Friends since 2011, when the former signed to the latter’s management company as part of a joint venture, Ed Sheeran & Elton John’s first collaboration, Merry Christmas, debuts atop the singles chart this week (76,708 sales, including 14,055 download sales and 8,101 CDs), ending the seven-week reign of Adele’s Easy On Me (1-2, 53,072 sales). It is sweet revenge for John, as Easy On Me dethroned his last No.1 (Dua Lipa collaboration Cold Heart) in October. 

An original song ...