When The Spice Girls hit in the mid-90’s, a Girl Power label was attached to their fame, as their prefabricated dross was to be considered the beginning of some movement. “I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want,” they intoned, as though we cared about what they wanted, revealed moments later as “zig-a-zig-ahhhh,” which may have just meant Chart domination. Whatever power they were seeking, it seems to have finally manifested itself in the current UK charts, which for the bulk of this year have seemingly decided that every note sung by Rihanna is a classic in the making, and that Adele comes a close second.

                     Adele has accomplished something recently that only The Beatles can lay claim to: Two albums and two singles among both respective UK charts’ top 5. The Beatles and ADELE?? The one stipulation is that in the chart entries, they must be original recorded product, not compilations or reissues. Still, Adele?  Not Elvis? Cliff Richard? Madonna? Michael Jackson? Was her performance that big a deal at the British Music Awards show that there should be this sudden flurry of excitement around her? Or was her rendition of one of Bob Dylan’s sappiest songs (Yes, Bob DYLAN wrote “To Make You Feel My Love”) that has found its way into every singing talent show audition that big of a revelation? The answer to all these questions is: I don’t freaking get it!

                     Then there’s the resurgence of Rihanna, which has been going since late last year. This is someone who’s already been around for several years with a consistent run of hits, with “Umbrella” being one of the last decade’s top ten best sellers. How does an already-established act suddenly have several months where she continually has had four, and at times FIVE, singles in the top 40? Did the whole UK suddenly discover the Genius that is Rihanna? I thought for a while that it was just a big time sympathy vote after the Chris Brown/domestic violence thing, but then how does Brown, whose career should have been over, manage to have two singles in such a female-heavy top ten? Guess the public DOES forgive and forget.

                      This same female dominance is on the US singles chart, too. In the US top 5, the only male voice is  Cee-Lo Green’s “F You,” which had a resurgence thanks to Gwyneth Paltrow singing the song on “Glee.” Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” is at the top, followed by Green, Rihanna, Pink, and Jennifer Lopez. J-Lo is clearly getting the exposure due to being a judge on “American Idol,” certainly not that she’s broken any new artistic ground. In the next five positions, Katy Perry has two entries, another reason to ask myself why, at my age, I don’t just shut the radio off for the next 20 years. Oh well, at least Perry and Lopez use their surnames.

                         Just finished listening to BBC Radio 1’s chart show, and Adele’s “Someone Like You” is number one for the 4th consecutive week. The version they continue to play is that of her performance at the Brit Awards with only her piano accompanying her relentless yowling. There is some possible break in the near future, as American rapper Wiz Khalifa has debuted at #5 with the song “Black & Yellow,” but ahead are the same four in the same positions as last week (and last week’s #5 was by Adele!), Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Jessie J, and Adele. Of those four, the only one that hasn’t completely grated on me yet is surprisingly Lady Gaga.

                           Gee, remember when Rock Bands dominated the singles charts? The closest things to a rock band on this week’s chart are Take That, McFly (both originally considered Boy Bands) and folk-influenced Noah & The Whale. Can’t really blame THIS on Simon Cowell!