A thread comparing the chart runs (since 2007) week by week of Mariah Carey - All I Want for Christmas Is You and Wham! - Last Christmas!

 

Green positions = the highest placed song, and Red positions = the lowest placed song.

 

I've also included some prediction polls! Feel free to respond to the thread to say which choices you voted for.

Re: the 100,000 sales question: that is the sales contributing to the weekly chart which will have the streaming sales halved due to ACR. Last year neither managed 100k+ - Last Christmas: 96,653 / All I Want for Christmas Is You: 83,175.

 

 

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Edited: 27th December 2024

 

 

(24/11/2007) | 78 46 23 08 04 06 20 | Mariah Carey

(08/12/2007) | 00 00 50 23 14 16 40 | Wham!

 

 

(22/11/2008) | 59 45 37 17 12 17 25 | Mariah Carey

(06/12/2008) | 00 00 67 36 26 27 45 | Wham!

 

 

(28/11/2009) | 77 51 29 19 21 18 | Mariah Carey

(12/12/2009) | 00 00 53 39 41 34 | Wham!

 

 

(27/11/2010) | 96 48 22 23 25 31 | Mariah Carey

(11/12/2010) | 00 00 57 53 56 61 | Wham!

 

 

(26/11/2011) | 100 64 27 12 11 17 | Mariah Carey

(10/12/2011) | 000 00 55 26 28 34 | Wham!

 

 

(24/11/2012) | 88 56 30 20 21 20 55 | Mariah Carey

(08/12/2012) | 00 00 55 34 41 35 87 | Wham!

 

 

(23/11/2013) | 98 68 47 14 12 13 30 | Mariah Carey

(07/12/2013) | 00 00 91 44 40 36 68 | Wham!

 

 

(29/11/2014) | 68 52 17 16 18 20 | Mariah Carey

(06/12/2014) | 00 86 39 36 35 28 | Wham!

 

 

(03/12/2015) | 94 35 13 12 11 37 | Mariah Carey

(10/12/2015) | 00 65 27 24 18 54 | Wham!

 

 

(01/12/2016) | 72 29 06 08 05 05 | Mariah Carey

(08/12/2016) | 00 75 19 20 16 07 | Wham!

 

 

(16/11/2017) | 89 88 34 22 05 02 04 04 | Mariah Carey

(30/11/2017) | 00 00 81 29 06 03 03 02 | Wham!

 

 

(29/11/2018) | 65 34 06 05 04 02 | Mariah Carey

(06/12/2018) | 00 52 14 07 07 03 | Wham!

 

 

(21/11/2019) | 77 59 34 08 06 08 02 | Mariah Carey

(28/11/2019) | 00 80 43 13 07 05 03 | Wham!

 

 

(19/11/2020) | 60 31 14 02 01 01 02 02 | Mariah Carey

(19/11/2020) | 76 44 20 03 02 02 03 01 | Wham!

 

 

(18/11/2021) | 69 44 24 03 04 04 04 03 | Mariah Carey

(18/11/2021) | 85 54 28 04 03 03 03 02 | Wham!

 

 

(17/11/2022) | 56 36 18 08 01 02 04 02 | Mariah Carey

(17/11/2022) | 71 42 23 09 03 01 02 01 | Wham!

 

 

(16/11/2023) | 40 28 16 06 02 03 03 03 00 | Mariah Carey

(16/11/2023) | 37 26 14 05 01 01 01 01 83 | Wham!

 

 

(14/11/2024) | 58 38 17 10 05 03 03 02 62 | Mariah Carey

(14/11/2024) | 61 43 16 08 02 01 01 01 42 | Wham!

 

 

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2010 - Interestingly the only year listed above (bar this year so far) that All I Want for Christmas Is You didn't make the Top 20, and the only year that Last Christmas didn't go Top 40 (not even Top 50)! What was up with this year? #scrooge

 

2017 - The year that Wham! moved ahead of Mariah for the first time in the digital era. This was the 1st anniversary of George Michael's death and there was a campaign to get the song to #1 (in fact, to be the Christmas chart #1), but it didn't happen. It managed #3 with 62,481 sales - considerably ahead of Mariah at #4 on 35,414. Wham! sold upwards of 32,000 downloads that week, whereas Mariah sold less than 5,000 downloads. The following week, Wham! moved up to #2 with their sales declining to 53,796 sales, while Mariah stayed at #4 but increased her sales to 50,124.

 

2019 - Last Christmas was higher in the chart than AIWFCIY for one week (#5 and #8, respectively) because it was helped along by the release of a 7" vinyl. Last Christmas sold 40,785 copies that week, 4,859 copies on vinyl (so that's 35,926 without the vinyl). Mariah sold 36,781 overall. Without the Last Christmas vinyl, Mariah would have been #7 and Wham! #9. #gino

 

2020 - The year that both All I Want for Christmas Is You and Last Christmas finally made it to #1! (Well, for Wham! it actually happened on Friday 1st January 2021, w/e 7th Jan!). In the week that Wham! were at #1, Mariah was at #2. The sales were very close between them that week: Last Christmas sold 40,149 and AIWFCIY sold 39,435. Mariah had started the week at midweek #1, and in the Friday chart she was actually marginally ahead in terms of streaming sales (with 38,674 units; Last Christmas was on 38,591). However Last Christmas sold more downloads - 1,556 sales; AIWFCIY sold 761. As chart fans we realised during that week just how close it was, so quite a few of us decided to download versions of Last Christmas. Even though this was a much more lowkey effort than the 2017 campaign, it actually succeeded this time! Little did we know then that Last Christmas would go on to spend a further 6 weeks at #1 across 2022 and 2023.

