GreyAsh

It’s a ‘chicken and egg’ thing. Increased popularity (globally) and consciousness of ‘Last Christmas’ has led to better playlisting and the cycle continues. George’s death was a massive factor in this. In general, better playlisting is given to the more popular songs. The big BUT factor is the fact that Spotify has a massive impact and gives preferential treatment to songs that are popular in the US. Songs like FONY manage to buck the trend despite poor Spotify playlisting . ‘Last Christmas’ becoming more popular in the US has boosted its fortunes in the UK and globally. As people previously said, it used to take a distant 3rd to AIWFCIY and FONY.

Exactly this. Each week prior to that it dropped so far down that no one expected it to remain number 1.

Last year Mr Brightside was up significantly (Saltburn) so I think it will do similar in the end of year chart to 2 years ago. It just happens that finally there are a couple of other classic songs up there with it (Iris and Dreams). But as, by the end of this week, MB and LC will be neck and neck in the all-time ranking, after this week it seems unlikely that Last Christmas will ever overtake Mr Brightside again.

Unless a song grows organically, I think the only time this might possibly happen would be in the final chart this week, when we feel that other platforms will be underestimated for Thursday. But even that implies that Christmas Day streams are far more than double the average for the week.

Isn’t it almost impossible for an Amazon Original Christmas song to climb above other Christmas songs over the course of the week?

‘Last Christmas’ - or have I misunderstood the question?

Delighted and surprised to see The Cranberries doing so well - and Fleetwood Mac having great success even with songs like ‘Silver Springs’ and ‘Landslide’.

Intrigued to see whether Brenda can outpace Mariah today or later this week.

But we know that Alexa will go into overdrive on Christmas Day - when it is the only platform being counted. I still can’t work out what impact this will have.

This time last week it was below ‘Man I Need’ so I feel it is going in the right direction. But we know that Alexa will go into overdrive on Christmas Day - when it is the only platform being counted. I still can’t work out what impact this will have.

I haven’t checked but I guess that means from 2018-2021 LadBaby ended up with double the sales of Wham! (and Mariah)? I guess their key week was the following week.

I think I misunderstood this. I always think of repeaking meaning claiming back to a previous peak, rather than reaching a new peak.

But - Amazon streams for Christmas songs will be higher than last year, and those for non-Christmas songs will be lower. But I think that will be more than made up for by the fact that last year Spotify effectively had two Christmas days, and this year they will have zero.

I’m sure that’s an unbeatable record! 😜

I’ve gone for 39 - just RainDance. I can’t get my head around the impact that Christmas being on a Thursday will have on the chart. But I’ll vote for the two Olivia Dean tracks just missing out. However, we could well be in a position where Christmas tracks appear to be well down on last year. Am I right in thinking that sales for Christmas tracks last year were falsely inflated - because estimates for Boxing Day were an average of the previous six days, including Christmas Day, whereas the streaming of Christmas songs on Boxing Day is lower than any day in many weeks?.

I was almost crying in my car listening to the show before the chart show and hearing them and their listeners talk positively about XMAS.

+5 XMAS - Kylie Minogue +4 Fairytale of New York - The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl +3 Last Christmas - Wham! +2 Underneath The Tree - Kelly Clarkson +1 All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey -1 Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee -2 Raindance - Dave & Tems -3 Step Into Christmas - Elton John -4 Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms -5 Lullaby - Together For Palestine

Finally - justice for ‘Especially For You’. Kylie very almost got her first Christmas Number One in her first year on the UK chart in 1988 - but had to wait (almost) 38 years in the end! AND it only counts if she’s a named artist (I know she was number 1 the following year duty Band Aid II)

Is this the first song with a new peak this week? And remind me, have any other Christmas songs reached a new peak over the past couple of weeks? Kelly did, didn’t she - and of course new songs by Kylie and Gwen Stefani.

Not at all! I think oldest female to have a solo number 1 with a new recording is quite genuine. (Although I know you’re just being cheeky).

+20 Fairytale Of New York - The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl (2005) +19 Stan - Eminem (2000) +18 Bad Romance - Lady Gaga (2009) +17 Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - Mel Smith & Kim Wilde (1987) +16 I Believe In You - Kylie Minogue (2004) +15 Last Christmas- Wham! (2017/2020/2021) +14 Crackers International EP - Erasure (1988) +13 The Final Countdown - Europe (1986) +12 When You Come Back To Me - Jason Donovan (1989) +11 Run - Leona Lewis (2008) +10 We All Stand Together - Paul McCartney & The Frog Chorus (1984) +9 Would I Lie To You - Charles & Eddie (1992) +8 One More Sleep - Leona Lewis (2013) +7 Gotta Get Thru This - Daniel Bedingfield (2001) +6 Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis (2007) +5 Father And Son - Boyzone (1995) +4 Do They Know It's Christmas - Band Aid (1985) +4 Money Money Money - ABBA (1976) +2 Sorry - Justin Bieber (2015) +1 Dominick The Donkey - Lou Monte (2011)

Physicals 7000 Downloads 7400 Streaming 32000 Allegedly.

And each year they get further and further ahead of her. The campaigning for Wham! this year has been less than ever (because of fans switching to Team Kylie).

Kylie’s team and Amazon would have ensured she would do well, so it’s irrelevant how close we are to Christmas

Why say ‘probably’ when you know it’s true 🤣 Kylie’s team and Amazon would have ensured she would do well, so it’s irrelevant how close we are to Christmas