Sam Fender and Olivia Dean have been knocked from the top of the UK Singles Chart after a five-week run at Number One with “Rein Me In”.
The track, which had spent 13 weeks on the chart overall, drops to Number Two this week after Ariana Grande’s “hate that i made you love me” entered at Number One. Grande’s new single gives her an eighth UK chart-topper, but the bigger story for British guitar music is how long Fender managed to hold the summit in the first place.
For an artist rooted in heartland rock, working-class storytelling and emotionally direct songwriting, a five-week run at Number One is not just another chart stat. It says plenty about the scale Sam Fender has reached. “Rein Me In” has become one of the defining UK singles of the year so far, pairing Fender’s cinematic songwriting instincts with Olivia Dean’s soulful restraint.
The song’s success also continues a remarkable commercial period for Fender. After building his reputation through albums like Hypersonic Missiles and Seventeen Going Under, he has moved from promising songwriter to one of Britain’s most important modern voices. Not in the lazy “voice of a generation” way that gets slapped on anyone with a Telecaster and a regional accent, but in the more useful sense: he writes songs people actually live inside.
That is why “Rein Me In” landing a long spell at Number One matters. The UK charts are usually dominated by pop giants, viral moments and whatever song TikTok has decided to chew into paste that week. For Fender and Dean to hold the top spot for five consecutive weeks shows the song has connected beyond a core fanbase.
There is also something fitting about the track now sitting at Number Two rather than vanishing completely. It has not collapsed. It has simply made way after a dominant run. The Official Charts report confirms “Rein Me In” settles at Number Two after those five weeks at the summit, while other chart moves include F3miii earning a first Top 40 single with “NOBLE” and Stella Lefty reaching a new personal best with “Boston”.
For Sam Fender, this feels less like the end of a moment and more like another sign of where he now sits in British music. He is no longer just a respected album artist or festival headliner. He is now capable of owning the singles chart for over a month, which is absurdly difficult for a guitar-led British songwriter in 2026.
Ariana Grande may have taken this week’s Number One, but Fender’s run with “Rein Me In” feels like the more telling long-term story. Five weeks at the top is not a fluke. It is a statement.
James Waddingham
Collaborator, BritRockHeaven
