08 December 2017
Newsdesk
Ed Sheeran claims the Number 1 spot on the Official Singles Chart this week as his latest single, Perfect, climbs to the top, propelled by a new version featuring Beyonce.
Perfect originally entered the chart at Number 4 in March this year, when Ed released his ÷ album. After being announced as the record’s fourth single in October, the track has steadily climbed back up the Top 40 for the past 11 weeks.
A new mix featuring Beyonce helps boost the song from Number 3 to Number 1 this week, shifting 89,000 downloads and streaming equivalent sales over the last seven days. Can Ed maintain enough momentum however to bring home the 2017 Official Christmas Number 1 too? The biggest chart race of the year kicks off next Friday 15 December with the winner announced Friday 22nd.
Perfect earns Ed his fourth Number 1 single, following Sing and Thinking Out Loud in 2014 and Shape Of You earlier this year.
Meanwhile, this year’s X Factor champions Rak-Su debut at Number 2 on the Official Chart with their winner’s single, Dimelo ft. Wyclef Jean and Naughty Boy. The quartet, comprising of Ashley, Jamaal, Myles and Mustafa, performed their self-penned track during this year’s series.
The chart position is one better than the last year’s winner Matt Terry, who peaked at 3 with When Christmas Comes Around.
Several Christmas songs surge up the Top 40 this week, led by Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You, which zooms from 22 to 5, followed by Wham’s Last Christmas, up from 29 to Number 6. The Pogues’ Fairytale Of New York ft. Kirsty MacColl zooms 55 to 10, returning to the Top 10 for the first time in nine years.
Further down, the original Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? vaults from 85 to 16, Shakin’ Stevens’ Merry Christmas Everyone shifts from 87 to 21, and Wizzard’s I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day jumps from 98 to 24.
Further down, Pink’s latest single Beautiful Trauma leaps 35 places to Number 29, her 31st UK Top 40 single, and Louis Tomlinson’s new single Miss You bows at Number 39.
