Irrespective of your stance on the current social media landscape, and TikTok in particular, it is undeniable that these platforms are the reason we are seeing so many songs from decades gone by get an untimely commercial revival, and Radiohead are the latest group to reap the rewards of this.

Released in 1997 on Radiohead’s third studio album, OK Computer, ‘Let Down’ received only one chart position at the time, the 29th position on the US Billboard ‘Modern Rock Tracks’ chart. 

That was until the song was used in a vast number of videos on social media, catapulting the song’s streaming figures through the roof and earning the number eighty five spot in this week’s UK Singles Chart – one of the charts the song failed to appear on previously.

♬ Let Down – Radiohead

That’s not the only success ‘Let Down’ saw this week; notably, the single also reached number 5 on the ‘UK Indie Charts’, 83 on the ‘Canadian Hot 100’ and 18 on US Billboard’s ‘Bubbling Under Hot 100’, meaning that the band narrowly missed out on a place in the prestigious ‘Hot 100’. 

Despite the single hitting charts across the world, ‘Let Down’ has been a song Radiohead have typically shied away from performing live. The multi-track recording techniques and heavy layering used in the studio make it difficult for singer, Thom Yorke, to perpetuate the soaring harmonies heard on the recorded version. A single performance in 2006 was all fans had to go on until the band decided to bring the song out of retirement on their 2016, A Moon Shaped Pool, tour.

Many different artists have witnessed a surge in popularity for specific songs within their discography, as a result of social media trends. One of the most dramatic examples in recent years was Kate Bush’s 1985 hit ‘Running Up That Hill’, which saw an enormous spike in popularity when it was used in TV series ‘Stranger Things’, which, consequently, lead to a myriad of social media posts containing the song. The song grew in popularity so much so that it surpassed many of its previous chart positions.

Abrams’s ‘That’s So True‘, which charted last week as number three has fallen to the fourteenth position, while ‘Apt’ by Rosé and Bruno Mars currently charts at number eight. While we predicted last week that Lady Gaga’s ‘Abracadabra’ would challenge Young’s ‘Messy’ for number one, the America Singer has yet to climb to that position and currently charts at number three.

1. Lola Young – ‘Messy‘

It is British pop sensation Lola Young’s fourth week as number one, after climbing charts for ten weeks. The song originally debuted at number 87, weeks after it was released on streaming platforms; its success is mainly to be attributed to its popularity on the TikTok platform, where it went viral last year. It is the artist’s first and only song to achieve the number one position, as well as her first song to ever chart.

2. Kendrick Lamar – ‘Not Like Us‘

Lamar’s latest album, ‘GNX‘, debuted at number one in the UK upon its release. ‘Not Like Us’ originally debuted on UK charts in May of last year at number 10 and eventually fell out of the top 20, charting at 94 two weeks ago. But with Lamar’s recent (and widely discussed) Super Bowl halftime performance, the song has once again climbed charts.

3. Lady Gaga – ‘Abracadabra‘

Last week, we had predicted that Gaga’s spell with ‘Abracadabra’ would claim the number one position over Young’s ‘Messy’, since it has debuted at number six with only a couple days of chart units. However, ‘Abracadabra’  has still to climb a couple positions before it can mark the artist’s fifth number one song.

4. Chappell Roan – ‘Pink Pony Club‘

After 13 weeks charting in the UK, this is ‘Pink Pony Club’s peak. The song was originally released in 2023, but it gained more and more popularity throughout the past year when Chappell Roan’s debuted album ‘The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess‘ peaked at number one. If the song managed to climb up the charts and reach number one, it would mark the artist’s first song to achieve the position.

5. Chrystal – ‘The Days‘

‘The Days’ is Chrystal’s first song to make it on the UK’s Official Songs Charts. It debuted at number 96 in late 2024 and has since been climbing up the charts, peaking at number four for three consecutive weeks. The song was originally released on TikTok, where it gained world wide attention.

