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The
Christmas Number Ones prior to 1952 are based on sheet music sales. The
artists listed for those hits are the ones mainly responsible
for popularising the song.
1945:
Issy Bonn... I'm In Love With Two Sweethearts
1946: Frank Sinatra... Five Minutes More
1947: Lou Preager.. Jimmy Leach... An Apple Blossom Wedding
1948: Dinah Shore..Evelyn Knight... Buttons And Bows
1949: Anton Karas... The Harry Lime Theme
1950: Gene Autry.. Bing Crosby... Rudoph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
1951: Teddy Johnson ..Teresa Brewer ...Longing For You
Chart
hits are taken from the sales of a record in a week and announced at the
end of that week. So what might be actually at No.1 on Dec 25th in some
cases is not the Christmas No.1 Hit. It was really the number one from
the sales the week prior to Christmas. When this has happens I will also
include the track that was in the chart ON Christmas Day too. (eg 1960
& '61)
LILAC ( ) = week ending date it topped
the charts / date announced
GREEN ( ) = weeks at number one
1950's
1952: Hear In My Heart
- Al Martino (Nov 16th) (9)
First ever
track in the UK charts + million seller + USA No1 .
1953: Answer Me - Frankie Laine 9 (Nov 13th)
(8)
1954: Lets Have Another Party - Winifred Atwell (Dec
3rd) (5)
1955: Christmas Alphabet - Dicky Valentine (Nov
16th) (3)
1956: Just Walking In The Rain - Johnnie Ray (Nov
16th) (7)
1957: Marys Boy Child - Harry Belafonte (Nov
22nd ) (7) +
million seller
1958: Its Only Make Believe - Conway Twitty (Dec
19th) (5) +
No.1 in USA
1959: What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For - Emile Ford
and The Checkmates (Dec 18th) (6)
1960's
1960: I Love You - Cliff Richard & The Shadows (Dec
29th) (2) It's
Now Or Never - Elvis Presley was No.1. Christmas Day, but not Xmas No.1.
1961: Moon River - Danny Williams ( Dec 28th)
(2) Tower of Strength - Frankie Vaughan
was No.1 on Dec 25th, but not Xmas No.1.
1962: Return To Sender - Elvis Presley (Dec
13th) (3)
1963: I Want To Hold Your Hand - Beatles
( Dec12th) (5)
+US No.1 + Million Seller
1964: I Feel Fine - Beatles (Dec
10th) (5) +US
No.1 + Million Seller
1965: Day Tripper / We Can Work It Out - Beatles (Dec16)
(5) +EP was a Million Seller + Day Tripper
No.1 in USA
1966: Green Green Grass Oh Home - Tom Jones
(Dec 1st) (7) +Million
Seller
1967: Hello Goodbye - Beatles (Dec 6th) (7)
+ US No1
1968: Lily The Pink - Scaffold (Dec 11th)
(3)
1969: Two Little Boys - Rolf Harris (Dec20th)
(6)
1970's
1970: I Hear You Knockin' - Dave Edmunds
(Nov 28th) (6)
1971: Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West) - Benny Hill (Dec
11th) (4)
1972: Long Haired Lover From Liverpool - Little Jimmy Osmond (Dec23rd)
(5)
1973: Merry Xmas Everybody - Slade (Dec15th)
(5) + UK entry at No.1 + Million Seller
1974: Lonely This Christmas - Mud (Dec 21st)
(4)
1975: Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen (Nov 29th)
(9) + million seller
1976: When A Child Is Born - Johnny Mathis (Dec
25th) (3)
1977: Mull Of Kintyre / Girls' School - Wings (Dec
3rd) (9) + million seller
1978: Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord - Boney M (Dec
9th) (4)
1979: Another Brick In The Wall ( Part 2 ) - Pink Floyd (Dec
15th) (5) + Million seller + USA No1. + UK
entry at No1.
1980's
1980: There's No-One Quite Like Grandma - St. Winifred's School
Choir (Dec 27th) (2) (Just
Like) Starting Over - John Lennon was
No.1. Christmas Day, but not Xmas No.1.
1981: Don't You Want Me - Human League (Dec
12th) (5) + million seller + USA No1
1982: Save Your Love - Renée and Renato (Dec
18th) (4)
1983: Only You - Flying Pickets (Dec 10th)
(5)
1984: Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid (Dec
15th) (5) + million seller + UK entry at
No1.
1985: Merry Christmas Everyone - Shakin' Stevens
(Dec 28th) (2) Saving All My Love For You
- Whitney Houston was No.1. Christmas
Day, but not Xmas No.1.
1986: Reet Petite - Jackie Wilson (Dec 27th) (4) Caravan Of Love
- Housemartins was No.1. Christmas Day, but
not Xmas No.1.
1987: Always On My Mind - Pet Shop Boys (Dec
19th) (4)
1988: Mistletoe And Wine - Cliff Richard (Dec
10th) (4)
1989: Do They Know It's Christmas ? - Band Aid II (Dec
23rd) (3) + UK entry at No1
1990's
1990: Saviour's Day - Cliff Richard (Dec
29th) (1) Ice Ice Baby -Vanilla Ice was
No.1. Christmas Day, but not Xmas No.1.
