- LW: 1,
- Peak: 1,
- Weeks: 104
- LW: 2,
- Peak: 1,
- Weeks: 9
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU
MARIAH CAREY
- LW: 3,
- Peak: 1,
- Weeks: 138
IT CAN'T BE CHRISTMAS
TOM GRENNAN
- LW: 6,
- Peak: 4,
- Weeks: 5
- LW: 4,
- Peak: 2,
- Weeks: 9
ROCKIN' AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE
BRENDA LEE
- LW: 5,
- Peak: 4,
- Weeks: 79
- LW: 11,
- Peak: 7,
- Weeks: 6
- LW: 7,
- Peak: 7,
- Weeks: 39
- LW: 9,
- Peak: 8,
- Weeks: 48
FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK
POGUES FT KIRSTY MACCOLL
- LW: 8,
- Peak: 2,
- Weeks: 132
UNDERNEATH THE TREE
KELLY CLARKSON
- LW: 10,
- Peak: 10,
- Weeks: 49
DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS
BAND AID
- LW: 14,
- Peak: 1,
- Weeks: 110
IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR
ANDY WILLIAMS
- LW: 13,
- Peak: 9,
- Weeks: 64
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE
SHAKIN' STEVENS
- LW: 16,
- Peak: 1,
- Weeks: 102
- LW: 15,
- Peak: 8,
- Weeks: 68
A NONSENSE CHRISTMAS
SABRINA CARPENTER
- LW: 25,
- Peak: 16,
- Weeks: 4
IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE
MICHAEL BUBLE
- LW: 17,
- Peak: 6,
- Weeks: 65
WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME
PAUL MCCARTNEY
- LW: 28,
- Peak: 6,
- Weeks: 58
- LW: 20,
- Peak: 19,
- Weeks: 4
DEFYING GRAVITY
CYNTHIA ERIVO/
- LW: 12,
- Peak: 7,
- Weeks: 4
- LW: 27,
- Peak: 21,
- Weeks: 29
- LW: 23,
- Peak: 20,
- Weeks: 35
LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW
DEAN MARTIN
- LW: 21,
- Peak: 13,
- Weeks: 45
DRIVING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
CHRIS REA
- LW: 34,
- Peak: 10,
- Weeks: 84
HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS
MICHAEL BUBLE
- LW: 26,
- Peak: 21,
- Weeks: 40
I WISH IT COULD BE CHRISTMAS EVERYDAY
WIZZARD
- LW: 33,
- Peak: 10,
- Weeks: 83
HAPPY XMAS (WAR IS OVER)
JOHN & YOKO/
- LW: 38,
- Peak: 18,
- Weeks: 64
- LW: 43,
- Peak: 1,
- Weeks: 123
DIE WITH A SMILE
LADY GAGA & BRUNO MARS
- LW: 37,
- Peak: 2,
- Weeks: 18
MERRY CHRISTMAS
ED SHEERAN & ELTON JOHN
- LW: 45,
- Peak: 1,
- Weeks: 19
- LW: 30,
- Peak: 1,
- Weeks: 21
- LW: 31,
- Peak: 7,
- Weeks: 12
- LW: 39,
- Peak: 3,
- Weeks: 48
FREEZING THIS CHRISTMAS
SIR STARMER & GRANNY HARMERS
- LW: New
- Peak: 37,
- Weeks: 1
- LW: 32,
- Peak: 6,
- Weeks: 10
WHAT IS THIS FEELING
ARIANA GRANDE/
- LW: 29,
- Peak: 16,
- Weeks: 4
- LW: 40,
- Peak: 24,
- Weeks: 9
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G
Giovanni
my top 20 (22.12.2024.)
