Eminem has scored his 11th UK No.1 single with Houdini (Polydor). It was streamed 13.3 million times in the past week in the UK.
The track is from the US rap superstar’s upcoming 12th studio album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce).
Houdini, which interpolates the Steve Miller Band’s 1982 No.2 hit Abracadabra, debuted at No.1 with consumption of 104,803 units, including 8,217 digital downloads and 96,586 sales-equivalent streams (Official Charts Company). That’s the highest sale for any track since Sprinter by Dave & Central Cee logged 108,200 sales on its first week at No.1 almost exactly a year ago.
Houdini had the biggest opening week of video streams (four million) since Adele’s Easy On Me in October 2021 (4.58m).
Polydor also had the No.2 single with Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter, along with two Top 10 entries for Billie Eilish – Birds Of A Feather (a non-mover at No.5) and Lunch (No.6, down from No.2).
In the albums chart, consumption of Eminem’s Curtain Call – The Hits was up 50.4% week-on-week (7,191 sales) as the collection moved 15-7. Polydor also had Eilish’s Hit Me Hard And Soft up a place at No.2 (20,346 sales); it was also the most streamed album of the week. Meanwhile, Polydor dance star Becky Hill scored a new personal best in the albums chart with a No.3 debut for Believe Me Now? (11,571 sales).
Houdini provided Eminem with his best first week since 2002 when his third No.1, Without Me, achieved consumption of 165,669 units (138,959 CDs, 23,145 cassettes, 3,565 12-inch vinyl). Houdini references and recreates portions of Without Me, which experienced a 240.73% increase in consumption to 11,722 units as it returned to the Top 75 for the first time in 22 years, at No.38.
As revealed in Alan Jones’ charts analysis, Without Me is Eminem’s third most-consumed track (2,719,902 units), trailing only Lose Yourself (3,351,068 units) and Rihanna collaboration Love The Way You Lie (3,171,031 units). Eminem’s top weekly tally came in 2000, when Stan debuted at No.1 on sales of 198,805 units.
With 11 No.1s, Eminem sits alongside Calvin Harris in eighth place for most No.1s, and he has the most for a rapper. Houdini is his first No.1 in a solo capacity since Like Toy Soldiers in 2005. It is the ninth Eminem single to debut at No.1, and his seventh No.1 with a solo credit.
Eminem was last at the singles summit in 2020 with Godzilla feat. Juicewrld.
Houdini extends Eminem’s chart career to more than 25 years. The new single is the rap star’s 34th Top 10 hit.
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