Reflecting on its unexpected success, Sam acknowledges that while many people are enjoying the song, there are still a significant number who are unaware of its existence. As a 34-year-old artist, Sam faces tough competition from holiday classics such as Wham’s “Last Christmas,” Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” and the resurgence of “Fairytale of New York” following the passing of Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan. Additionally, Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” has gained momentum after being covered by Olivia Rodrigo on Radio 1’s Live Lounge, posing a potential upset. Despite these challenges, Sam Ryder remains hopeful and determined to make a mark with his festive tune.

Sam acknowledges that while he had hoped for his track from Your Christmas or Mine 2 to become a popular holiday hit, he understands that it may only resonate with a niche audience who watch the film.

He recognises that the song may not have a widespread impact on the culture or the music charts. Therefore, he and his team recorded it purely out of love for the project. Despite writing the song in August, Sam found it surprisingly easy to get into the festive spirit, even during the summer months. He recalls,“It was quite a gloomy day and I was like, ‘this is actually quite perfect’. I can just pretend it’s Christmas.”

Sam’s latest release, “You’re Christmas To Me,” has the potential to become his first Christmas number one. This achievement holds even more significance as it marks his debut as an independent artist following his departure from Parlophone Records in September. Sam describes this transition as a “free-ng experience,” Sam added, “Your team becomes so much smaller, it becomes so much more potent because it’s made up mostly of your pals. And even if you get battered and bruised by the end of whatever it is that you’re after, it doesn’t matter because you’re in it together. And it’s such a lovely experience.”

In other news, Wham! has made a triumphant return to the top of the Christmas chart race. Additionally, Sam Ryder’s remarkable year continues to unfold after the success of his hit single, “Space Man.” Furthermore, Sam reflects on how a surfing accident has profoundly impacted his life.

Sam is often described as a glass-half-full individual, exuding an abundance of positive energy.” He said, “When I was in college, my tutors used to call me Tigger,” he says. “I think I was always just a bit too, like, annoyingly enthusiastic about things.”

He firmly believes that being cool is overrated, particularly in the arts, where people tend to place value on being enigmatic and detached. Sam rejects this notion, asserting that life is too short. Sam added further, “Cool is the enemy,” he says. “I’ve always thought that, especially in the arts, people put this currency on being deep and mysterious and aloof. To hell with that. Life’s too preciously short to not be bounding for joy and gratitude.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Official Charts (@officialcharts)

This year saw LadBaby release their fourth annual comical charity track, “Sausage Rolls For Everyone” was released on 17th December 2021 and debuted at number one. This year the YouTube artists chose to record a parody of Sir John and Sheeran’s Christmas single and promised the track’s proceeds to The Trussell Trust. The two singles went head-to-head for Christmas number one despite holding a close relationship, Sir John and Sheeran made cameos in the parody version’s music video. Despite the record-breaking sales and streams incurred, “Sausage Rolls For Everyone” has dropped to number 29 within the  charts this week.

Along with this week’s number one single, Sheeran has also claimed this week’s number one album with Equals. Due to both successes, Sheeran has been awarded the Official UK Chart double. The accolade is an impressive prize only rewarded to artists with considerable chart success within the singles and albums charts. OfficialCharts took to Instagram to announce the good news and congratulate Sheeran on his success.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

  A post shared by Official Charts (@officialcharts)

This is not the first time Sheeran has received the award, in 2017 the singer achieved great chart success with the number one album Divide which sired the singles “Perfect” and “Shape Of You”. Other artists who have reached this feat include Adele for “Easy On Me” and number one album 30 and Sam Smith for his album In The Lonely Hour and the single “Lay Me Down”.

Elsewhere within the chart, the festive theme has remained apparent. The remaining tracks placed within the top 5 are all Christmas classics and consistent chart re-entries within the festive season. “Last Christmas” by Wham has placed at number two, and is often included in lists of most played Christmas songs and was originally released in 1985. At number three is “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey, which has remained a classic holiday party track since its initial release in 1994.