1.(2) JOVANOTTI – Montecristo
2. (3) THE HORRORS – trial by fire
3. (1) SAM FENDER – people watching (3weeks at No.1)
4. (4) BELTERS ONLY ft DIZZEE RASCAL – AwStopBro
5. (6) LOCO DICE ft SKRILLEX & FIREBOY DML – heavy heart
6. (7) FATBOY SLIM & DANIEL STEINBERG – bus stop please
7. (31) SWIMMING PAUL – different time
8. (5) JOESEF – cynical (1week at No.1)
9. (12) THE WOMBATS – blood on the hospital floor
10. (13) WIN WIN ft OBLI – no candy
11. (17) DESIRE – drama queen
12. (15) MOON BOOTS & VEGGI – strong man
13. (8.) SALUTE ft JESSIE WARE – heaven in your arms
14. (9) JORDAN RAKEI ft STUTS – celebrate
15. (18) GloRilla – let her cook
16. (23) THOR RIXON – golden
17. (36) LEIF VOLLEBEKK – peace of mind
18. (19) FRANZ FERDINAND – night or day
19. (33) TOM MISCH ft LOYLE CARNER – colourblind
20. (28) JAZZY ft KILIMANJARO – no bad vibes
.................new songs at chart (top 45)...........
29. NEW – SHYGIRL ft CLUB SHY & YSEULT – F*Me
35. NEW – FRED AGAIN.. & JOHN MARTYN – little mystery
36. NEW – FISCHER ft AR/CO – ocean
38. NEW – L.A.B. – crazy dream
41. NEW – CEECHYNAA – Peggy
M
mrstarling
Unique chart!
SS
Setting Son
Why does the chart history of John Lennon’s Happy Xmas show its top position as 18? According to my memory it reached about number 4 when first released in around 1972 and then either number 1 or 2 shortly after he died in 1980.
R
Rob1978
If you look in the first charted entry, it says 2007, which is when digital downloads were first counted in chart stats. You'd have to search for the original chart entry to get the highest chart position
M
mrstarling
'Happy Xmas' has impressive chart longevity! Also merry christmas to you!
Velvet Android
Your memory is quite right: it did indeed reach No.4 on original release in 1972, and then No.2 a few weeks after Lennon's death – held off the top spot by his own Imagine.
The inconsistency is due to how virtually any music from history can potentially chart now, if people spontaneously stream it in enough numbers – which doesn't really fit in with all previous notions of singles being formally 'released'.
Basically, the traditional way of recording chart stats was for any spontaneous re-entries of a hit single (or album) to count as part of the same chart run as its initial entry. If the song is later given a reissue under a different catalogue number, though, it counts as a whole new hit.
These days, however, old songs can just chart again of their own volition via streaming. Since streams aren't tied to specific physical releases or catalogue numbers thereof, then if the same recording of a song has had multiple previous chart runs how do you decide which of those the additional new weeks 'belong' to? The OCC's decision was to simply consider any hit's streaming-led Top 100 re-entry as inheriting its most recent chart run, as a rule.
Velvet Android
So, for a song that only charted previously on its original release, any modern-day reappearance will cause its additional weeks to get tacked onto the end of that original run. Such a re-entry will continue to show a peak of whatever it got to in that initial run – unless by some strange quirk it's actually charting higher now than it ever did back in the day, as with Step Into Christmas and Driving Home For Christmas.
For any song that had charted again (via physical/download sales) on a rerelease at some point in the interim, though, that chart run will be the one 'inherited' by its more recent streaming-led re-entries.
I think, at this stage, the fates of different Christmas songs in this regard come down to what the whims of the chart compilers were back in December 2007 when the festive classics all started charting regularly again for the first time thanks to downloads being integrated fully into the sales tallies. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) was considered, as Rob says, to be a new entry upon its December 2007 reappearance in the singles chart – though I don't know whether there was actually a formal rerelease at the time. That year it only briefly nudged the Top 40 at, um, no.40. All subsequent annual re-entries however are judged to be a continuation of that one, meaning the peak of 'this' run is the no.18 the song got to in the last week of 2018 when streaming was first starting to have really sizeable effects on the Christmastime charts.
