Sam Fender and Olivia Dean have achieved a milestone on the UK singles chart with their duet “Rein Me In,” which has accumulated 16 weeks at the top position. This achievement breaks the previous record held by Wet Wet Wet for a British act, whose song “Love Is All Around” spent 15 weeks at No. 1 in the summer of 1994. The key distinction is that Wet Wet Wet’s run was consecutive, whereas Fender and Dean’s song has alternated between the top spot and lower positions since February.
“Rein Me In” originated as a track on Fender’s 2025 album “People Watching,” which won the Mercury Prize. The song depicts self-sabotage within a romantic relationship through introspective lyrics. Dean contributed an additional verse representing the other perspective in the relationship, which Fender credited as a factor in broadening the song’s appeal. The duet was officially released as a single in June 2025 and earned song of the year at the Brit Awards in February. The pair have also performed together at stadium concerts in Newcastle and London.
The song also holds the record for the longest consecutive run in the UK Top 40, with 55 weeks, surpassing Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud.” However, “Rein Me In” has not yet exceeded records set by non-UK acts. Bryan Adams’ “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” matches its 16-week consecutive run at No. 1 from 1991, while Frankie Laine holds the overall record with 18 non-consecutive weeks at the top in 1953.
The sustained chart performance is noteworthy given Official Charts Company regulations introduced in 2017. These rules reduce the streaming value credited to songs after 10 weeks in the Top 100 if they experience three consecutive weeks of declining streams, effectively requiring double the streams to maintain chart position. Since this rule took effect, only four songs have exceeded 10 weeks at No. 1 prior to “Rein Me In.” Dean has also achieved independent chart success with her single “Man I Need” reaching No. 1 in October 2025, and her album “The Art of Loving” has remained in the top five since its release that month, including eight weeks at No. 1.