The anticipation of waiting to see what song takes the title of Christmas Number One can be incredibly exciting. While we’d expect it to be a Christmas song that sells the most, this is not always the case. We counted down the best-selling Christmas Songs of all time that related to the holiday itself, but now let’s look at the songs that don’t even refer to the festive period that stole the number one spot.
This cover of Biffy Clyro’s Many of Horror was Matt Cardle’s X Factor Winner’s Single from 2010. The week of its release, it debuted at number one on the Irish Singles Charts and stayed there for five weeks. It hit number one on the UK Singles Chart three days later.
An interesting entry to the list, Bob the Builder sold over one million copies with this extended version of the show’s theme song. It beat Westlife’s What Makes a Man to the Christmas Number One in 2000. It placed 10th on the decade-end chart and 80th on the all-time UK best-sellers list.
Another X Factor Winner’s Single, this one topped the charts in 2005 and became the year’s Christmas Number One. It was the only original song by a winner of the show until 2016 when Matt Terry released When Christmas Comes Around. In the first two days of its release, it sold 313,000 copies, becoming the fastest-selling single of the year. By the fourth day, it had sold 429,180. It has since been certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry after selling over 600,000 copies.
In 1979, part two of this three-part composition by the legendary rock band was released. It became the band’s only UK number one, as well as topping the charts in the United States, West Germany and many others. It went on to sell over 4 million copies worldwide.
This socially-conscious song became the Christmas Number One in 1995 and stayed there for six weeks. It beat U2/Brian Eno’s Passengers, as well as Oasis’s Wonderwall and Bjork’s Its Oh So Quiet. It topped the charts in Iceland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland and peaked at number five in almost every European state.
In 1965, upon visiting Colony Records in New York City, Jones asked if they had any new works by Jerry Lee Lewis. They gave him the singer’s latest country album and Jones was impressed with this particular song. He decided to record and release it in 1966. It became the year’s Christmas Number One and has since sold over 1.25 million copies in the UK.
The Beatles released this double A-side track in 1965. It was the first time in Britain that both tracks on the single were marketed as joint A-sides. The track was the UK’s Christmas Number One and hit the top spot in Ireland, America, Australia and Canada. The Beatles won the Ivor Novello Award for this track for the top-selling A-side of 1965.
Another, but not the last entry on this list by the Beatles. I Feel Fine became the Christmas Number One the year before in 1964. It also topped the charts in Ireland, the United States, and Canada, as well as the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden. I Feel Fine was the fifth highest-selling single of the 1960s.
This single by the British synthpop band is their most commercially successful and best-known song. It took the Christmas Number One in 1981 and has gone on to sell 1,560,000 copies. It is the 23rd most successful single in UK Singles Chart history.
The 1992 film The Bodyguard featured this cover of Dolly Parton’s 1974 song. The track was massive, topping the charts in a number of countries for several weeks. It stayed at the top of the UK charts for 10 weeks, breaking the record for longest run by a solo female artist that was only overtaken in 2019 by Tones & I.
Last but not least from the Beatles is this 1963 single. Pre-orders exceeded one million, but it was initially blocked from the number one spot by She Loves You. Eventually, I Want To Hold Your Hand became the Christmas Number One of the year and stayed at the top for five weeks. It remained in the UK Top 50 for 21 weeks.
Mull of Kintyre is one of the only tracks on the list that is widely considered a classic Christmas song, despite the fact it is about the Scottish peninsula. This double A-side became number one in 1977 and spent nine weeks at the top.
This song is the only song to get the Christmas Number One twice by the same artist. It hit number one for the first time following its release in 1975 and then again in 1991 following the death of Freddie Mercury. It has sold over 2.6 million copies in the UK alone.
Source: OfficialCharts.com