17th December 2018

 

It's Christmaaaaaaaas! No, not Slade on top, it's Carpenters' classic 1972 Goodbye To Love done Royal Philharmonic stylee, and it duly returns to the top spot for the first time in 46 years for a 3rd week at number one. I was 14 years old when I last charted it. Yes, 14. Still love that guitar juxtaposed with Karen's angelic voice and lushness galore. As it's Christmas another 1972 classic returns for an 8th time (in the 21st century!) - John & Yoko's Happy Xmas (War Is Over) was the first Xmas record I ever bought, and is a major classic, and it was the trigger for all those subsequent classic rock era xmas goodies. Prior to that Xmas songs were dreadful novelty things or else crooner ballads from the 40's and 50's, bar the odd Brenda Lee here and there (who also returns). It has topped my charts for a total of 13 weeks and charted throughout the decades, though not every year.

 

Mark Ronson gets another biggie top 10 a decade on from his first, and ditto Miley really, though she's had several top 10's. The Fizz knock themselves out of the top 10 with their official xmas single 37 years on from The Land Of Make Believe, and that's nothing - The Monkees return again with new stuff, including a cover of Paul McCartney's Wonderful Christmastime which is actually better than his overly-jolly overly-busy perennial - it's more laid-back and restrained and the song is the better for it. They also have a new track debut which sounds to my ears like a Weezer song - that'll be cos Rivers Cuomo wrote it for them then! So that makes it 44 years of official Monkees chart-spanning, but really it's 52 years as I would have had loads of Monkees chart-toppers had I been charting as a 9-year-old. They have all topped my charts anyway in the years since.

 

Other than the oldies Xmas re-entries, though, it's a quiet week for new stuff which gives a welcome opportunity for some records to climb to a chart position more representative of my affections for them. Favela is the biggest climb of new tracks non-Xmas-related, excluding Coldplay tracks aka Los Unidades.

 

 

 

1 2 1 2 GOODBYE TO LOVE Carpenters & The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 285000

2 1 1 9 DIAMOND HEART Alan Walker & Sophia Somajo 644500

3 3 1 4 TRUE LOVE WAYS Buddy Holly & The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 390000

4 32 4 3 NOTHING BREAKS LIKE A HEART Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus 96050

5 5 5 3 SURVIVE Don Diablo featuring Emeli Sande & Gucci Mane 130200

6 6 6 6 THANK YOU, NEXT Ariana Grande 272800

7 4 4 9 STARFISH Rhys featuring FELIX SANDMAN 376000

8 17 8 5 DON’T START WITHOUT ME The Fizz 125850

9 7 1 6 DRIVE (SYMPHONIC VERSION) The Cars 690000

10 13 10 2 DOES THE HOMOSAPIEN KNOW Abba vs Pete Shelley 74000

 

11 11 7 7 BRAZILIAN SOUL The Knocks featuring Sofi Tukker 268000

12 9 1 7 SHADOWS Black Atlass 585000

13 8 8 4 IT’S FOR YOU Cilla Black with The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra 143000

14 14 14 3 SUNSHINE ON LEITH The Proclaimers 80000

15 10 10 5 KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE The Fizz 144500

16 16 16 4 THIS FEELING Chainsmokers featuring Kelsea Ballerini 81000

17 15 15 4 YOU’RE GONNA MISS ME Connie Francis 92000

18 12 9 4 RISE Raaginder 125000

19 27 19 5 BREATHE Camelphat & Cristoph featuring Jem Cooke 80800

20 26 20 6 ALGORITHM Muse 102500

 

21 18 18 2 EVERYBODY’S HAPPY NOWADAYS Buzzcocks 41750

22 19 4 10 JOY. for KING & COUNTRY 351000

23 20 3 6 ARREST THE PRESIDENT Ice Cube 276250

24 22 13 7 BABY Clean Bandit featuring Marina & The Diamonds & Luis Fonzi 145400

25 33 25 4 EVERLASTING LOVE The Love Affair 67800

26 23 8 9 HEAVEN LET ME IN Friendly Fires 234600

27 28 27 8 BURN Super8 & Tab featuring Hero Baldwin 117150

28 52 28 2 DRIVING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS Chris Rea 29800

