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Right then, the top ten is imminent...but first here are some songs bubbling under the top 60, 2000 - 2006...

I WISH IT COULD BE A WOMBLING MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYDAY - WIZZARD/WOMBLES 2000 number 22 that year

I BELIEVE IN CHRISTMAS - TWEENIES 2001 number 9 that year

SANTA`S LIST - CLIFF RICHARD 2003 number 5 that year

(HAVE A) CHEEKY CHRISTMAS - CHEEKY GIRLS 2003 number 10 that year

LAST CHRISTMAS - CRAZY FROG 2006 number 16 that year

 

Here is the top 10...

10 HAPPY CHRISTMAS (WAR IS OVER) - JOHN LENNON/PLASTIC ONO BAND 1972/80

09 WHEN A CHILD IS BORN (SOLEADO) - JOHNNY MATHIS 1976

08 MISTLETOE AND WINE - CLIFF RICHARD 1988

07 WHITE CHRISTMAS - BING CROSBY 1942 - 77

06 MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY - SLADE 1973/83/06

05 DO THEY KNOW IT`S CHRISTMAS - BAND AID 20 2004

04 MARY`S BOY CHILD - HARRY BELAFONTE 1957/8

03 LAST CHRISTMAS - WHAM 1984/5

02 MARY`S BOY CHILD - BONEY M 1978

01 DO THEY KNOW IT`S CHRISTMAS - BAND AID 1984/5

 

Not many surprises in the top 10, although people forget HARRY BELAFONTE, was the first million seller, of the 50s. WHAM! of course, with the biggest selling number 2 hit, of all time.

 

Tomorrow, we will look at the most played Christmas singles, on Radio 1973 - 2007. For now, here are a dozen, or so, records that were played on Radio, that never even graced any chart...

CHRISTMAS STORY/SILVER BELLS - DORIS DAY 1950

SANTA BABY - EARTHA KITT 1953

SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN - FRANK SINATRA 1953

CHRISTMAS ALPHABET - MCGUIRE SISTERS 1955

ON A CHRISTMAS DAY - LONNIE DONEGAN 1956

FROSTY THE SNOWMAN - RONETTES 1963

LITTLE SAINT NICK - BEACH BOYS 1964

SLEIGH RIDE - VENTURES 1965

SIX WHITE BOOMERS - ROLF HARRIS 1964

MARY HAD A BABY - MARY HOPKIN 1972

WHO`S STUFFING YOUR TURKEY THIS CHRISTMAS - LARRY GRAYSON 1975

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS - BILL BARCLAY 1975

PIPE TUNE - MIKE OLDFIELD 1977

DISCO SANTA - CHRIS HILL 1978

GRANDMA GOT RUNOVER BY A REINDEER - DR ELMO 1979

ALL STUCK UP - HOORAY AND THE HENRYS 1983

RUN RUDOLPH RUN - BRYAN ADAMS 1987

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS - SAMANTHA MUMBA 2000

 

Join us tomorrow for part one, of the most played...

Edited by trevs

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I have a compilation cd, with a T. Rex song on it called Christmas Bop. When was this single released, Trevs/anyone? :huh:

I don`t think it actually got released. It was due to be released at the end of November 1975, as a follow up to DREAMY LADY. The catalogue number should have been MARC 12, fitting in after DREAMY LADY, and before LONDON BOYS, both minor hits. I have no idea, why the release was cancelled...Anyone???

looking around the internet all I can find is that the T.Rex song was "cancelled at the 11th hour". Apparently it was a three track single, along with Telegram Sam and Metal Guru and the catalog number was indeed EMI Marc 12!

 

http://www.rockmine.com/Bolan/BolDisc.html

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So, from today, and into next week, the most played Christmas songs on Independant radio 1973 - 2007. On this chart, all versions of a particular song have been listed together, i.e. SANTA BABY, MARY`S BOY CHILD etc.

So, here is 30 - 21...

30 BLUE CHRISTMAS - SHAKIN` STEVENS, ELVIS PRELEY

29 2000 MILES - PRETENDERS 1983, number 15

28 SANTA BABY - MADONNA, KYLIE MINOGUE, EARTHA KITT

27 THANK GOD IT`S CHRISTMAS - QUEEN 1984, number 21

26 DRIVIN` HOME FOR CHRISTMAS - CHRIS REA 1988, number 5

25 STEP INTO CHRISTMAS - ELTON JOHN 1973 number 21

24 KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE - FREIHEIGHT 1988, number 12

23 CHRISTMAS WRAPPING - WAITRESSES 1982, number 47

22 CHESTNUTS ROASTING ON AN OPEN FIRE (THE CHRISTMAS SONG) - NAT KING COLE 60, ALEXANDER O` NEIL 89

21 SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN` TO TOWN - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, DARLENE LOVE etc.

More on this soon...

Edited by trevs

How did Cliff Richard's low selling 21st Century Christmas outsell the Idols large selling single Happy Xmas (War Is Over)?

Because the Idols wasn't large selling. It was more like a flop! It only reached #5 and then dropped out quickly. The thing is it wasn't 'War is over' as War on Iraq had only just begun.

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Because the Idols wasn't large selling. It was more like a flop! It only reached #5 and then dropped out quickly. The thing is it wasn't 'War is over' as War on Iraq had only just begun.

It has to be said that neither single, stayed around that long. BO SELECTA and THE IDOLS were right next to each other, in 2003, at number 4 and 5 respectively. Cliff, only had 3 weeks, in the top 50, although achieving a physical number one. S. CLUB JUNIORS didn`t hang around long with the double A side SLEIGH RIDE/PUPPY LOVE in 2002...splitting, the same sort of figure, as a minor 1965, top 10 hit, for the BARRON KNIGHTS, along with the CRAZY FROG`s JINGLE BELLS in 2005.

