The end of November marks the penultimate month of the year and the official countdown to Christmas, eeek. Christmas songs hit the radio like clockwork every year and here at Oracle we have definitely been anticipating the arrival of the first festive track to sing along to on BBC Radio 1 or Magic to brighten up our mornings. With Christmas Day looming less than 15 days away, the annual battle of the Christmas number one is well under way. We have compiled a list of our favourite Christmas songs based on their festive lyrics, marvellous Christmassy videos and of course, how much they had us singing along! So here goes…
5 . Last Christmas – Wham!
A well-known Christmas song, it was voted the overwhelming winner of Smooth radio’s Best Christmas Song poll in 2017, this song is a classic! It has sold over 2 million copies and this has been the UK’s best-selling single without reaching number one in the top 40. George Michael both produced and wrote this song. “Anywhere I am when this song plays it makes me want to dance” says our PR Account Executive, Kristie.
4 . Driving Home for Christmas – Chris Rea
Around 30 years ago, Chris Rea released a single which he’d written 10 years before he recorded it. Having been recording in Abbey Road Studios, Chris Rea’s wife drove down from Middlesbrough to pick him up, and while they were making the snowy drive back home, they got stuck in gridlocked traffic. The other drivers around him looked downright miserable, but Rea found himself singing the title of the song aloud and began scribbling down lyrics whenever the standstill of traffic made it convenient to do so. When Chris Rea’s ‘Driving Home for Christmas’ comes on in the car, the volume is definitetly going full blast, what a great Christmas hit! “Definitely my favourite Christmas by far, just makes me feel so festive” says our PR Intern, Ella.
3 . Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt
This hit was released in 1953, and covered by many other artists such as, Madonna and Kylie Minogue. This is a tongue in cheek look at your Christmas list addressed to Santa Claus by a woman who wants extravagant gifts such as, yachts and gifts from Tiffany’s ‘Santa baby, I want a yacht, and really that’s not
a lot’.
2 . All I Want for Christmas – Mariah Carey
This Christmas classic has been playing since 1994, this made it second in our top 5 Christmas songs here at the Oracle office, it has had digital sales of 100k and radio stations have played this Christmas tune around 42,000 times. ‘‘This song just makes you want to dance round the Christmas tree’’ says Gina here at Oracle.
And finally, for our favourite Christmas song here at The Oracle Group…
1 . Fairy-tale of New York – The Pogues
This has to be the most anti Christmas song ever but the nation fell in love with, it has already re-entered the Top 20 every December since 2005, and shows no sign of losing its appeal, how amazing is that! But it contains elements of both and the story it tells is an unreal fantasy of 1940s New York dreamed up in 1980s London.
