UK Christmas Number 1 Singles - 1973 to 2000

The views on this page are mine - and not necessarily very sensible but, hey it's my site and I'll do what I damn well like with it! (Yeah, I know it doesn't look very Christmassy but that will come soon!)

1973 Merry Xmas Everyone - Slade

One of the great Christmas perennials - it's been released so many times! A real out and out rocker of a tune, but it wouldn't be the same without it each year! Who can’t help themselves but raise a smile at Noddy’s howling of ‘It’s Christmas!’?

1974 Lonely This Christmas - Mud

The biggest ever hit for the London band, but what a sickly and corny song! A real Elvis pastiche - it even had spoken lines. It gives the same feeling today as over-gorging on Christmas pud.

1975 Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

A landmark record as it was the first to be accompanied by a pop video in the sense that we know them today. It has been one of the longest number ones ever at six minutes. A classic.

1976 When a Child is Born - Johnny Mathis

This was released in 120 versions world-wide, and sold over six million copies! Quite simply a classic modern Carol. Although covered every year by a whole host of artists in endless styles, it’s this one we all know and love.

1977 Mull of Kintyre - Wings

This topped the chart for nine weeks, and was the biggest selling single of all time in the UK at that time, selling 2.4 million copies. It isn't a Christmas song, but it's immense success at this time of the year has seen it been classed among the classic Yuletide tunes.

1978 Mary's Boy Child - Boney M

Dig out your disco gear! This song sold 2.5 million copies and topped the chart for eight weeks. It was the biggest hit for the band. Most people remember the tune but can't remember who sang it! (and probably a good thing too!)

1979 Another Brick in the Wall - Pink Floyd

An unusual Christmas hit - there's been a few though! Warning against the dangers of a stifling education, it saved us from an appalling year of Christmas corn. With a quite menacing video - who remembers the evil animated headmaster!

1980 There's No-one Quite Like Grandma - St Winifred's School Choir

AAAAGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! If you compiled a chart of the nastiest records ever made in 1000 years time, then this would be at the top - easily!

1981 Don't You Want Me? - The Human League

At the end of a terrible year for pop, this was the only song to top a million in sales. New romantics - what a laugh eh? The most interesting fact was that it was first number one that Virgin Records had.

1982 Save Your Love - Renee and Renato

Their one and only hit (that goodness!) was in a mock operatic style. The video was one great joke from start to finish. Most people can't hear this song today without remembering the skit done by Little and Large, which was actually better than the original!

1983 Only You - The Flying Pickets

This tune was a hit for Yazoo the previous year, and was reworked by the Pickets in acapella style. Enough said.

1984 Do They Know It's Christmas - Band Aid

Bob Geldof's hit inspired by the Ethiopian famine, which started the whole ball rolling for the entire Band Aid concept. Over forty stars sang on this record which was the UK's fastest and best selling hit of all time - it sold enough copies on it’s release day to send it straight to number one!

1985 Merry Christmas Everyone - Shakin' Stevens

Known as Wales' answer to Elvis, he was the most successful British solo artist of the 1980's with all of his releases reaching the top ten. Up to 1990 he’d appeared on Top of the Pops more times than anyone else!

1986 Reet Petite - Jackie Wilson

This was unique - the first Christmas number one by a dead artist. It reached number 6 the first time it was released in 1957. It was accompanied by a animated video of plastercine figures - by today’s Wallace and Gromit standard it looks - well cheap and awful.

1987 Always On My Mind - The Pet Shop Boys

This featured on the film that the band made. It wasn't intended to be a single, but was released after being performed on a TV show to mark the 10th anniversary of Elvis' death.

1988 Mistletoe and Wine - Cliff Richard

This record was Cliff's 99th release and was the biggest selling record of the year. It was regarded as the most traditional Christmas number one for many years.

