2024 Christmas #1 thread

Devil said:
Or Sabrina could just whack something new out and claim another 9 weeks at #1 or something if she wouldn’t MIND
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Need this to autoplay when you ask Alexa to play a Christmas song and give grandpa a heart attack:

 
ELO are going to face stiff competition from
*checks notes* Sir Ed Davey.

 
Largely copied from @AGinAg (39)'s thread

08 16 Wham! - Last Christmas (126wks) (1984)
10 17 Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You (135wks) (1994)
20 34 Brenda Lee - Rockin Around the Christmas Tree (76wks) (1958)
27 46 Ariana Grande - Santa Tell Me (45wks) (2014)
30 51 Bobby Helm - Jingle Bell Rock (36wks) (1957)
31 RE Merry Christmas - Ed Sheeran & Elton John (16wks) (2021)
32 52 Kelly Clarkson - Underneath The Christmas Tree (46wks) (2013)
34 48 Pogues ft. Kirsty McColl - Fairytale of New York (128wks) (1987)
39 62 Andy Williams - It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (61wks)
40 60 Shakin Stevens - Merry Christmas Everyone (99wks) (1985)
45 79 Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas (107wks) (1984)
49 83 Tom Grennan - It Can't Be Christmas (2 wks) (2024)
51 65 Michael Buble - It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas (62wks) (2011)
53 71 Sia - Snowman (20 weeks) (2020)
55 85 Laufey - Winter Wonderland (6wks) (2023)
56 82 Elton John - Step Into Christmas (65wks) (1974)
65 92 Dean Martin - Let It Snow Let It Snow Let It Snow (42wks) (1966)
66 96 Ronettes - Sleigh Ride (32wks) (1963)
67 NE Laufey - Christmas Magic (1wk) (2024)
72 RE Michael Buble - Holly Jolly Christmas (37wks) (2011)
75 RE Chris Rea - Driving Home For Christmas (81wks) (1988)
79 RE Paul McCartney - Wonderful Christmas Time (55wks) (1979)
81 RE Jose Feliciano - Feliz Navidad (26wks) (1970)
82 RE Leona Lewis - One More Sleep (45wks) (2013)
86 RE Wizzard - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day (80wks) (1973)
92 RE John Lennon & Yoko Ono - Happy Xmas (War is Over) (61wks) (1971)
94 RE Slade - Merry Christmas Everybody (120wks) (1973)
99 RE John Williams - Carol of the Bells (5wks) (1990)

And compared to the corresponding chart week in 2023

#5 Wham!
#6 Mariah
#14 Brenda Lee
#16 Michael Bublé
#17 Ed Sheeran & Elton John
#18 Pogues ft Kirsty MacColl
#20 Bobby Helms
#22 Ariana Grande
#23 Sam Ryder
#25 Shakin' Stevens
#27 Kelly Clarkson
#29 Andy Williams
#35 Band Aid
#36 Dean Martin
#38 Jorja Smith
#40 Sia
#44 John Lennon & Plastic Ono Band
#45 Michael Bublé
#46 Chris Rea
#47 Elton John
#51 Ronettes
#52 Paul McCartney
#54 Justin Bieber
#55 Wizzard
#58 Leona Lewis
#60 Jose Feliciano
#70 Slade
#76 Darlene Love
#84 Frank Sinatra
#94 Nat King Cole
#95 Michael Jackson & Jackson Five
#99 Coldplay
 
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And to hijack the discussion from the other thread (and discussions last year), I very much agree that Leona particularly is royally screwed by Spotify playlists.

I genuinely believe that if she had the same degree of favourable playlist placement as Kelly and Ariana (I'd say her two most obvious competitors), she'd likely be more successful than them.

As much as actual sales mean very little in terms of overall chart, I do find it interesting that on iTunes, it's #42 for Leona, #62 for Kelly Clarkson and #121 for Ariana. Of course we're talking small numbers, but it seems more people are willing to pay for Leona.

