Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé’s “Perfect” crowns the Billboard Hot 100 (dated Dec. 23), fueled in large part by the first full week of sales for its new duet version.
Plus, Camila Cabello’s “Havana” takes over atop the Radio Songs chart and Halsey’s “Bad at Love” hits the Hot 100’s top 10, climbing 11-8.
Let’s run down the top 10 of the Hot 100, which blends all-genre streaming, airplay and sales data. All charts will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 12).
“Perfect,” released on Atlantic Records (and the 1,069th No. 1 in the Hot 100’s history, which dates to its Aug. 4, 1958, launch), was first released as a solo song by Sheeran on his album ÷ (Divide), which debuted atop the Billboard 200 dated March 25. On Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. ET, the new duet version was released, hours before the end of the sales and streaming tracking week. In its first full tracking week, ending Dec. 7, the song sold 181,000 downloads, up 202 percent, according to Nielsen Music, as it spends a second week at No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales chart.
Plus, as the duet version accounts for 63 percent of the song’s total sales for the week, Beyoncé has been added on the Hot 100 (and related charts) as a co-lead artist on “Perfect.” (For chart purposes, both versions of “Perfect” contribute to the song’s singular listing on the Hot 100.)
“Perfect” flies 11-3 on the Streaming Songs chart with 34.9 million U.S. streams, up 87 percent, in the tracking week ending Dec. 7, while, on Radio Songs, it pushes 4-3 (102 million in audience, up 14 percent, in the week ending Dec. 10).
Sheeran scores his second Hot 100 No. 1, after Divide lead single “Shape of You” debuted atop the chart dated Jan. 28 and ruled for 12 weeks. Beyoncé earns her sixth Hot 100 No. 1 as a soloist (in addition to four as a member of Destiny’s Child) and her first in nine years, since “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” reigned for four weeks beginning Dec. 13, 2008.
Having waited two weeks shy of nine years between Hot 100 No. 1s, Beyonce ends the longest break between leaders since Sean Paul went 10 years and four months between “Temperature” in 2006 and “Cheap Thrills,” by Sia featuring Paul, in 2016.
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