The ten Christmassy Christmas number ones
In an ideal world, the Christmas No. 1 would always be a Christmasthemed song but, in the 65 years of the UK charts, few true Christmas songs have been number one on Christmas Day. Recent years have been particularly barren: the last time a song about Christmas topped the charts was thirteen years ago when Band Aid 20 hit the top with Do They Know It’s Christmas? Here are the ten Christmas songs that were Christmas number ones…
Mary’s Boy Child A Christmas No. 1 twice: for Harry Belafonte in 1957 and Germany’s Boney M, with an uptempo version, in 1978. Merry Xmas Everybody Slade’s best-selling single and final number one was the Christmas chart-topper in 1973. A million-plus seller, it stayed in the charts for nine weeks – right into February. Lonely This Christmas Glam rockers Mud sold over three quarters of a million copies of this popular Christmas tune on their way to number one in 1974.
Mistletoe and Wine Cliff Richard has claimed the Christmas No. 1 spot three times, with The Shadows in 1960 and as a solo artist in 1988 and 1990. Mistletoe and Wine was not only his biggest Christmas hit, but the biggest selling single of 1988. It also spent four weeks at the top of the Irish chart.
When A Child Is Born Now 82, Texas-born Johnny Mathis spent three weeks on top of the charts in December 1976, selling almost 900,000 copies of what is now a Christmas standard.
Merry Christmas Everyone Welshman Shakin’ Stevens will be 70 next year and is still enjoying huge success with this Christmas No. 1 from 1985. Thanks to downloads, the song has charted every Christmas since 2007. Do They Know It’s Christmas? The Band Aid charity song, written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, has been No 1 over Christmas three times: in 1984, 1989 and 2004. Because of that, it’s the biggest selling Christmas No. 1 ever, with almost 4 million sales. Christmas Alphabet The first Christmas number one that was actually about Christmas, this topped the chart in 1955. Its singer Dickie Valentine died in a car crash in 1971, at the age of 41. Saviour’s Day Cliff Richard’s third Christmas No.1, written by friend Chris Eaton. The video was shot on a warm sunny day in September but, with an eye on the Christmas market, Cliff and his accompanying singers wore heavy winter clothes throughout.
Stay Another Day OK, so this 1994 Christmas No. 1 is not strictly a Christmas song, but is a festive favourite nonetheless, forever associated with the season thanks to the use of Christmas bells towards the end and a video featuring the members of East 17 in the ‘snow’, wearing white furry parkas.