UK Chart Roundup: Rihanna Beats One Direction, Adele & Ellie Goulding To #1

It was a fierce race for several singles ambling for the top of the UK chart this week, but in the end it ended up being Rihanna's "Diamonds" that emerged triumphant after the tune sold 105,000 copies. The Official Charts Company reports that "Diamonds" moved a mere 420 copies more than last week's chart topper, PSY's "Gangnam Style." The classy jam — which, let's face it, borrows chords rather shamefully from M83's "Midnight City" — had a much more modest debut in the US, where it recently entered the Hot 100 at #16.

Elsewhere, One Direction's "Live While We're Young," the boy band's lead offering from upcoming LP Take Me Home, is forced to contend with a #3 debut. This now gives the lads their fourth Top 10 in the UK. Just behind them, Adele arrives at #4 with her James Bond theme song "Skyfall." Not bad, considering it didn't go on sale until Friday.

That brings us to Ellie Goulding's lead Halcyon single "Anything Could Happen" at #5. When it first premiered two months ago, I declared that the song was "fucking fantastic." And while I still maintain that "Anything" is a decent tune, it's overall charm wore off a tad, rather quickly.

At any rate, "Anything Could Happen" gives Ellie her third UK Top 10 hit, after "Starry Eyed" (#4) and her cover of Elton John's "Your Song" (#2).

The UK Top 10:

1. "Diamonds" - Rihanna *new* *1 week*
2. "Gangnam Style" - PSY 
3. "Live While We're Young" - One Direction *new*
4. "Skyfall" - Adele *new*
5. "Anything Could Happen" - Ellie Goulding *new*
6. "Hall Of Fame" - The Script feat. will.i.am 
7. "I Cry" - Flo Rida
8. "She Wolf (Falling To Pieces)" - David Guetta feat. Sia
9. "Turn Around" - Conor Maynard feat. Ne-Yo
10. "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" - Taylor Swift