The Top 10 biggest selling Christmas songs of all time!

25/12/2012

By Dan Lane

 

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To celebrate Christmas 2012, today the Official Charts Company reveal the Top 10 biggest selling Christmas songs of all time.

 

With more records sold in the run up to Christmas than a typical chart week, the Christmas Number 1 is THE chart topper every artist wants to achieve. And it has been this way since the Official Singles Chart began 60 years ago.

 

To have a Christmas Number 1 on your musical CV means you really are the best of the best; capturing the heats and minds of the nation… That, or you’ve managed to dazzle the British public with your, um, uniqueness (yes, we’re talking about you Mr Blobby).

 

However, not all of the biggest selling Christmas singles have been to Number 1 (two in the Top 10 peaked at Number 2, and one peaked at Number 5), and not all of the biggest selling Christmas singles have necessarily been, well, Christmassy.

 

To celebrate Christmas 2012 and 60 years of the Official Singles Chart, the Official Charts Company reveal the biggest selling Christmas songs of all time. These tracks may or may not have religious overtones, but have nevertheless captured the essence of what this special time of year is about.

 

At Number 1 on the countdown is Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas? - the landmark charity single helmed by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to help raise funds and awareness for the 1984 Ethiopian famine. Featuring an all-star cast including members of The Who, U2 and Genesis to name but a few, Do They Know It’s Christmas? has sold a staggering 3.7 million copies to date and is the second biggest selling single of all time. The 20th anniversary version of the track is at Number 6 in the countdown with sales of 1.17 million copies.

 

Mary's Boy Child also appears twice in the Top 10, making its first appearance at Number 2 with Boney M's 1978 rendition (which has sales of 1.85 million copies), while Harry Belafonte's 1957 original is at Number 5 (with sales of 1.18 million).

 

Wham!'s Last Christmas, which we can officially confirm is the biggest selling Christmas song to have never reached Number 1, is at Number 3 in the chart with sales of 1.68 million. The Top 5 is completed by Slade’s Merry Christmas Everybody at Number 4, which has sales of 1.21 million copies to date.

 

The full Top 10 is as follows:

 

Pos - Sales - Single - Title - Artist - Year - Peak

01 3,700,000 - Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid - 1984 - #01

02 1,850,000 - Mary's Boy Child - Boney M - 1978 - #01

03 1,680,000 - Last Christmas - Wham! - 1984 - #02

04 1,210,000 - Merry Xmas Everybody - Slade - 1973 - #01

05 1,180,000 - Mary's Boy Child - Harry Belafonte - 1957 - #01

06 1,170,000 - Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid 20 - 2004 - #01

07 White Christmas - Bing Crosby - 1942 - #05

08 Fairytale of New York - The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl - 1987 - #02

09 The Millennium Prayer - Cliff Richard - 1999 - #01

10 When a Child is Born - Jonny Mathis - 1976 - #01

 

© 2012 The Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

Edited December 25, 201212 yr by liamk97

Seems like in time Fairytale of New York should just climb and climb ^_^

Well we know that millennium prayer is well over the 900 k mark so FONY can't be far off the million

Mariah not too far off Top 10 now, I guess.

Seems like in time Fairytale of New York should just climb and climb ^_^

 

How could they *not* give us a figure for it, though... :(

Any idea how much Mariah had sold so far ?.

Any idea how much Mariah had sold so far ?.

I give an estimate in the sales thread!

Strange how Mary's Boy Child is in the top 5 TWICE yet neither version is one of the Christmas classics that appear in the top 200 year in, year out. And does Millennium Prayer really count as a Xmas song? :drama:

I see "Millennium Prayer" as a New Year song rather than a Christmas One.

How could they *not* give us a figure for it, though... :(

The suspense is killing us!! At least it should be confirmed as a million seller in the next Music Week Report, if recent estimates have been correct.

So white Xmas has sold more than fony but isn't a million seller? Interesting wonder what it does on downloads. Was of

The impression a lot of its sales were before there WAS a singles chart.

 

Merry Xmas all!

I give an estimate in the sales thread!

Thanks I'll check it out.

White Christmas has sold a lot, hasn't it? I estimate that it's on 995k if Fairytale Of New York is on 990k. It might become a million seller with sales from 1952-2012 this week as well! :o

White Christmas *is* a million seller:

 

117 WHITE CHRISTMAS BING CROSBY WITH THE KEN DARBY SINGERS AND JOHN SCOTT TROTTER ORCHESTRA 1942

 

http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/c...lers-club-1762/

White Christmas *is* a million seller:

 

117 WHITE CHRISTMAS BING CROSBY WITH THE KEN DARBY SINGERS AND JOHN SCOTT TROTTER ORCHESTRA 1942

 

http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/c...lers-club-1762/

 

I thought that, but Jester told me a year ago that White Christmas hadn't sold over a million yet! :lol:

 

Thanks! :D

How much did it sell at no5 in 1977 when it was re-released for Bing passing away?

 

Its a bit weird giving us a sales topic with only half the sales added??!

Edited December 25, 201212 yr by steve201

I think liam added them, not the OCC

I think liam added them, not the OCC

Yeah, I just added what was in the report so it's easier to see.

I thought that, but Jester told me a year ago that White Christmas hadn't sold over a million yet! :lol:

The OCC can't make their mind up it seems....!

Someone should check with them.

 

It wont take long for Wham to be no2 and The Pogues and Mariah to be top 5!!