Will these songs feature on your Christmas party mix-tape this year?
They should, considering these are the top ten Christmas songs of all time!
Let the countdown begin!
10. ‘Mistletoe and Wine‘ by Cliff Richard (1988)
This song was originally part of the musical Scraps, based on the story of The Little Matchstick Girl.
It is a reflection of Christmas carols and religion.
It is Cliff Richard’s twelfth number one. It spent four weeks at No 1, and sold 750,000 copies.
9. ‘When A Child Is Born‘ by Johnny Mathis (1976)
The original melody of this song is ‘Soleado‘, which was released in 1972.
The song has no specific mention of Christmas, but suggests a reference to the birth of Christ.
It is Johnny Mathis’ first number one. It spent three weeks at No 1, and sold 850,000 copies.
8. ‘The Millennium Prayer‘ by Cliff Richard (1999)
The song was released as part of a charity event, the Share Jesus International production.
It is sung to the tune of ‘Auld Lang Syne‘.
It is Cliff Richard’s fourteenth number one. It is the third highest selling song of his career.
7. ‘White Christmas‘ by Bing Crosby (1942)
The original song was written by Irving Berlin.
The version heard today is the 1947 re-mastered edition.
It has sold over 50 million copies worldwide.
6. ‘Merry XMas Everybody‘ by Slade (1973)
The song is Slade’s best-selling single, but was also their last number one.
In 1973, it spent seven weeks at No 1, in Ireland, and nine weeks at No 1 in the United Kingdom.
It has sold over 1.19 million copies as of November 2012.
5. ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?‘ by Various Artists (2004)
The new version of this song was prompted by Coldplay‘s Chris Martin.
Bono, Paul McCartney and George Michael were the only artists from the original single to appear again.
The single sold over 72,000 copies in twenty-four hours and spent four weeks at No 1.
4. ‘Mary’s Boy Child‘ by Harry Belafonte (1957)
The single is widely performed as a Christmas carol.
The song was added to a re-issue of the album, ‘To Wish You a Merry Christmas‘.
It has sold over 1.18 million copies.
3. ‘Last Christmas‘ by Wham! (1984)
Wham! donated the profits of their song to the Ethiopian famine appeal.
The video was aimed at Andrew Ridgeley’s girlfriend, who had been seeing George Michael.
It sold over 1 million copies, but failed to reach No 1.
2. ‘Mary’s Boy Child/Oh My Lord‘ by Boney. M (1978)
The song is a cover of Harry Belafonte’s 1957 hit.
It was hurriedly recorded in November, released at the end of the month.
It was in the charts for eight weeks, staying at No 1 for four.
1. ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?‘ by Various Artists (1984)
The song was released to raise money for the Ethiopian famine appeal.
The following artists featured on the single:
Stuart Adamson, Robert ‘Kool’ Bell, Bono, David Bowie, Pete Briquette, Mark Brzezicki, Tony Butler, Adam Clayton, Phil Collins, Chris Cross, Simon Crowe, Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Johnny Fingers, Bob Geldof, Boy George, Glenn Gregory, Tony Hadley, Holly Johnson, Simon Le Bon, John Keeble, Gary Kemp, Martin Kemp, Marilyn, Paul McCartney, George Michael, Jon Moss, Steve Norman, Rick Parfitt, Nick Rhodes, Francis Rossi, Sting, Andy Taylor, James “J.T.” Taylor, John Taylor, Roger Taylor, Dennis “J.T.” Thomas, Midge Ure, Martyn Ware, Jody Watley, Bruce Watson, Stuart Watson, Paul Weller, Keren Woodward and Paul Young.
It was No 1 in the charts for five weeks, selling 11.8 million copies worldwide.
