Ed Sheeran & Elton John debut at Number 1 with Merry Christmas – Music News

Ed Sheeran and Elton John fly straight to Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart with their new collaboration Merry Christmas.

The song claims 76,700 chart sales in its first week, including 22,100 pure sales (physical, and digital downloads) and 7.6 million streams. It also earns the biggest week of CD single sales of the year so far, with 8,100 copies sold on disc over the last seven days.

Merry Christmas marks Ed’s third Number 1 single of 2021, and 12th in total, and Elton’s second of this year – following Cold Heart (PNAU Remix) with Dua Lipa – and ninth in total.

Elton John and Ed Sheeran with their Number 1 award for Merry Christmas. Credit: Official Charts Company

Ed Sheeran now matches Take That’s total Number 1 tally, and only five acts in UK chart history have more: Madonna (13), Cliff Richard (14), Westlife (14), The Beatles (17) and Elvis Presley (21).

Meanwhile, festive favourites moving into this week’s Top 10 come from: Shakin’ Stevens’ Merry Christmas Everyone (6) The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl’s Fairytale Of New York (7), Michael Buble’s It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas (9) and Brenda Lee’s Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree (10).

In total there are 22 Christmas tracks in this week’s Top 40, including a brand new peak for George Ezra’s Come On Home For Christmas, up ten to 26, and British singer Olivia Dean’s Amazon Originals version of The Christmas Song, which climbs seven places to Number 39 to become her first Top 40 hit.

Other festive hits re-entering the Top 40 this week are: Paul McCartney – Wonderful Christmastime (29), Leona Lewis – One More Sleep (31), Bobby Helms – Jingle Bell Rock (32), Slade – Merry Xmas Everybody (33), John Lennon & Yoko Ono – Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (35), The Ronettes – Sleigh Ride (36).

Finally, American singer SZA debuts at Number 38 with I Hate U – her 6th UK Top 40 single and fourth this year.

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