The West London rapper released his debut album eight years after his first releases, a career journey marked by eight Top 10 singles, two EPs, six MOBO Awards, and now a No.1 Album. In his track ‘No Introduction’, he reflects that he’s “been on the grind” preparing for this album, a persistent effort that has clearly paid off. 

The 17-track record is a deep dive into the Rap genre, showcasing themes of success, struggle, violence, and love, while offering personal insights into his life before and after fame. Cench’s rise mirrors industry trends where artists achieve stardom at unprecedented speeds, fuelled by social media and viral hooks. He has become renowned for his skill at capitalising on social media’s appetite for catchy, trend-setting music with tracks like ‘Doja’ and ‘Commitment Issues.’

The album features collaborations with notable US rappers, including 21 Savage on ‘GBP’ and Lil Baby with ‘BAND4BAND’, showcasing his ability to break into the American rap scene and establish himself on a global stage.

Yet, he remains loyal to his British roots, which shapes the narrative of the album through tracks like ‘Limitless’ in which he discusses UK gang culture and its lasting impacts on him, even after attaining material success.

One of the most talked-about moments from the album comes from the track ‘5 Star’, where he raps, “I felt like a p**** when I went to the BRITs and they gave the award to a guy called Aitch.” This lyric sparked controversy and a swift response from Manchester rapper Aitch in his bold and witty single, ‘A Guy Called?’

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Beyond the album’s success, two tracks – ‘GBP’ and ‘CRG’ - have soared into the UK Top 10 Singles Chart, with ‘Truth in the Lies’ closely following at No.13.

The album’s impact extends to the 2025 BRIT Awards, to be held in March, as it has earned nominations in three major categories: Song of the Year (‘BAND4BAND’), Artist of the Year, and Best Hip-Hop/Grime/Rap Act.

To commemorate this milestone, he celebrated with a signature rose gold edition of the No.1 award, a recurring motif throughout his album campaign.

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Ultimately, Cench’s No.1 album certification cements the album’s impact on UK and Global Rap. With successful singles, iconic collaborations, a diss track that sparked controversy, and a worldwide tour, this No.1 achievement is the crowning moment in a career-defining week for Central Cee.

Smith is originally of Luton, and has said that his music was inspired by different genres and cultures that he used to listen to and has experienced in childhood. He begun performing at open-mics nights before starting to post covers on TikTok in 2022. These caught the attention of many, including his future agents, and by the time Smith begun releasing music, he had already built a significant audience. About his musical upbringing, Smith told Official Charts:

Growing up I listened to a lot of Green Day. Weirdly, they were one of the first artists who made me feel liberated in liking music that was different . Then there’s Adele, who really taught me not only how to write gut punches, but to be able to explore the depths of my emotions when it came to love. Labrinth was another person I idolised, as a young British black guy doing something so different at the time. That was a real nod to say ‘hey, you don’t have to go down the route of grime, trap, rap or hip-hop.’ You can make pop music as a black guy from England and still be accepted.

@mylessmithuk You promised a lifetime, but left in a moment… #newmusic #acoustic #singersongwriter ♬ SOLO by Myles Smith – Myles Smith

After releasing a few successful songs, Smith released his first EP titled ‘You Promised a Lifetime‘, which debuted in March of 2024. While the album didn’t to appear on Official Charts, off of it the song ‘Solo’ peaked at number 69 and spent 11 weeks on charts. The artist then releasing ‘Stargazing’, his most successful single so far, which peaked at number four in the UK. ‘Stargazing’ anticipated Smith’s second EP, ‘A Minute‘, released in November 2024.

‘A Minute‘ is currently at number one on most Downloaded Albums, while ‘Nice To Meet You‘ is peaking at number one on Singles Download Charts. Both the album and the song has spent 10 weeks on Download Charts, with the former debuting at number six and the latter debuting at number four; this week marks a peak for Smith, whose releases are re-climbing charts after falling out of the top 40 a couple weeks ago.

