The Beatles have broken a string of records as they reached the top spot with their single ‘Now and Then’.
The 1960s rock band – which consisted of Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr as well as the late John Lennon and George Harrison – became the only British act to achieve 17 number-one singles during their heyday and after hitting the top spot again with their AI-produced single on Friday (10.11.23), they have extended that record to 18.
Sir Paul McCartney told Official Charts: “It’s mind-boggling. It’s blown my socks off. It’s also a very emotional moment for me. I love it!”
The only act in British chart history to have beaten them is late ‘Hound Dog’ rocker Elvis Presley, with 21 number ones to his name.
The brand new track is also the fast-selling single of the year to date and has achieved the biggest single-week sales in almost a decade, having shifted 78,200 combined UK chart units across sales and streaming, making it the biggest release since Ben Haenow released ‘Something I Need’ in 2014 after winning ‘The X Factor’.
What’s more, ‘Now And Then’ has become the most-streamed Beatles track in one week ever, having beaten the previous record set by their classic hit ‘Here Comes the Sun’ by more than four million listens.
Martin Talbot, Chief Executive Officer, Official Charts Company claimed that the figures meant that the Beatlemania phenomenon had returned to the UK as he hailed the Fab Four as the “greatest band” in history.
He said: “Beatlemania has returned this week – and what an amazing few days it has been for The Fab Four.
“The return of John, Paul, George and Ringo with the last ever Beatles single, Now And Then, has cemented their legend by breaking a catalogue of records – and in doing so underlined the extraordinary scope of their enduring appeal, across all the generations, with huge numbers of streams, downloads and vinyl singles.
“If there were ever any doubts that The Beatles are the greatest band of all time, they have surely consigned them to history this week.”
Now And Then uses WingNut Films’ groundbreaking MAL audio technology to ‘reunite’ the group one last time, returning them to the top of the Official Singles Chart a whole 60 years after their first Number 1 single ‘From Me to You’, marking the longest-ever gap between an act’s first and last chart-topping hit.
https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/beatles-now-then-number-1-song-record/