Dutchman's Blog

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

Camila Cabello is still Havana good time on the charts as her latest single scores a fourth week at Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart.

The track comfortably extends its reign at the summit with 48,000 downloads and streaming equivalent sales this week, finishing 8,000 downloads and streaming equivalent sales ahead of her closest competitor, Rita Ora’s Anywhere, which logs a second week at Number 2.

Meanwhile, Silence by anonymous DJ and producer Marshmello and Khalid lifts two places to return to its Number 3 peak, and Ed Sheeran’s Perfect lifts two places to Number 4 – matching its opening week debut back in March when Ed’s ÷ album was released.

New entries and high climbers

Comedy rapper Big Shaq continues to climb the Top 40 with Man’s Not Hot, up from 8 to 6, while two songs enter the Top 10 for the first time: Blinded By Your Grace earns Stormzy and MNEK their third Top 10 each, climbing five spots to Number 7, and Selena Gomez & Marshmello’s Wolves zooms eight places to Number 9, marking Selena’s fourth UK Top 10.

US hip-hop star NF (aka Nathan Feuerstein) climbs into the Top 20 with Let You Down, leaping four places to 19, and Katie Melua’s Children In Need single Fields Of Gold is new at 29 – the singer-songwriter’s first Top 40 singles entry in seven years.

Further down, Jason Derulo earns his 18th Top 40 single – Tip Toe ft. French Montana jumps 16 places to 31, and Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas vaults from 88 to 34 – entering the Top 40 for an eleventh consecutive year.

Two more songs enter the Top 40 for the first time this week: David Guetta’s mega collaboration Dirty Sexy Money ft. Afrojack, Charli XCX and French Montana lifts seven places to 35, and Hackney-born rapper Not3s vaults 23 places to 38 with My Lover.

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

Camila Cabello has fought off challenges from Rita Ora and Eminem to score a third week atop the Official Singles Chart with Havana.

Thanks to a new remix featuring Daddy Yankee, and the original Young Thug version still proving popular, Havana finishes 8,000 ahead of nearest competitor Rita Ora. Rising to Number 2, Anywhere is Rita’s third Top 10 single this year and her highest chart placing since I Will Never Let You Down topped the Official Singles Chart in May 2014.

New entries and high climbers

Highest new entry this week comes from Eminem and Beyoncé at Number 7. Walk On Water  becomes Eminem’s 28^th UK Top 10, and Beyonce’s 19^th as a credited performer.

Big Shaq’s Man’s Not Hot climbs into the Top 10 for the first time, after eight weeks in the Top 40, lifting from 11 to 8. Stormzy and MNEK vault 10 slots to 12 with Blinded By Your Grace – Pt 2, ahead of Clean Bandit and Julia Michaels – I Miss You, which leaps into the Top 20 to Number 14.

Breaking into the Top 20 for the first time this week is 17 from MK – the DJ, real name Marc Kinchen – which climbs to 20, and rapper Lil Pump zooms 11 places to Number 27 with Gucci Gang.

Elbow last appeared on the Official Singles Chart back in 2012 when One Day Like This re-entered the chart following the London Olympics closing ceremony, and now they score a new entry at 29 with Beatles cover Golden Slumbers, the theme song on this year’s John Lewis Christmas advert.

Tracks returning to the lower reaches of the Top 40 this week are Taylor Swift’s …Ready For It? up eight to 35; Unforgettable, from French Montana feat. Swae Lee, rebounding to 37; and Anne-Marie’s Heavy going back up to 40.

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