Smith’s latest album debuted on Official Charts in November, spending two weeks at number 63 and number 90. ‘Nice To Meet You’ peaked at number six and has, so far, spent ten weeks on charts. After falling out of the top ten a couple weeks ago, the song re-entered the top-spots of charts this latest weeks and, seen that it is currently leading the Download Charts, it could climb even higher.

Other records in this week’s Album Download Charts are ‘Who Let the Dogs Out?’ by the Lambrini Girls, Franz Ferdinand’s new release ‘Human Fear’, Heidi Montag’s ‘Superficial’ and Tremonti’s ‘The End Will Show Us How’.

1. Elton John – ‘Diamonds‘

Elton John’s ninth number one album, and his longest charting week. ‘Diamonds‘ spent last week at number 6 and finally managed, after 374 weeks charting, to achieve the number one spot thanks to a new limited edition release. It is a collection of Elton John’s greatest hits, and a reflection of the artist’s longevity and popularity with every generation.

2. Sabrina Carpenter – ‘Short n Sweet‘

Ever since its release in August of last year, Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Short n Sweet’ hasn’t left the UK top ten. Peaking at number one for two non-consecutive weeks, the album contains some of last year’s most popular songs in the UK. The album is currently on its 20th week charting and it was made last year’s list of biggest albums at number three. Sabrina will be touring the UK soon on a sold out arena tour!

3. SZA – ‘SOS‘

SZA’s second full length album ‘SOS‘ has recently climbed charts once again thanks to a deluxe version being released. Despite spending 109 weeks on charts (twenty of which in the top 10!), ‘SOS‘ still has to claim the number one spot and has only peaked at number two for three non-consecutive weeks at the end of 2022. Perhaps this new deluxe version is exactly what it needed to climb up charts and claim that number one spot.

4. Ed Sheeran – ‘Mathematics Tour Collection‘

Last week, the album had peaked at number one becoming Ed Sheeran’s eight record to do so. A collection of the songs played on the ongoing ‘Mathematics Tour’, it has spent 15 weeks so far on charts, 13 of which in the top 10.

5. The Weeknd – ‘The Highlights‘

Another charts staple, named the biggest album of 2023 and the second biggest album of 2024. This week marks the album’s 205th week in the top 100, which is certainly set to become one of the biggest albums of the decade.

6. Billie Eilish – ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft‘

On its 34th week charting, it is Billie Eilish’s third record to peak at number one and one of three records currently charting in the UK, with ‘When we all fall asleep where do we go?‘ at number 57 and ‘Happier Than Ever‘ at number 55.

7. Chappell Roan – ‘The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess’

Chappell was named this year’s winner of BBC Sound of 2025 after her debut album peaked at number one and was one of the biggest selling physical records of the year. The album has, so far, spent 39 weeks in the top 100.

8.  Charli xcx – ‘Brat‘

One of the most popular albums of last year, ‘Brat‘ is one of those records that truly leaves a mark in a generation. It has peaked at number one and has spent, so far, 31 weeks in the top 100. Last week, Charli xcx was announced as a performer at this year’s edition of the BRIT’s awards.

9. Noah Kahan – ‘Stick Season‘

‘Stick Season’ was named the biggest song of 2024, while Noah Kahan and the album ‘Stick Season’ spent the entire year at the top spots of the UK’s album charts. With 83 weeks in the top 100 and 28 in the top 10, it has earned Kahan worldwide recognition and many, many sold out shows.

