At time of writing, Iceland’s 2020 Eurovision entry, Daði Freyr’s “Think About Things”, is still in the United Kingdom’s singles chart, gaining its fourth week in the UK top 40.
“Think About Things” achieved this goal on Friday, becoming the Eurovision song to spend the longest time in the UK chart since 2012. Back then, Loreen’s “Euphoria” also spent a month following its then victory in the contest. “Euphoria” was at that time rewarded with a peak position of #3.
“Think About Things” meanwhile has not had quite that same success, but instead has recorded a steady performance in the chart. It entered at #34 four weeks ago, and this week is holding only a few places lower at #37. So far it has sold over 60k units, achieving a peak of #8 on sales alone, not counting streaming services. It would seem to be achieving a welcome goal of becoming a minor hit outside of its Eurovision origins.
The majority of Eurovision songs have a limited impact on the UK top 40. Most often they peak in the week immediately following the broadcasting of the contest, or this year, ‘Shine A Light’, and swiftly fall down the chart the following week. By holding so steady, “Think About Things” is proving to be an enduring song that is popular among the music-buying and streaming public.
Daði favoured by BBC Radio 1
Adding further to the continued longevity of the Icelandic hit, today it has emerged that “Think About Things” is the Radio 1 tune of the week, scoring Daði Freyr extra promotion in a week where he will likely be fighting to remain in the top 40.
This continued support by Radio 1 is also likely to be a factor in “Think About Things” unusual chart longevity. It will net the song extra plays for listeners of Radio 1, giving it further exposure. This will likely drive more sales and streams. Will it be enough to hold on for an unprecedented 5th week and beyond?
Are you still listening to “Think About Things”? Would you like to see more support from BBC Radio for Eurovision songs? Let us know @ESCXtra