1989 Do They Know It's Christmas - Band Aid 2

Same song - different cast. Somehow this remake didn't have the same impact as the original release. Most people found that it was just too different from the version that they knew and loved, even today it’s basically been forgotten about - just how many times do you hear it instead of the 1984 version?

1990 Saviour's Day - Cliff Richard

This really sentimental song saw the third consecutive year that Cliff had featured on the Christmas number one. What we didn’t know at the time was that this would be the last specific ‘Christmas’ song to hold the festive top spot for a few years...

1991 Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

This was re-released just a few weeks after the death of Freddie Mercury. It is the only record to reach number one twice in its original format. The tune was given an extra cult following being used for the opening sequence of the film ‘Wayne’s World’ released here in 1992 - Party on!

1992 I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston

This tune stayed at number one for eleven weeks, which is the longest stay for a Christmas number one. A re-release of exactly the same song a year later quite unsurprisingly had little impression on the chart. This tune now has the same problem as any that holds the top spot for what seems forever - everybody is sick of it!

1993 Mr Blobby - Mr Blobby

Take That (remember them!) thought they’d got the Christmas number one by knocking Mr Blobby off the top spot in the penultimate chart before Christmas. However the ‘pretty boys’ got a shock when Blobby’s song did the rare feat of retaking the top spot the following week! Could this be the ultimate in novelty records? Probably!

1994 Stay - East 17

Well, at least Take That didn’t release a Christmas single... The boys from the East End gave us a half decent song - and a good laugh by wearing fur trimmed Parkas in the video, very trendy!

1995 Earth Story - Michael Jackson

Wacko Jacko’s appearance at number one ended what could not be called a classic year for the record industry. This tune’s appearance at the top was probably helped by Jackson collapsing and ‘being close to death’ at a rehearsal for a TV special. It just saw off Mike Flowers Pops’ easy listening cover of the Oasis hit Wonderwall which was only released six days before the Christmas chart was finalised!

1996 2 Become 1 - The Spice Girls

Well what a year 1996 was for pop. February’s break up of Take That was eclipsed by the girl band sensation that was The Spice Girls. Their first two single releases topped the charts - and their third ‘2 Become 1’ went straight in at the top slot. With their debut album ‘Spice’ at the top of the album chart - and having ended the year with Number 1s in 28 different countries - you might say they had a good year!

1997 Too Much - The Spice Girls

The title of this single just about sums up most of the world’s feelings about the Spice Girls’ antics in 1997. After bombarding us with almost every sponsored product from chocolates, through duvets and curtains, to cameras - then launching a film too - to say that there’s a little bit of over exposure would probably be the world’s greatest understatement! OK, the tune isn’t bad but the Teletubbies can act a great deal better than they can!

1998 Goodbye - The Spice Girls

So three in a row eh? Well, could the title of this song be a message or is that just wishful thinking? As one of a gaggle of releases on the Monday before the final chart this, and many other, only seems to be in the interest of putting even more of their fan’s money into their already swelling pockets. Geri did the wise thing and said ‘Goodbye’ to the other four in 1998 - saving her credibility along the way. Go on girls, take a hint... please!

1999 Westlife - I Have a Dream/Seasons in the Sun

Another one of those 'last Monday before the final chart' releases (8 of the top 10 had that honour this year)... A double 'A' side featuring double covers (whatever happened to originality?), but hey, at least the Spice Girls didn't release a single! The Irish boys managed by that ageing 'boy' Ronan Keating made a hugh impact on young girls of the UK this year as is shown by this showing at the top of the chart. Not a great way to end the millennium but probably the best of the bunch, just for being a couple of 'nice soppy songs'!

2000 Bob the Builder - Can We Fix It?

After a gap of seven years, the novelty record rules the Christmas chart! This re-working of the theme to the C-BBC programme 'Bob The Builder' (voiced by Neil Morrissey) took the chart by storm, and did the decent thing by keeping Westlife off the top at Christmas (it also stopped them beating the consecutive number 1s record!).

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