Official Charts Flashback 2011: Bruno Mars - Grenade

By the end of 2010, just 12 months after his debut, Bruno Mars had gone from unknown songwriter to a global one-to-watch.

After featuring on two huge hits - B.o.B's Nothin' On You and Travie McCoy's Billionaire, he'd landed his own chart-topper with Just The Way You Are (Amazing). His second headline single, Grenade, needed to secure his status as the latest pop superstar. 

Released ten years ago this week, Grenade did just that, debuting at Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart with 150,000 sales - the highest week 1 sales of any track released in January in 15 years. It also hit the top spot in America, making him the first male artist in 13 years to score Number 1s with their first two headline singles.

MORE: Bruno Mars' Official UK Chart history in full

But the song that launched his debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans - released the following week to chart-topping success - almost didn't make the album. Inspired by a track played to him by hit producer Benny Blanco, Bruno completely reworked the song with the help of Claude Kelly and his own production crew The Smeezingtons, finishing it just days before the album's release. 

In the UK, Grenade spent two weeks at Number 1 and finished as 2011's seventh best-selling single. By April 2015, it hit one million UK sales, placing among the best-selling songs of all time. To date, Grenade has 1.53 million chart sales, including 64 million streams.

Elsewhere on the Official Singles Chart ten years ago this week, Jessie J landed her breakthrough hit with Do It Like A Dude, which reached its Number 2 peak, while David Guetta and Rihanna's collaboration Who's That Chick? topped out at Number 6. 

Elsewhere in the Top 10, Adele's 2008 single Make You Feel My Love was back in the top flight at Number 7, boosted by the release of her new single Rolling In The Deep, and JLS scored their sixth consecutive Top 10 with Eyes Wide Shut at 10. 

Further down, Jay-Z and Kanye West were new at Number 30 with H.A.M, the first single from their collaborative album Watch The Throne, and TV musical Glee looked set to continue its grip on the charts for a second year, with two new entries: Telephone (25) and Empire State Of Mind (35).  

View the Top 100 Official Singles Chart from this week in 2011

Listen to the Official Singles Chart Top 40 from this week in 2011 on Spotify below. Also available on Apple Music | Deezer.