I think we can swiftly move on from the boring 2004 onto...another one-horse race and the start of the X Factor era, but some interesting records did attempt to liven things up at least.

 

1. Shayne Ward - That's My Goal (NEW)

2. Nizlopi - JCB Song (1)

3. The Pogues feat Kirsty MacColl - Fairytale Of New York (Re-entry)

4. Westlife feat Diana Ross - When You Tell Me That You Love Me (2)

5. Eminem - When I'm Gone (NEW)

6. Crazy Frog - Jingle Bells/U Can't Touch This (5)

7. Pussycat Dolls - Stickwitu (3)

8. Madonna - Hung Up (4)

9. Girls Aloud - See The Day (NEW)

10. Coldplay - Talk (NEW)

11. James Blunt - Goodbye My Lover (NEW)

12. Sugababes - Ugly (6)

13. Black Eyed Peas - My Humps (7)

14. Simon Webbe - No Worries (12)

15. Westlife - You Raise Me Up (10)

16. Robbie Williams - Advertising Space (8)

17. Kelly Clarkson - Because of You (13)

18. DHT feat Edmee - Listen To Your Heart (14)

19. Mariah Carey - Don't Forget About Us (11)

20. Gorillaz - Dirty Harry (16)

 

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21. Brian Kennedy - George Best - A Tribute (NEW)

22. Choirboys - Tears In Heaven (NEW)

26. Hound Dogs - I Like Girls (NEW)

27. Water Babies - Under The Tree (30)

30. Santa - Is This The Way To Amarillo? (Santa's Grotto) (NEW)

32. Mary J Blige - Be Without You (NEW)

73. Cantamus Girls Choir - Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime (NEW)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After four weeks of Band Aid 20 in 2004, the first X Factor winner - Steve Brookstein - climbed to No.1 with his cover of Against All Odds. He didn't seem like a wildly popular winner and the song had already been No.1 for Mariah and Westlife four years earlier, yet still the single sold very well in its first week at No.2 so clearly the seeds were sewn that the following year they might be able to contend for Christmas No.1 itself with no charity juggernaut presumably in the way. Plans were fixed to compete and the very popular Shayne Ward won the huge ITV show as part of Louis Walsh's Boys category. He was handed a song called That's My Goal that was very much in the Westlife stable of safe mid-00s pop but the lyrical theme about triumph - which could be interpreted as either a love song or as winning over the public to secure victory in this competition - clearly worked and was a template that was followed for a few years after this, successfully until 2009. That's My Goal sold a huge 742,180 on Christmas week to absolutely demolish the competition and set the precedent for the following years to come.

 

But the competition - while clearly miles behind Shayne - was not as weak as 2004. Nizlopi were coming off the back of a quirky and unexpected sounding No.1 in the 'my dad is a hero' tale JCB Song (Ed Sheeran says they were one of his big inspirations when he was growing up, and you can kind of hear that in some of his acoustic stuff). The song had to make way for Shayne on Christmas week though and fell a place even though it near enough doubled its sales from the previous week to a huge 159,815. Rounding off the top three was a re-released Fairytale of New York, the classic 1987 No.2 peaking single from The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl. Due to a rule at the time that meant download sales could not count unless accompanied by a physical release, all of the other Christmas classics were a no-show again, but The Pogues had a CD single out so were allowed back in and for both their physical and digital sales to count. It has now charted every year since 2005.

 

Four of the year's biggest acts bravely put new records out for Christmas, with Eminem reaching the top five with When I'm Gone from his Curtain Call: The Hits album. The album had already sold very well so the single was never likely to make as big a splash as it could have done, but No.5 was respectable. Elsewhere, Coldplay and James Blunt put out their latest singles from their albums that had already sold massively in 2005; both Talk and Goodbye My Lover were considered highlights of their respective albums. And Girls Aloud presumably tried to pull the same trick as I'll Stand By You, releasing a ballad cover around Christmas, but without the Children In Need backing it faltered and was their lowest peaking hit to date.

 

The Pogues were joined on the festive front in the top 20 by another of the year's biggest selling acts... Crazy Frog with a cover of Jingle Bells. The token dance song in the top 20 (as every 00s year there had to be one), was Belgian act DHT and Edmee, with a cover of Roxette's Listen To Your Heart, fresh from being an unexpected smash in the US and available in both Eurodance and ballad versions which proved equally popular globally.

