Elton John's career began long before streaming platforms like Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Pandora, and dozens of others changed the music industry forever. Some of his contemporaries have not been able to find great success in this new era, but the piano player has found a way to continuously rank as one of the most-streamed artists on those websites, and he manages to reach a new peak on a streaming-only roster this frame.
Diamonds, one of John's most successful singles compilations, is on the rise on one special chart in the U.S. this week. The set lifts three spaces on the Top Streaming Albums ranking, landing at No. 23 on the list of the most-streamed full-lengths in the country.
No. 23 now stands as the all-time peak for Diamonds on the Top Streaming Albums chart. The set is the only one that John has pushed to the tally, so every time it climbs to a position it's never seen before, the superstar reaches a new career high.
As it surges on the Top Streaming Albums chart, Diamonds actually slips on one other important roster. The title dips two spaces to No. 28 on the Billboard 200. It can also be found on several of the company's genre-specific lists, as it's a non-mover at No. 2 on the Top Rock Albums ranking and No. 3 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums tally.
As Diamonds declines slightly on the Billboard 200, John's most recent album returns. The Lockdown Sessions reappears at No. 123, earning its thirtieth stay on the competitive ranking.
Both Diamonds and The Lockdown Sessions are being powered, at least in large part, by the inclusion of holiday songs. The former features both "Merry Christmas" with Ed Sheeran and his own "Step Into Christmas," which arrived decades before his collaboration with his singer-songwriter friend. Consumption of those seasonal cuts is up considerably from last period, and the popularity of both tunes raises those two albums as well.
"Merry Christmas" is John's top-performing single this week in America and globally. It slides into the top 40 on the Hot 100 for the first time, reaching a new peak of No. 38. The tune is also back on both the Streaming Songs (No. 32) and Digital Song Sales (No. 17) as the holiday gets listeners in the U.S. into the spirit. It also settles at No. 18 on both of Billboard's global rankings.
"Step Into Christmas," meanwhile, hits a new high on those worldwide tallies. John's smash lifts to No. 26 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S., and it nearly enters the top 40 on the Billboard Global 200 for the first time, missing out on doing so by just one space.