Someone You Loved has surpassed Ed Sheeran’s Shape Of You to become the most streamed song of all time in the United Kingdom.
According to the Chart Company, the song has been played 562 million times, including both audio and video streaming.
Capaldi reacted to the news by referring to himself as “the king of streaming”
“Listen…
“I apologize to The Beatles, Drake, Metallica, The Eagles, and Michael Jackson, but I had to grab this one,” he continued.
“Take a step back and let Daddy steer the ship, for the time being, okay?”
On surpassing Sheeran’s record, the Scottish singer remarked, “Ed is a man who is like a brother to me, he’s been a mentor, he’s put his arm around me and said, ‘Don’t worry, everything will be okay.'”
“He has been nothing but polite, gracious, and handsome, a true friend in a constantly evolving industry. I would emphasize to Ed that decent folks finish last. You snooze you lose, child. Keep up!”
The Official Chart Company made the news to commemorate its 70th anniversary.
The first chart was compiled by the music journal New Musical Express on November 14, 1952, with Here In My Heart by Al Martino as the first number one.
Percy Dickins, the advertising manager for the NME, believed that a chart would attract new advertisers to the publication and compiled the Top 12 based on a survey of 20 record stores.
Over the next seven decades, the chart evolved to track every sale, stream, and download that occurs in the United Kingdom.
The Official Charts reported on Monday that a total of 4.55 billion singles, 683 billion audio streams, and 128 billion video streams have been consumed in the United Kingdom since the chart’s inception.
From The Beatles’ She Loves You and Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody to Madonna’s Into The Groove and the Spice Girls’ Wannabe, a total of 1,404 songs have topped the charts within the aforementioned period.
Current number one is Taylor Swift’s Anti-Hero, which is anticipated to hold the top spot for a fourth week when the latest chart is released on Friday.
Candle In The Wind is the best-selling single of all time in the United Kingdom, with 4.94 million copies sold.
Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off is the most recent single to hit one million in sales. a total of 178 additional singles have surpassed one million in sales.
She is the first act to reach the benchmark in the past two years. Iris by Goo Goo Dolls reached one million sales in February 2020. In 2018, the final solo artist to make the list was Frank Sinatra with My Way.
Shake It Off could be the last million-seller in the United States, as downloads and physical sales are already minimal, even for the biggest blockbusters.
Currently, streams represent 98.6% of the singles market, with the top single averaging 6.82 million streams per week.
Only three songs have reached 500 million streams: Someone You Loved, Shape Of You, and Perfect by Ed Sheeran.
Seven songs have reached 400 million streams, including “Shotgun” by George Ezra. The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights and Mr. Brightside by The Killers.
Baby Shark by Pinkfong has gathered 220 million plays, making it the music video with the most views.
Meanwhile, Queen’s Greatest Hits is the best-selling album of all time in the United Kingdom, having sold over 7 million copies.
