Michael Bublé has once again orchestrated a merry return to the summit of the UK Official Albums Chart with his seasonal sensation, “Christmas”. This marks the sixth non-consecutive week the record has clinched the coveted Number 1 position.
Initially ascending to the summit upon its debut in November 2011, the album has had a melodious journey, resurging for two festive weeks in December the same year. It further dazzled audiences by reclaiming the top spot in January 2021 and once more in December 2022.
Within ‘Christmas’ lies not merely an album, but a treasure trove brimming with five of the most iconic Christmas melodies of the 21st century all of which charted in the UK Top 40, including “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas”, “Holly Jolly Christmas”, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”, and a delightful collaboration with The Puppini Sisters on “Jingle Bells”.
In this harmonious chart, Taylor Swift’s “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” ascends this week to grace the Number 2 slot. The album, having claimed the accolade of 2023’s biggest opening week for an album, solidifies its reign within the Top 5 for a remarkable ninth consecutive week. Since its November release, it steadfastly remains within the Top 4, never slipping further down.
This week’s Top 5 also sees the rise of hits compilations. The Weeknd’s “The Highlights” climbs six places to Number 3, Elton John’s 2017 compilation “Diamonds” gracefully rises eight places to land at Number 4, while ABBA’s iconic “Gold: Greatest Hits” stages a grand return to the Top 5, making its presence felt for the first time since September 2021.
Amidst this melodic surge, Bing Crosby’s festive collection “Christmas Classics” achieves a brand-new peak, hitting Number 18, entering the Top 20 for the first time since it was released in 1962, previously peaking at Number 27 in January this year. Adding to the symphony of success, Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song” orchestrates its inaugural entry into the Top 40, making a resonant finish at Number 22.
Michael Bublé’s “Christmas” once more stands as the melodic maestro, ringing in the festive cheer and rekindling the spirit of the season atop the Official Albums Chart. The album is a festive mainstay across households and shopping malls and we expect to see this album rise again and again every time the festive holiday comes around.
