Cher has no need to turn back time… the entertainment icon is still setting chart records well into her golden years. Among her latest milestones is becoming the oldest solo female artist ever to score a Top 40 hit on the U.K. singles chart.
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At 77 years and seven months old, Cher accomplished the feat with “DJ Play a Christmas Song,” the lead single from her new holiday album, Christmas. The track landed at No. 20 on the latest U.K. singles tally. The previous record holder was Shirley Bassey, who was 70 years, four months old when her single “The Living Tree” reached No. 37 on the chart back in 2007.
[RELATED: Cher Says New Christmas Album Is Among Her Best—”Even If No One Ever Listened to It”]
Other U.K. Chart Records
Cher also set another U.K. record thanks to “DJ Play a Christmas Song,” by becoming the first solo artist to score a Top 40 hit with new material over seven consecutive decades. The singer’s first solo hit was a cover of Bob Dylan’s “All I Really Want to Do,” which reached the Top 40 of the U.K. singles chart in 1965.
In addition, Cher has become the first female artist to have a Top 40 hit with an original song in seven consecutive decades. Her run began with the chart-topping 1965 Sonny & Cher hit “I Got You Babe.”
“DJ Play a Christmas Song” also is Cher’s most successful single in the U.K. since 2001, when “The Music’s No Good Without You” peaked at No. 8 on the tally.
Impact on U.S. Charts
The song also is making its mark on the U.S. charts. Earlier this month, the tune topped Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Song Sales survey, making Cher the first solo artist to notch a No. 1 hit on a Billboard songs chart in every decade from the 1960s through the 2020s. The Rolling Stones are the only other act to accomplish that.
Meanwhile, “DJ Play a Christmas Song” also just broke into the Billboard Hot 100, bowing at No. 94 this week. Her album Christmas, which features the tune, debuted at No. 32 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Holiday Albums chart.
