The most joyous time of the year has arrived. A time for family, copious amounts of food, more alcohol that we care to admit and a constant stream of Christmas songs reappearing in the music charts. I’m sure the artists who were fortunate to release a Christmas hit look forward to this time of year rolling around again. We all have a favourite Christmas hit, whether it’s Mariah Carey, Frank Sinatra or a modern re-release of a Christmas classic, there’s always one that fills us with more holiday joy. In the spirit of Christmas and to coincide with my ‘24 Songs of Christmas’ countdown on Instagram (if you don’t already, give me a follow and join in the festivities), today’s blog will be looking at the top 5 most popular Christmas songs of all time.
Band Aid – ‘Do they know it’s Christmas?’ (1984) AND Bing Crosby – ‘White Christmas’ (1942)
We’re starting off our top 5 list with a draw between Band Aid and Bing Crosby. Various articles have either hit at the top of their list’s and it was difficult to actually find out which Christmas hit is the most successful globally, so they’re sharing this top spot.
In support of the famine in Ethiopia, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure formed a supergroup of the biggest UK and Irish artists and together they released ‘Do they know it’s Christmas?’. Incredibly it is reported that the Christmas hit went on to raise over £8 million within 12 months of its release and to this day continues to raise money in support of various charities. Besides the heartwarming context behind it, ‘Do they know it’s Christmas?’ has continued to be the UK’s favourite hit and continues to rise in popularity every December.
Bing Crosby released some of the best Christmas cheer during his life, including the massive hit ‘White Christmas’. Released in 1941/42, ‘White Christmas’ stands the test of time and has beaten every Christmas hit that’s come after. The Guinness Book of Records has recorded ‘White Christmas’ as not only the biggest selling song of all time but the most successful Christmas song in the United States. To date, ‘White Christmas’ has sold over 50,000,000 copies.
Boney M – ‘Mary’s Boy Child/Oh My Lord’ (1978)
Taking the second spot is the Christmas classic by Boney M ‘Mary’s Boy Child’, occasionally referred to as ‘Oh My Lord’. One of my all time favourites, this Christmas hit deserves to be taking one of the top spots. If you need some Christmas joy this is the one to go to. After its release in 1978, ‘Mary’s Boy Child’ rocketed to success and became the UK’s Christmas number one the same year. Selling over 2 million copies, the hit single has become a lifelong miracle to disco group Boney M. Band member Liz Mitchell recently spoke of the song’s success stating “some people play the lottery all their life and never win a penny – others play once and hit the jackpot, and that’s how it felt with Mary’s Boy Child.” (Evening Express, 2013)
Mariah Carey – ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ (1994)
All hail the Queen of Christmas! Honestly, I was surprised that Mariah’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ didn’t take the top spot because every Christmas this is the one song I can say will be playing every single time I turn on the radio or enter a store. But alas, here we are. Let’s be honest, Mariah is rolling in it and her bank account thrives at Christmas. So far this hit has earned Mariah over 16 million global sales and is listed as the 11th best-selling single of all time. I’m sorry, but it is not possible to listen to this without erupting into a ballad. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of Mariah but I can’t hide my love for this epic Christmas hit.
Wham! – ‘Last Christmas’ (1984)
Remember when I said that ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ will always be playing in any store or on any radio station throughout December? Well, ‘Last Christmas’ takes joint lead in that category – and why shouldn’t it?!
If there’s a perfect karaoke Christmas song it’s this one. Unfortunately for Wham! they missed out on the Christmas number 1 spot in 1984 which was snapped up by Band Aid. Despite missing out on being crowned number 1, ‘Last Christmas’ continues to fill us with Christmas joy and is undeniably deserving of a top 5 spot. Since the devastating death of George Michael on 25th December 2016, ‘Last Christmas’ has taken on another meaning for many fans and many are determined to give this classic its number 1 Christmas chart spot. Currently ‘Last Christmas’ sits at number 2 in the 2020 December charts but it has been reported it’s just over 1,000 sales behind the reigning number 1; ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You. We have until Christmas Day to crown Wham! as 2020’s Christmas number 1.
As for who takes the number 5 spot – who knows!
Every source I looked at stated a different Christmas classic so disappointingly, I have no answer. As there’s such a difference in who takes the number 5 spot, I’ll state all the favourites I found below and you can make the choice for yourself.
The Pogues ft Kirsty MacColl – ‘Fairytale of New York’ (1987)
Slade – ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ (1973)
Wizard – ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday’ (1973)
Nat King Cole – ‘The Christmas Song’ (1953)
Eartha Kitt – ‘Santa Baby’ (1953)
What’s your favourite Christmas song?
Music Talks UK 