Yes, it doesn't make much sense, in that I guarantee nobody streaming the song this week is doing so thinking they're listening to the 2007 release, specifically. But it's probably an intractable problem otherwise, so this is as good a solution as we're gonna get.
Velvet Android
Wizzard's I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day has exactly the same thing going on, if you look. It also recharted as a 'new' entry (according to OCC's compilers) in December 2007, one week before Happy Xmas (War Is Over) did, and climbed to no.16 that Christmas. So its modern reappearances inherit that run – and hence its alleged peak is the no.10 it managed in the last chart week of 2019, not the no.4 its original run took it to at Christmas 1973.
For their old rivals Slade, on the other hand, all historical re-entries of Merry Xmas Everybody were listed under the track's original chart run from 1973, with its peak of no.1, including the download-era ones. Therefore so are all of the annual re-entries it makes via streaming nowadays. That's the difference.
Wham! have a slightly different scenario going on, meanwhile. The original chart run of Last Christmas is untouched, because at the time it was released (and credited on the charts) as a double A-side with Everything She Wants. Since there's no such thing as a double A-side in non-physical formats, however, Last Christmas's entries starting from (yes) December 2007 are necessarily counted as a whole new chart run, one which they are adding to every year to this day.
L
litefoot
Because basically, the OCC's database is inconsistent. They've made no effort to link re-entries together as the same song as the original for ALL hits, so they have completely erroneous chart peaks and weeks on charts to loads of songs, and the Christmas charts are the worst because the same songs chart year after year. Not sure if this is somehow stems from the the later Guinness Books which amalgamated data for re-entries rather than the earlier books which listed re-entries and re-issues separately, and that streaming has just exacerbated the problem.
So some songs will have the original peak and the WOC are correct but for others they're just plain wrong - at a glance the latter includes John & Yoko, Wizzard and Boney M.
The fact that this is completely obvious to anyone with a casual knowledge of the charts suggests they don't care and see no need to fix it even though it makes the highest position and WOC information largely useless.
Velvet Android
Despite Last Christmas spending 35 years as one of the UK's most famous "never quite got to Number One" cases ever, it's now amassed 9 weeks (and counting) at the very top of the charts across the last five festive seasons.
Which means a startling realisation just hit me – that suggests it'll only take another three Christmases, at current rate, before it breaks the record to become the longest cumulative chart-topper of all time. And that record has stood since 1953, Frankie Laine's I Believe spending a total of 18 weeks at the top (in separate runs of 9, 6 and 3) all the way back at the dawn of chart history.
OK, it's only halfway there right now. But if Last Christmas is still hanging on there next week (which seems likely – that'll include streams from the last four days before December 25th and the day itself), it'll bring up double figures. Only 16 songs so far have ever managed that in the singles chart's 72 years... though fully half of those have done so since 2016. And if it keeps adding an average of three more weeks at the top each and every Christmas, as appears to be the unavoidable norm all of a sudden, it'll outstrip the lot of them in the next three years and pass I Believe's landmark somewhere roughly around the last chart week of 2027.
M
mrstarling
Great write up :)
I agree
C
chartosphere
Which shows how much of a joke the charts are. They need to better reflect the new sounds and the trends. The best new sounds like Stick Season and It Cant Be Christmas lose out on the Christmas No.1.
R
Rossey11
Last Christmas, was number one last Christmas, I wonder if Last Christmas will be number one next Christmas?
Velvet Android
The way things are going, it's becoming hard to see anything stopping it any Christmas for the immediate future!
M
mrstarling
Yeah.. it probably will be, Merry christmas!
JB
jimgle bells
Thought the Mud remake was going to top the charts for Christmas. It seems to have got frozen out ! :(
M
mrstarling
I never thought mud would be a contender.. good taste in liking it though.
macie
My Top 10 of the Week
1) Kelly Clarkson - Underneath The Tree (+1) [4th non-consecutive week at Number 1!]
