How a song about self-sabotage became the longest-running number-one in British history
In short: Sam Fender and Olivia Dean transformed a track about the fear of intimacy into a cultural phenomenon. By adding a female perspective to the original, they created a record-breaking duet that dominated the UK charts for 23 weeks, shattering records that had stood for over seven decades.
Originally appearing as the eighth track on Sam Fender’s 2025 album People Watching, Rein Me In was a solo effort exploring the anxieties of romantic self-sabotage. Fender, who wrote the song and produced it alongside collaborators including Adam Granduciel and Joe Atkinson, describes the lyrics as a rejection of closeness born from a fear of being reined in by love. Musically, the track relies on a jazzy arrangement featuring prominent piano and saxophone.
The song’s trajectory shifted dramatically when Fender invited Olivia Dean to perform a new duet version at London Stadium on 6 June 2025. Following the viral success of that performance and a subsequent show at St. James’ Park, the duo officially released the collaboration on 20 June. Critics praised the new iteration, with writers noting its stormy, tender quality and its ability to serve as a masterclass in slow-burn songwriting.
The duet’s commercial performance was historic. In the United Kingdom, it reached number one in February 2026 after a record-breaking climb through the charts, having spent 35 weeks in the top 40 before hitting the top spot. It eventually spent 23 non-consecutive weeks at number one, surpassing the 18-week record held by Frankie Laine’s 1953 hit I Believe to become the longest-running number-one single in UK history. The song also achieved significant international success, reaching the top of the charts in Australia and tying Bill Whelan’s 1994 track Riverdance for the longest-running number-one in Irish history.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Rein Me In
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