In an unprecedented festive triumph, WHAM!’s classic hit “Last Christmas” has secured its reign atop the UK Official Singles Chart for an astounding fourth consecutive week. George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley’s timeless track has etched its name in history, marking the longest-ever journey to claim the coveted Christmas Number 1 position, an achievement realised after 39 remarkable years.
The UK’s music landscape has transformed into a winter wonderland of melodies as the holiday spirit envelops the nation. A groundbreaking moment unfolds with a record-breaking 37 Christmas tunes adorning the UK Official Singles Chart Top 40, a testament to the profound influence and resonance of seasonal favourites.
Amidst the array of festive harmonies, emerging talents like Sam Ryder, alongside stalwarts including Mariah Carey, Ed Sheeran & Elton John, Kelly Clarkson, and Ariana Grande, adorn the chart with their holiday renditions. Sam Ryder’s heartfelt “You’re Christmas to Me” maintains a strong presence at Number 2, while Mariah Carey’s yearly favourite “All I Want for Christmas Is You” holds steady at Number 3.
The festive fervour continues to soar as Ed Sheeran and Elton John’s “Merry Christmas” ascends to Number 4, complemented by Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”, grooving its way up to Number 5.
Amongst this seasonal symphony, a lone non-Christmas entry, Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season”, claims Number 10, standing as a testament to the diversity amidst the seasonal surge and suggests that it might bounce back to the top come next week.
Notable mentions within the holiday symphony include Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” securing a spot in the Top 10 claiming a new peak of Number 8, marking her 20th UK Top 10 hit. Dean Martin also claims a huge new peak of Number 13 with “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”, having previously marked a new peak last week.
Also climbing is Jorja Smith who has covered East 17’s “Stay Another Day” grabbing a new peak of 16. Then there’s Cher who orchestrates her return to the charts, seizing the 18th spot with “DJ Play a Christmas Song”, her highest-charting single in over two decades. Can she continue to rise and beat her previous highest-charting single of this century, “The Music’s No Good Without You” which peaked at Number 8 in 2001?
Also gracing the Top 20 of the UK Official Singles Chart, at Number 20 and claiming a brand new peak, is The Ronettes with their 1963 Christmas classic “Sleigh Ride”. Laufey also continues her Christmas rise, the Icelandic singer-songwriter grabs the 26th spot on the chart with her version of “Winter Wonderland”. Following suit is another Christmas classic, Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song” which places at Number 34. Then, rounding out the UK Top 40 is Burl Ives who also claims a new peak of Number 40 with the 1964 classic “A Holly Jolly Christmas”.
The festive spirit cascades throughout the Top 40 of the UK Official Singles Chart, with timeless classics like Chris Rea’s “Driving Home for Christmas”, Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime”, and Jose Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad” enriching the holiday playlist amongst contemporary current favourites that are also becoming a staple every year including Leona Lewis’ “One More Sleep”, Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath The Tree”, Justin Bieber’s “Mistletoe”, and Sia’s “Snowman”.
Elsewhere on the UK Official Singles Chart Top 100, The Beach Boys’ 1963 Christmas anthem “Little Saint Nick” manages to hit a new peak of Number 43 while Eartha Kitt follows suit with “Santa Baby” charting at a new peak of Number 44. Beating his previous peak of 58 is Bruce Springsteen who sits at a new peak of 47 with “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” while Meghan Trainor continues her rise with “Jingle Bells” claiming Number 48. Just one spot below her is the 1958 Christmas classic “Run Rudolph Run” by Chuck Berry which is also at a new peak at Number 49.
Further down the chart, Stevie Wonder makes an appearance with “What Christmas Means To Me” which claims a new peak of 57, with the Christmas Queen – Mariah Carey – following just below at Number 58 which is a new peak for “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”, and below her with a brand new peak is the woman that can only call Mariah Carey by her full name and that is Britney Spears with her 2000 festive classic “My Only Wish (This Year)” hitting Number 59 – we expect this to continue to climb up the chart each Christmas week as it’s an addictive Christmas track that we all can’t get enough of.
Another “Jingle Bells” makes an appearance at the new peak of 60 by Frank Sinatra while it’s a new entry for the 1970 track “This Christmas” by Donny Hathaway at the 63rd spot on the chart. Re-entering the Top 100 and also claiming a new peak is “Deck The Halls” by Nat King Cole,
It’s not easy to get a brand new entry on this festive UK Official Singles Chart Top 100 with a non-Christmas song, but Central Cee has managed to do just that with his new song “Entrapreneur” at Number 71, we expect this to bounce right on up to the Top 10 in the first chart of 2024. Climbing up the chart to grab a new peak is the Home Alone song “Carol of the Bells” by John Williams which sits at Number 72 while “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by Dean Martin makes a new entry on the chart at Number 74.
Queen’s Christmas song also grabs a new highest chart placement at Number 76 with “Thank God It’s Christmas” while The Jackson 5 manages to grab a new entry with their version of “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” which sits at Number 84.
Slightly further down, Leona Lewis reappears with her collaboration with Ne-Yo, titled “Kiss Me It’s Christmas” which claims a new peak of Number 87, while Cher also makes a reappearance as we get closer to the end of the Top 100 where she sits with a new entry at Number 95 with “What Christmas Means To Me”. Ending the UK Official Singles Chart Top 100 is Songer with “Toxic (Freestyle)”, claiming the last new entry and last Number of the chart, Number 100.
You can view the full UK Official Singles Chart Top 100 on the Official Charts Company website. You can also find a variety of other charts on their website, promising to list the official UK charts week-on-week. It’s the only UK chart that counts.
As the country resonates with yuletide melodies, the charts encapsulate the magical essence of the season, uniting music fans across genres and underscoring the lucrative festive period for the music industry.
The unparalleled dominance of Christmas songs this season has undeniably captured the hearts and playlists of the UK audience, creating an unparalleled musical celebration, and affirming the sentiment that indeed, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. Could next year see an entire 40 Christmas songs dominate the UK Top 40? We think it’s a very real possibility and it would be a festive sight to see.