2) Leona Lewis - One More Sleep (+22) np
3) Sabrina Carpenter - Nonsense (Re) np*
4) Jorja Smith - Stay Another Day (+5)
5) Sabrina Carpenter - buy me presents (debut)
6) Ella Henderson - Filthy Rich (-5)
7) Sub Focus & Katy B - Push The Tempo (-3)
8) Ariana Grande - Santa Tell Me (+6)
9) Taylor Swift - Christmas Tree Farm (+16) np
10) Sabrina Carpenter - is it new years yet? (debut)
* I combined the Christmas version of Nonsense with the original
M
mrstarling
Love your music taste! ❤️
macie
shame to see Underneath The Tree already out of the top 10 :/ however I’m ecstatic to see Messy in the top 10, hopefully it can contend for #1 in the new year!
predigitalwasbest
Due to a heavy workload at work and home, i am considerably later than i wanted to be. I've decided upon something different for my most recently played at random offering. This time, it's the 10 most recently played songs with the words...yup, you've guessed it...'CHRISTMAS' in the title!
1: Rockin' around the Christmas tree BRENDA LEE
2: All i want for Christmas is you MARIAH CAREY
3: Christmas wrapping THE WAITRESSES
4: Merry Christmas ED SHEERAN and ELTON JOHN
5: Driving home for Christmas CHRIS REA
6: Holly Jolly Christmas MICHAEL BUBLE
7: I believe in Father Christmas GREG LAKE
8: Cozy little Christmas KATY PERRY
9: Wonderful Christmastime PAUL McCARTNEY
10: Thank God it's Christmas QUEEN
I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas !
M
mrstarling
I'm glad you got the player to start playing Christmas music! Great ten songs BTW
C
Chrissyl40
Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce number 91
M
mrstarling
Merry christmas :)
Geff
I believe in Father Christmas ... good song Starman maybe its the missing 85
who knows ???
M
mrstarling
Have a happy Christmas! Your amazing
S
Starman
Sad to see my favourite Christmas song missing from the charts this year. Greg Lake's 'I believe in Father Christmas'. Oh well, maybe next year.
M
mrstarling
Hopefully next year! I hope you enjoy this Christmas! God bless 🙌
predigitalwasbest
It's not missing from my 'chart'...it's one of my top 5 favourite Christmas songs, for sure. I do recommend the version by Crouch End Festival Chorus aswell.
sakgra
congrats to wham !i really hoped to see Kelly to have a new peak and Cher at least at top 20
merry christmas guys
M
mrstarling
Thanks for adding to the OCC community! You've gave a lot of great opinions! Merry Christmas to you
Shoogle
Newer Christmas songs are pushing some of the older classics out of the charts now. No "Lonely This Christmas", "Mistletoe and Wine", "Santa Baby" (Kylie and Eartha Kitt versions) and a few others that I thought of earlier but can't remember! I wonder if these newer ones will still be charting at Christmas in 10 years?
sakgra
so true i was looking forward to see kylie and some others on the chart
A
Anon
Greg Lake 'I believe in Father Christmas' keeps missing out. Used to be a Christmas staple. Obviously hasn't made it onto the main playlists, although remains on my personal one
M
mrstarling
Next week there might be more with Christmas day involved! Also hope you and @anon have a lovely Christmas!
Glad we talked a bit this year shoogle, keep commenting! :)
Shoogle
New year, new start Mrstarling. Hopefully there will be a little more peace and understanding for all next year. "Merry Christmas Everyone"...
Shoogle
It was The Waitresses I wanted to see charting.
yellow
I was rooting for Perrie's "Christmas Magic" to at least enter this year as its one of my fav xmas songs of all time! Maybe next year, hey?
