"Say You Won't Let Go" is a song by English singer and songwriter

James Arthur James Andrew Arthur (born 2 March 1988) is an English singer and songwriter. He rose to fame after winning the ninth series of ''The X Factor'' in 2012. His debut single, a cover of Shontelle's " Impossible", was released by Syco Music aft ...

. The song was released as a digital download on 9 September 2016 in the United Kingdom by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

as the lead single from his second studio album ''

Back from the Edge The human back, also called the dorsum (: dorsa), is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebr ...

'' (2016). The single peaked at the top of the UK Singles Chart, a position it maintained for three weeks. Outside the United Kingdom, the single has topped the charts in Australia, New Zealand, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland. It also became his breakthrough hit in the US, peaking at number 11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In early March, it had gone double platinum in the UK. In May 2018, it was reported that

The Script The Script are an Irish Soft rock, soft-rock band formed in 2001 in Dublin. The band currently consists of Danny O'Donoghue (lead vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards), Glen Power (drums, percussion, backing vocals), Benjamin Seargent (bass, backin ...

had launched legal proceedings against Arthur due to alleged copyright infringement in regards to the song. In response to claims that the song sounds similar to

's " The Man Who Can't Be Moved", the song's writers initially decided not to pursue legal action. However, following a claim in May 2018, they were successfully awarded a songwriting credit.

Commercial performance

On 12 September 2016, the song was at number 30 on '' The Official Chart Update'' in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. On 16 September 2016, the song entered the UK Singles Chart at number 25, and peaked at number one two weeks later, becoming Arthur's second number one and spending three consecutive weeks at the top. The song was ranked the nineteenth biggest-selling song of 2016 in the UK, making Arthur the biggest-selling British male artist of the year. By the second week of January 2017, it had surpassed the one million sales mark, making him the first-ever ''X Factor'' act to have two singles sell over a million copies in his homeland. In the United States, the song debuted at #100 on the date November 12, 2016. The song peaked at #11 for two non-consecutive weeks being kept out of the top 10 from " Malibu" by

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( , born Destiny Hope Cyrus, November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and director. Regarded as a contemporary pop icon, Cyrus has been recognized for her evolving artistry and image reinventions. She is ...

the first week and "

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" by

Post Malone Austin Richard Post (born July 4, 1995), known professionally as Post Malone, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. His music blends various genres including hip-hop, Pop music, pop, Contemporary R&B, R&B, Tra ...

the second week. It spent 52 weeks on the chart. The song is his first single to chart on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making Arthur only the third winner to chart on the Hot 100 following Leona Lewis and Little Mix. In May 2017, the song reached No. 1 on the Adult Pop Songs Airplay Chart, more than six months after its release in the US. The song was certified diamond in the US by the RIAA on February 15, 2023. The song has sold over 1,208,000 digital copies in the US as of September 2017. It was the eighth best-selling song of 2017 in the US, with 1,195,000 copies sold in 2017. By 2021, the single had sold 2,676,756 copies in the UK. On 15 September 2016, the song entered the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are ...

at number 91 before peaking at number one on 14 October and spending four non-consecutive weeks at the top of the charts. The song has also charted in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. On February 26, 2017, it was announced on Channel 4's '' Sunday Brunch'' that the single had sold 2 million copies worldwide. As of October 2024, the song is the 15th most streamed song in

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

history, having amassed over three billion streams on the platform.

Music video

A music video to accompany the release of "Say You Won't Let Go" was first released onto YouTube on 9 September 2016 at a total length of three minutes and thirty seconds. On YouTube it has received over 1.7 billion views.

Live performances

* ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...

'' (9 October 2016) * '' Sunrise'' (22 November 2016) * '' The Late Late Show with James Corden'' (3 January 2017) * '' The Today Show'' (5 January 2017) * ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It i ...

'' (25 April 2017) * '' Boy Band'' (24 August 2017) * '' America's Go Talent'' (20 September 2017)

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2016 singles 2016 songs Black-and-white music videos Columbia Records singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles James Arthur songs Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in Scotland Number-one singles in Sweden UK singles chart number-one singles Pop ballads Songs written by Neil Ormandy Songs written by James Arthur Songs written by Danny O'Donoghue Songs written by Mark Sheehan Songs involved in plagiarism controversies