Ed Sheeran's 'Perfect' voted number one song of all time

Pop superstar Ed Sheeran is "over the moon" after his smash hit single Perfect has been voted the number one song of all time in a poll of radio listeners.

Taken from Sheeran's third album ÷, triple-platinum hit Perfect spent three weeks at the top of the Official Vodafone Big Top 40 last year, after its release in September 2017.

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And after charting at number one in a further 17 countries, Perfect has now topped Smooth Radio's fifth annual All Time Top 500 chart, voted for by the station's listeners.

Ed Sheeran said: "With Perfect, I wanted to write the best love song I could that was 100% me. I’m over the moon that it’s been voted the number one song in Smooth’s poll.

"The fact that the listeners chose it makes it even more special and I’d like to say a big thank you to them for their support."

The news of Sheeran’s success comes as he lands back in the UK later this month on the European leg of his worldwide tour.

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Almost 30,000 votes were cast in the countdown of 500 songs, which were broadcast on Smooth across the Bank Holiday weekend.

The singer finished with four songs in the Smooth poll, including three in the top 20 - with Thinking Out Loud at number five and Supermarket Flowers at number 17.

Wham! bam

Sheeran replaced George Michael at the top of Smooth Radio's All Time Top 500, who took the number one spot in 2017 with his 1984 hit Careless Whisper.

But the late George Michael maintained his position as most popular artist in the poll for the second year in a row, with 20 songs in the Top 500 - more than ever before.

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Careless Whisper and A Different Corner are at number two and three respectively, down just one place each from last year.

Elton John follows George Michael on the list of most popular artists, with 18 songs in total.

Smooth listeners have voted Adele and Whitney Houston as most popular female artists, with nine songs each in this year's poll.

Three of Adele's tracks are in the top 20 - Someone Like You at number nine, Make You Feel My Love at number 12, and Hello at Number 14.

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Meanwhile, Houston's iconic 1992 hit I Will Always Love You reached number four in the poll - its highest ever position in the chart's five-year history.

ABBA mania

Following the news that popular 1970s band ABBA are back in the studio after 35 years to record new material, the Swedish band has been voted the most popular band of all time.

ABBA have 15 songs in the Top 500 chart, led by Dancing Queen at number six - its highest ever position.

Michael Jackson, The Beatles and Stevie Wonder are tied for fourth-most popular artist, with 13 songs each in the poll.

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Elsewhere in the Top 20, David Bowie holds three spots with Life On Mars at number eight, Heroes at number 15, and Starman at number 20.

And Elvis Presley is in at number 13 and number 16, with Always On My Mind and Can't Help Falling In Love, respectively.

A whopping 87 artists from the UK featured in Smooth Radio's 2018 All Time Top 500 chart, including Sam Smith, Ellie Goulding, Take That and Robbie Williams.