Ed Sheeran was certified for the record for "longest climb to no. 1 on the UK singles chart" by the Guinness Worlds Records foundation, to mark his song "Thinking Out Loud" rising to the top spot after 19 weeks on the list.
The performer posted a photo of the certificate he received for the accomplishment, noting in a particularly Sheeran-esque tone that "that ain't too sh*t is it" (translation: "That's cool, isn't it?").
"Thinking Out Loud" debuted on the charts on July 5, 2014 and continued to climb upward, finally peaking on November 8. That was only one of the records that the single managed to set: "Thinking Out Loud" also spent a full year within the Top 40, a first, and set a high mark for longest time at no. 2 without hitting the top spot. The song spent eight weeks as the runner-up before finally hitting no. 1 (where it spent eight consecutive weeks in that position as well).
Sheeran took the top spot from Meghan Trainor and "All About That Bass," which had held the no. 1 spot for four weeks previously.
The record for longest climb was previously held by Celine Dion, who's "Think Twice" was on the charts for 13 weeks before it finally got to no. 1. Sheeran tied Mario Winans' "I Don't Wanna Know" for most weeks at no. 2.
Granted, if "Thinking Out Loud" were looking to replicate the record on the Billboard Hot 100, he wouldn't even be close. The record across the pond is a 33-week climb to no. 1, which Los Del Rio accomplished with the remix of "Macarena" during 1995 and '96. A performer would need to spend at least 21 weeks on the chart in order to even crack the Top 12 in the United States. John Legend's "All Of Me," the most recent club of note, spent 30 weeks rising to no. 1 during 2013-'14.
