Before streaming, topping the Christmas charts was based on the sales of singles in the run up to Christmas. That was in 1984. Now it’s 2023 and it is based on the number of streams in the week leading up to midnight on 21 December.
This year, the winner was the Wham! classic Last Christmas, recorded and released in 1984. This is the first time the song has topped the Christmas song list in the UK. The song reached No 2 in 1984, but it took another 39 years for it to rise to the top.
Later in 1984, a wintery video was shot in Saas-Fee Switzerland, one of the few places with snow at the time. The choice of Switzerland was one of chance. The story behind it can be found here.
Sadly, George Michael, the band’s leader passed away in 2016 and is not around to witness the song’s number one Christmas status.
The top 10 most popular UK Christmas songs for 2023 are:
- Wham! – Last Christmas
- Sam Ryder – You’re Christmas To Me
- Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You
- Noah Kahan – Stick Season
- Ed Sheeran and Elton John – Merry Christmas
- The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl – ‘Fairytale of New York’
- Brenda Lee – ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’
- Jack Harlow – ‘Lovin On Me’
- Michael Buble – ‘It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas’
- Shakin’ Stevens – ‘Merry Christmas Everyone’
Merry Christmas!
For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter.