Christmas Number 1s BBC York
All this week Derek Shelmerdine, author of the book Rock’n’Roll Unravelled is taking a look at the Christmas Number 1s.
Since the UK charts started in 1952, of the 60-odd #1 records at Christmas there have only been thirteen “Christmas Number 1s”, songs which could be said to be about Christmas.
In the five-part show this week we’ll be taking a take a look at who’s been successful on the coveted Christmas-week UK pop chart.
The five-part series for Adam and Anna’s Afternoon Show, can be heard every day this week, around 1.40 pm, (UK) Monday 16 to Friday 20 December (UK) on BBC Radio York.
MONDAY – 16 December: Where It All Began
The first pop chart appeared as the Top-12 hits, in the New Musical Express in 1952. Rock’n’Roll arrived in the UK in 1953 with Bill Haley’s Shake Rattle and Roll. The first Christmas #1 came in 1955, with Dickie Valentine’s Christmas Alphabet. By 1956 the charts had extended to become the Top-30 and included eleven rock’n’roll records, with three from Bill Haley and His Comets, and four from Elvis Presley.
For the next 30 days: LISTEN AGAIN – Starts at… 1-40-12
TUESDAY – 17 December: Didn’t Quite Make It
Christmas classics which almost made #1 but were held off the top spot. Some of the greatest Christmas hits only made #2, Greg Lake’s I Believe in Father Christmas and the Pogues & Kirsty McColl’s Fairytale of New York were so near, yet so far. Cliff Richard’s Christmas #2 The Millennium Prayer in 1999 has to be the nearest miss of all time. It spent the three weeks before Christmas at #1 but for the crucial Christmas-week chart it was pushed to #2 by Westlife’s’ I Have a Dream.
For the next 30 days: LISTEN AGAIN – Starts at… 1-37-48
WEDNESDAY – 18 December Three Kings of the Christmas Chart
Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Cliff Richard are far and away the most successful artists on the Christmas charts.
Elvis has had hits, including five Christmas songs, in almost every year from 1956 to 1983.
The Beatles never released a “Christmas single” but had singles at #1 on four different Christmas charts. A feat not matched to date.
Cliff is unrivalled for success on the Christmas charts. His first Christmas hit came with his debut single in 1958. Since then he’s had two Christmas #1s and just missed with five other Christmas songs stalling at #2.
For the next 30 days: LISTEN AGAIN – Starts at… 1-39-55
THURSDAY – 19 December Such a Variety of Christmas Number 1s
Thirteen Christmas songs have made the top spot. The variety of other singles to hold the Christmas #1 is astounding. These include novelty songs, TV show inspired offerings, three successive #1s from the Spice Girls and three different versions of Do They Know It’s Christmas.
One of the greatest influences on the Christmas charts has been Simon Cowell’s X Factor TV show. From 2005 to 2014 his acts all achieved either a #1 or #2 on the Christmas chart. It started to go adrift in 2015 when Louisa Johnson only scored a #12 but disaster struck in 2018 when Dalton Harris’ offering only achieved #43.
For the next 30 days: LISTEN AGAIN – Starts at… 1-37-11
FRIDAY – 20 December The Golden Age of the Christmas Number 1
The Golden Age of the Christmas #1 is definitely the 1980s and ’90s, with nine of the thirteen Christmas #1s scored between 1973 and 1990.
Before Slade’s 1973 classic, Merry Christmas Everybody, there had only been two Christmas #1s, both in the 1950s.
In the 1960s, Christmas songs were very uncool and the hip groups of the day all shunned the idea.
After Slade’s 1973 hit there were two distinct clusters of Christmas #1s, 1973 to 1978 and 1984 to 1990.
After Cliff’s Saviour’s Day #1 in 1990, there have only been two more Christmas #1s, Band Aid 20’s Do They Know It’s Christmas in 2004 and Ladbaby’s We Built This City in 2018.
Who knows, maybe this year…
For the next 30 days: LISTEN AGAIN – Starts at… 1-41-03
Christmas Number 1s BBC York
Most of the detail in the show is taken from my bookRock’n’Roll Unravelled
For all of Derek Shelmerdine’s appearances on all radio stations
