Wham!
Santa’s written his list, and is now probably in the process of checking it twice, so we’ve decided to take a look at our favourite tunes in our best ever Christmas songs countdown!
12. Destiny’s Child – 8 Days of Christmas
Not your typical Christmas song, but the up tempo track from the album of the same name offered up by the three girls is something that simply cannot be ignored. Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams and Beyoncé solidified their place as THE girl group of the world with their multi-genre tracks, and this fun hit will be played for many years to come we’re sure.
11. The Darkness – Christmas Time (Don’t Let the Bells End)
In a close fought battle, The Darkness just missed out on the 2003 Christmas Number one spot after just one day of sales saw them pipped to the post by Gary Jules and Michael Andrew’s ‘Mad World’. The single sold approximately 385,000 over this Christmas period, and the much-talked about video is one you shouldn’t miss.
10. Chris Rea – Driving Home For Christmas
Chris managed to bring a tinge of rock to this festive song, which was inspired by the long journey he and his wife had ahead of them one year when they had decided to drive from London to Middlesbrough for the holiday. In its original release, the song only managed to peak at 53 in the UK singles chart, but did marginally better in 2007 when it re-entered the chart at 33. Stacey Solomon, Joe McElderry and Michael Ball are just some of the artists to cover the track, easily making it one of the most recognisable Christmas songs today.
9. Cliff Richard – Mistletoe and Wine
You either love this song, or reach for the remote to mute the television whenever it comes on. Cliff shows off some very interesting dance moves in the music video when he’s joined by a small choir group, and the hit managed to secure him his one and only UK number one single of the 80s. The track sold around 750,000 copies making it the bestselling UK single of 1988, and stood at number one in the charts for four weeks in December of the same year.
8. Band Aid – Do They Know It’s Christmas?
With the song being released three times in order to raise money for charity and with a strong roster of famous faces and great voices on the track each and every time, it’s hard not to recognise the incredible impact it has had around the globe. The original recording in 1984 took the title of the biggest selling UK record of all time after selling one million copies in the first week alone, which it kept up until 1997 when Elton John’s tribute to Princess Diana took its place.
7. Frank Sinatra – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
The great Frank Sinatra offers up a cover of the original song by Judy Garland, from the musical Meet Me in St. Louis. It’s a brilliant, mellow song to finish off any night, sitting in front of the fire with a glass of Baileys. Definitely not a song to be looked over just because of its age, and a must listen at this time of year.
6. Brenda Lee – Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
The vocals you hear on the original version of this track are of a 13-year-old Brenda Lee, and although released in both 1958 and 1959, a good amount of sales didn’t come in until 1960 when Brenda was recognised as a popular entertainer. The song has appeared on hit holiday film ‘Home Alone’, and reached number 14 on the American Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart. Kim Wilde and Mel Smith lent their vocals to the track for a Comic Relief fundraiser, and entered the UK charts at number 3 in 1987.
5. Wizzard – I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday
Arguably one of the most iconic Christmas tracks to date, with a brilliant music video to match, glam rock group Wizzard provide fun and laughter whilst dressed in their woollies and blasted with glitter. Sadly they only reached number four on the UK Official Singles Chart, a position which they kept for four consecutive weeks. The song has re-entered the charts many times over the decades, and many different artists have produced their own covers of this real classic.
4. Slade – Merry Xmas Everybody
“It’s Christmas!” screams Noddy Holder as the intro for ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ kicks in. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t recognise the tune, and it’s hard not to sing along with the group as they spread a little spirit and cheer. It managed to take the UK Christmas Number one back in December 1973 and has been pleasing audiences ever since. It’s not officially Christmas until you hear this track.
3. Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas
One of the biggest voices on the planet gifted the world with this gem of a song all the way back in 1994, and it still manages to thrill to the current day. It regularly re-enters charts worldwide in the festive period, and was even re-recorded with added vocals from Justin Bieber (but the less we say about that, the better.) Mariah is a true songstress and couldn’t have made a better choice when choosing this single from her fourth studio album, ‘Merry Christmas’.
2. Wham! – Last Christmas
The story’s a sad one. Last Christmas, George Michael proclaimed his love to somebody, but the very next day they shot him down. It’s not all bad though, because George is planning to move on, and this year he’s going to give his love to someone who deserves it. The soft melody hasn’t stopped this traditional tune from becoming one of the most listened to and adored around, and we’d be shocked if it ever dwindled into irrelevance.
1. The Pogues (featuring Kirsty MacColl) – Fairytale of New York
Every once in a while, you listen to a song for the first time and just think “Wow.” That was and is the case for millions of people who have heard The Pogues ‘Fairytale of New York’. It’s not your typical cheery song, and it’s possibly that which has made it so successful. If every song created was as innovative and unique as this one, the music scene would be a much better place with a superbly high quality, which is exactly why this track has topped our list.
So, do you agree, or have we missed out some songs which you think should be sitting here instead of others? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below, or tweet us at @FemaleFirst_UK
FemaleFirst Daniel Falconer @Danarazzi
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