On streaming, it's #13 Ariana Grande #16 Kelly Clarkson and #67 Leona Lewis. If you look at Spotify's Christmas Hits playlist (by far the biggest playlist on the UK's biggest streaming platform by some distance), Ariana is in the 5th position, Kelly 6th, and Leona 62nd. On Spotify's Christmas Pop playlist (which I think is the second biggest), it's Ariana 1st, Kelly 3rd, Leona 36th.
 
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I'm assuming that Ed Sheeran/Elton John still hasn't been put on ACR, as its only #81 on the streaming chart and #49 on sales, so being #31 overall can only be that, I'd have thought.
 
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lolly said:
And to hijack the discussion from the other thread (and discussions last year), I very much agree that Leona particularly is royally screwed by Spotify playlists.

I genuinely believe that if she had the same degree of favourable playlist placement as Kelly and Ariana (I'd say her two most obvious competitors), she'd likely be more successful than them.

As much as actual sales mean very little in terms of overall chart, I do find it interesting that on iTunes, it's #42 for Leona, #62 for Kelly Clarkson and #121 for Ariana. Of course we're talking small numbers, but it seems more people are willing to pay for Leona.

On streaming, it's #13 Ariana Grande #16 Kelly Clarkson and #67 Leona Lewis. If you look at Spotify's Christmas Hits playlist (by far the biggest playlist on the UK's biggest streaming platform by some distance), Ariana is in the 5th position, Kelly 6th, and Leona 62nd. On Spotify's Christmas Pop playlist (which I think is the second biggest), it's Ariana 1st, Kelly 3rd, Leona 36th.
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I’m assuming the same principle applies to the likes of Slade, Chris Rea and Wizzard, which are so clearly much more popular here than the likes of Bobby Helm and Brenda Lee?
 
Pingu said:
I’m assuming the same principle applies to the likes of Slade, Chris Rea and Wizzard, which are so clearly much more popular here than the likes of Bobby Helm and Brenda Lee?
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I think without doubt it's true that Brenda Lee and Bobby Helms have been created as huge Christmas hits purely because of streaming playlists. I'll look at the figures later.
 
Are the 70s tracks really staples for anyone under 40? Brenda Lee is sheer joy so I'm not surprised it's become a bigger hit, playlists or otherwise. Helms is pure playlisting.

I'm not sure Driving is quite so beloved.
 
Anything from the 50s went out of copyright in the UK and Europe. The loophole wasn't closed until 2012, therefore preserving recordings from 1963 onwards for another 20 years. Surely a company as honest and fair as Spotify wouldn't shove them up the playlist because they don't have to pay anything in a big chunk of the world...? :angel:
 
But then it feeds itself, doesn't it? Brenda Lee's and Bobby Helms'sannual success are undoubtedly massively due to high playlist placing consistently every year and so younger people then hear it and it becomes a huge part of their Christmas, in a way that Slade (for example) doesn't, when it's paid dirt by Spotify.
 
I think Slade and Wizzard are genuinely beloved but my generation are probably bit tired of them. I mean, not me, I love both, especially Wizzard but maybe that slight shiver around almost anything from the 70s has contributed.
 
Chris Rea is an interesting one, because it wasn't much of a hit at all for years.

It was originally a b-side in 1986, before it got a re-recorded in 1988 to be included on Rea's first compilation album, and then was the lead track on a Christmas EP put out as the fourth release from that album, presumably to push album sales over the festive period.

It peaked at #53 as part of that EP, and didn't make the top 40 until 2007 - was that the first year downloads were allowed to chart without there being a physical single as well? As it didn't chart again until that year.

It's since charted every year since, but didn't make the top 30 until 2015, and the top 20 until 2017.

Its sole week in the top 10 was in 2021. I don't think it's beloved in quite the same way that some are, but I do think their is a genuine appetite for it.
 
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Can I mention Laufey again? WHO IS SHE? Why is she getting such favourable treatment at Christmas?

