Saltburn: will any of the songs from the Saltburn soundtrack be about to re-enter the Top 40 chart this week?

Emerald Fennell’s latest work, “Saltburn,” has become the talk of late 2023 and the New Year after arriving on Prime Video shortly before Christmas; while many are praising the work and some of us appraising it as a work of heightened horror rather than “Brideshead Revisited,” others still contest that some of the scenes in the film were beneath Fennell. Needless to say, the film has become a talking point and potential award winner with Barry Keoghan already up for a Golden Globe award. 

But with its setting in 2006, where Oliver (Barry Keoghan) and Felix (Jacob Elordi) first met at University, the music very much is a reminder of a time and a place in the mid-'00s. The rise of the post-punk revival movement, the formation of Girls Aloud and their Christmas success with their debut single, and of course for some of us anoraks, we certainly enjoyed hearing Ladytron, MGMT and even Tomcraft used on the soundtrack.

Such has been the success of some of the songs, that it was reported earlier in the week that Sophie Ellis Bextor’s “Murder On The Dancefloor,” used in the final scene of the film, has surged up the US Spotify Chart - but with the UK Top 40 about to drop later on this afternoon, will any songs included Bextor’s end up breaking into the UK singles chart off the success/infamy of “Saltburn?”

What songs are used in “Saltburn”?

Pretty much my iPod playlist after my first year leaving university, as I am sure many my age also can attest to selecting at the student union jukebox. IMDB lists the following tracks used in Emerald Fennell’s film:

• Sophie Ellis Bextor: “Murder on the Dancefloor”
• The Cheeky Girls: “Have A Cheeky Christmas”
• Girls Aloud: “Sound of the Underground”
• Arcade Fire: “No Cars Go”
• Ladytron: “Destroy Everything You Touch”
• Bloc Party: “This Modern Love”
• Cold War Kids: “Hang Me Up To Dry”
• MGMT: “Time To Pretend”
• Benny Benassi: “Satisfaction”
• Flo Rida: “Low”
• Babybird: “You're Gorgeous”
• The Killers: “Mr Brightside”
• DJ Mason vs Princess Superstar: “Perfect”
• Tomcraft: “Loneliness”

Will any songs from “Saltburn” appear on the Top 40 this week?

It would appear that, looking at the midweek chart, two songs from the “Saltburn” soundtrack will end up inside the top 40; no surprise that “Murder On The Dancefloor” by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, which captured the final moments of the film, was in 28th position as of writing. 

The Killers' “Mr Brightside” also looks to re-enter the top 40 this week, which was also featured on the soundtrack. However, statisticians might point out that Mr Brightside has long been in the UK singles charts, with the song spending 380 weeks (and counting) in the charts.

Sadly for Ladytron and Arcade Fire fans, no such luck with “Destroy Everything You Touch” or “No Cars Go,” which have failed not only to enter the top 40 but have not even ascended the current weekly chart on Spotify.

What songs from “Saltburn” have entered the UK Spotify chart?

Unlike the US Spotify Chart, where Sophie Ellis-Bextor has seen a renewed interest in her single “Murder On The Dancefloor,” the UK Spotify chart tells a different story - only two songs according to Kworb have entered the Spotify charts this week - the aforementioned “Murder On The Dancefloor,” which as of writing is the 156th position, while “Mr Brightside” is currently sitting on 91, with a jump into this position of 475 places. 

When is the UK Top 40 announced?

The Top 40 chart is first issued on Friday afternoons by BBC Radio 1 as The Official Chart from 4pm to 5:45pm, before the full Official Singles Chart Top 100 is posted on the Official Charts Company's website.