WITH just 21 days to go until Christmas, music licensing company, PPL, has revealed its annual PPL People chart of the top 30 most-played Christmas songs, to get Britons across the country in the mood for the festive season.
The 2012 PPL People Most Played Christmas Songs chart features Gabrielle Aplin’s haunting rendition of ‘The Power of Love’ – a new entry – in pole position, knocking The Pogues’ 80’s Irish folk ballad, ‘Fairytale of New York’ off the top spot to number two.
The song – which formed the soundtrack to last year’s heart-warming John Lewis Christmas advertisement, ‘The Journey’, featuring the story of a snowman, who goes on a quest to find his snow-woman partner the perfect gift for Christmas – debuted in the UK chart at number one in December 2012.
It has since brought Aplin and her music to mainstream attention – her debut album ‘English Rain’ released in May 2013 went on to peak at number two in the UK album chart.
The top 30 chart also features a range of well-known festive classics, spanning six decades, from Mariah Carey’s up-tempo 90’s hit ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’ at number three, and Coldplay’s 2010 offering, ‘Christmas Lights’ – a new entry, which peaked in the UK charts at number 13 on release – at number 27 in this chart, to Wizzard’s 1970’s feel-good festive anthem, ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday’ at number six and Bing Crosby’s 1940’s classic, ‘White Christmas’ – the oldest song in this chart – at number 30.
The chart shows the ’80s as being the most successfully festive decade, with almost half of the top thirty tracks coming from that period.
At number 24 is also the original 80’s version of ‘The Power of Love’ by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, which went to number one in in the UK charts in December 1984 with a video depicting the nativity, before losing out on the Christmas number one slot to Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ which also features in this chart at number five.
Other new entries this year include Andy Williams’ ‘It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year’ and ‘Lonely This Christmas’ from English Glam Rock band, MUD, which was the UK Christmas number one in 1974.
Members of the public are also invited to test their knowledge of this year’s chart of most played festive songs online by playing the new PPL festive game, ‘Yule Never Guess’ released today at ppluk.com/pplchristmas #PPLChristmas.
The digital memory game sees players matching famous artist’s names to song titles while being timed, with the final aim being to guess the act ‘who’s coming to town’ this Christmas before their friends.
The full top 30 includes Position in 2011 chart
The Power of Love, Gabrielle Aplin NEW
Fairytale of New York, The Pogues 1
All I Want for Christmas, Mariah Carey 2
Last Christmas, Wham 3
Do They Know It’s Christmas? Band Aid 4
I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday, Wizzard 6
Driving Home for Christmas, Chris Rea 5
Merry Christmas Everyone, Shakin’ Stevens 8
Merry Xmas Everybody, Slade 7
Step Into Christmas, Elton John 9
Stay Another Day, East 17 15
Happy Xmas (War Is Over), John Lennon 11
Wonderful Christmas Time, Paul McCartney 10
Stop The Cavalry, Jona Lewie 13
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Dean Martin 22
I Believe in Father Christmas, Greg Lake 17
Christmas Wrapping, The Waitresses 12
Thank God It’s Christmas, Queen 20
2000 Miles, The Pretenders 14
It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year, Andy Williams NEW
Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree, Brenda Lee 16
Sleigh Ride, The Ronettes 19
A Winter’s Tale, David Essex 27
The Power of Love, Frankie Goes To Hollywood 30
Lonely This Christmas, MUD NEW
A Spaceman Came Travelling, Chris De Burgh 28
Christmas Lights, Coldplay NEW
Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree, Mel & Kim 38
Please Come Home for Christmas, Bon Jovi 21
White Christmas, Bing Crosby 26
Gabrielle Aplin said: “I think it’s amazing that The Power of Love has made it to number one in the PPL People Most Played Christmas Songs chart. When I first released that song, I had no idea what to expect, or how it would be received. Coming in at number one ahead of The Pogues’ ‘Fairytale of New York’ –my all time favourite Christmas song – is just unreal and I couldn’t ask for anything more.“
Jonathan Morrish, director, PR, PPL, said: “Through our own research into the value that music can bring to business, we know that Christmas music can help retailers to boost profits in the lead-up to the big day, with one in four people claiming to be more generous when buying gifts when Christmas music is played and 95 per cent of people saying they prefer shopping in stores that play music.”
The PPL Most Played Christmas Songs chart is compiled annually, using the company’s exclusive data for when recorded music is broadcast and used in public places, such as shops, bars, restaurants, jukeboxes, gyms and offices.
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Contact: Kelly Paterson
