UK Christmas “Number Twos”
Not often a way we look at a ‘best of’ list but DigitalSpy brings us an interesting look at how some of the most famous Christmas songs we listen to every year didn’t quite top the charts.
One example comes from the very recently passed Greg Lake, whose “I Believe In Father Christmas” was beaten out by a not-so-hard-believe little number by Queen. And that song was “Bohemian Rhapsody”!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXCEdrnaFlY
Another entry that was pretty interesting was back when George Michael’s Wham! released “Last Christmas” it finished second to another Christmas classic in “Do They Know It’s Christmas”
And then, of course, there’s my all-time favourite The Pogues “Fairytale of New York” being usurped by “Always On My Mind”.
Often cited as the best Christmas song of all time, this Irish folk ballad had to settle for second place in 1987. Which is frankly an outrage. While the Pet Shop Boys cover of Elvis Presley is inspired, it surely should have been the other way round?
It has climbed back into the Top 20 every year since 2005, finally reaching over 1 million sales in 2013. The song was allegedly recorded after Elvis Costello bet Shane MacGowan that he couldn’t write a Christmas hit single.
You can see the full list here.
