Dave and Central Cee track Sprinter named UK song of summer 2023

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By Paul Glynn

Entertainment reporter

Dave and Central Cee's record-breaking Sprinter has been declared UK song of summer 2023 by the Official Charts.

The track, a Latin-tinged melodic take on drill, finds them rapping about partying with plenty of girls.

It became the longest-running UK rap chart-topper last month, with 10 straight weeks at the summit.

Kylie Minogue's floor-filling earworm Padam Padam - her first UK number one in a decade - ended the summer as the country's most downloaded track.

London rappers Dave and Central Cee's collaboration collected 812,000 UK chart units in total, including 105 million UK streams, also making it the most-streamed song of the summer.

"The duo's smash is a playful, knowing track that indulges in rap clichés while acknowledging their absurdity," wrote BBC music correspondent Mark Savage.

Sprinter gave Brit Award and Mercury Prize-winner Dave his third number one, and Mobo Award-winner Central Cee his first.

As fate would have it, it marked 10 weeks at the top on the same day that hip-hop celebrated its 50th birthday last month.

The pair performed the tune - taken from their joint EP Split Decision - together live at Glastonbury Festival in June, where they were joined for an adorable cameo by the baby from the track's music video, aka British-Nigerian artist and designer Slawn's son Beau.

A few months later, Central Cee spat his bars solo in a shortened version of it to fans at Leeds Festival, who did their best to rap-a-long.

Elsewhere on the list, revealed on Saturday, fellow London rapper J Hus finished the summer in fourth place with Who Told You, which features Canadian star and Top Boy executive producer Drake.

Hot girl summer

While the number one spot may be occupied by two men (with arguably too many women), seven out of the top 10 tracks feature female artists.

Second place on the songs of the summer list went to Scottish DJ and producer Calvin Harris and English singer Ellie Goulding for their trance-pop hit Miracle, which spent eight weeks at number one.

Another number one, Dua Lipa's Barbie movie soundtrack anthem, Dance The Night, took the bronze podium position.

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Olivia Rodrigo's haunting ballad Vampire, the most-purchased single of the summer on physical formats, also made the top 10.

The young American placed ahead of her compatriots Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus, with their suitably seasonal sad bangers, Cruel Summer and Flowers, respectively.

Earlier in the year, Cyrus's ode to self-love after a break-up spent 10 weeks at the summit, like Dave and Central Cee's track. And by July it had been declared the biggest song of 2023 overall so far.

But that was before the top boys of summer had even driven their Sprinter out of the showroom forecourt and off up the charts.

Official UK top 10 songs of summer 2023