With Christmas coming up, so does the number one Christmas song of the year. As the people start humming carols and Mariah Carey is on every radio station, every year artists release a festive song in hopes to achieve the number one title. We’ve heard Taylor Swift’s Christmas Tree Farm, Ariana Grande, SIA and Phoebe Bridgers have released whole Christmas-themed albums we’re soon going to see Sabrina Carpenter’s Netflix Christmas Special after last year’s Fruitcake EP. And of course, the classics: The Pogues’s Fairytale of New York, WHAM’s Last Christmas, which won the title last year.
The official race for this year’s Christmas number one begins on Friday December 13 and the winner will be revealed live on the BBC Radio 1’s Official Charts show on December 20.
It’s here
It’s happening
Meet your 2024 #XmasNumber1 contenders: https://t.co/jwX3N5lhCW#ChristmasNumber1 pic.twitter.com/74Gg1w0vo1
— Official Charts (@officialcharts) November 22, 2024
In previous years, the title had been won by artists such as the Spice Girls, the Beatles and Bob the Builder. Last year, WHAM finally achieved number one with the hit “Last Christmas”. WHAM’s Andrew Ridgeley revealed to Official Charts that the song was written with the goal of obtain the number one position at Christmas, and they finally accomplished the mission after years.
According to Official Charts, the artists that this past years have topped charts are all in good standing to win the Christmas title. Gracie Abrams is currently the holder of the number one position, Sabrina Carpenter has spent week charting in the top five and top ten with her album “Short n Sweet” and Chappell Roan’s viral sensation “Hot To Go” could climb up to number one in no time. Some of the songs currently topping charts also have a chance: Rose and Bruno Mars’s “Apt” or “Defying Gravity” off the Wicked soundtrack or Tate McRae’s “2 Hands”.
Besides the non-festive songs and artists topping charts, some new Christmas singles were released this year. Ed Sheeran’s “Under The Tree” is coming out on December 6, written for Richard Curtis’s new Christmas film. Former Little Mix star Perrie also released a new single: “Christmas Magic” is out now. Kelly Clarkson’s “You For Christmas” is also out, along with Michael Bublé’s collaboration with Carly Pearce titled “Maybe This Christmas”.
Some Christmas classics that might take the win are Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas is You”, which has surprisingly never achieved number one, which had lost it when first released to Walthamstow band East 17. The band is now trying for a Christmas number one again, after releasing new vinyl’s to raise funds for the UK’s biggest music therapy charity, Nordoff and Robbins.
Another song that is likely to top charts is, once again, WHAM’s “Last Christmas”, which is already playing on radios. When first released, “Last Christmas” lost the title to Band Aid’s “Do they know it’s Christmas?”. This year, both songs are turning forty and Band Aid has released an exclusive new version to celebrate the anniversary and hoping to get the number one spot again.
The official race for this year’s Christmas number one begins on Friday December 13 and the winner will be revealed live on the BBC Radio 1’s Official Charts show on December 20.
