With only days away from the big day, one of the best things to get you into a real Christmas mood is listening to some of the great Christmas songs that have been released over the years. Sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint a favourite. So here’s our top 10 Christmas songs.
Pipes of Peace – Paul McCartney
We start this list with a classic from the great Paul McCartney. Originally released in 1982, Pipes of Peace which came from the album of the same name, peaked at number 1 in 1983, in the charts. The music video depicts the 1914 Christmas truce between British and German troops, something that has been done many times since. McCartney portrays both a British and a German soldier, who meet in No Man’s Land and exchange photos.
Fairytale of New York – The Pogues, Kirsty MacColl
This Christmas Irish-folk style ballad is probably The Pogues most famous song, and it’s no wonder. A great song, one that is played every year. The song’s history began in 1985, but due to many rewrites, losing its original female vocalist and other reasons, it was completed in 1987. The song has never actually been Christmas number one, however, in the U.K it is the most-played Christmas song of the 21st century. In 2012, it was voted The Nation’s Favourite Christmas Song. It has also reached the U.K Top 20 18 times since its original release, which includes every year since 2005.
Last Christmas – Wham!
Last Christmas may be George Michael at his best. A complete banger, no Christmas is complete without blaring this song out at least 20 times. Initially released in 1984, Last Christmas spent 5 weeks at number two, just missing Christmas number one for that year. However, the song did reach number one in the U.K Singles Chart on New Year’s Day 2021. This song reached number one after it was streamed a whopping 9.2 million times in the last week of 2020, selling 1,555 downloads. Before The Pogue’s Fairytale of New York snatched the title in 2015, Last Christmas was the most-played Christmas song of the 21st century.
Stop the Calvary – Jona Lewie
Lewie’s anti-war song wasn’t originally going to be released as a Christmas song. The bells and lyrics mentioning Christmas were added after the original recording, which is crazy to thik about. Released in 1980, the song peaked at number three in the charts. Lewie has stated that the song was more of a protest song, against war. Although the video is set during World War One, there are references to nuclear fallout which can be linked to the tension at the time of release between the Western and Eastern Bloc. Lewie also said that the royalties he has received from the song are around 50% of his income. This song is the fourth most popular Christmas song in Ireland.
The Power of Love – Frankie Goes To Hollywood
One of the few Christmas songs that doesn’t actually reference the big day is Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s The Power of Love. Released in 1984, The Power of Love, gave the group an early December number one. It was also in the top 10 in many European countries as well as Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Since its original release, there have been many covers and remixes of the song. The most famous cover, by Gabrielle Aplin, went to number one in the UK, 28 years after the original song topped the charts. Holly Johnson, co-writer of the song has mentioned the biblical aspect of it and the passion. Love is the only thing that matters in the end.
Do They Know It’s Christmas? Band Aid
Probably the most famous and popular song on this list is Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? This charity single was written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in 1984, in response to the famine in Ethiopia. It was recorded in one day, only one, in late November of that year by Band Aid, the supergroup that consisted of some of the most popular acts at the time. The song became the Christmas number one of 1984 because of the success and became the fastest selling single in U.K chart history. It held this title until 1997. There have been three re-recordings since the original in 1989, 2004 and 2014.
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