PULP TRUTH: Pulp’s new two-song single, “Mis-shapes”/”Sorted...

PULP TRUTH: Pulp’s new two-song single, “Mis-shapes”/”Sorted for E’s and Wizz,” has made an impressive British chart debut--coming in at No. 2 two weeks in a row--despite (or because of) high-profile controversy. Tabloid headlines have focused not so much on the title’s undisguised reference to the drugs Ecstasy and amphetamines as on the artwork, which features diagrams of how to make a paper “wrap” to conceal illicit substances.

The group’s having some fun with the furor: While performing the song on the TV show “Top of the Pops,” singer Jarvis Cocker appeared to be demonstrating the procedure with a piece of paper, only to instead fashion it into a small fan.

On the album front, Oasis’ “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?” matched rival Blur’s “The Great Escape” by debuting at No. 1, with first-week sales tallied at an astounding 350,000 in Britain.