On this week’s Official UK Singles Chart, it’s great news for Ed Sheeran — but not so much for (fans of) Beyonce.
Find out why below…
In the newly unveiled tally, the Pop crooner’s smash ‘Perfect’ has powered its way to #1 (rising two spots from last week’s peak of #3).
Originally charting at #4 in March, upon the release of its housing album ‘÷,’ the song has steadily been re-ascending ever since it was given the official single treatment this Fall.
Here’s where things get a little interesting.
Despite the combining of sales being allowed across the board, different regions have different practices as pertains to how songs with multiple versions are credited.
So, while in the US it’s a case of the version that performs best becoming “the” definitive version on the charts, the UK takes a different view.
Their stance sees the sales of all versions combined to count towards the top-billed title track and artist. Hence, in this case that’s “‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran.”
As such, despite the BeyMix adding significantly to the single’s combined total this week (89,000 equivalent sales), Beyonce will not receive a credit nor officially share in the #1.
That Grape Juice reached out to the Official Charts Company for clarification and received the following confirmation:
For the Official Chart all official versions of a track count towards the same total and chart position. In this instance sales and streams of the Beyonce version are included in Ed’s total under the credit ‘Ed Sheeran – Perfect’.
Congrats to Ed, who has nabbed his fourth UK chart-topper.
For Queen Bey, whose status as a visual album artist has seen her veer away from traditional singles, there’s still a silver lining. See, she and Ed are a shoo-in for #1 on the next iteration of the Billboard Hot 100.