Christmas is coming early to the U.K. singles chart.
Based on midweek sales and streaming data, a string of holiday hits are already mounting their annual pilgrimage up the chart.
Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (Columbia) is the leader of the pack, charging to No. 25 on the Official Chart Update, while Wham is close behind at No. 28 with “Last Christmas” (RCA), the OCC reports.
Carey’s evergreen hit reached No. 2 on its release back in 1994, and returned to that peak position in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Last year, more than a quarter century after its release, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” finally nabbed top spot.
Wham’s Christmas classic also took an age to earn its crown. Powered by streams, the song finally hit No. 1 in the first week of 2021, setting a record for the longest time taken for a single to climb the summit, at 36 years.
Meanwhile, a string of classics are making their move just outside the Top 40, including The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl’s “Fairytale Of New York” (Warner Bros), Michael Buble’s “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” (Reprise), and Shakin’ Stevens‘ “Merry Christmas Everyone” (RCA).
At the top of the chart blast is two songs from Adele’s new album 30 (Columbia), led by “Easy On Me,” which is on track for a sixth week at No. 1.
The Official U.K. Singles Chart is published late Friday, local time.
