Mariah Carey and Wham are leading the race for Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart

lol Anthony Fantano reference

this year has been a disaster all around, with corona and everything, so this will hopefully be amazing news in an otherwise tragic year for once. i’ll fork my streams and a few pennies to help the cause...

Do Deezer count for the Charts?

i believe so.

Honestly, looking at how close the Spotify numbers were today, I wouldn’t even rule out ‘Last Christmas’ for #1 on Friday just yet! :O

Maybe Mariah wont be #1 because of Last christmas🤣

Either one of them going to #1 would be amazing for me, but Mariah’s would just feel that bit more magical for me personally. :)

Yes me too😜

It’s funny how none of the three big Christmas classics (Mariah, Wham! & The Pogues) have never hit #1 in the charts, but they’re always the three festive throwbacks that return to the charts first, haha. :)

'Last Christmas' by Wham is the biggest selling song not to reach #1 in the UK due to it being released at the same time as the original Band Aid single, so that would be a very long standing record broken if it did make it to the top.

Would love to agree but this Christmas by Jess Glynne is the only track that isn't on long term acr, although positions is too thats not a Xmas song. So hopefully that isn't going to take over soon

Yeah, as soon as Mariah takes the #1 on Friday (it’s looking increasingly likely now), then I’ll be backing Wham! until they can finally get to the top of the charts, haha. :)

I'd be interested to find out what would become the biggest selling non-Number 1 if they were to achieve it. Something in the back of my mind says it would be 'Wonderwall' by Oasis but i'm not 100% on that.

You were very close actually! :O

So ‘Wonderwall’ is the 38th best-selling song of all-time according to OCC, but there is actually song that didn't reach #1 above it in the list (not counting ‘Last Christmas’).

It’s not what you’d expect either! ;)

https://www.officialcharts.c*m/chart-news/the-best-selling-singles-of-all-time-on-the-official-uk-chart__21298/

Replace the * with an o in the above link. :)

This is too much ridiculous as these classic streams are inflated by shops playing the Christmas paylists and genearted millions of streams for the songs (while before would play them the same way but on CD).

Wow thanks for that Piran! I never would have expected it to be 'Moves Like Jagger' in a million years. Tbh even if you'd said it was something from 2011 I probably wouldn't have guessed it, it's a good song but I had no idea it was so successful.

Interestingly now i've looked into it, it seems that song was kept off the top spot by a multitude of different songs which is even more unusual, unlike 'Last Christmas' and 'Wonderwall' which were the result of one other massive hit been released in the same week (Band Aid & Robson & Jerome).

I wouldn't have expected that either!

But yes, it's arguably the most 'unlucky' song in chart history. First up it matched the seven-week record of All 4 One's I Swear for the longest spell at No.2 by any single never to reach Number 1 – but unlike I Swear (held off for all seven weeks by Wet Wet Wet's Love Is All Around) and Right Said Fred's I'm Too (six weeks behind Bryan Adams' (Everything I Do) I Do It For You) it didn't get held up by one massive chart-topper but instead somehow came in runner-up to six different No.1s consecutively.

What made it feel more galling at the time, and in retrospect frankly, is how with the exceptions of One Direction's What Makes You Beautiful (week 3) and Rihanna/Calvin Harris's We Found Love (weeks 6 & 7, the only one to actually hold on at the top), none of the ones that actually held top spot for a cup of coffee during that run had any widespread appeal or lasting impact whatsoever.
And OK, we can perhaps give What Makes You Beautiful a pass in hindsight, but at the time an anonymous new boyband barging straight in at Number One with their debut single only seemed to add to the endless parade of five straight 'unworthy' recipients of the top spot ahead of Moves Like Jagger, before We Found Love finally came in with a bit of 'credibility' at least.

(Edit: I've just twigged that All I Want For Christmas Is You has also tied the record as it's now on its 7th week at No.2 – albeit from five separate runs in five different years! Last Christmas, incidentally, has 6 and counting...)

Be careful what u wish for... ;o)

Hey, the more Christmas songs, the better, at least for me! ;)

And we are luckly if it's just TOP 20 and not entire TOP 40.
Thank God for the Single Sales Chart! Something real to look at instead this official fake chart due to free streamings where playlists say what's hot and what's not.

I personally disagree.

The sales chart has become outdated now... almost everyone streams music nowadays (as opposed to buying it) & a lot of that is through choice, so I feel that the right amount of emphasis is being put on it!

It’s ACR & the three songs rule that’s ruining the charts at the moment though. :/

Yes Im scared as well! Its Jess Glynne btw😁

i mean there was payola from amazon last year with river. that song was actually good, but i hope they don’t use similar payola to those two songs, especially when they’re both mediocre.

She probably will - it's gone 28 to 3

Its always a lot higher in the update though

Yeah its a joke lol

I would definitely have preferred her to get the number 1 when the charts were a real thing rather than just streaming through free apps. It's a great song that deserved to be number 1 on sales!

Yeah, but #1 through streaming is better than no #1 at all, I guess. :)