‘Last Christmas’ by Wham! is the Christmas number 1 single this year, as it was last year. The seasonal battle for number 1 is different now that streaming is included in the chart, which means that old songs reappear alongside new releases. Here’s my list of the best and worst of the Christmas number 1s (information obtained from the official charts website).
Best:
Beatles – ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ (1963)
Beatles – ‘Day Tripper / We Can Work It Out’ (1965)
Slade – ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ (1973)
Queen – ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ (1975 and 1991)
Wings – ‘Mull of Kintyre’ (1977)
Pink Floyd – ‘Another Brick in the Wall Pt.2’ (1979)
Human League – ‘Don’t You Want Me’ (1981)
Pet Shop Boys – ‘Always on My Mind’ (1987)
Whitney Houston – ‘I Will Always Love You’ (1992)
East 17 – ‘Stay Another Day’ (1994)
Spice Girls – ‘2 Become 1’ (1996)
Michael Andrews & Gary Jules – ‘Mad World’ (2003)
Rage Against the Machine – ‘Killing in the Name’ (2009)
Worst:
Note: I know some of these were for charity. It’s still OK to dislike the song.
Rolf Harris – ‘Two Little Boys’ (1969)
Jimmy Osmond – ‘Long Haired Lover from Liverpool’ (1972)
St Winifred’s School Choir – ‘There’s No One Quite Like Grandma’ (1980)
Cliff Richard – ‘Saviour’s Day’ (1990)
Matt Cardle – ‘When We Collide’ (2010)
LadBaby – ‘I Love Sausage Rolls’ (2019)
Band Aid – ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ (1984 and various years since)
So bad it’s almost good:
Mr Blobby – ‘Mr Blobby’ (1993)