Wham!'s festive hit Last Christmas has been crowned the UK's favourite Christmas song to kick off the season, according to a poll by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO). The survey asked 2,000 adults about their preferred songs or pieces of music to mark the start of the holiday period this year.
George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley's chart-topping ballad was chosen by 40% of respondents. Following closely in second place were The Pogues with Fairytale Of New York and Wizzard’s I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday, both securing a 36% vote.
Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You came third, while Silent Night, Michael Buble’s It’s Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas and Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas tied for fourth. Bing Crosby's classic White Christmas took the next spot.
Other notable mentions included Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite, Shakin’ Stevens’ Merry Christmas Everyone, John and Yoko and the Plastic Ono Band’s Happy Xmas (War Is Over), and traditional carols such as Away In A Manger, Once In Royal David’s City, O Holy Night, and O Come, All Ye Faithful. The top five choices remained largely the same among orchestral music fans, who also placed Wham! at the top of their list.
Huw Davies, the deputy managing director at the RPO, has expressed the UK's love for Christmas tunes: "For decades, December has been a time of year when rock and pop acts across the UK aspire to secure the coveted Christmas number one position in the charts."
He also highlighted the nation's enduring affection for more traditional festive melodies, saying, "Our poll on the nation’s favourite Christmas music also reminds us of the timeless appeal of the hymns, religious and choral music that have a special place in people’s hearts."
Davies went further to discuss the seasonal popularity of classical music: "In fact, the popularity of Christmas music from the choral and classical genre comes at a time of year when engagement with classical music has hit an annual peak."
He added significant statistics about the genre's reach: "Our research indicates that 83% of UK adults say they will engage with classical and choral music in some shape or form during the month of December – and many people that have no prior connection with the genre say Christmas is the right time for them to give it a go."
The conversation turned nostalgic when recalling last year's chart news as Wham! finally achieved Christmas number one status with their yuletide classic after nearly four decades. "Last year Wham! claimed its first Christmas number one with their festive hit – 39 years after its original release," Davies recalled, while reminding us that, "The track, first released in December 1984, was famously beaten that year by the charity single Do They Know It’s Christmas? " Offering further insight into the nation's favourite festive tracks, he listed the top choices according to the RPO's recent poll:
1. Last Christmas – Wham! 2. Fairytale of New York – The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl; and I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday – Wizzard 3. All I Want for Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey 4. Silent Night; It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas – Michael Buble; and Do They Know It’s Christmas – Band Aid 5.White Christmas – Bing Crosby 6. Once in Royal David’s City. 7. Merry Christmas Everyone – Shakin’ Stevens. 8. O Holy Night. 9. O Come, All Ye Faithful; Happy Xmas (War Is Over) – John and Yoko and the Plastic Ono Band; and Away In A Manger. 10. The Nutcracker Suite – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