10. Fleetwood Mac – ‘Fifty Years: Don’t Stop’

On its second consecutive week at number ten, this collection of songs by the Fleetwood Mac has spent 321 weeks in the top 100, peaking at number five. Released in 2018, it could benefit from a new edition released, just like ‘Diamonds’ by Elton John, that could help it climbing all the way to number one

Noah Kahan‘s 2022 hit ‘Stick Season‘ takes the number one spot for the biggest song of 2024, in the same year where Kahan performed sold out shows at Wembley Arena and was announced as a headliner for next year’s BST Hyde Park. The song was originally released as the lead single of Kahan’s critically acclaimed album ‘Stick Season‘, which peaked at number one on UK charts and has so far spent 81 weeks charting; the song ‘Stick Season’ first debuted on charts in mid-October of 2023 and eventually peaked at number one in January, claiming the title for seven weeks! It is currently Kahan’s only single to achieve the number one position. According to Official Charts, Kahan’s single produced 35,000 sales and 217 million streams, making it the biggest song of the year!

Second is Benson Boone‘s rock ballad ‘Beautiful Things‘, which took nine weeks of climbing charts to achieve the number one position, but eventually did and maintained the spot for two weeks. Boone first gained attention on TikTok, then auditioned for a talent show and gained a sold fanbase; ‘Beautiful Things’ is the artist’s first ever song to achieve the number one position in the UK, but that is not to say Boone is a one-hit wonder: his album debuted at number 16 in the UK, and the single ‘Slow It Down’ reached the fourteenth position. With 1.79 charts units, Benson Boone wins a well-deserved second place on the list of biggest songs of the year.

On the podium at third place, we have chart-topper queen Sabrina Carpenter, who spent 21 weeks at number one. The song that wins third place is ‘Espresso’, one of the highest charting song about coffee ever; ‘Espresso‘ was the lead single off of Carpenter’s album ‘Short n Sweet‘. Originally released in April, ‘Espresso’ took about a month to make its way to number one and claimed the position for seven weeks. With 1.75 charts units, it is one of three songs by Carpenter that made it to the biggest songs of the year list: the others are ‘Please Please Please'(10)  and ‘Taste’ (21).

At number four is Teddy Swims ‘Lose Control‘, which peaked at number two and charted for sixty weeks in the top 100. It counts 67,000 downloads this year and is the artist’s highest charting song, followed by ‘The Door’ at number five and ‘Bad Dreams’ at number six. ‘Lose Control’ was a single off the album ‘I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy‘, Teddy Swim’s first release under a major label, which peaked at number twelve in the UK spending fifty weeks on charts.

Number five goes to Hozier, who achieved his first number one single with viral hit ‘Too Sweet‘, released as part of his fifth EP ‘Unheard‘. Hozier first climbed the UK charts in 2015 with ‘Take Me To Church’ which failed to achieve the top spot of chart peaking at number two. With ‘Too Sweet’, Hozier spent two weeks at number one and another 39 in the UK top 100.

Gracie Abrams’s ‘That’s So True‘ was already viral among fans of the American artist before its release on the deluxe version of Abrams’s second full length album, titled ‘The Secret of Us'; the song had been performed by Abrams and co-writer Audrey Hobert at one of Abrams’s show, and successively it was announced by the latter that the song would be released on the deluxe version of the album. Mostly thanks to TikTok, the song reached a level of popularity that none of Abrams’s songs ever had in the past, becoming her first UK number one. Up until last week, the song charted at number two, second only to WHAM!’s ‘Last Christmas’; but this week, the song fell almost twenty spots down charting at number 21, lower than its debut. It is ‘That’s So True”s ninth week on the UK chart, the song previously spent over a month at number one but was dethroned by Christmas hits. Will Abrams fight back and climb charts once again, or is it time for a new chart-topping hit?

Similarly to Abrams, Rosè’s ‘APT‘ featuring Bruno Mars charted in the UK’s top five for well over a month, peaking at number two. The song was released as a lead single for Rosè’s debut album, titled ‘Rosie’, which was released earlier this month. A couple weeks after its release, the song debuted at number four on the UK Official Charts, and from then it went on to spend eight weeks charting in the top five and, despite never achieving the number one position, the song became a hit immediately after its chart debut. Last week, ‘APT’ claimed spot number five of UK charts, while this week it is currently charting at number 28, losing over twenty spots. Alike ‘That’s So True’, ‘APT’ also had to make space for Christmas hits, giving up its well-deserved spot in the top five: will ‘APT’ come back to top charts once the Christmas excitement has died down, or is its time as a certified chart-topper over?

