The Official Christmas Number 1s

Geplaatst in Muziek

7 Dec
The Official Christmas Number 1s image 1

The Official Christmas Number 1s

All Number 1s are special, but the festive chart-topper is the ultimate prize. Let's look back at every Official Christmas Number 1 single in the UK.

There's not many chart records the Beatles haven't broken and, yes, they have the most Christmas Number 1s of everyone – four in total. The first three, I Want To Hold Your Hand, I Feel Fine and Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out topped the Official Singles Chart consecutively from 1963–1965. Hello, Goodbye was the fourth in 1967.

Spice Girls also notched up three consecutive Christmas Number 1s: 2 Become 1, Too Much and Goodbye all reigned the festive rundown from 1996–1998.

Seven Christmas Number 1s feature the word ‘Christmas’ in the title, if you include Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody from 1973. And as Christmas is the season of goodwill, why not, eh? In 66 years of Christmas chart-toppers, 12 are genuine Christmas songs, eight are by TV talent show winners, three are by choirs and three are novelty singles.

Versions of charity smash Do They Know It’s Christmas? have topped the charts on 25 December three times: for Band Aid in 1984, Band Aid II in 1989, and finally for Band Aid 20 in 2004. The first version of Do They Know It’s Christmas? is the biggest selling Christmas Number 1 of all time, with over 3.8 million copies sold.

Mary’s Boy Child has been a Christmas Number 1 twice for totally different artists. Harry Belafonte topped the charts with it in 1957 and Boney M took a one-horse open sleigh all the way to Number 1 with it (mashed up with Oh my Lord) in 1978.

The only song to get the Christmas Number 1 twice by the same artist is Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. It first topped the Christmas charts in 1975 and pulled it off again 16 years later, following the death of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. As a result, it is one of the longest-reigning Number 1 hits of all-time.

Last, but by no means least, are the novelty singles. 2019 and 2018 both saw YouTuber LadBaby claim the Christmas top spot with sausage roll-themed singles, both in aid of food band charity The Trussell Trust. Going back, Bob The Builder claimed a Christmas Number 1 in 2000 with Can We Fix It?, as did Mr Blobby with his self-titled debut single in 1993.

YEAR

TITLE

ARTIST

1952

HERE IN MY HEART

AL MARTINO

1953

ANSWER ME

FRANKIE LAINE

1954

LET'S HAVE ANOTHER PARTY

WINIFRED ATWELL

1955

CHRISTMAS ALPHABET

DICKIE VALENTINE

1956

JUST WALKIN' IN THE RAIN

JOHNNIE RAY

1957

MARY'S BOY CHILD

HARRY BELAFONTE

1958

IT'S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE

CONWAY TWITTY

     
     

1959

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO MAKE THOSE EYES AT ME FOR?

EMILE FORD & THE CHECKMATES

1960

I LOVE YOU

CLIFF RICHARD & THE SHADOWS

1961

MOON RIVER

DANNY WILLIAMS

1962

RETURN TO SENDER

ELVIS PRESLEY

1963

I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND

THE BEATLES

1964

I FEEL FINE

THE BEATLES

1965

DAY TRIPPER/WE CAN WORK IT OUT

THE BEATLES

1966

GREEN, GREEN GRASS OF HOME

TOM JONES

1967

HELLO, GOODBYE

THE BEATLES

1968

LILY THE PINK

THE SCAFFOLD

1969

TWO LITTLE BOYS

ROLF HARRIS

1970

I HEAR YOU KNOCKING

DAVE EDMUNDS

1971

ERNIE (THE FASTEST MILKMAN IN THE WEST)

BENNY HILL

1972

LONG HAIRED LOVER FROM LIVERPOOL

JIMMY OSMOND

1973

MERRY XMAS EVERYBODY

SLADE

1974

LONELY THIS CHRISTMAS

MUD

1975

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

QUEEN

1976

WHEN A CHILD IS BORN (SOLEADO)

JOHNNY MATHIS

1977

MULL OF KINTYRE/GIRLS' SCHOOL

WINGS

1978

MARY'S BOY CHILD – OH MY LORD

BONEY M

1979

ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 2)

PINK FLOYD

1980

THERE'S NO ONE QUITE LIKE GRANDMA

ST WINIFRED'S SCHOOL CHOIR

1981

DON'T YOU WANT ME

THE HUMAN LEAGUE

1982

SAVE YOUR LOVE

RENÉE AND RENATO

1983

ONLY YOU

THE FLYING PICKETS

1984

DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS?

BAND AID

1985

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

SHAKIN' STEVENS

1986

REET PETITE

JACKIE WILSON

1987

ALWAYS ON MY MIND

PET SHOP BOYS

1988

MISTLETOE AND WINE

CLIFF RICHARD

1989

DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS?

BAND AID II

1990

SAVIOUR'S DAY

CLIFF RICHARD

1991

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY/THESE ARE THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES

QUEEN

1992

I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU

WHITNEY HOUSTON

1993

MR BLOBBY

MR BLOBBY

1994

STAY ANOTHER DAY

EAST 17

1995

EARTH SONG

MICHAEL JACKSON

1996

2 BECOME 1

SPICE GIRLS

1997

TOO MUCH

SPICE GIRLS

1998

GOODBYE

SPICE GIRLS

1999

I HAVE A DREAM/SEASONS IN THE SUN

WESTLIFE

2000

CAN WE FIX IT?

BOB THE BUILDER

2001

SOMETHIN' STUPID

ROBBIE WILLIAMS & NICOLE KIDMAN

2002

SOUND OF THE UNDERGROUND

GIRLS ALOUD

2003

MAD WORLD

MICHAEL ANDREWS & GARY JULES

2004

DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS?

BAND AID 20

2005

THAT'S MY GOAL

SHAYNE WARD

2006

A MOMENT LIKE THIS

LEONA LEWIS

2007

WHEN YOU BELIEVE

LEON JACKSON

2008

HALLELUJAH

ALEXANDRA BURKE

2009

KILLING IN THE NAME

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

2010

WHEN WE COLLIDE

MATT CARDLE

2011

WHEREVER YOU ARE

MILITARY WIVES WITH GARETH MALONE

2012

HE AIN'T HEAVY, HE'S MY BROTHER

THE JUSTICE COLLECTIVE

2013

SKYSCRAPER

SAM BAILEY

2014

SOMETHING I NEED

BEN HAENOW

2015

A BRIDGE OVER YOU

THE LEWISHAM & GREENWICH NHS CHOIR

2016

ROCKABYE

CLEAN BANDIT

2017

PERFECT

ED SHEERAN

2018

WE BUILT THIS CITY

LADBABY

2019

I LOVE SAUSAGE ROLLS

LADBABY

2020

DON'T STOP ME EATIN'

LADBABY

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