Piran
Top 40 without Christmas:
1. Gracie Abrams - That's So True (=)
2. Rosé & Bruno Mars - APT. (=)
3. Lola Young - Messy (=)
4. Cynthia Erivo ft. Ariana Grande - Defying Gravity (=)
5. Chrystal - The Days (+2)
6. KSI - Dirty (NEW)
7. Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars - Die With A Smile (+7)
8. Gigi Perez - Sailor Song (+1)
9. The Weeknd & Playboi Carti - Timeless (+1)
10. Sabrina Carpenter - Bed Chem (+1)
11. Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo & Stephen Schwartz - What Is This Feeling? (-3)
12. Kendrick Lamar & SZA - luther (=)
13. Myles Smith - Nice To Meet You (+4)
14. Ariana Grande - Popular (-1)
15. Sam Fender - People Watching (=)
16. Billie Eilish - BIRDS OF A FEATHER (+4)
17. Kendrick Lamar ft. Lefty Gunplay - tv off (-1)
18. Chappell Roan - Good Luck, Babe! (+1)
19. Sabrina Carpenter - Taste (-1)
20. Tyler, The Creator - Like Him (+6)
21. Benson Boone - Beautiful Things (+1)
22. Teddy Swims - Lose Control (+2)
23. Pawsa & Adventures Of Stevie V - Dirty Cash (Money Talks) (+2)
24. Gracie Abrams - I Love You, I'm Sorry (+7)
25. Stromae & Pomme - Ma meilleure ennemie (-4)
26. Teddy Swims - The Door (-21)
27. Hozier - Too Sweet (=)
28. Noah Kahan - Stick Season (+1)
29. Shaboozey - A Bar Song (Tipsy) (+1)
30. Kendrick Lamar - squabble up (-7)
31. Teddy Swims - Bad Dreams (-25)
32. Tate Mcrae - It's okay I'm ok (+2)
33. Myles Smith - Stargazing (+5)
34. Alex Warren - Burning Down (-1)
35. Disturbed - The Sound Of Silence (+2)
36. Lady Gaga - Disease (+6)
37. Chappell Roan - HOT TO GO! (+4)
38. Tyla - Push 2 Start (RE)
39. Sam Barber ft Avery Anna - Indigo (NEW)
40. RAYE - Oscar Winning Tears. (+5)
M
mrstarling
Wasn't expecting Juice to last this long!
Piran
Funnily enough, OCC finally revealed what was #85 and that booted Juice WRLD out of this list.
P
PaulS
thank god for Christmas songs then because that lot is a load of bilge!
M
mrstarling
Paul >
It'll just go higher after christmas
S
Sam_321
Where's Number 85?
M
mrstarling
LOL! also hope you have an amazing Christmas! Keep being strong!
M
mrstarling
My Christmas gift for you is a compliment.. everyone commenting today will get a compliment (you can't say no)
strangeways_here_we_come
One day I feel that Last Christmas will be the song with the most weeks at UK #1. Give it 10 years maybe less
M
mrstarling
Totally agreed
M
mrstarling
What a year in the OCC..
I hope everyone reading this has a happy chrismas and let's all start 2025 with an amazing step! Every year seems to feel more weird at the end of It and it's such a shame to get older... wow! What a year though!
Lots of love to everyone here and your family's! 2025 IS your year and this Christmas will be the best yet!
strangeways_here_we_come
2024's been my best and worst year at the same time lol. Hopefully I can just forget about everything in 2025.
Piran
Merry Christmas to you too. All the best for 2025!
M
mrstarling
Same.. its been such a big year, especially mentally for me.
M
mrstarling
Piran >
Thank you Piran!
