Last Christmas by WHAM! takes an early lead for the UK’s Official Christmas Number 1 2024, but numbers indicate we could be in for an intense battle.
48 hours into the race, it’s tight at the top between George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley’s festive favourite Last Christmas and Tom Grennan’s all-new Amazon Original It Can’t Be Christmas, with Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas snapping at both of their heels.
WHAM!’s Christmas Number 1 campaign starts off strong thanks to the release of three limited edition 40th anniversary vinyl singles – including a collectible zoetrope vinyl. With Last Christmas leading the biggest chart race of the year by less than 3,000 units, these formats are proving to be the difference maker on the Official Chart: First Look right now.
Last Christmas famously missed out on the Christmas top spot in 1984, then peaking at Number 2 behind Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas?, but eventually claimed their long-awaited Christmas Number 1 in 2023 after 39 years. Frontman George Michael passed away on Christmas Day in 2016.
In at Number 2 on the festive Official Chart First Look is Tom Grennan with Amazon exclusive, It Can’t Be Christmas.
With unapologetic ambition, Tom is throwing everything at this week’s chart race and has even got a Christmas Number 1 tattoo, complete with a blank space for the winner’s name to be inserted, to mark being on the cusp of Official Chart history.
In a new social media video, Tom said: “Today I’m at the tattoo shop and I thought I’m gonna make it interesting. I’m gonna get ‘Christmas No.1 2024 is…’ and I’m gonna let you lot decide what goes on my leg. It’s up to you. Stream it, buy the vinyl, we’ll see what happens. Do not let this flop.”
It Can’t Be Christmas climbed to Number 6 last Friday and is up a further four places on today’s First Look. Has the Bedford singer got what it takes to steal WHAM!’s crown? With the stakes now raised, expect a chart battle.
She may be the Queen of Christmas, but Mariah Carey is yet to secure the UK Christmas Number 1 throne; it wouldn’t be wise to rule her out this week. All I Want For Christmas Is You is only a whisker behind at Number 3 after the first two days of the week.
2024 in pop has been all about the girls, and two of this year’s leading starlets are holding up incredibly strong amid the festive noise. Former chart topper Gracie Abrams is at Number 4 with That’s So True, and ROSÉ with her floor-filling Bruno Mars collab APT is at Number 5. Don’t count either of these out of a Christmas Number 1 upset.
A second new Amazon Original for 2024 is Laufey’s Christmas Magic. The Icelandic-Chinese singer-songwriter’s first Top 20 hit is eyeing a climb of 13 places to Number 7.
Festive favourites taking residency in the midweek Top 10 are Brenda Lee’s Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree (6), Bobby Helms’ Jingle Bell Rock (8), and The Pogues & Kirsty Maccoll’s Fairytale of New York (9).
Rounding out the First Look Top 10 is rising star Lola Young. Her breakthrough track Messy is now pacing to become her first Top 10 hit (10). A contender for the top spot post-Christmas, we wouldn’t rule out Lola crashing the party earlier.
José Feliciano’s 1970 recording Feliz Navidad is a new UK festive classic that’s been 50 years in the making. Charting for the first time in 2016, and making the Top 40 in each of the last five years (peaking at Number 21), this week the Puerto Rican track could secure its first ever Top 20 placement, up eight to Number 19.
The best-selling single of the week so far is charity release Beard On My Face by Beardman (20). Beardman is the name of a collective of independent artists, performers, dancers and aspiring performing arts students. All proceeds go to Teenage Cancer Trust.
Looking to earn his landmark 20th Top 40 single this week is rapper, singer and social media personality KSI; his new single Dirty lands at Number 37 midweek.
Another campaign gaining momentum is that of DJ Gok Wan and the House Gospel Choir. Deeper Love, an ode to Gok’s best friend Allison Gordon-Parry who passed away in May 2024 after living with Stage 4 cancer for a number of years, is currently at Number 44. All proceeds from the song benefit Macmillan Cancer Support.
Highest climber of the week so far comes courtesy of East 17’s 1994 Christmas Number 1 Stay Another Day, which has been released on vinyl in partnership with music charity Nordoff and Robbins to mark its 30th anniversary (47).
The Christmas Number 1 week is no stranger to political statement-making songs, and 2024’s race is no different. Freezing This Christmas by an act known as Sir Starmer & Granny Harmers is at Number 67. The song hits out at Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour Government’s decision to cut winter fuel payments for some pensioners in the UK.
Whoever you’re backing in this year’s race, you’ve got until 23.59pm Thursday 19 December to make your sales and streams count. The Top 40 will be counted down on Friday 20 December on BBC Radio 1’s The Official Chart with Jack Saunders from 4pm, with the full Top 100 singles and albums published on OfficialCharts.com.
