Dutchman's Blog

Congratulations to Ed Sheeran, who completes his ‘Perfect’ year by claiming the most coveted chart accolade of the year – the UK’s Official Christmas Number 1.

The Official Charts Company can confirm that Perfect wins this year’s festive crown with 85,000 combined sales acquired this week, split across 45,000 downloads and 6 million streams. Earlier this month, Ed released new versions of the track featuring Beyoncé and Andrea Bocelli.

In a video message to his fans, Ed tells OfficialCharts.com: “Thank you very much for making Perfect Christmas Number 1. This is an actual dream come true and I’m very proud and happy. Thank you so much and have a very Merry Christmas, happy holidays and a Happy New Year.”

The track has today (Dec 22) been certified double platinum by the BPI, achieving 1.23m combined UK sales and streams to date. Perfect has held off several competitors from the snowy summit this week; its nearest rival, Eminem’s River (which also features Ed), finishes at Number 2, while a campaign to get Wham’s Last Christmas to the top to mark one year since George Michael’s death finishes at Number 3.

Elsewhere, Mariah Carey’s 1994 festive classic All I Want For Christmas Is You is at 4, and rapper Big Shaq climbs two places to Number 6 with Man’s Not Hot following a special Christmas Edition release of the track.

Also earning a place in 2017’s Official Christmas Singles Chart Top 10 is The Pogues’ Fairytale Of New York ft. Kirsty MacColl at 7. It’s the first time the song has been in the Top 10 in ten years – it peaked at Number 2 upon its original release in 1987.

A further 13 Christmas classics make up this year’s Christmas Top 40, including the original 1984 version of Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? at 12, Brenda Lee’s Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree (14) and Shakin’ Stevens’ Merry Christmas Everyone (15).

Elton John’s 1973 hit Step Into Christmas achieves a new personal best at Number 18, Chris Rea’s Driving Home For Christmas finishes at 20, Michael Buble’s rendition of It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas is at 22, and Wizzard’s I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday lands at 23.

Further down, Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody (29), Ariana Grande’s Santa Tell Me (32), John & Yoko’s Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (35), Leona Lewis’ One More Sleep (36), Andy Williams’ It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year (37) and Paul McCartney’s Wonderful Christmastime (38) and all earn a spot in the Christmas Top 40.

View the full Top 100 Official Christmas Singles Chart

Christmas has well and truly arrived on the Official Singles Chart, with 17 festive tracks impacting this week’s Top 40, putting several classics in the running as strong contenders for next Friday’s Official Christmas Number 1 2017 crown.

While Ed Sheeran reigns at Number 1 with Perfect for a second week, he has some serious competition on his hands for the XmasNo1 spot next Friday.

Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas rises three places to Number 2, surpassing its modern personal-best of Number 4 that it managed in 2007, and matching its chart peak that it achieved way back in 1994.

Wham! complete the Top 3 with Last Christmas at Number 3, marking the first time the song has been in the Official Chart Top 5 since January 1985. Last Christmas is the best-selling single never to have reached Number 1, but with a Facebook campaign to get it to the Christmas top spot kicking off today, could all that be set to change next week?

One other Christmas song sits in this week’s Top 10 – The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl’s Fairytale of New York, up three to Number 7.

New entries and high climbers

Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas is at Number 12, its highest entry since December 1985, while Brenda Lee’s Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree vaults 27 places to Number 15, its highest chart placing for 54 years since 1963. Shakin’ Stevens is also scaling the Top 40, up five to Number 16 with Merry Christmas Everyone.

Two yuletide songs also break into the Top 20 for the very first time this week. Michael Buble’s It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas lifts 27 slots to Number 18, while Step Into Christmas by Elton John (19) becomes his 46^th UK Top 20 hit – the song originally peaked at Number 24 in 1973.

Wizzard hop two positions to Number 22 with I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday, while Chris Rea’s Driving Home For Christmas speeds to a new personal best, climbing 45 rungs to Number 23. Santa Tell Me, the modern festive favourite from Ariana Grande, also hits new heights at Number 29, and Slade shift from 62 to Number 30 with Merry Xmas Everybody.

Five more holiday singles also re-enter the Top 40 this week: John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Happy Xmas (War is Over) (35); Leona Lewis’ One More Sleep (36); It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year by Andy Williams (37); Bing Crosby’s White Christmas (38); and Paul McCartney’s Wonderful Christmastime (39).

Finally, away from the Christmas crackers, NF’s Let You Down reaches a new peak of Number 11, up two, and grime star Ramz scores his debut Top 40 entry with Barking at Number 27.

View this week’s Top 100 Official Singles Chart in full

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 of the song featuring Beyonce sees it jump from Number 3 to Number 1 this week, shifting 89,000 downloads and streaming equivalent sales over the last seven days.

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 are new at Number 2 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.

New entries and high climbers

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 31^st UK Top 40 single, and Louis Tomlinson’s new single Miss You bows at Number 39.

View this week’s Top 100 Official Singles Chart in full

It’s been neck and neck all week but Camila Cabello has managed to hang on to Number 1 for a fifth week, despite a serious challenge from Rita Ora.

Camila’s Havana, feat Young Thug, finishes just over 1,000 combined sales ahead of Rita’s Anywhere, which has to settle for Number 2 for another week.

Ed Sheeran’s Perfect, which has today been rereleased in remixed form to include vocals by Beyoncé, goes Top 3 for the first time, climbing one place.

New entries and high climbers

Clean Bandit and Julia Michaels’ I Miss You breaks the Top 10 for the first time at 6, as does DJ Marc Kinchen AKA MK, rising to Number 10 with house track 17, while highest new entry this week goes to James Arthur, with Naked at Number 11.

Things are starting to get festive on the Official Singles Chart, as Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas is You jingles all the way to Number 22, zooming 12 places, and Craig David’s collaboration with Bastille, I Know You, is new at 25.

Wham’s seasonal classic Last Christmas skates into the Top 40 for the twelfth time , up 52 slots to 29, and following the release of his third post-Oasis album who Built The Moon? Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds score a fourth top 40 with Holy Mountain, rocketing 48 places to 31, and Raye scores her first UK Top 40 as a lead artist – Decline feat Mr Eazi breaks in at Number 34.

View this week’s Top 100 Official Singles Chart in full