schön. It is the 12 chart week for the song and also the first appearance in the upper half right at #50 which comes due to the release of a song video. alligatoah already has two top50 hist under his belt.

The highest new entry is an old song re-entering after its use for a movie score. It is X Gon' Give It To Ya by rapper DMX which infects people newly in Deadpool the next X-Men side sequel. The song enters at a very low #77. In 2003 the song peaked at #23. For DMX it is a return after a nine years long absence from the charts.
The highest really new song comes in at #83. It is Es rappelt im Karton by Belgian Swiss Pixie Paris. Certainly the song will get much higher the next days as it is used (again) in a wonderful commercial parody for ice cream. So far it is the lowest best new entry since January 2012 and #5 on the all time negative list.

Feb 12th 16: Alan Walker Goes No.1

Oops–what a surprise. Completely. It is hardly seen that a song jumps to #1 from outside the Top 5. This current week Norwegian DJ Alan Walker does with his debut hit Faded. Last week he sat pretty at #8, the midweek survey listed jonas Blue and his Fast Car at the top and over the week the electro influenced club hit took over the British deep house track.
A year ago OMI did that feat too. And of course Die Ärzte had their 12–1 jump in September due to a viral campaign.

It is the first Norwegian #1 since 2009 when Marit Larsen held the top position for five weeks with If A Song Coul Get Me You. So Alan Walker also is more selling in a week than his mate KYGO ever did.

A story besides: This is the tenth consecutive European #1 hit–a period that started in June past year with Ain't Nobody (Loves Me Better) by Felix Jaehn feat. Jasmine Thompson.


Also the rest of the top 10 is in a big turnover. Climbing from #7 to runners up position the jonas Blue cover of Fast Car goes. Reaching #1 in the UK too the new version there also overtakes the original version of Tracy Chapman from 1988.
Further three songs enter the Top 10 newly. To #5 Stereoact feat. Kerstin Ott with Die immer Lacht jumps from position 20. #8 is Me, Myself & I by G-Eazy X Bebe Rhexa–landing there in its sixth chart week. And the X Ambassadors see their Renegades jumping 19–10. So all of the new arrivals come from acts never charted that high before. With two completely US-American acts invading the top 10 we "only" have six tracks with European acts involved. It is this the lowest result since November 21st 2014. And also the statistics for the top 20 doesn't look better. 12 tracks involving Europeans is as low as in December 2014 last time.


As this issue covers the last and wildest days of German carnival it also serves with the hits of the season. Leading the pack is Andreas Gabalier with Hulapalu which lands at #13 and is his second top 20 hit in Germany. Runners up is Leev Marie by Paveier. Stopping at #34 this is a new career peak for the Cologne band.
Number 3 in this special interest survey is Jeck Yeah by BRINGS occupying #48 on the singles list.
All three songs are recorded this season.


The highest new entry comes from the dream lovers Sarah + Pietro casted in 2011. Nur mit dir is their sixth chart entry and still they have a teenie fanbase what is impressive at all. The huge success from the start of their careers now is far and away.

Right behind the highest climber of the week stops. It is Hymn For The Weekend by Coldplay.

Almost exactly five years ago Mike Posner had his last appearance in the list. This week he is back with I Took A Pill In Ibiza which enters at #59. It is an open secret that this entry comes due to a remix by Norwegian duo SeeB.