 

2023 - A year which stands out due to Last Christmas being ahead of AIWFCIY at every step of the way. Last Christmas spent 4 weeks at #1, which included its first occasion as the Christmas chart #1 - an achievement that still eludes Mariah, whose best Christmas week position is #2 in 1994 and 2020.

 

2024 - This year we're back to AIWFCIY having an early lead. Will Mariah maintain this lead or will Wham! overtake eventually? It's worth mentioning that both of these songs have new physical formats being released this year, to celebrate their anniversaries - the 30th anniversary of All I Want for Christmas Is You, and 40th anniversary of Last Christmas. Mariah's are released on 6th December (meaning they'll be included in the 13th December chart), while Wham!'s are released on 13th December (for the 20th December chart - which is the Christmas week chart).

I've voted:

 

Mariah - #2

Wham! - #1

Mariah 100k - no

Wham! 100k - yes

Wham! will overtake Mariah

Mariah won't be Christmas #1

Wham! will be Christmas #1

 

Even though Mariah's off to a better start again, I still predict a shift to Wham! will occur... and also that their 40th anniversary is going to get more attention and physical sales than Mariah will get.

 

My preference would be Mariah to do better for the whole festive season but I just don't see it! If she did somehow manage to snatch #1 in the week of her physicals though, that would be pleasing to me.

 

My votes:

#2 - don't think she'll overtake Gracie until after Wham! have overtaken.

#1, Yes and Yes - the chart announced 27 Dec will have an accumulation of streams for both like we've never seen before

Yes, No and Yes - even with the actual Christmas chart coming earlier than last year, I can't see anything beating Wham! that week either

I do think both will get turns at the top, I’d imagine Mariah early December witt wham overtaking until Christmas? I hope Mariah gets a turn this year anyway. And yeah I’d imagine both will manage over 100k sales on Christmas/ post Christmas week

Brenda Lee ends up dark horsing both of them.

2

1

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

 

I would loooooove for a new Christmas staple to finally get it! My wishes would be Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree or Jingle Bell Rock from the likely contenders. Obvs Underneath the Tree or One More Sleep would be a dream but let's be real - top 10 is their best hope. :lol:

In a shock turn of events, ‘Last Christmas’ is currently the only Christmas song in the Billboard hot 100!

In a shock turn of events, ‘Last Christmas’ is currently the only Christmas song in the Billboard hot 100!

 

Although very fun this is purely due to a recurrency rule quirk which is blocking Mairah, Brenda and Jingle Bell Rock this week.

I think everyone is bored of these two songs so I can’t see sales doing much and streaming favours Wham as Christmas gets closer. Can’t see Mariah getting #1 ever again in the UK

I think everyone is bored of these two songs so I can’t see sales doing much and streaming favours Wham as Christmas gets closer. Can’t see Mariah getting #1 ever again in the UK

 

Told you so!!! Will be Wham forever more.

Band Aid may block that number #1 but then Ed has created some negative headlines around it so who knows?

 

I do think this year everyone has been a bit more coy when it comes to Christmas songs. Maybe cos last year felt a bit overdosed by them by the time Christmas was over. Like so far only Wham and Mariah in the top 40 when the equivalent of last years chart there was 5 in the top 40. Now there’s Christmas tree switch ons happening I’m sure it’ll start to ramp up though.

Band Aid have absolutely zero chance of Xmas #1. Barely anyone cared about 30 so even less will this time around.

The only way Band Aid could get #1 would be with a hefty assist from the OCC combining multiple versions (which is possible given it is technically a remix of previous recordings instead of a cover) and then resetting it from ACR.

Band Aid have absolutely zero chance of Xmas #1. Barely anyone cared about 30 so even less will this time around.

 

Thid!! Lol at Cheesy Fad attacking another charity in his desperate debby atgempts at another no.1 :lol:

I do think both will get turns at the top, I’d imagine Mariah early December witt wham overtaking until Christmas? I hope Mariah gets a turn this year anyway. And yeah I’d imagine both will manage over 100k sales on Christmas/ post Christmas week

 

I think Band Aid 40 will deny them both...

Guess we'll find out next week if the original climbs 88-1 in the mids. Although as the OCC have effectively said Christmas songs are exempt from ACR resets, that would open a can of worms as to whether Mariah and Wham! should get one too.

no chance Band Aid 40 will be getting combined with Band Aid, there hasn't been any precedent for combining Band Aids ever before.

 

I suspect they'll make #1 but they're being released too far in advance of Christmas to contend for Xmas #1

Thanks for laying out all these stats so nicely Jay *.*

 

I have a gut feeling that Mariah might get #1 in early December before making way for Wham! to be Xmas #1 again based on the trend so far x

 

(and I really don't see Band Aid 40 being a threat, not sure it'll even do well in the first week)

I think Band Aid 40 will be lucky to make top 40 honestly! Even LadBaby struggled to shift downloads towards the end, unless there’s a massive campaign for Christmas number one (which wouldn’t work anyway considering the release date), I can’t see it. It seems to be a pretty slap dash effort anyway if it’s just a mega mix of the other 3.

Although very fun this is purely due to a recurrency rule quirk which is blocking Mairah, Brenda and Jingle Bell Rock this week.

 

Oooh! Please explain the quirk?