CHART TOPPERS
Thankfully, a decent song remained number one in this week's official singles charts, despite an anti-Margaret Thatcher campaign threatening to push 'Ding-Dong The Witch Is Dead' to the top spot.
DJ Duke Dumont held on to his number one with 'Need U (100%)' featuring A*M*E, after he was challenged by the 51-second recording from musical 'The Wizard of Oz'.
'Ding-Dong' did make it to number two, though, and during the Radio 1 chart show, Newsbeat music's reporter Sinead Garvan explained the context of the single's appearance in the charts to listeners of the station, which has a target audience of 15 to 29-year-olds.
She told them: "Tributes poured in from across the world for Margaret Thatcher when she died on Monday, but there were also people who threw street parties around the UK. An online campaign began in 2007 to try to get this song, 'Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead', to number one in the charts the week Lady Thatcher died."
A short segment of the song, featuring the lyrics: "Ding dong, the wicked witch is dead", was then played for a matter of seconds.
In the album charts, Paramore's self-titled fourth album ended Justin Timberlake's three-week stint at number one. It went straight to the top, outselling Timberlake's 'The 20/20 Experience' by just over two copies to one, and is the second number one album from the US rock band.
GIGS TO LOOK OUT FOR
American singer, songwriter and artist Daniel Johnston has announced a live show at The Barbican, London on 2 June to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his acclaimed 'Hi, How Are You?' album.
Johnston, who, in his 30-year career, has produced over 20 albums, will be joined by special guests including Jeffrey Lewis, Emmy the Great and Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub) to perform the classic album followed by a greatest hits set.
Johnston was the subject of the 2006 documentary 'The Devil and Daniel Johnston', which won the Sundance Film Festival Director's Award.
A long-time and dedicated fan of comic books, he has seen his drawings and paintings featured in art galleries and museums across the world, and in the early 1990s the album artwork from his 'Hi, How Are You?' record was featured on a t-shirt worn by Kurt Cobain at the height of Nirvana's exploding popularity.
OPEN YOUR EARS
"I don't want to be famous, if I've got to be shameless," sings 30-something American rock artist Lissie.
Filled with attitude, her latest single 'Shameless' - out on 16 June - debuts a grittier sound from the blond-haired star who released her criticially acclaimed debut album 'Catching A Tiger' back in 2010.
The first cut from her upcoming second studio album, set to be released this September, is a harsh social commentary on what it takes to achieve fame and success in current times.
“We live in a society where terrible behaviour is rewarded with coverage and attention, where celebrity is seen as a talent in itself. I understand the allure of image and of a good story but I sometimes feel like it trumps the content. When I wrote 'Shameless', I'd just been feeling so over how much bullsh*t style over substance there is to 'making' it in this business,” says Lissie.
This smart girl is worth listening to, like a poppier Pink. Her lyrics aren't simply vacuous, syrupy love notes. Take a listen to 'Shameless' below...
If you're on the lookout for a new band to listen to, Bwani Junction - described by NME as a cross between The Libertines and Vampire Weekend - have unveiled their new single 'Civil War'.
The Edinburgh band, barely in their 20s, first grabbed attention last year and the latest single is a great pop guitar song. 'Civil War' is released on 29 April, take a listen below...
And finally, meet Ariana Grande. The American actress and singer, who made her Broadway debut at the age of 15, has amassed 5 million Twitter followers, 3 million Facebook likes, 3 million Instagram followers, and 150 million YouTube/VEVO views.
Now she's released a new song, and unsurprisingly it's a hit online. Take a listen to summery single 'The Way', featuring Mac Miller, below...