As the holiday season approaches, the question on everyone's mind is: which artist will take the coveted Christmas number one spot in the UK? With the winner set to be announced today, the race is on to see who will come out on top.
After 30 years since its release, Mariah Carey's iconic festive single "All I Want For Christmas Is You" is a top contender for the number one spot. However, she faces tough competition from previous winners Wham! and newcomer Tom Grennan, who even got a tattoo in anticipation of his potential victory.
The Christmas number one race has been a long-standing tradition in the UK, dating back to 1952 when the first UK Singles chart was compiled. Over the years, we've seen big names like Shakin' Stevens, Slade, Cliff Richard, and even Mr Blobby take the top spot.
Gone are the days when the X Factor winner was a guaranteed Christmas number one. Now, anyone can take the top spot, regardless of whether their song is holiday-themed or not. Let's take a trip down memory lane and look back at all the Christmas number ones since the charts began.
Since 1952, there have been a total of 72 Christmas number one singles. The first artist to hold the title was Al Martino with their single "Here In My Heart", which is surprisingly not a festive song at all. The Beatles held the record for most number one singles for many years, until internet sensations LadBaby took the crown with their sausage roll-themed Christmas songs.
Mark and Roxanne Hoyle, also known as LadBaby, made history as the first act in UK chart history to have a Christmas number one single for five consecutive years, from 2018 to 2022. They bowed out of the race in 2023, leaving the top spot open for others to claim.
The Spice Girls had a three-year streak of consecutive number one singles from 1996 to 1998. Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" has topped the charts three separate times, first in 1984 and 1989, and again in 2004 with Band Aid 20. "Mary's Boy Child" has also hit the number one spot twice, by artists Harry Belafonte and Boney M.
Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" is the only song to have hit the top of the charts twice by the same artist. And last year, after 39 years since its initial release, Wham!'s "Last Christmas" finally nabbed the number one slot. Surprisingly, Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" has never held the number one spot during the holiday season, despite being one of the best-selling singles of all time.
Carey has been dubbed the "Queen of Christmas" due to the cultural impact of her song. Will she finally take the number one slot for 2024? Only time will tell.
Now, let's take a look at all the Christmas number ones since 1952:
1952 - "Here In My Heart" by Al Martino
1953 - "Answer Me" by Frankie Laine
1954 - "Let's Have Another Party" by Winifred Atwell
1955 - "Christmas Alphabet" by Dickie Valentine
1956 - "Just Walkin' in the Rain" by Johnnie Ray
1957 - "Mary's Boy Child" by Harry Belafonte
1958 - "It's Only Make Believe" by Conway Twitty
1959 - "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" by Emile Ford and The Checkmates
1960 - "I Love You" by Cliff Richard and The Shadows
1961 - "Moon River" by Danny Williams
1962 - "Return to Sender" by Elvis Presley
1963 - "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles
1964 - "I Feel Fine" by The Beatles
1965 - "Day Tripper / We Can Work It Out" by The Beatles
1966 - "Green Green Grass of Home" by Tom Jones
1967 - "Hello, Goodbye" by The Beatles
1968 - "Lily the Pink" by The Scaffold
1969 - "Two Little Boys" by Rolf Harris
1970 - "I Hear You Knocking" by Dave Edmunds
1971 - "Ernie" by Benny Hill
1972 - "Long Haired Lover From Liverpool" by Jimmy Osmond
1973 - "Merry Xmas Everybody" by Slade
1974 - "Lonely This Christmas" by Mud
1975 - "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen
1976 - "When a Child Is Born" by Johnny Mathis
1977 - "Mull of Kintyre / Girls' School" by Wings
1978 - "Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord" by Boney M
1979 - "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" by Pink Floyd
1980 - "There's No One Quite Like Grandma" by St Winifred's School Choir
1981 - "Don't You Want Me" by The Human League
1982 - "Save Your Love" by Renée and Renato
1983 - "Only You" by The Flying Pickets
1984 - "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid
1985 - "Merry Christmas Everyone" by Shakin' Stevens
1986 - "Reet Petite" by Jackie Wilson
1987 - "Always on My Mind" by Pet Shop Boys
1988 - "Mistletoe and Wine" by Cliff Richard
1989 - "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid II
1990 - "Saviour's Day" by Cliff Richard
1991 - "Bohemian Rhapsody / These Are the Days of Our Lives" by Queen
1992 - "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston
1993 - "Mr Blobby" by Mr Blobby
1994 - "Stay Another Day" by East 17
1995 - "Earth Song" by Michael Jackson
1996 - "2 Become 1" by Spice Girls
1997 - "Too Much" by Spice Girls
1998 - "Goodbye" by Spice Girls
1999 - "I Have a Dream / Seasons In the Sun" by Westlife
2000 - "Can We Fix It?" by Bob the Builder
2001 - "Somethin' Stupid" by Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman
2002 - "Sound of the Underground" by Girls Aloud
2003 - "Mad World" by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules
2004 - "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid 20
2005 - "That's My Goal" by Shayne Ward
2006 - "A Moment Like This" by Leona Lewis
2007 - "When You Believe" by Leon Jackson
2008 - "Hallelujah" by Alexandra Burke
2009 - "Killing in the Name" by Rage Against the Machine
2010 - "When We Collide" by Matt Cardle
2011 - "Wherever You Are" by Military Wives with Gareth Malone
2012 - "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" by The Justice Collective
2013 - "Skyscraper" by Sam Bailey
2014 - "Something I Need" by Ben Haenow
2015 - "A Bridge Over You" by The Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir
2016 - "Rockabye" by Clean Bandit
2017 - "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran
2018 - "We Built This City" by LadBaby
2019 - "I Love Sausage Rolls" by LadBaby
2020 - "Don't Stop Me Eatin'" by LadBaby
2021 - "Sausage Rolls for Everyone" by Ladbaby ft. Ed Sheeran and Elton John
2022 - "Food Aid" by LadBaby
2023 - "Last Christmas" by Wham!
Do you have a favorite Christmas number one? Let us know in the comments. And if you have a celebrity story, video, or pictures, we'd love to hear from you. Contact our entertainment team by emailing us, calling us, or visiting our Submit Stuff page. Happy holidays!