yellow
Merry Christmas :)
M
mrstarling
You to! :D
strangeways_here_we_come
Here's my personal charts for the week:
1. Chain Reaction - Diana Ross (LW: 5)
2. The Last Of The Famous International Playboys - Morrissey (LW: 1)
3. Lessons In Love - Level 42 (LW: 12)
4. Sometimes - Erasure (LW: 6)
5. Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before - The Smiths (LW: 8)
6. Suburbia - Pet Shop Boys (LW: 4)
7. The Tide Is High - Blondie (LW: 11)
8. Shoplifters Of The World Unite - The Smiths (LW: 7)
9. Planet Earth - Duran Duran (LW: 10)
10. Bigmouth Strikes Again - The Smiths (new entry)
11. Interesting Drug - Morrissey (new entry)
12. The Bitterest Pill - The Jam (new entry)
13. Fashion - David Bowie (new entry)
14. Our Frank - Morrissey (new entry)
15. Sailing On The Seven Seas - OMD (LW: 2)
16. Girlfriend In A Coma - The Smiths (LW: 19)
17. Radio Ga Ga - Queen (new entry)
18. Trash - Suede (LW: 3)
19. It's Called A Heart - Depeche Mode (new entry)
20. Maybe Tomorrow - UB40 (re-entry)
M
mrstarling
'Radio Ga-Ga' is a true classic! Also have heard a lot more from Queen!
Nice top ten, keep it up!
M
mrstarling
Christmas compliment -
Your charts are unique from anybody else's here (in a great way)
M
mrstarling
YAYYYY THE STARMER SONG GOT TOP 40 :D
yellow
Glad it did, hate the guts out of that guy
M
mrstarling
And rishi!
Also Christmas compliment -
Best profile picture!
yellow
I do try :)
Piran
My Top 10 Songs Of The Week:
#1: Rosé – Toxic Till The End (+1) [New No.1!] 🇳🇿🇰🇷
#2: Sam Fender – People Watching (-1) 🇬🇧 (🏴)
#3: Rosé – Gameboy (+7) 🇳🇿🇰🇷
#4: Kelly Clarkson – Underneath The Tree (+12) 🇺🇸
#5: Jennie – Mantra (-2) 🇰🇷
#6: Griff – Last Night’s Mascara (-1) 🇬🇧 (🏴)
#7: Taylor Swift – Christmas Tree Farm (+12) 🇺🇸
#8: Rosé & Bruno Mars – APT. (-4) 🇳🇿🇰🇷 / 🇺🇸
#9: Jessica Baio – He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not (-2) 🇺🇸
#10: Cher – DJ Play A Christmas Song (debut) 🇺🇸
Full chart on Crown Note: https://www.crownnote.com/charts/piran/pirans-top-50-253
Full chart on BuzzJack: www.buzzjack.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=276851
M
mrstarling
Christmas compliment -
Your one of the kindest people on the website :)
Piran
I appreciate it! ❤️
I know we don't always have mutual opinions on this site but I really hope this Christmas is an amazing one for you.
M
mrstarling
You to! Cheers to another year on the website!
strangeways_here_we_come
Slade in the top 40 🥳
M
mrstarling
Thankfully!
Piran
It’s a shame that ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’ didn’t make it into the Top 40 this week as predicted. I’ve always liked the song but it’s really grown on me a lot this year in particular!
Hoping it can return to the region next week, same with Cher’s ‘DJ Play A Christmas Song’. :)
Piran
‘Messy’ climbing into the Top 10 despite the holiday takeover is impressive! Glad to see it as the song has been growing on me a lot over the last few days.
I also like that ‘People Watching’ is fairly stable. Hoping it can return to the region in the new year! 😊
Piran
Wishing everybody who reads this a happy and healthy Christmas. Hope the rest of the festive period brings you all joy and peace! ❤️
M
mrstarling
You to Piran!
Piran
Not Tom Grennan getting the words “Christmas No.1 2024 is…” tattooed on his leg only to end up in fourth lmao.
Haven’t heard either the KSI song or the Starmer protest campaign. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting either of them to make it into the Top 40 this week. Either way, the winter fuel payment being taken away from vulnerable pensioners is an absolutely terrible move and I’m thinking of them in particular right now.
Anyway, congratulations to Wham! for making history. ‘Last Christmas’ is the first song ever to hold the honour in back-to-back years. It’s a shame that the legendary George Michael never got to see this go to #1 but I know he’d be absolutely delighted with everything this has gone on to achieve. Hope he’s resting in peace 🕊️