Sam Fender and Olivia Dean’s single “Rein Me In” has become the longest-running UK No. 1 by a British artist, spending 16 consecutive weeks at the top of the charts.
The track surpasses the previous record held by Scottish band Wet Wet Wet, whose 1994 hit “Love Is All Around” logged 15 weeks at No. 1. “Rein Me In” now ties with Bryan Adams’ 1991 single “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” as the second-longest-running No. 1 of all time by any artist, behind only Frankie Lane’s “I Believe” from 1958.
The song’s ascent to the summit was itself a record: it took 35 weeks from its first chart entry to reach No. 1, the longest climb to the top in UK chart history. It is also the longest-running No. 1 of the 2020s, and the only single ever to return to the top spot four times during a single chart run.
“Rein Me In” has now spent 55 consecutive weeks inside the UK Top 40, a new record, and is just the second single in history to remain in the Top 40 for a full calendar year. Its 28 consecutive weeks in the Top 10 (38 weeks in total) set a new benchmark for the most weeks in the Top 10 by a non-Christmas release.
“From the beginning, we knew that ‘Rein Me In’ had a rare quality, so it was important to give it the space and support needed to grow,” said Ben Mortimer, President of Polydor Label Group. “Watching it build has been incredibly rewarding; that kind of sustained success doesn’t happen by accident, it takes brilliant artists and a dedicated team. Breaking a record that has stood for more than 30 years is a remarkable achievement for Sam and Olivia and we are incredibly proud to have played a part.”
