Christmas No.1: does the festive chart-topper matter any more?
This year’s seasonal sizzler will be revealed this afternoon
The battle for the Christmas No.1 is reaching its decisive hour and this year’s festive chart-topper will be announced on BBC Radio 1’s Official Chart Show from 4pm.
YouTubers LadBaby are the favourites but they face competition from more traditional artists, like Lewis Capaldi and Taylor Swift. Meanwhile, The Kunts are the “unlikeliest contender” for a Christmas No.1, said Rolling Stone, with their colourful track F**k the Tories.
But does it even matter any more who tops the charts on the big day?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A ‘key cultural role’
“The Christmas Number One is not the most popular song of the year,” said the BBC, “it’s just the biggest song in the week leading up to Christmas.” However, added the broadcaster, it is “still important” because although “families might not gather round to listen to the result like we used to”, a “big Christmas song is still a big deal for an artist”.
Dr Stephen Graham, senior lecturer in music at Goldsmiths, University of London, agreed. Because Christmas No.1s “played such a key role in the cultural conversation around Christmas” and “because music is so important to how Christmas is brought to life and experienced in the UK – I can see them maintaining some importance years into the future”, he told Metro.
Composer, producer and mixer Sefi Carmel also sees relevance for the festive chart-topper. He told Metro that, despite our digital era, “both fans and artists still have a special way of celebrating Christmas, and I think that the Christmas number one does still factor culturally into this”.
‘Musical begging’
Not everyone is convinced that the Christmas No.1 – or even the Christmas song itself – is what it used to be. “The problem is that today’s songwriters shoot too classy,” wrote Emma Garland in The Guardian, whereas the “secret ingredient to a good Christmas song is chaos. Always has been.”
The pop industry has transformed from a “jolly display of British creativity to musical begging”, said Caitlin Moran in The Times. In the 1970s and 1980s, when British pop was “punching way above its weight globally, we racked up a series of absolute, stone-dead sleigh-bell classics”, she said, such as Merry Xmas Everybody and Last Christmas.
However, in the Noughties, Christmas pop was “owned by Simon Cowell” as seven successive X Factor winners took the Christmas No.1 spot between 2005 and 2014. Now, Moran added, we have LadBaby, who are helping British food banks with their cover of Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas?
Today, getting a Christmas No.1 is “more like winning an industry award”, Tim Exile, musician, technologist and founder of music-making app Endless, told Metro. “It’s an important part of an artist’s story for those that follow those kinds of things but less important for many more who don’t.”
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
-
Who actually needs life insurance?
The Explainer If you have kids or are worried about passing on debt, the added security may be worth it
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Sexual wellness trends to know, from products and therapies to retreats and hotels
The Week Recommends Talking about pleasure and sexual health is becoming less taboo
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Is the AI bubble deflating?
Today's Big Question Growing skepticism and high costs prompt reconsideration
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Is pop music now too reliant on gossip?
Talking Point Taylor Swift's new album has prompted a flurry of speculation over who she is referring to in her songs
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
How Taylor Swift changed copyright negotiations in music
under the radar The success of Taylor's Version rerecordings has put new pressure on record labels
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Pundits are mixed on the real possibility of Alex Garland's 'Civil War'
Talking Point Some say the film's events aren't that far from reality, but others are less convinced
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Taylor Swift's surprise double album: an event of 'world-shaking proportions'
Why Everyone's Talking About Fans are 'reeling' after The Tortured Poets Department is followed by The Anthology – 15 additional tracks
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Why Chechnya has banned music that is 'too fast or too slow'
Under The Radar Many Western pop songs – and Russian national anthem – fall foul of new rules to protect 'cultural heritage'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
'Are We Dating the Same Guy?': do Facebook groups harm or help?
Talking Point Women share their relationship experiences to try to stay safe on dating apps but critics highlight legal and emotional issues
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Not cross buns': the row over recipe revamps
Talking Point New versions of the Easter favourite have sparked controversy but sales are soaring
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
The art world and motherhood: the end of a final taboo?
Talking Point Hettie Judah's new touring exhibition offers a 'riveting riposte' to old cliches
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published