WHAM! pull ahead in Christmas Number 1 race
Written by worldOneFm on December 20, 2023
WHAM! have pulled ahead in the race for 2023’s Official Christmas Number 1 – but with The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl issuing a brand-new Fairytale of New York vinyl release and hype building around fellow contenders Sam Ryder and Mariah Carey, it’s still too early to count anyone out.
WHAM! (aka Andrew Ridgeley and the late, great George Michael) were caught in a tight scuffle with the UK’s 2022 Eurovision entrant Sam Ryder in the last Official Christmas Number 1 single First Look update, where just UK 42 chart units stood between Last Christmas at Number 1 and Sam’s Amazon Music Original You’re Christmas to Me at Number 2.
But as the race has since developed, Official Charts can confirm that WHAM! have successfully widened the gap against their closest competition.
Today, The Pogues release a very special limited-edition physical run of their single Fairytale of New York with Kirsty MacColl, in memory of their late singer, Shane MacGowan.
With all proceeds going to the Irish charity Dublin Simon Community, the release comes alongside some passionate fan campaigning to get Fairytale of New York to Christmas Number 1 for the first time ever has been endorsed by Shane MacGowan’s widow, Victoria Mary Clarke.
Expect to see the impact of that special physical release tomorrow, when The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl will surely rise; Fairytale of New York currently stands at Number 5.
Gleefully hitting the Christmas promo trail this week, Sam Ryder is certainly still in the running to knock WHAM! off Number 1. His Amazon Music Original, You’re Christmas To Me, remains at Number 2 in today’s update.
Having already hit the campaign trail on his Amazon Music Originals ‘Sam-ta Grotto’ bus this week, Sam will be headlining a special, fan-exclusive gig tonight in Shoreditch, London; employing refreshing marketing tactics to raise awareness of his Christmas Number 1 bid, a reflection of the kind of promo that helped Sidemen reach a surprise peak of Number 3 last year with Christmas Drillings.
And, of course, we must mention Mariah Carey, the self-styled Queen of Christmas is still very much in with a punt, keeping steady at Number 3 with All I Want for Christmas is You, while Ed Sheeran & Elton John could enter the conversation as the week rolls on; Merry Christmas is currently expected to rise two to Number 4, but given both artists’ popularity on streaming, it could go even further.
The Official Christmas Number 1 race 2023 kicked off Friday December 15, the final cut-off for sales and streams to count is midnight (11.59pm) on Thursday, December 21.