Edited by trevs

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Carrying on with the top 20, most played Christmas songs...

20 SAVIOURS DAY - CLIFF RICHARD 1990 number 1

19 WINTER WONDERLAND - ANNIE LENNOX, DARLENE LOVE, JOHNNY MATHIS ETC.

18 MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE - SHAKIN` STEVENS 1985 number 1

17 I BELIEVE IN FATHER CHRISTMAS - GREG LAKE 1975 number 2

16 MARY`S BOY CHILD - BONEY M 1978 number 1

15 MISTLETOE AND WINE - CLIFF RICHARD 1988 number 1

14 A SPACEMAN CAME TRAVELLING - CHRIS DE BURGH 1975/86

13 MERRY CHRISTMAS DARLING - CARPENTERS 1972 number 43

12 WHEN A CHILD IS BORN - JOHNNY MATHIS 1976 number 1

11 WHITE CHRISTMAS - BING CROSBY, DARLENE LOVE etc.

10 LONELY THIS CHRISTMAS - MUD 1974 number 1

09 STOP THE CALVARY - JONA LEWIE 1980 number 3

08 WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME - PAUL MCCARTNEY 1979 number 6

07 ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU - MARIAH CAREY 1994 number 2

06 FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK - POGUES/KIRSTY MACCOLL 1987 number 3

05 I WISH IT COULD BE CHRISTMAS EVERYDAY - WIZZARD 1973 number 4

04 HAPPY CHRISTMAS (WAR IS OVER) - JOHN LENNON/PLASTIC ONO BAND, IDOLS

03 LAST CHRISTMAS - WHAM, WHIGFIELD etc.

02 MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY - SLADE 1973 number 1

01 DO THEY KNOW IT`S CHRISTMAS - BAND AID 1984/85/89/05

 

So, the CARPENTERS, and CHRIS DE BURGH are the 2 most played songs, too have never made the top 20 singles chart!

 

All that based on Independant Radio airplay 1973 - 2006.

Edited by trevs

Great list, a ton of them bonafide classics! :yahoo: :yahoo:

 

Some tunes that are surprisingly not there:

 

Jose Feliciano - Feliz Navidad :rofl: :rofl:

Brenda Lee - Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

Joni Mitchell - River

Annie Lennox & Al Green - Put A Little Love Into Your Heart

Squeeze - Christmas Day

 

Do you have any Independent Radio playlists of the 1980's to share? :D :D

Edited by Drastic Cynosure

Why is "Keeping The Dream Alive" classed as a Christmas single? It's always baffled me why it's on Christmas compilations, just like "Only You" by The Flying Pickets. These songs have nothing to do with Christmas other than they were hits in December.
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Why is "Keeping The Dream Alive" classed as a Christmas single? It's always baffled me why it's on Christmas compilations, just like "Only You" by The Flying Pickets. These songs have nothing to do with Christmas other than they were hits in December.

Quite agree! If it was not on the Independant Radio list, we would have removed it. Somebody argued the other day, that the Power of Love by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, was a Christmas song, because the video, had the wise men in it! It`s true that these Christmas compilations, put these songs on, that are not even about Christmas. I was listening to one, that had Snowbird by Anne Murray on it. That`s nothing about Christmas either. Then, later on it had When the Red Red Robin, Comes Bob Bob Bobbing Along by Bing Crosby...it was more to do with songs about birds!

 

Further down that Independant Radio list, there is The Land of Make Believe by Bucks Fizz...again no direct connection to Christmas!

Edited by trevs

It's always bafffled me why the Frankie Goes To Hollywood song is on most Christmas compilations.
Squeeze - Christmas Day

 

I've got that on White 7" Vinyl

 

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Notice that the Christmas compilations, don`t celebrate the New Year. Why don`t the record companies, put together a New Year compilation? It would be quite a ploy, in the quiet week of new releases, between Christmas, and the 31st December. It could feature ABBA, U2, DINA CARROLL, CLIFF, FREDDIE AND THE DREAMERS, the G CLEFS, PAUL NICHOLAS and JOHN CHRISTIE on it...all bonafide New Year songs! Can anyone think of any other artists, who have done New Year related material?
It's always bafffled me why the Frankie Goes To Hollywood song is on most Christmas compilations.

It came out Xmas 1984 and video has Nativity Scene

It came out Xmas 1984 and video has Nativity Scene

 

Which is enough to make it a Christmas song, of course.

  • 3 weeks later...
Why don`t the record companies, put together a New Year compilation?

It could feature ABBA, U2, DINA CARROLL, CLIFF, FREDDIE AND THE DREAMERS, the G CLEFS, PAUL NICHOLAS and JOHN CHRISTIE on it...all bonafide New Year songs! Can anyone think of any other artists, who have done New Year related material?

 

George Harrison Ding Dong (Happy New Year) released December 1974, reached no. 38, 5 weeks in Top 75.

 

Notice that the Christmas compilations, don`t celebrate the New Year. Why don`t the record companies, put together a New Year compilation? It would be quite a ploy, in the quiet week of new releases, between Christmas, and the 31st December. It could feature ABBA, U2, DINA CARROLL, CLIFF, FREDDIE AND THE DREAMERS, the G CLEFS, PAUL NICHOLAS and JOHN CHRISTIE on it...all bonafide New Year songs! Can anyone think of any other artists, who have done New Year related material?

"January" by Pilot, was a #1 hit in February, forget which year.

Then of course there's "January, February" by Barbara Dickson

  • 10 months later...

Shall we resurrect last years thread, for Christmas 2008? As Trevs started it last year, and has been unwell for over 3 months now, I think it might be a nice tribute.

 

When I find time, I will try to update the chart up to this year...

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