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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent

Demise of the monoculture: why so many have never heard UK’s record-breaking No 1 single

Sam Fender speaks into a microphone beside a smiling Olivia Dean on stage at the Brit Awards
Sam Fender and Olivia Dean collect their Brit award earlier this year. Photograph: Shirlaine Forrest/Redferns

It’s the biggest song in the UK, but have you ever heard it? That was the question many were asking this week, after Sam Fender and Olivia Dean’s Rein Me In became the longest-running No 1 single in UK chart history, spending an unprecedented 19 weeks at the top.

The British Phonographic Industry said the song had resonated with listeners “in such a profound way”, while Fender thanked Dean and fans “for making this song the juggernaut that it is”.

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