Harry Styles’ As It Was swoops in to become the biggest single of 2022 so far in the UK.
The lead track from Harry’s third solo album Harry’s House logged a total of 10 weeks atop the Official Singles Chart, making it the longest-running Number 1 of the year so far. As It Was overtakes We Don’t Talk About Bruno from Disney’s Encanto which lead the way at the end of the first quarter.
The ‘80s-influenced track streaks ahead of the competition with over 855,000 combined chart units for the year-to-date so far, driven by a huge 95 million streams. As It Was is also the most physically purchased (11,000 units) and digitally downloaded (33,000 units) song of the year so far in the UK.
Coming in hot in second place is a surprise link-up between two superstars; Afrobeats legend Fireboy DML and Ed Sheeran, whose Peru may have peaked at Number 2 on the Official Singles Chart, but storms ahead of the track that denied it of its Number 1, We Don’t Talk About Bruno, propelled by a cool 98 million streams.
And speaking of We Don’t Talk About Bruno, the Encanto mega-hit may place at Number 3, but it’s by far the most-streamed track of the year to date in the UK. Bruno logs a mammoth 110 million streams overall, massively bolstered by 36 million video streams, the most for any song so far in 2022.
Ever the chart titan, Ed Sheeran logs a total of three entries in the Top 10; alongside Peru, two Number 1 hits Bad Habits (4) and Shivers (6) continue to show impressive legs. Ed is also present in the wider Top 40 thanks to his collaboration with Camila Cabello, Bam Bam (22).
Dance smash Where Are You Now by Lost Frequencies and Calum Scott places inside the Top 5 (5) after an extraordinary uplift at the beginning of the year, despite the track first dropping in 2021.
New talent is arguably the most important thing in keeping the chart alive, and today we have two acts whose breakthrough UK single earns them a place in the Top 10 of the biggest singles of the year to date.
Cat Burns’ Go (7) and Belters Only’s Make Me Feel Good ft. Jazzy (9) both experienced massive success this year, and earned each act their first UK Top 10 single in the process.
Speaking to OfficialCharts.com about Go’s success, Cat Burns says: “If someone told me Go was going to be in the Top 10 of the Official Singles Chart, let alone the unbelievable success it has brought to me as an artist a year ago, I would’ve laughed! The song has taken on a life of its own and I’m incredibly grateful for everyone’s support.”
Belters Only tell OfficialCharts.com: “We always had a vision for this track, but to find out it’s one of the Top 10 biggest songs of the year so far is just magical, we honestly have no words for the support since we have released this record, we just thank everyone for loving it & supporting us!”
Rounding out the Top 10, we have Starlight (10), the first new release of the year from Brixton-born rapper Dave. It became the Mercury Prize-winning star’s second Number 1 single in the UK, where it ruled the roost for a month-long stint.
Other hits from 2022 to make the list include Aitch & Ashanti’s Baby (15), Jax Jones and MNEK’s dance bop Where Did You Go? (17), Mimi Webb’s red-hot House On Fire (21), Tate McRae’s angsty pop-rock slow burning smash She’s All I Wanna Be (33) and Lizzo’s catchy viral hit About Damn Time (37).
Kate Bush’s chart resurrection across the last month has truly been a pleasure to witness, and it included the pop auteur breaking several long-standing Official Charts records in the process as Running Up That Hill (25) made its exciting journey to Number 1. Now the Stranger Things anthem can claim its place as one of the biggest tracks of 2022, 37 years after its original 1985 release.
And finally, the song with the lowest Official Singles Chart placement to make the list is a distinction that goes to Justin Bieber’s synth-tinged ballad Ghost (38), which peaked at a still-impressive Number 19 in the UK, and has proved to be a long-standing hit with consumers.