 

There were six other new entries outside the top 20; 'twas the time of year for choral music and covers by Choirboys and Cantamus Girls Choir (I can't find this song online anywhere) both charted. Irish singer Brian Kennedy, who would represent his nation at Eurovision five months later and finish in the top 10, released a tribute EP to late footballer George Best, lead by a cover of You Raise Me Up, which had been a recent No.1 on the way down for Westlife - the single would climb to No.4 a couple of weeks later. Dance act Hound Dogs released I Like Girls, Santa himself kindly graced us with his presence with a festive version of the biggest selling single of 2005 - Is This The Way To Amarillo? (Santa's Grotto) and also bringing cheer was Water Babies, whose indie pop song Under The Tree has become a bit of a cult favourite since and climbed on Christmas week. Mary J Blige released what has gone on to become a bit of a classic for her too, but bad timing saw it only get to No.32, although it would hang around in the top 75 for some time.

An major improvement on the last couple of Christmas charts for me. This was at the point I started getting back into following the charts after dropping off in 03.

 

My sister bought the Shayne track and it was the first X Factor I watched so very memorable moment in time. Crazy Frog and the Westlife tracks were dreadful but were we expecting anything less lol.

 

Songs I love/like

1. Shayne Ward - That's My Goal (NEW)

3. The Pogues feat Kirsty MacColl - Fairytale Of New York (Re-entry)

7. Pussycat Dolls - Stickwitu (3)

8. Madonna - Hung Up (4)

9. Girls Aloud - See The Day (NEW) (I know this isn't that well liked but I didn't mind it).

10. Coldplay - Talk (NEW) (a great track from them and nice to see they just about made the Christmas top 10).

11. James Blunt - Goodbye My Lover (NEW)

12. Sugababes - Ugly (6)

13. Black Eyed Peas - My Humps (7)

14. Simon Webbe - No Worries (12)

16. Robbie Williams - Advertising Space (8) (ah kept thinking this was top 10 at Christmas but that was the week before).

17. Kelly Clarkson - Because of You (13)

18. DHT feat Edmee - Listen To Your Heart (14)

19. Mariah Carey - Don't Forget About Us (11) (not sure I know this one)

20. Gorillaz - Dirty Harry (16)

 

All this music channel nostalgia with a lot of these on regular rotation :wub:

 

Water Babies of course a good entry lower down now I know what it is and the Mary J Blige song is decent too. Will check a few others later, will have heard the Brian Kennedy song in the charts though as that went top 5 in the new year!

Under The Tree that was bad.

See The Day :wub:

Deserve to be prefect # 1 (or at least # 2 behind X-Factor).

Remember Under The Tree was C Alisted by R1 at the time, think it charted because it was on a Vodaphone ad.

 

Great increase in sales for Nizlopi!

 

1. Shayne Ward - That's My Goal (NEW) - I remember my dad getting 1 copy each for both me and my sister for Xmas. :lol: Selling 750k first week in any climate would be amazing but in the 2005 climate it's incredible! Really a testament to how massive tv talent shows were back then.

3. The Pogues feat Kirsty MacColl - Fairytale Of New York (Re-entry) - never gets old.

7. Pussycat Dolls - Stickwitu (3) - this hasn't aged well for me, they were definitely stronger on up-tempos.

8. Madonna - Hung Up (4) - the reverse of Stickwitu. Never cared for it at the time but the past few years I've been playing it more. Probably one of the best of 2005.

9. Girls Aloud - See The Day (NEW) - one of their weakest for me but not awful.

11. James Blunt - Goodbye My Lover (NEW) - same as Hung Up. One of my favourite songs from him.

12. Sugababes - Ugly (6) - I definitely enjoyed this more at the time than I do now. They have done far better in the past.

17. Kelly Clarkson - Because of You (13) - Kelly at her very best :wub: her Breakaway era really was one of the best things to come out of 2005.

That top section of the chart is turgid

DHT and Edmee's version of 'Listen To Your Heart' is quite nostalgic.

 

The Hound Dogs track is like a mix of influences from the Studio B hit earlier in the year and also the disco house sound that I like which was popular at the time. Despite this, it is in my opinion not one of the best examples of dance at the time because of the awful lyrics.

 

Mary J's 'Be Without You' apparently stayed in the top 75 for a long time because of a popular dance remix.

Edited December 14, 2024Dec 14 by TheSnake

Under The Tree that was bad.

It’s honestly one of my favourite Christmas songs, should have been much bigger

Mary J's 'Be Without You' apparently stayed in the top 75 for a long time because of a popular dance remix.

 

I still hear this in clubs all the time, people go crazy for it and know every word. You wouldn't imagine it was only a #32 hit from nearly 20 years ago!

Edited December 15, 2024Dec 15 by Jessie Where

I still hear this in clubs all the time, people go crazy for it and know every word. You wouldn't imagine it was only a #32 hit from nearly 20 years ago!

 

Didn't know it was still that popular!

 

It's like Do Your Thing by Basement Jaxx on lots of adverts and TV shows, same year, chart position!

It’s honestly one of my favourite Christmas songs, should have been much bigger

 

Purchased the cd single back then for it!