As the UK’s top twenty is over taken by the festive hits, some honourable mentions of those songs that bravely climbed charts over the Christmas period are Lola Young’s ‘Messy‘, that currently charts in the 33rd spot but last week had peaked at number seven; Wicked’s ‘Defying Gravity’ is currently number 58 after charting in the 20th spot last week, Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Bed Chem‘ charts as 66 after claiming the 38th spot last week and Gigi Perez’s ‘Sailor Song‘ went from charting at number 34 last week to 68 this week.

@lolayoungggft my mums v clean room

♬ original sound – lolayounggg

One thing about music, is that it will always have new faces and voices; specifically in the UK, there are many awards and prizes reserved for these new artists that begin to make their way in the hearts and charts of the UK: BBC’s Sound of… Award, the BRITs’ “New Rising Star” category. With British artists like Adele and Sam Fender winning these in previous years, and international stars like Chappell Roan being nominated, UK awards for emerging artists are always spot on to anticipate which new artist will achieve greatness.

Lola Young is an artist from London who has had a very exciting last few weeks: her latest single titled “Messy” has granted her a commercial breakout that her career had long been awaiting after going super-viral on TikTok. It reached position number seven on UK charts over the December period, where usually it is less likely that new artists climb charts since these are mostly taken by Christmas songs. But Lola Young did it, and the single originally released in May and part of her second studio album “This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway” became a radio hit after a quick climb on charts that begun in late November. The music video currently counts over five million views, and it is clear that 2025 will be a big year for Young

Addison Rae is next on the list, after her single “Diet Pepsi” has convinced the world that she is in fact meant to be a pop star. Rae’s beginnings in the music industry were arguably underwhelming, as the artist was overshadowed by her TikTok persona and the public did not believe much in her possibilities. While her first singles, “I Got It Bad” and “Obsessed” failed to chart in the UK’s top 100, everything changed after the release of “Diet Pepsi”, under the label Columbia, which highlights Rae’s talent as a singer and is exactly the type of music the makes numbers in the market nowadays; the song peaked at number 10 in the UK and was followed by another release, “Aquamarine“, which peaked at 45. The lights are shining on Rae in 2025.

Lastly, Myles Smith makes the list after winning the BRIT’s Rising Star Award Title earlier this month. His single “Stargazing” was his first to reach the UK’s top ten peaking at number four, and remains one of the best releases of the year, then followed by his biggest debut yet with the song “Nice To Meet Ya” which peaked at number twelve and stayed on charts for six weeks. Great things are awaiting Smith in 2025.

Despite its enduring popularity, the song initially debuted at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart, held off the top spot by Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ However, it finally claimed the coveted Christmas No. 1 position last year, almost 40 years after its release. 

Last Christmas you gave them Christmas Number 1…

…And this year, @WhamOfficial_ have repeated the trick, landing the Christmas Number 1 2024 and making Official Chart history in the process

A huge congratulations to Andrew and George on another incredible achievement… pic.twitter.com/r0uTq1zQe9

— Official Charts (@officialcharts) December 20, 2024

Most notably is Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’. Released in 1994, the song has become a holiday staple for over three decades and is the most streamed Christmas song of all time on Spotify with a staggering 2.08 billion streams. Yet, despite its global dominance, the song has never secured the coveted UK Christmas No. 1 spot. It has repeatedly peaked at No. 2, but this year was surpassed for that position by Gracie Abrams. 

Another modern favourite is The Pogues ‘Fairytale of New York’ featuring Kirsty Maccoll, which has been a UK Christmas favourite since its release in 1987. As the third most streamed Christmas song in the UK (316 million streams), it has cemented its place in holiday playlists. However, it too has fallen short of the UK Christmas No. 1 title, debuting at No. 2 and peaking at No. 10 this year.