This may well just be a OLD FART thing, but i have no idea who she is, outside of Winter Wonderland being part of the Spotify Singles Holiday last year and getting to #26 after the push.

This year she's an Amazon exclusive with Christmas Magic, and the only new Christmas song from 2024 to be charting, other than Tom Grennan, who also has an Amazon exclusive. Plus Spotify are still pushing her up their playlists.

She got to #92 in the UK in 2023 with a song called From The Start, which has over half a billion streams on Spotify, so it must have done really well somewhere...
 
Her RSD release goes for an absolute bomb but that's all I know, really.
 
I'd say the Pogues are also as obvious a loser as Leona.

I think the late 00s / early 10s chart placings (still relatively free of playlist shenanigans) would be more representative of genuine UK popularity. The Pogues were routinely trumping Mariah and Wham, let alone worrying about Brenda Lee.
 
I'd agree. I guess I just see Leona/Ariana/Kelly more closely linked as solo females released more closely together - but that doesn't really matter in terms of comparison now.
 
There was that article from the OCC of the biggest 21st century Xmas hits and I think it is Ariana in third, Leona in 4th and Kelly in 5th or something (up to last year) - so they are very much in line in all time popularity - but they playlisting positions you’ve listed shows it will be an uphill battle for Leona to stay in that range.
 
Why couldn't Spotify at least used their Kelly allegiance to boost the duet version of DJ Play A Christmas Song? It's dead in the water this year.
 
Brenda Lee's version of jingle bell rock should be used on Spotify playlists. It's much better than Bobby Helms's
 
Halli said:
Leona should perf One More Sleep on The One Show mid December so it can shoot to #1 for a cuttla weeks.
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I don't see her on Sunday Brunch this morning either, huge f*ck up by her TEAM
 
AGinAg (39) said:
Where was Brenda Lee?
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They are trying to get her via zoom next week apparently, she wants to cook a Pumpkin Pie but her team are trying to talk her into something more Christmas themed. 'Every little detail will help streaming numbers, Brenda' was overheard...
 
Spotify yesterday

#1 Wham!
#2 Mariah
#3 Brenda Lee
#5 Bobby Helms
#6 Ariana Grande
#8 Kelly Clarkson
#9 Andy Williams
#10 The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl
#11 Dean Martin
#13 Michael Bublé
#14 The Ronettes
#15 Sia
#18 Michael Bublé
#22 Shakin' Stevens
#23 John Williams
#24 Jose Feliciano
#25 Perry Como
#28 Band Aid (1984)
#31 Darlene Love
#32 Chris Rea
#35 Nat 'King' Cole
#37 Laufey
#39 John Lennon & Plastic Ono Band
#41 Paul McCartney
#46 Wizzard
#48 Slade
#50 Ed Sheeran/Elton John
#51 Justin Bieber
#57 Frank Sinatra
#59 Leona Lewis
#61 Mark Ambor
#62 Bing Crosby
#71 Nat 'King' Cole
#80 Elvis Presley
#81 Kesha
#86 The Beach Boys
#87 Coldplay
#89 Vince Guaraldi Trio
#90 Frank Sinatra
#97 Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
#98 Chuck Berry

Lots more down to 200. No Band Aid 40 though. And two versions of Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt and Laufey, but no Kylie.
 
Streams compared to the corresponding Saturday last year

2024

Wham! 725k
Mariah 660k

2023
Wham! 1.162m
Mariah 1.126m
 
That’s quite the drop off year on year isn’t it. Is Kelly normally this high this early?
 
Devil said:
That’s quite the drop off year on year isn’t it. Is Kelly normally this high this early?
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She was #11 on the same Saturday last year. But last year she was on 606k compared to 436k at #8 this year.
 
This is PLEASING

I'm so BORED of Christmas songs*

With people starting the shit in November, it means we spend 1/6 of our lives having the SAME OLD TIRED 5 songs shoved down our throats.

I REFUSE to put on any of the dreck on until Christmas Day itself.

* obviously exceptions are made for Annie Lennox bellowing at me
 
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