Greatest songs robbed of Christmas number one – do you agree with our list?

18 December 2024, 09:33 | Updated: 18 December 2024, 09:42

Christmas number one is a prestigious title, but not every deserving single gets to win it.

Each year, various artists release singles around December in the hopes of achieving a coveted Christmas number-one hit.

Only one song will be victorious – even though there are often several deserving songs jostling it out in the charts for the top spot.

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From Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’ to Mariah Carrey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’, you may be surprised to learn which popular festive tunes came in second to other popular songs in their year of release.

So, without further ado, here are our picks of some of the Christmas singles which most deserved to be crowned Christmas number one when they were released, but weren’t...

1. Mariah Carey – ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ (1994)

   

   Despite its huge continuing popularity today as a Christmas song, this 30-year-old track has never been given the title of Christmas number one in the UK.

   Mariah Carey’s hit love song lost out on pole position to East 17’s track ‘Stay Another Day’, from the London group’s second album Steam.

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   That song enjoyed five weeks at the top of the UK charts, leading to it beating Mariah’s famous festive offering when it mattered.

   It seems unfair that 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' never got the top accolade, that’s just the way the cookie (presumably Santa's) crumbles in the battle for Christmas number one.

2. The Pogues feat. Kirsty MacColl – ‘Fairytale of New York’ (1987)

   

   In 1987, this beloved Christmas ballad lost out to the Pet Shop Boys’ ‘Always on My Mind’, proving again that having a Christmas theme is no guarantee that a hit single will be able to beat other singles out at the same time from other popular bands.

   After the death of The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan in late November 2023, it was wondered if the song would reach number one in his memory that Christmas.

   The song did rise in the charts throughout December and hit a high of fourth on the all-important chart that month, but by Christmas it had gone down to sixth position.

3. Wham! – ‘Last Christmas’ (1984)

   

   It’s difficult to be angry about Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’ missing out on Christmas number one status in 1984 because it missed out to Band Aid’s charity single ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’

   Even George Michael himself said while recording the Bob Geldof and Midge Ure hit that he wouldn’t like to think that his and Andrew Ridgeley’s upcoming single might push the charity song away from top spot on the all important chart.

   

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   However, ‘Last Christmas’ lack of Christmas number one status seemed like a deeply unfair burden to bear for the Wham! song, which for many, heralds the beginning of the festive season once it’s first heard over the radio.

   The song finally won the title of Christmas number one in 2023, 39 years after it was first in the charts. But still, it feels wrong this song didn’t own this title until then.

4. Sam Ryder – ‘You’re Christmas to Me’ (2023)

   

   Eurovision star Sam Ryder’s 2023 attempt for Christmas number one gained a lot of love over the festive period, making it seem as if it was a deserving winner of 2023’s Christmas number one crown.

   The song was composed for the festive romantic comedy film Your Christmas or Mine 2, meaning its popularity grew as people both tuned into the song and the film in which it was featured.

   However, the song ironically lost out to former Christmas number one loser ‘Last Christmas’ –  a very worthy and welcome number one winner, but not necessarily in place of a popular song from the year in question.

5. Elton John and Ed Sheeran – ‘Merry Christmas’ (2021)

   

   Elton John and Ed Sheeran’s 2021 collaboration ‘Merry Christmas’ has remained high in the Christmas charts every year since it was first released.

   However, it only made it to Christmas number two in 2021 – a loss which would seem like a complete robbery if it wasn’t for the complex truth that it was a collaboration with the pair that pipped them to the top spot that year.

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   Ed and Sir Elton were beaten by Lad Baby’s ‘Sausage Rolls for Everyone’ – a song that parodied their own Christmas number one hopeful, and also featured them on the track!

   Without a doubt, Ed and Sir Elton would have been happy to see the charity single and their own song reach first and second place on the chart, but many might argue ‘Merry Christmas’ itself still should have had top spot.

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