In the UK official Top 40 charts for this first week of December, 21 positions are filled with Christmas songs. This means that Christmas tunes are rising earlier than usual, taking up over 50% of the charts already.
The UK’s Official Charts Company stated that it the ‘surge of interest’ in Christmas music is ‘very unusual’ for this time of the year. Martin Talbot, the company’s chief executive said that listeners have been leaning on “familiar TV, film, books and music as comfort from the miserable tone of so much of this year’s news”.
The increased festive streams this year is a result of the Covid-19 pandemic that has forced many into isolation and an uncomfortable and uncertain time, therefore familiar and nostalgic music has taken the reigns earlier than ever. Among the 21 Christmas tunes surging includes mostly the classics.
Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is the highest on the list sitting comfortably at the number 2 position in the charts. Wham’s Last Christmas is close behind while the Pogues’ Fairytale of New York has broken into the top 10 this week.
Michael Buble, Elton John, Paul McCartney and John Lennon all reached the Top 40 this week as well, rather unsurprisingly as the UK is smitten with their classic hits. However, there are a few new Christmas songs that have been released this year to feature in the charts as well.
Many artists have chosen to release Christmas covers this year, including Miley Cyrus who recently covered Wham’s Last Christmas and many more in her virtual concert promoting the new Plastic Hearts album. Cyrus, along with Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, Kylie and Little Mix are among the minority who continue to have hit songs in the top 40 that are not Christmas themed.
The number 1 position fittingly sits with Positions by Ariana Grande, who has a Christmas song in the top as well, Santa Baby. While many artists this year, none have successfully reached the top 40 chart because listeners are streaming based on nostalgic purposes.
However, one new festive hit could reach the charts by next week. The queen of Christmas, Mariah Carey, has teamed up with Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson on the new Christmas track Oh Santa! which is made of all the holiday ingredients to break into the charts. The new song was released today, December 4th and is streaming on all platforms.
