Wham! continues to dominate the UK charts, firmly establishing themselves as strong contenders for the coveted Christmas Number 1 spot. The iconic holiday anthem “Last Christmas” holds its ground, marking its fifth non-consecutive week at Number 1, a testament to its enduring popularity among listeners.
George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, the duo behind Wham!, are on the brink of clinching their first-ever UK Official Christmas Number 1 single. The anticipation builds as “Last Christmas” maintains its reign atop the Official Singles Chart, a position it secured for the first time back in January 2021.
With the group’s decision to release “Last Christmas” on CD for the first time in the UK, accompanied by a limited edition of green vinyl, the track is poised for further elevation in the days ahead.
As the race intensifies for the Christmas Number 1, other noteworthy contenders emerge. Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” surprises by jumping three spots to land at Number 2, adding an unexpected twist to the Christmas discussion. Meanwhile, perennial favourite Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” secures a strong position at Number 3.
Sam Ryder also secures a significant milestone, earning his second Top 10 single with “You’re Christmas To Me” at Number 10. This achievement further cements his status as a formidable contender in the Christmas Number 1 race, following his previous hit, 2022’s Eurovision song, “SPACE MAN”.
The festive spirit extends across the charts, with classics like The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl’s “Fairytale of New York” holding steady at Number 5. The anticipation mounts for a potentially historical win for the 1987 seasonal anthem, especially with the release of a brand-new vinyl edition in aid of the Dublin Simon Community.
Notable appearances in the Top 10 include Ed Sheeran and Elton John’s “Merry Christmas” at Number 6, Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” at Number 7, and Michael Bublé’s “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” at Number 8.
Overall, the Official Singles Chart Top 40 resonates with the festive spirit not to mention the Top 100, featuring an impressive 28 Christmas songs in the former and a total of 52 in the latter. We have incredible Christmas debuts with Cher bringing festive cheer with her new Christmas song “DJ Play a Christmas Song” at Number 41 – just outside the Top 40, hopefully we’ll see it enter the next chart. Then there’s also the surprising new entry from Frank Sinatra, who managed to chart at number 90 with his festive classic “Jingle Bells” – again we expect it to climb as Christmas week is about to start.
Elsewhere on the chart, Ariana Grande sticks at 11 with “Santa Tell Me” with Shakin Stevens at Number 12 with “Merry Christmas Everyone”, followed by Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” which is at Number 13. Climbing up is “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams at Number 14, while Kelly Clarkson is at 15 with “Underneath The Tree”.
Also climbing is “Step Into Christmas” by Elton John which is at Number 16 followed by the original Band Aid song “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” at Number 17. At Number 18 is Dean Martin’s “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”, while Jorja Smith continues to climb with her 2023 Christmas song “Stay Another Day” at Number 20 – which is a cover version of the East 17 classic.
Number 21 sees “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” by John Lennon & Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir, while Number 22 is a non-mover for “Driving Home for Christmas” by Chris Rea. Following suit as another non-mover is Kelly Clarkson & Ariana Grande with their collaboration “Santa Can’t You Hear Me”, while Michael Bublé falls to Number 24 with his version of “Holly Jolly Christmas”. Paul McCartney climbs slightly with “Wonderful Christmastime” at Number 25, with The Ronettes also climbing to Number 26 with “Sleigh Ride”, and Wizzard climbs as well with “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday” – we expect this one to soar next week as it celebrates its 50th Anniversary.
At Number 28 is Sia with “Snowman” while the classic “Feliz Navidad” by José Feliciano sticks to Number 32 as Slade’s classic Christmas song “Merry Xmas Everybody” climbs to Number 33. Leona Lewis is at Number 34 with “One More Sleep” as she tours the UK on her festive Christmas tour while Canadian superstar Justin Bieber is at Number 36 with “Mistletoe”.
We expect the next two charts to be full of Christmas songs but who will reach the summit? Can any of the campaigns win? Is it wishful thinking that The Pogues will make it to the top with their classic track? We’re also excited to see which Christmas songs manage to reach new peaks and with sightings of Cher’s “DJ Play a Christmas Song” and Britney Spears’ rare classic that has gained momentum in recent years, titled “My Only Wish (This Year)” – which sits at Number 93 at the moment with a previous peak of 68, last year – we’re excited for the official Christmas chart.
