Christmas Number 1: Slade's Noddy Holder on 50 years of Merry Xmas Everybody

IT'S CHRISTMAAAAAAAASSSSSS!!!

Anyone, anywhere, of any age in the UK will hear that opening line and think of one thing and one thing only  - Noddy Holder. 

The start to Slade's festive glam-rock masterpiece Merry Xmas Everybody is as recognisable as any piece of art that has become part of the British cultural institution. 

Originally released in 1973, Merry Xmas Everybody is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year...and what a legacy the song carries. Debuting at Number 1 in its original release, it became Slade's sixth (and final) UK Number 1 single, and is now ranked as one of the best-selling songs of all time in the UK. 

Merry Xmas Everybody has already seen so much success on the Official Charts - becoming the Official Christmas Number 1 single of 1973 - but in its anniversary year, could we see Slade reach the top once again?

As one of the official contenders for Christmas Number 1 2023, we rang up Slade frontman Noddy Holder to chat about the legacy Merry Xmas Everybody, famous cover versions of the song and what it's like to create a piece of art that is embraced by everyone in the country.

MORE: See all the contenders of the 2023 Official Christmas Number 1

Hi Noddy! How does it feel to still be talking about Merry Xmas Everybody, 50 years on from its release?

It's good! I mean, it's a feel-good record. It's very very simple; [the song tells the story of] a family Christmas for everybody. When we wrote it in 1973, that was the intention, to make it a happy go lucky record.

Really, there's nothing Christmassy about it, except the lyrics. There's no sleigh bells! But it sums up a very traditional family Christmas, which is still valued today. The lyrics say "look to the future now, it's only just begun," and that's as valid today as it was in 1973. Nothing's changed. We have to look forward, it's no good looking back. 

Is it right you wrote the lyrics in one draft, in one night?

The song was based originally in something my co-writer James [Jim Lea, from Slade] who'd been challenged by his mother-in-law about a year before the song about, she challenged him to write a Christmas song. He came up with the verse melody in the shower, but he was stuck for a chorus. Six years previously, I'd written a song called Buy Me A Rocking Chair, that had gone in the bin, but like everything, we recycled it. 

So, I went away and had a few drinks in my local in Walsall, my home town. I went back to sleep at my Mum and Dad's, got a bottle of whiskey and went to my old childhood bedroom. I got it done in two or three hours; I just thought about everything that was do with Christmas, a family Christmas. That brought back all the memories I had when I was a kid. All the lyrics were done in that one night, the middle eight and everything!

Be honest, how often do people scream 'it's Christmas!' at you?

Oh, if I'm out and about, at least once a day. This time of year, it probably goes to 20 or 30 times a day! But that's because it's got a place in people's hearts, you see. It's become my calling card, if you like. Parents will normally stop their children in the street and say 'look, it's Mr Christmas!' The song just brings back happy memories, and it's taken on a life of its own, which is beyond anything I had in my wildest dreams.

A lot of bands have covered Merry Xmas Everybody over the years too...

Yes! Various American bands have covered our songs. Oasis have. Girls Aloud have covered Merry Xmas Everybody!

I'm so glad you brought that up, the Girls Aloud version is great

I love Girls Aloud! I think they've made some amazing pop music. I heard their cover on the TV the other day. 

There's also a chance this year that Merry Xmas Everybody could return as Christmas Number 1 this year...

There's a lot of competition this year! There are a lot of Christmas records out there now. I'm not really expecting it, to be honest, but it would be lovely if it did! It would be the icing on the cake. I would be very surprised because there are a lot of good records out there. Now, don't forget, [the song] is 50 years old, so I think a good percentage of the population have got the record already!

Talking of your competition, a lot of people are commemorating Shane MacGowan's death by trying to get the Pogues to Christmas Number 1 with Fairytale of New York

Yes, people are going to celebrate and commemorate Shane, and Fairytale of New York is a great record. A great record. 

Do you any favourites for Christmas Number 1? Apart from yourself, obviously

I have to say Mariah Carey, All I Want For Christmas Is You. I do love that record. I think that's a great record, it always reminds me of Motown and Phil Spector, his Christmas record [A Christmas Gift For You from Phil Spector], Mariah's song is very much in that vein. I still live John Lennon's Christmas song [Happy Xmas (War Is Over)] and of course Wizzard's I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday.

Have you got any memorable favourites from the modern day?

Sam Ryder's new song [You're Christmas To Me]. I heard that on the radio other day. I really liked that, that's a good record.

If you do reach Christmas Number 1 this year, Noddy, how would you celebrate?

Oh, that's a hard one. I would have a wee dram, of course! But it would really be the icing on top of the cake. It would be an incredible bonus for the history of Merry Xmas Everybody. I mean, we as a band cannot control the history of that record now. It's taken on a life of its own. 

Follow the Official Christmas Number 1 race:

The Official Christmas Number 1 race 2023 kicks off Friday December 15 with sales and streams counting up until midnight (11.59pm) on Thursday, December 21.

Tune in to The Official Chart on BBC Radio 1 on Friday December 22 from 4pm to hear the Christmas Top 40 countdown and the exclusive reveal of the Official Christmas Number 1 2023.

The full Top 100 Official Christmas Singles Chart and Albums Chart will be published on OfficialCharts.com from 5.45pm.

Join the conversation now using the hashtag #XmasNo1. Follow @OfficialCharts on TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. For all the latest race updates join the Official Charts mailing list for Breaking News on this year’s race and beyond.

Slade images: Barry Plummer/Michael Putland/Getty