The race for the Christmas No.1 heats up as more than half of the songs in this week’s Top 40 are Christmas-themed.
After only reaching number 45 in its first week of release, Band Aid’s 40th anniversary version of Do They Know It’s Christmas? performed much better in its second week, peaking at number 8. The improvement was due in part to the release of vinyl and CD editions (according to the chart’s rules, each physical sale counts for at least 100 shows).
Five other Christmas songs are in the Top 10 this week, as Wham’s Last Christmas! peaked at number 2. The duo’s song never topped that position when it first came out in 1984, but finally topped the chart in 2021. reaching number 1 again in 2022 and 2023.
Bookies peg him as favorite for this year’s Christmas No.1, but he will have to see off pop singer Gracie Abrams, whose single That’s So True spent a fifth week at the top.
Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You is at No.5 this week, while Brenda Lee’s Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree is at No.6, Ed Sheeran and Elton John’s Merry Christmas is at No.9 and Jingle Bell Rock at Bobby Helms is at number 10. There are a total of 21 Christmas songs in the Top 40.
While they may not achieve the massive streaming numbers of Christmas classics, other charity singles are expected to perform strongly as people rally behind them with purchases, earning them powerful chart sales figures.
Released on Friday is All I Am by Aaron Paley – aka Yorkshire Pudding Boy, a 13-year-old boy from Southend who went viral for a Halloween outfit made for him by pub owner James, made from around 350 Yorkshire puddings. The song is being released in aid of the National Autistic Society and the NSPCC.
Sheffield indie band Reverend and the Makers recorded a song for Samaritans titled Late Night Phone Call. The band are best known for their Top 10 hit Heavyweight Champion of the World, but have cultivated a devoted fanbase and their most recent album, 2023’s Heatwave in the Cold North, peaked at No.6.
Meanwhile, the popularity of the film version of Wicked is sending songs from its soundtrack up the charts. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s Defying Gravity is at number 7, while What Is This Feeling? is at number 16.
V, the K-pop singer and member of boy band BTS, has two upcoming holiday hits: Winter Ahead, a duet with Park Hyo Shin, and a new duet version of White Christmas with Bing Crosby, approved by the late singer’s estate.