Ed Sheeran Ends 2017 With Another U.K. Chart Double
Ed Sheeran rounds off the U.K. chart year in triumphant form, claiming his fourth "double" by topping both the singles and album listings.
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Ed Sheeran rounds off the U.K. chart year in triumphant form, claiming his fourth “double” by topping both the singles and album listings. “Perfect” (Asylum/Warner) starts a fourth week at the singles summit as ÷ moves back 2-1 to secure a 19th frame atop the album survey and a record-breaking seventh separate run there.
Sheeran’s album moved 74,000 combined units in the sales week to Thursday night (Dec. 28), according to the Official Charts Company. That seventh stint at No. 1 beats Sam Smith‘s previous record for a male solo artist of six, set with In the Lonely Hour in 2015.
Smith’s own follow-up to that album, The Thrill of it All (Capitol/Universal), climbs back 3-2 as Eminem‘s Revival (Interscope/Universal) falls to No. 3 after debuting at the top last week. Rag’n’Bone Man‘s Human (Best Laid Plans/Sony) jumps 5-4 to swap places with Pink‘s Beautiful Trauma (RCA/Sony). With much of the chart week informed by ongoing demand for festive releases, Michael Bublé‘s perennial Christmas (Reprise/Warner) improves 14-8.
On the singles chart, the Yuletide flavor is enhanced by a 3-2 move for “Last Christmas” (RCA/Sony) by Wham!, mirroring the song’s original peak in 1984. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (Columbia/Sony) climbs back 4-3, ahead of Eminem’s “River,” featuring Sheeran, which dips 2-4.
“Fairytale of New York” (Warner Brothers/Warner Music) by the Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl climbs 7-5 and, inside the top ten, three more Christmas evergreens also post their highest rankings since their first release. Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas” (Mercury/Universal) rises 12-7, Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” (MCA/Universal) is up 14-9 and Shakin’ Stevens’ “Merry Christmas Everyone” (RCA/Sony) 15-10.