Unsurprisingly, the list contains enduring megahits like Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You," which logged the longest (and first) two-to-one points lead, with nine of its 14 total weeks atop the Hot 100 with such a margin of victory. Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997"/"Something About the Way You Look Tonight," meanwhile, claims the biggest-ever ratio lead over a No. 2 song: It debuted at No. 1 on Oct. 11, 1997, with a massive 17 times the amount of points of the No. 2 challenger (Boyz II Men's "4 Seasons of Loneliness"). How did John score the most lopsided victory? "Candle," his tribute to the then-recently deceased Diana, Princess of Wales, sold a Nielsen-record 3.4 million physical singles in its first week of tracking. (Remember, this was back in 1997, before YouTube and digital downloads; the only way fans were able to access a Hot 100 hit on-demand was to buy a commercially released single on CD, cassette tape or, although somewhat hard-to-find at that point, 7-inch vinyl.)
With Sheeran's double-dominance on the March 25-dated Hot 100, he becomes the latest member of the all-star squad to have outscored runners-up by at least a two-to-one points margin, and the first since Adele, who joined with her monster ballad "Hello" in 2015. Here's the full list:
"I Will Always Love You," Whitney Houston
Nine weeks with 2x points as No. 2: Dec. 12, 1992-Feb. 6, 1993
Six weeks above No. 2 "If I Ever Fall in Love" by Shai; three weeks above No. 2 "Rump Shaker" by Wreckx-n-Effect
"I'll Make Love to You," Boyz II Men
Three weeks with 2x points as No. 2: Sept. 10-24, 1994
All above No. 2 "Stay (I Missed You)" by Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories
"Tha Crossroads," Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
Three weeks with 2x points as No. 2: June 8-22, 1996
Two weeks above No. 2 "Always Be My Baby" by Mariah Carey; one week above No. 2 "You're Makin' Me High"/"Let It Flow" by Toni Braxton
"I'll Be Missing You," Puff Daddy & Faith Evans featuring 112
Two weeks with 2x points as No. 2: July 5-12, 1997
One week above No. 2 "Mmmbop" by Hanson; one week above No. 2 "Bitch" by Meredith Brooks
"Candle in the Wind 1997"/"Something About the Way You Look Tonight," Elton John
Five weeks with 2x points as No. 2: Oct. 11-Nov. 8, 1997
Two weeks above No. 2 "4 Seasons of Loneliness" by Boyz II Men; three weeks above No. 2 "You Make Me Wanna…" by Usher
"My Heart Will Go On," Celine Dion
One week with 2x points as No. 2: Feb. 28, 1998
Above No. 2 "Nice and Slow" by Usher
"All My Life," K-Ci & JoJo
One week with 2x points as No. 2: April 4, 1998
Above No. 2 "Frozen" by Madonna
"The Boy Is Mine," Brandy & Monica
Two weeks with 2x points as No. 2: June 20-27, 1998
Both above No. 2 "You're Still the One" by Shania Twain
"I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing," Aerosmith
One week with 2x points as No. 2: Sept. 5, 1998
Above No. 2 "The First Night" by Monica
"Heartbreaker," Mariah Carey featuring Jay-Z
One week with 2x points as No. 2: Oct. 9, 1999
Above No. 2 "Smooth" by Santana featuring Rob Thomas
"All for You," Janet Jackson
One week with 2x points as No. 2: April 14, 2001
Above No. 2 "Survivor" by Destiny's Child
"Hips Don't Lie," Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean
One week with 2x points as No. 2: June 17, 2006
Above No. 2 "Ridin" by Chamillionaire featuring Krayzie Bone
"SexyBack," Justin Timberlake
Two weeks with 2x points as No. 2: Sept. 9-16, 2006
Both above No. 2 "London Bridge" by Fergie
"Right Round," Flo Rida
One week with 2x points as No. 2: Feb. 28, 2009
Above No. 2 "Dead and Gone" by T.I. featuring Justin Timberlake
"Harlem Shake," Baauer
Four weeks with 2x points as No. 2: March 2-March 23, 2013
All above No. 2 "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz
"Blurred Lines," Robin Thicke featuring T.I. + Pharrell
Two weeks with 2x points as No. 2: Aug. 17-Aug. 24, 2013
Both above No. 2 "We Can't Stop" by Miley Cyrus
"Hello," Adele
Three weeks with 2x points as No. 2: Nov. 14-Nov. 28, 2015
All above No. 2 "Sorry" by Justin Bieber
"Shape of You," Ed Sheeran
One week with 2x points as No. 2 (to date): March 25, 2017
Above No. 2 "Bad and Boujee" by Migos featuring Lil Uzi Vert