Bruce Springsteen Outruns Madonna to Claim 11th UK No. 1 Album

Bruce Springsteen outdoes Madonna in the race for the U.K. album chart crown. His 19th studio album, Western Stars (Columbia/Sony), debuts at No. 1 ahead of the Queen of Pop's Madame X (Interscope/Universal). Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber's “I Don't Care” (Asylum/Warner Music), meanwhile, starts a sixth week atop the singles chart.


Springsteen's set finishes 25,000 combined units ahead of Madonna's, including physical sales on CD and vinyl of over 45,000. That makes it the fastest-selling physical release of 2019 so far, according to the Official Charts Company. Western Skies is his 11th U.K. No. 1. Madonna's 14th studio album debuts at No. 2, but she remains the female artist with the most No. 1s, with a total of 12. 
After four weeks at No. 1, Lewis Capaldi falls to No. 3 with Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent (EMI/Universal). Bastille arrive at No. 4 with their third album Doom Days (Virgin EMI/Universal), while the 40th-anniversary reissue of Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures (Rhino/Warner Music) gives it a top 40 placing for the first time. After a previous peak at No. 80 in 1980, after the death of lead singer Ian Curtis, the seminal album recharts at No. 5.