Finally, more than a quarter century after its release, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (Columbia) is the No. 1 single in the U.K.
Carey’s classic Christmas tune climbs from its peak position of No. 2 to the top spot on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, completing a record 26-year journey.
Jumping up and down in front of the Christmas tree with the kids and the dogs. Blasting "All I Want For Christmas Is You", and sending virtual hugs to everyone across the pond who helped make it happen! Love you so much!!!
https://t.co/bdfTvTpNhZ
— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) December 11, 2020
“All I Want” reaches the summit in its 104th week. According to the Official Charts Company, no other song in history has spent as many weeks in the U.K. Top 40 before eventually reaching No. 1.
Another song that makes an annual pilgrimage up the U.K. chart but has never reached the top is Wham’s 1984 hit “Last Christmas” (RCA). This week, it’s at No. 2, agonizingly-close to creating its own piece of history.
The Queen of Christmas leads a festive U.K. chart which features 23 holiday-themed songs in the Top 40, including six in the Top 10: The Pogues featuring Kirsty Maccoll’s “Fairytale Of New York” (up 8-4 via Warner Bros), Shakin’ Stevens’ “Merry Christmas Everyone” (14-6 via RCA), Michael Bublé’s “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” (13-7 via Reprise), Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas” (15-8 via Mercury), and Elton John’s “Step Into Christmas” (18-10 via Mercury).
It’s also shaping to be a fine Christmas for Yungblud, who bags his very first No. 1 album with Weird!
The followup to 2019’s The Underrated Youth (peaking at No. 6), Weird! chalks-up 39,000 chart sales, the OCC reports, with 91% of those made up of pure sales.
The Doncaster alternative rocker (real name Dominic Harrison) was stunned by the result. “To have a Number 1 rock album at Christmas is mental,” he said after his album was crowned. “Up the rock ‘n’ roll scene, up the punks, I just want to say thank you so much. Yungblud is not me, it is us, this is our award. We are weird! Stay weird, be proud to be weird, be proud to be different, I love each and every one of you.”
Yungblud is planning an unusual celebration of his chart feat. He plans to melt down his Official Number 1 award and cover it into safety pins, which he will send out to 150 fans as a thank-you.
Also new to the Official U.K. Albums Chart this week is Arctic Monkeys’ Live at The Royal Albert Hall (Domino Records) at No. 3, Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones’ Don’t Let The Devil Take Another Day (Parlophone) at No. 8, and Shawn Mendes’ Wonder (EMI) at No. 12.
