Festive tunes may be dominating the charts and airwaves again, but Clean Bandit’s Rockabye has been revealed as the most played Christmas No.1 of the last 10 years.
According to PPL, the 2016 track – which features Sean Paul and Music Week Breakthrough Artist Of The Year Anne-Marie – has gained the most TV and radio airplay for a song that has occupied the top spot on December 25 between 2008 and now.
The single had something of a head start over its festive rivals as it was the first song in chart history to become Christmas No.1 having already spent six weeks at the summit of the charts, eventually clocking-up nine weeks on top in total.
Ed Sheeran's Perfect is the second most played Christmas No.1, despite only debuting last year, while X Factor winner Alexandra Burke's cover of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah is third in a distinctly non-Christmas-y list of tracks, dominated by TV tie-ins.
“Music is a huge part of what makes Christmas such a traditional landmark in everyone’s year. Christmas and music really do go hand-in-hand and Christmas charts are always much anticipated and talked about. It’s always fascinating to see the song that comes out on top, but particularly which recordings get played as well," said PPL CEO Peter Leathem.
The Top.10 of Christmas No.1 airplay of the last decades is as follows.
1. Clean Bandit –Rockabye (feat. Sean Paul and Anne-Marie) (2016)
2. Ed Sheeran – Perfect (2017)
3. Alexandra Burke – Hallelujah (2008)
4. Sam Bailey – Skyscraper (2013)
5. The Justice Collective – He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother (2012)
6. Matt Cardle – When We Collide (2010)
7. Ben Haenow – Something I Need (2014)
8. Military Wives / Gareth Malone – Wherever You Are (2011)
9. Rage Against the Machine – Killing In The Name (2009)
10. The Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir – A Bridge Over You (2015)
Get the new, bumper issue of Music Week for an interview with Anne-Marie on her solo breakthrough in 2018.
Music Week will have an official update on the 2019 Christmas No.1 race from 6pm on Wednesday (December 19).
By Paul Stokes
