Dutchman's Blog

Ed Sheeran’s grip on the Official Singles Chart isn’t loosening easily – the Suffolk-born singer has now spent four weeks holding the Top 2 positions.

Shape of You notched up sales of 47,000 and 8.8 million streams to keep the top spot this week. In just four weeks, the song has sold a total of 306,000 copies and has been streamed 42.9 million times.

Ed’s streak of domination now matches the all-time record held by Justin Bieber, whose tracks Love Yourself and Sorry also held Number 1 and 2 in the chart for four weeks on the bounce in November and December 2015.

Elsewhere in this week’s Top 5, Jax Jones and Raye’s You Don’t Know Me holds firm at Number 3, Little Mix hold ground at 4 with Touch, and The Chainsmokers earn their third Top 5 record with Paris, a climber of two places.

New entries and high climbers

Sean Paul’s No Lie featuring Dua Lipa infiltrates the Top 10 for the first time this week, rising once slot to Number 10. Dua is back again at Number 11 with Be The One, her highest chart position as a lead artist secured in the process.

A new peak for Zayn and Taylor Swift’s I Don’t Wanna Live Forever occurs this week, the song rising five placings to Number 13. Major Lazer lock in their 4th Top 20 hit with Run Up at Number 20, which features uncredited vocals from Nicki Minaj and PARTYNEXTDOOR.

Dua Lipa returns for her third Top 40 of the week, featuring on Martin Garrix’s Scared To Be Lonely, a new entry at Number 23. The current US Number 1 Bad and Boujee from Migos hops three places to Number 31, and finally, Rag’n’Bone Man’s Skin debuts at Number 35.

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

Ed Sheeran dominates the Official Singles Chart for a third week at Number 1 with Shape Of You, while Castle On The Hill holds at 2.

Shape Of You logged impressive sales to keep its place at the top, split between 56,000 downloads and 9.57 million streams. Meanwhile, Castle on the Hill managed 46,000 downloads and was streamed 6.6 million times.

Following the unveiling of Little Mix’s Touch music video last week, the song climbs two places to return to the Top 5 at Number 4, and last week’s highest new entry Paris by The Chainsmokers ascends three spots today to Number 7.

Outside the Top 10, Sean Paul’s No Lie ft. Dua Lipa hits a new peak at Number 11, leaping ten places since last week, while Dua’s Be The One makes its Top 40 debut at 21, up a massive 33 places. The track was originally released in October 2015 but has recently been pushed again with a new music video.

This week’s highest new entry goes to Tinie Tempah, whose latest track Text From Your Ex starts at Number 35 on the Official Chart. The track, which will appear on his upcoming album Youth, marks Tinie’s 23rd Top 40 hit.

Finally, Snakehips return to the Top 40 at 40 with Don’t Leave ft. MO, up 11 places from last week. The duo’s latest single has so far peaked at 33.

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

They’ve dominated the chart in the run up to Christmas and today Clean Bandit’s Rockabye keeps its place at Number 1 on the last Official Singles Chart of the year.

After bagging this year’s Official Christmas Number 1 last week, Rockabye remains a staggeringly popular record in Britain. This week, predominantly driven by downloads, Rockabye holding firm to log an eighth week at the summit.

Rockabye is the most purchased track of the week in the UK, racking up 44,000 downloads plus 3.4 million streams. Rockabye is the second-longest running chart-topper of the year behind Drake’s One Dance (15 weeks).

Meanwhile, Zara Larsson claims a new personal best with I Would Like, which rises four places to the Number 2 slot. Her previous highest-charting song is the Number 3-peaking Lush Life.

Chart highlights

Elsewhere in the Top 10, Little Mix’s former Number 1 Shout Out To My Ex jumps seven places to Number 6, and Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic is up two spots to 10.

Finally, in addition to the many Christmas songs in this week’s chart, three more festive classics return to the Top 40: Andy Williams’ It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year at 24, Brenda Lee’s Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree at 31 – its first Top 40 placing in 54 years – and Elton John’s Step Into Christmas at 37, its first Top 40 appearance in 42 years.

