UK Music Charts -- U2 and Green Day Spark

The collaboration between U2 and Green Day -- "The Saints Are Coming" -- debuted at #6 last week and jumps to #2, kept out of the top spot in the UK by boyband Westlife (one of their members, Mark Feehily) came out, which may become standard procedure for boy bands in the future, the way they always have a "cute" one, an "ethnic" one, a "dangerous" one and at least one who can sing. Depending on how you count it, their cover of Bette Midler's "The Rose" is their 15th Number One song in the UK, typing them with Cliff Richard and just behind the Beatles (w 17) and Elvis (w 21). Madonna debuts at #9 with "Jump" (in general her new album has done much better in Europe than here), and Martha Wainwright may have her first hit w a collaboration with Snow Patrol. On the album side, Cliff Richard (who is a UK institution), has a new compilation of old and new duets at #8 and is looking for another #1 hit so he can claim hitting the top for six consecutive decades. And my beloved band The Magic Numbers debut at #11 (which means I don't have to worry about them playing huge venues for a while), while The Who drop to #39 in their second week.