1991: Bohemian Rhapsody / These Are The Days Of Our Lives - Queen
(Dec 21st) (5) + million
seller + UK entry at No.1.
1992: I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston (Dec
5th) (10) + million seller + USA No.1.
1993: Mr. Blobby - Mr. Blobby (Dec 25th)
(2)
1994: Stay Another Day - East 17 (Dec 10th)
(5)
1995: Earth Song - Michael Jackson (Dec 9th)
(6) + million seller + UK entry at No.1.
1996: 2 Become 1 - Spice Girls (Dec 28th)
(3) + million seller + UK entry at No.1. Knocking
On Heavens Door/Throw These Guns Away - Dunblane was
No.1. Christmas Day, but not Xmas No.1.
1997: Too Much - Spice Girls (Dec 27th)
(2) + UK entry at No.1. Teletubbies Say Eh-Oh! -Telletubbies
was No.1. Christmas Day, but not Xmas
No.1.
1998: Goodbye - Spice Girls (Dec 26th)
(2) + UK entry at No.1. To You I Belong - B*Witched
was No.1. Christmas Day, but not Xmas
No.1.
1999: I Have A Dream / Seasons In The Sun - Westlife
(Dec 25th) (1) + UK entry at No.1.
2000's
2000: Can We Fix It - Bob The Builder (Dec
22) (3)
2001: Somethin' Stupid - Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman (Dec
23) (3)
2002: Sound Of The Underground - Girls Aloud (Dec
28) (4)
2003: Mad World - Michael Andrews featuring Gary Jules (Dec
27) (3)
2004: Do They Know It's Christmas -Band Aid 20 (Dec
11) (4) (Band Aid 1984, Band Aid 11 1989)
2005:
Shayne
Ward - That's My Goal (Dec 31) (4) (UK
X Factor winner)
2006: Leona Lewis - A Moment Like This (Dec
30)
(4)
(UK X Factor winner)
2007: Loen Jackson
- When You Believe (Dec 29) ()
(UK X Factor winner)
FACTS
The first Christmas chart-topper to enter at No.1 was Slade's "Merry
Xmas Everybody" in 1973
The
most consecutive Christmas No.1's is 3 by the Beatles (1963, 1964, 1965)
and The Spice Girls (1996, 1997, 1998).
There
has only been one instrumental Xmas No.1 Winifred Atwell's "Lets
Have Another Party"
The
longest running Christmas No.1 was Whitney Houston's "I Will Always
Love You" which topped the charts for 10 weeks and stayed at No.1
into February.
Only
Christmas No.1 by female vocalist Whitney Houston's "I Will Always
Love You"
Only
five Christmas No.1's have the word 'Christmas' in the title
1955 'Christmas Alphabet' - Dicky Valentine
1974 'Lonely This Christmas' - Mud
1984 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' - Band Aid
1985 'Merry Christmas Everyone' - Shakin' Stevens
1989 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' - Band Aid 2
'Merry Xmas Everybody' - Slade (1973) has the word Xmas in the title but
if you count this one it makes six.
The
youngest female & male vocalists to feature on a Christmas No.1 are
8 year old Dawn Ralf fronting St. Winifred's School Choir - "There's
No-One Quite Like Grandma" in 1980 and 9 year old Little Jimmy Osmond
with 'Long Haired Lover From Liverpool' in 1972.
The
only non-human to make Christmas No.1 was Mr. Blobby with 'Mr. Blobby'
in 1993.
All information from 1952 - 2000 is take from the
"Guinness Book of British Hit Singles"
The
'Secret' Number One
John & Yoko and The Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir
- "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)"
There was a time when no new chart was compiled over the Christmas period;
it was a labour-intensive process requiring couriers racing around the
country, collecting sales diaries which were then delivered to a data-entry
team who would manually key the catalogue numbers into an early computer
system. These staff needed a week off for Christmas. Furthermore, the
media didn't seem to require a chart update due to lack of publications
and special festive programming. Today, the data is downloaded from stores
in a flash and chart-compilation is much less labour-intensive so even
over Christmas a new chart can easily be compiled - and Radio One is happy
to air it. But, between these two extremes, there were a few years in
which a new chart was compiled but never aired or published. Usually,
this resulted in no change at the top in any case. But the notable exception
was Christmas 1980. On 8th December of that year John Lennon was assassinated.
On the week ending 27 Dec, St Winifred's School Choir hit the top spot
with "There's No-one Quite Like Grandma." But, directly over
Christmas week, large numbers of shoppers bought Lennon's classic "Happy
Christmas (War Is Over)." The chart compiled (though not published)
for w/e 3rd Jan 1981 had John Lennon at number one. This fact is not widely
known, thus it is omitted from lists of Number Ones. Instead, St Winifred's
School Choir are shown as holding the position for two weeks. By the time
normal service had been resumed (w/e 10th Jan 1981), John Lennon's "Imagine"
had climbed to the top in any case.
Christmas
Album
No.1 Hits
MUSO
PAGE
/ BIRTHDAYS
ONE HIT WONDERS / PAST
CHARTS / No.1.
HITS
BAND
NAMES . .
TV COMMERCIALS
. . WEEKLY TRIVIA

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