Elton John has achieved his first UK No.1 single for 16 years, and eighth overall, with his collaboration with Dua Lipa, “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix).” The track climbs to the top of the Official Singles Chart after three consecutive weeks at Number 2.
Its weekly chart sales of 64,000 include 5.9 million streams and 5,000 physical sales on a limited edition CD single. Elton’s last UK No.1 came via his guest appearance on 2Pac’s posthumous 2005 single “Ghetto Gospel.” The collaboration with Elton is also Dua Lipa’s third UK chart-topper, following 2017’s “New Rules” and “One Kiss” (2018).
The ascension of “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)” to No.1 ends the four-week reign of Elton’s friend Ed Sheeran, with his single “Shivers.” Earlier this week, Sheeran was entreating music fans to give Elton a new bestseller in his place. He tweeted: “@eltonjohn is so close to knocking me off the #1 spot in the UK. It will be his first number one in almost twenty years and I really want it to happen.”
More than five years after his first hit with “Your Song,” Elton achieved his long-sought first UK No.1 with his duet with Kiki Dee, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” in 1976. He then had to wait until 1990 for his first solo No.1 with “Sacrifice”/”Healing Hands.”
His 1991 version of “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” with George Michael hit No.1 and he achieved the feat again in 1997 with “Candle In The Wind 1997” and “Something About The Way You Look Tonight.” His other bestsellers were a 2002 remake of “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” with boy band Blue; a 2003 remix of “Are You Ready For Love,” originally from the Thom Bell Sessions EP; and the 2005 single with 2Pac. John was also recently confirmed by the Official Charts Company as the first artist to have UK Top 10 hits in each of six different decades.
Pre-order Elton John’s The Lockdown Sessions album, which is released on October 22.