AC/DC Doesn’t Get Christmas Number One in the UK

December 23, 2013 Alan Cross 2 Comments

Damn you, Simon Cowell and your ilk.

Fans fought the good fight, but it wasn’t enough. Despite a worldwide push to sell enough copies to push AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” to #1 in the UK, the highest they were able to go was fourth place.

They were bested by X-Factor winner Sam Bailey’s “Skyscraper” (a Demi Lovato cover and the odds-on favourite to finish at #1), “Happy” from Pharrell Williams (#2), Leona Lewis’ “One More Sleep” (#3.)

If there’s a victory to be taken here, it’s that this is the highest an AC/DC song has ever charted in the UK. “Highway to Hell” stalled at #40 in when it was first released in 1979 and “Heatseeker” didn’t do any better than #12 in 1988.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

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