Top Of The Christmas Pops!
IT’S NUMBER ONE – IT’S TOP OF THE CHRISTMAS POPS!
By the time What’s On readers read this article Christmas music will have been everywhere for months. Many people will already be fed up with hearing Merry Xmas Everybody by Slade, Lonely this Christmas by Mud, Wonderful Christmas Time by Paul McCartney and Queen’s Thank God its Christmas plus numerous others being continuously piped out of shop speakers. Some of you may love them in which case it’s probably not worth you reading further!! But go on….you may discover a few new faves for your Christmas playlist. I am going to share with readers some less well-known Christmas songs that you may want to explore as an antidote to the tried, possibly tired and tested Christmas ditties. But first a quick summary.
The Christmas chart number one has always been and continues to be a big event. In the 69 years the charts have been compiled you may be surprised to know that the word Christmas has only been in the title of the number one song 8 times. (9 if you include the word Xmas) The first time it was Dickie Valentine with his Christmas Alphabet in 1955 then Mud and Shakin Stevens. Five of the eight number ones were Band Aid (three times) and Wham the last two years with Last Christmas. It had taken Wham 39 years to get this song to Number one.
The first download number one was Killing in the Name by Rage Against the Machine after a fan led campaign to revive a 1992 single. Ladbaby hold the record for the most Christmas number ones five times from 2018 to 2022 although one, Sausage Rolls for Everyone, featured Ed Sheeran and Elton John. Whether you loved, hated or never heard their hits the good news is they donated all the profits to the Trussell Trust who oversee foodbanks throughout the country.
Has there been any Welsh involvement in Christmas Number ones I hear you ask? Well yes there has! There was Tom Jones in 1966 with The Green Green Grass of Home, Dave Edmunds with I Hear You Knocking in 1970 and 1985 when Shaky hit the top spot. That’s it as far as individual artists are concerned but Spencer Davis as part of the Spencer Davis group achieved the top spot with Keep on Runnin’ in 1965 followed in 1983 by Only You sung by the Flying Pickets whose lead singer Brian Hibbard was from Ebbw Vale. Of course, if you want to include John Peel’s festive 50 voted on by his listeners, Melys hit number one with Chinese Whispers in 2001.
Since our daughters were born over 40 years ago, the most played record has been an LP called Christmas Songs & Carols for Little Children by the Sunbury Junior Singers of the Salvation Army conducted by Joy Webb. Joy Webb was, and I am going off at a tangent here, a founding member of the Joy Strings who in the 1960’s had two minor hits in the charts with It’s an Open Secret and A Starry Night. All their performances had them dressed in Sally Army gear. The aforementioned LP has been played in our house each Christmas, admittedly sometimes only once!
So here are a few album ideas for an alternative Christmas sound track. I am forgetting Now’s The Christmas Album which has all the popular hits. The main contender has to be A Christmas Gift for You produced by Phil Spector. Amazing tracks by the Ronettes, The Crystals, Darlene Love and the wonderfully titled Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans. They rattle through some standards with that famous Wall of Sound. Bob B sings The Bells of St Mary. Quite appropriate for us here in Wenvoe don’t you think! The album was overlooked, as on the eve of its release President Kennedy was assassinated.
One of my favourite LPs is the Waterson’s Sound, Sound Your Instruments of Joy which includes Martin Carthy who this year at the age of 84 was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize. The album cover states the record reminds “us of what we’ve lost since the flood of Victorian hymnals notably Hymns Ancient and Modern (1861) pushed out so many notable traditional melodies.” I appreciate unaccompanied singing is not everyone’s taste but give it a try!
I am going to pass over Elvis’ many attempts at Christmas songs LPs which are not to my taste. One album that is not in Jude’s fave list, although she is a big Bob Dylan fan, is his Christmas in the Heart album. She had the CD in her stocking one year and having played the first two tracks shouted out “that can go in the bin.” Santa was so upset! Sssh it’s still on our shelves!
Space is short, so here are a few other individual song suggestions – Steve Earle’s Christmas in Washington sung by Joan Baez, The Leisure Society’s The Last of the Melting Snow, Donovan’s Little Tin Soldier (what’s Christmas without a tin soldier and a ballerina falling in love!) and St Etienne’s I was born on Christmas Day.
My favourite Christmas song is Bing Crosby’s White Ch……. Only joking! My fave is a controversial choice and could result in my ostracisation (if that’s a word) from the village. IT IS, deep breath, the B side of John Lennon’s Happy Xmas (War is Over) which is Yoko Ono’s Listen the Snow is Falling. Give it a listen! Happy Christmas pop pickers!!
Nigel Billingham