Check out this week’s Top 100 Official Singles Chart in full

Clean Bandit bring home the most coveted chart accolade of the year – the Official Christmas Number 1 2016, with their huge chart smash Rockabye, the OfficialCharts.com can confirm.

The classical crossover trio have held off competition from Rag‘n’Bone Man, Little Mix and a raft of campaigns and charity singles with Rockabye, a song that first entered the chart nine weeks ago, before later climbing to the top spot to score an impressive seven-week reign at Number 1.

In that time Rockabye has become one of the year’s biggest hits across both downloads and streams, racking up 589,000 combined chart sales to date.

Meanwhile, Clean Bandit have held off competition from breakthrough star and BRITS Critics Choice winner Rag ‘n’ Bone Man who finishes the race in second place with his track Human.

One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson and Steve Aoki slip down one place to Number 3 with Just Hold On, Little Mix new single Touch leaps 19 places this week to land at Number 4, while Zara Larsson’s I Would Like secures its first appearance inside the Top 10 at Number 6.

New entries and high climbers

This year’s race welcomed a host of new contenders battling for the Christmas Number 1 crown, many raising money for worthy causes.

Rangers football fans delivered the highest-charting ‘campaign’ this week, pushing Glad All Over by The Dave Clark Five back into the Official Chart in support of striker Joe Garner, following their 2-1 win over Hamilton last weekend. Glad All Over originally topped the Official Singles Chart back in 1963, toppling The Beatles’ I Wanna Hold Your Hand.

Inspiral Carpets fans helped the Manchester band’s 1994 hit Saturn 5 to its first chart appearance (48) in nearly 23 years, in tribute to drummer Craig Gill who sadly passed away last month.

London Hospices Choir – a team of volunteers and staff from 18 hospices across London debut at Number 81 with their cover of Mike & The Mechanics’ The Living Years.

Festive songs account for nearly one third of this week’s Official Singles Chart Top 100, with a whole host of seasonal classics jingling all the way into the Top 40, led by Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You (5), the song’s highest peak since 2007, The Pogues ft. Kirsty Maccoll’s Fairytale Of New York (15), Wham’s Last Christmas (16), Shakin’ Stevens’ Merry Christmas Everyone (22), Chris Rea’s Driving Home for Christmas (26), Wizzard’s I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday (27) and Band Aid’s Do They  Know It’s Christmas (35). Festive songs account for Michael Buble’s It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas hits a new peak of 38, and Slade’s Merry Christmas Everybody (39).

Check out the Official Christmas Top 100 in full here

In the face of some stiff competition, Clean Bandit hold on to the Number 1 spot with Rockabye.

The band’s second chart-topper, featuring Sean Paul and Anne-Marie, logs a sixth consecutive week at Number 1, scoring a comfortable lead of over 15,000 combined sales ahead of its nearest rival.

Challenging them at Number 2 is this week’s highest new entry, Just Hold On from One Direction star Louis Tomlinson, in collaboration with Steve Aoki. The pair performed the track for the first time in Saturday’s X Factor final, and the show’s eventual winner Matt Terry is right behind them at 3 with his winner’s single, the Ed Sheeran-penned When Christmas Comes Around, based on just five days’ sales and streams.

Zara Larsson’s I Would Like breaks the Top 20 for the first time, shooting nine places to 12, and Zayn and Taylor Swift’s collaboration I Don’t Wanna Live Forever, taken from the soundtrack of the new 50 Shades Darker movie, debuts at 16.

Following their electrifying medley performance at The X Factor final at the weekend, Little Mix’s Touch zooms 136 places to land at Number 23, while J Cole’s Deja Vu starts at 30.

Chris Rea’s perennial classic Driving Home For Christmas makes its fourth appearance in the Top 40, at 37 – one of seven festive songs in this week’s countdown – and Lady Gaga’s Million Reasons climbs 21 slots to make its Top 40 debut, at 39.

Check out this week’s Top 100 Official Singles Chart in full