29 24 3 10 NEED YOU TONITE Mylo featuring Judie Tzuke 316650

30 49 30 3 FAVELA Ina Wroldsen & Alok 37500

 

31 39 31 6 LOVE OF MY LIFE Queen 83800

32 21 2 5 GOOD NIGHT The Beatles 315550

33 37 33 6 LONELY STAR Ariana and The Rose 74400

34 38 25 8 HOW LONG WILL THIS LAST? Blossoms 124350

35 57 35 2 TIMBUKTU Cassper Nyovest & Los Unidades (Coldplay) featuring Stormzy & Jess Kent 27900

36 44 36 2 E-LO Los Unidades (Coldplay) & Pharrell Williams featuring Jozzy 30650

37 29 12 7 FRENCH CLASS HalfNoise 179000

38 40 38 6 HEY DJ CNCO, Meghan Trainor & Sean Paul 79250

39 46 39 4 INFINITY (MOVEMENT 6) Jean-Michel Jarre 48300

40 34 1 12 TOOGOODTOBETRUE Gallant featuring Sufjan Stevens & Rebecca Sugar 654600

 

41 45 41 4 SAIL AWOLNATION 43400

42 43 42 4 SEE THE DAY Dee C. Lee 52000

43 35 20 7 LOVE Boyzone 114550

44 30 30 6 JAPAN Plastician 90750

45 51 45 5 TINTS Anderson .Paak featuring Kendrick Lamar 52300

46 55 46 5 HUFF + PUFF Just A Band 50750

47 60 47 3 PUNK RIGHT NOW HYO & 3LAU 29600

48 41 2 13 NOTHING BURNS LIKE THE COLD Snoh Aalegra featuring Vince Staples 589200

49 47 1 26 HEY LOOK MA, I MADE IT Panic! At The Disco 1965750

50 NEW 50 1 WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME The Monkees 12000

 

51 25 25 6 39 Queen 101800

52 59 52 5 OOH LA LA The Faces 41200

53 56 53 4 HANDS UP Merk & Kremont featuring DNCE 39350

54 65 54 3 SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN The Crystals 23600

55 61 55 2 LOVE YOU MORE Buzzcocks 18300

56 58 56 2 THE POWER OF LOVE Frankie Goes To Hollywood 20800

57 69 57 2 BACK ON THE CHAIN GANG Morrissey 16600

58 64 58 3 TERE NAAL NACHNA Badshah & Sunanda Sharma 23100

59 67 59 2 ONE MORE SLEEP Leona Lewis 16700

60 63 60 2 EVER FALLEN IN LOVE (WITH SOMEONE YOU SHOULDN’T’VE) Buzzcocks 17200

 

61 48 48 6 MAPACHE Cari Cari 59100

62 42 33 10 POLAROID Jonas Blue, Liam Payne & Lennon Stella 139750

63 68 63 3 SPEECHLESS Robin Schulz featuring Erika Sirola 19000

64 73 64 2 STOP THE CAVALRY Jona Lewie 12500

65 72 65 3 PAPER DREAMS Jamie N Commons 17800

66 66 66 5 SWEET BUT PSYCHO Ava Max 33200

67 71 67 2 DECEMBER WILL BE MAGIC Kate Bush 12400

68 NEW 68 1 WHAT WOULD SANTA DO The Monkees 6400

69 NEW 69 1 A SPACEMAN CAME TRAVELLING Chris De Burgh 6200

70 NEW 70 1 HAPPY XMAS (WAR IS OVER) John & Yoko & The Plastic Ono Band with The Harlem Community Choir 6000

 

71 74 71 2 SHE MAKES ME Rick Astley 11000

72 75 72 3 DREAM ON Aerosmith 15600

73 54 37 7 THE GREATEST SHOW Panic! At The Disco 78800

74 NEW 74 1 PROMISES Buzzcocks 5200

75 NEW 75 1 ROCKIN’ AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE Brenda Lee 5000

 

DROP OUTS

31 10 5 I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS (SYMPHONIC VERSION) Foreigner 137900

36 14 5 SMALLTOWN BOY (SYMPHONIC VERSION) Bronski Beat 103000

50 36 5 SHELTER Monkey Safari 59600

53 12 9 ALL I AM Jess Glynne 184400

62 7 9 GRAVITY Paul Weller 283550

70 70 2 ABOVE THE LAW The O’Jays 12000

Hello John!

