Coldplay score first Official Number 1 single of 2012!

Coldplay’s ‘Paradise’ has displaced the Military Wives and Gareth Malone’s ‘Wherever You Are’ to become the first Official Number 1 single of 2012, the Official Charts Company can reveal.

Originally released on October 30, ‘Paradise’ debuted at Number 14 before steadily climbing up the Official Singles Chart and peaking at Number 2 a week before Christmas. The track is taken from the band’s hugely successful fifth studio album, ‘Mylo Xyloto’, which set a new Official Charts record for the highest number of digital copies to be sold during an album’s first week of release.

Despite having five Number 1 albums, ‘Paradise’ is only Coldplay’s second Number 1 single, their first being ‘Viva La Vida’, which reached Number 1 in the Official Singles Chart in 2008. ‘Paradise’ reaching the summit of the Official Singles Chart is a double cause for celebration for the London-based band because, not only has it become the first Official Number 1 of the new year, it has also earned frontman Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion their first Official Singles Chart Number 1 Award!

To mark the 60th anniversary of the UK’s Official Singles Chart, every artist who reaches the top of the Official Singles Chart will be presented with an Official Singles Chart Number 1 Award. The award is a partnership between the Official Charts Company and BBC Radio 1’s Official Chart Show - which is broadcast from 4pm to 7pm every Sunday afternoon and hosted by Reggie Yates.

Former X Factor contestant / Xtra Factor presenter Olly Murs is this week’s Number 2 with ‘Dance With Me Tonight’. ‘Dance With Me Tonight’ was kept off the Number 1 spot by Rihanna and Calvin Harris' ‘We Found Love’ when it was released on November 27, before climbing to the top spot two weeks later and earning Murs his third Official Number 1 single. Flo Rida’s ‘Good Feeling’ climbs seven places to this week’s Number 3, while last week’s Number 1, Military Wives with Gareth Malone, are this week’s Number 4. The group’s track, ‘Wherever You Are’, became the 60th Christmas Number 1 when it topped the Official Singles Chart last Sunday and has now sold over 631,000 copies.
 
Rihanna and Calvin Harris’ ‘We Found Love’ climbs five places to this week’s Number 5, while X Factor winners Little Mix’s cover of Damien Rice’s ‘Cannonball’ is this week’s Number 6. Ed Sheeran’s ‘Lego House’ is at Number 7, Labrinth and Tinie Tempah’s ‘Earthquake’ – which sound tracked last night’s New Year’s Eve celebrations in London – is at Number 8, LMFAO’s ‘Sexy And I Know It’ are at Number 9, and Rizzle Kicks’ ‘Mama Do The Hump’ completes this week’s Official Singles Chart Top 10.

Coldplay - Paradise on MUZU.