Alongside these anthems, Michael Bublé’s iconic cover of ‘It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas’, Ariana Grande’s single ‘Santa Tell Me’, and José Feliciano’s cheerful ‘Feliz Navidad’, are all a part of Spotify’s Top 10 Most Streamed Christmas Songs but have never climbed to the top of the UK Christmas charts.

The Official most-streamed Christmas songs in the UK revealed! Who takes the title of most popular Christmas song in the modern age? find out now https://t.co/vf0SYi6oje — Official Charts (@officialcharts) December 23, 2024

Even classic Christmas tunes have faced similar fates. This week, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee and Bobby Helms’ ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ hold positions six and eight on the Official Charts. Both these enduring 1950s classics, each boasting over one billion streams, have never reached the summit of the UK Singles Chart despite their immense cultural impact. 

This trend highlights an intriguing pattern: global popularity and cultural significance do not always guarantee chart-topping success. Given the abundance of both modern and classic Christmas songs, securing the UK Christmas No. 1 spot proves to be a challenging feat. The title often reflects a mix of tradition, novelty, and viral appeal. For example, Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ has topped the charts multiple times, while novelty hits like LadBaby’s sausage-roll-themed songs have outranked beloved Christmas anthems for numerous years.

This year, the Christmas Top 10 featured Tom Grennan’s festive original ‘It Can’t Be Christmas’ at No. 3. Grennan, who humorously vowed to commemorate his fight for Christmas No.1 with a tattoo regardless of the outcome, can keep hoping that his song will claim the title, even if it may take 40 years. 

Ultimately, ‘Last Christmas’ ’s consecutive victories in 2023 and 2024 mark a rare alignment of timeless appeal and chart success. Its achievement serves as a testament to the unpredictable nature of the UK’s festive chart battles. For now, fans of other holiday classics – whether sung by Mariah Carey, Michael Bublé, or Tom Grennan – can only hope that their favourite anthems might one day achieve the recognition they deserve on the UK’s most festive chart.

Catch up on all the Christmas chart glory from yesterday We’re already counting down to #XmasNo1 2025… https://t.co/JmbNjQTC34

— Official Charts (@officialcharts) December 21, 2024

This year marks the 40^th anniversary of “Last Christmas”; for the occasion, special editions were released and the song became the most streamed and physically purchased of the week in the UK. But of course, the song’s popularity is not only due to the release of the new editions: “Last Christmas” is one of the most recognisable Christmas hits that are known all around the world. Plus, it was crowned Christmas number one last year as well, when it peaked at number one for four consecutive weeks between December and January.

 The song was first released in 1984, the year when Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” won the title. It eventually made its way to charts in 2007, when it peaked at fourteen. It then climbed charts year by year, appearing on the UK’s top 100 punctually every December, and finally reached the top five in 2018, peaking at number two right after Christmas. In the first week of 2021, “Last Christmas” finally peaked at number one and again in 2022 it spent two non-consecutive weeks at the top spot around Christmas.

The song finally won the title of Christmas Number One in 2023, where it held on to the number one position all the way through December, 39 years after it was released. It became the song with the longest journey to Christmas Number One in the UK.

WHAM! now becomes one of the very few artists to have multiple Christmas Number Ones. Other artists on the list are Queen, with two songs, the Spice Girls with three songs and the Beatles with four songs.

Other contenders for this year’s title were Gracie Abrams, who currently charts at number two, Rose and Bruno Mars with “Apt” at number five, Tom Grennan with newly released “It Can’t Be Christmas” and Christmas pop queen Mariah Carey, who loses the title to WHAM! once again. This year marked the 30^thanniversary of “All I want for Christmas is You”, and if took WHAM! 30 years then the next decade might just see Carey finally getting the crown.