Really glad that "Nothing Breaks Like A Heart" has a big gain into the top 10! Really enjoying this song right now!

I also like the huge gain for "Driving Home For Christmas", really is a christmas classic, alongside other christmas classics!

Great chart!

Hi John!

 

I just heard 'Survive' for the first time yesterday, I really liked it too :o A very random collab but it totally works! Also loving how well 'Joy' has done in your chart! ^_^

Great chart as ever Pop!! Are old Xmas tracks reentering your chart a modern phenomena on your chart? Loving the Mark Cyrus track!!

 

The original Chris De Burgh track re charting as well with the new version about I've been hearing it a lot more too!

Edited December 19, 20186 yr by Christmasteve201

Hi John!

 

Giving Goodbye to Love a listen now, the vocals are great and it does work well with the orchestra!

 

Nice to see some Christmas classics enter as well - A Spaceman Came Travelling is a nice piece (albeit the slightly weird lyrics) and I love a bit of Brenda Lee as well!

 

Great chart :D

Hee John,

 

Mark Ronson Top10 Yes :cheer:

 

Don Diablo at no 5 :cheer:

 

 

Nice Christmas oldies :yahoo:

 

Happy Christmas !!!

I'm surprised that All I Want for Christmas is You is not there.

Hello John!

Really glad that "Nothing Breaks Like A Heart" has a big gain into the top 10! Really enjoying this song right now!

I also like the huge gain for "Driving Home For Christmas", really is a christmas classic, alongside other christmas classics!

Great chart!

Thanks Sergej, glad you like Mark Ronson, certainly the hottest new track around for me! Chris Rea is the xmas song I never tire of hearing, year after year!

 

cheers!

john

Hi John!

 

I just heard 'Survive' for the first time yesterday, I really liked it too :o A very random collab but it totally works! Also loving how well 'Joy' has done in your chart! ^_^

 

Hi Jordan!,

 

Thanks and yesDon Diablo & Emeli is a fab collab! Joy is one of your best-ever entries (of many) :heart:

 

Cheers!

 

Great chart as ever Pop!! Are old Xmas tracks reentering your chart a modern phenomena on your chart? Loving the Mark Cyrus track!!

 

The original Chris De Burgh track re charting as well with the new version about I've been hearing it a lot more too!

 

Hi Steve!

 

No, I used to regularly rechart xmas oldies (when they weren't that old!) in the 70's and 80's if they made the UK charts or chart breakers lists, then they stopped getting in for a while until the downloading era when they became chart huge - I now chart any that make the itunes or Uk charts that I'm not fed up with hearing that I hear around, or occasionally one from my itunes playlist xmas oldies (like Kim Wilde this week)

 

cheers!

Hi John!

 

Giving Goodbye to Love a listen now, the vocals are great and it does work well with the orchestra!

 

Nice to see some Christmas classics enter as well - A Spaceman Came Travelling is a nice piece (albeit the slightly weird lyrics) and I love a bit of Brenda Lee as well!

 

Great chart :D

 

Hi Pet! :D

 

Glad you like Carpenters lushness, and I'm surprised I haven't charted Spaceman Came Travelling this century! Quite an omission there on my part!

 

cheers!

Hee John,

 

Mark Ronson Top10 Yes :cheer:

 

Don Diablo at no 5 :cheer:

Nice Christmas oldies :yahoo:

 

Happy Christmas !!!

 

 

Hey Sven! Good to see you popping by :)

 

Thanks and Happy Christmas to you too!

 

cheers!

 

I'm surprised that All I Want for Christmas is You is not there.

 

Hi PopChartsPH!

 

Just overdosed on a xmas classic the last few years is all - Mariah is still fab, topped my charts first time round and hit again many many times in my xmas charts, one of my all-time biggest-"sellers" but I tend to give xmas classics a rest for a few years if I reach saturation point - and I heard it loads of times last week without even trying! Same reason I dont chart Wizzard, Slade, Pogues, Shaky, Wham! every year - still love 'em, but resting for a while :lol:

replies tomorrow to comment charters when I get a mo, been a hectic day! :)