Christmas songs are a huge aspect of the holiday season. We all have a certain song that has a special place in our hearts. Year in, year out these songs can still bring back memories from celebrations past and even help us make new ones. The Christmas song market is universally huge, but what often happens is the crowned “Christmas Number One” may go to a song not even about the holiday itself. These are the best selling festive Christmas songs of all time.
7. 2 Become 1 – Spice Girls
While this song about the bond between two lovers isn’t overly festive, the accompanying music video is what brings this to Christmas song level. The music has a magic feel to it and it certainly worked in terms of sales. 2 Become 1 sold 1.14 million copies when it was released by the girl band in 1996.
This remake of the iconic 1984 tune came in 2004, featuring big names like Chris Martin, Dido, Robbie Williams, Paul McCartney and Bono, singing his now infamous line. Other popular acts from the time who featured on the track include The Sugababes, Busted and Daniel Bedingfield. Band Aid 20 stayed at the top of the charts for four weeks, just one week less than the 1984 version.
Released in 1957, this mellow song by Belafonte is a stark contrast to the Boney M incarnate. The American singer had heard a choir performing the song and later asked for permission to record it. It has sold 1.19 million copies since its release in November that year. Belafonte had originally released the track in 1956, but it was the longer version from the following year that climbed the charts.
IT’S CHRISTMAAAS! This iconic song from 1973 enters the charts every few years, peaking in 2017 at number 16. Merry Xmas Everyone has sold 1.32 million copies. Its shouty yet festive nature would have any granny “up and rock and rollin’ with the rest”. This song really captures the fun of Christmas parties, purely from its energetic and catchy nature.
Like 2 Become 1, the lyrics to this song aren’t necessarily based around Christmas. However, it can be considered a relatively festive cover of this Leonard Cohen track. It shot to number 1 after Burke was crowned the winner of the 2008 X Factor Final. As of August 2016, it has sold 1.297 million copies. Hallelujah is the biggest-selling X Factor winner’s single to date.
This bouncy track from 1978 certainly differs from Belafonte’s version. It sold a whopping 1.89 million sales and captures the glitz of Christmas in the 1970s perfectly. Although the song was made in a rush to get it out, two music videos were made. One with Boney M in white furry suits and the other with a nativity scene with the group dressed in white again.
Bob Geldof’s 1984 Band Aid project proved to be an incredibly popular one. It sold 3.82 million copies, despite its overarching air of gloom. The song proved to capture the spirit of helping others around the holiday period and went on to inspire 3 more Band Aid line-ups including Band Aid II in 1989, Band Aid 20 in 2004 and Band Aid 30 in 2014. The original featured the likes of Sting, Paul Young, George Michael, Boy George and of course Bono, among many other iconic figures.
What’s your favourite Christmas song?
Source: OfficialCharts.com