One of the season’s more alternative classics has also placed within the top 5. “Fairytale of New York” by Pogues featuring Kirsty Maccoll has placed at number four, the Irish- folk-inspired ballad was released on 23rd November 1987 and regularly re-enters the charts during the festive period. Closing off the top 5 is one of the season’s more canonised tracks, “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee has charted at number 5. The track was written by Johnny Marks and recorded by Lee in 1958 and has sold over 25 million copies worldwide.

Adele’s 2021 album release reached the number one position with 70,800 chart sales. The release’s sales figures are inclusive of 62,000 physical units sold over the last week. The Grammy award winning singer is no stranger to chart success nor Christmas chart success. Adele obtained her first Christmas number one album in 2015 with her third studio album 25.

Due to the album’s huge success, the singer is now joint first for this year’s longest-running number one album. Adele’s album shares the top spot with Oliva Rodrigo, both artists have spent five consecutive weeks at number one within the UK album official charts. Rodrigo’s debut studio album, Sour, was released on 21st May 2021 via Geffen Records and marked the meteoric rise of the 18-year-old singer.

Elsewhere within the charts this festive period, another chart-topper secures a big win. Ed Sheeran’s new album = lands at number two within the UK album charts. Sheeran is already accustomed to Christmas chart success, the singer entered two singles into this year’s seasonal chart competition. The 30-year-old singer placed at number two with “Merry Christmas”, his duet with Sir Elton John. Both artists also won this year’s Christmas number one single as a featured artist on Ladbaby’s “Sausage Rolls For Everyone”.

At number three this week is Voyage by ABBA, the iconic group’s new album was released on 5th November 2021 and was their first studio album since the 1981 release of The Visitors. This week’s album chart also sees a festive favourite place at number four, Christmas by Michael Buble has re-entered the charts. The Christmas album was originally released on 24th October 2011 and has remained one of the singer’s most beloved releases. The album sold over 479,000 copies and spent three weeks at number one within the UK charts.

Closing off the top 5 is Happy Together by Andre Rieu and Johann Strauss Or. The album was released in November 2021 by the celebrated Dutch violinist and conductor Rieu with The Johann Strauss Orchestra. The famed orchestra was founded by Rieu in 1987 and began with a small group of twelve musicians. Since its formation, the orchestra has grown to become one of music’s most popular classical acts.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Official Charts (@officialcharts)

This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the Official Charts number one single award. The accolade was founded in 2011 with the intention to celebrate an artist’s incredible chart success. The award’s first recipient was the 2011 single “Wherever You Are” by The Military Wives and Gareth Malone. Since its founding year, the award has become a symbol of victory within the UK chart and has evolved to include various levels of prizes. Throughout the decade the award has celebrated great music and has been bestowed to many different artists from many different genres.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by LadBaby (@ladbabyofficial)

The YouTube sensations made chart record history with their win; the duo has become the only artist in 70 years to achieve four consecutive Christmas number ones. The record was previously held in a three-way tie with LadBaby, The Beatles and The Spice Girls. Although LadBaby has a short discography made up only of their Christmas number ones, the group are now part of musical history. This year’s number one single sold over 136,000 chart sales, 85% of the total unit sales were digital downloads.

Chief executive of the Official Charts Company, Martin Talbot has provided the following statement congratulating the pair on their win, “Huge congratulations to Ladbaby, Ed Sheeran and Sir Elton John for their achievement this year – not least to Mark and Roxanne of Ladbaby in becoming the first act in history to record four consecutive Official Christmas Number 1s. To have matched The Beatles and Spice Girls was a fantastic feat last year, but to top them both, while raising money and awareness for foodbank providers The Trussell Trust, is remarkable.”

Mark and Roxanne Hoyle first gained fame when their first sausage roll-themed parody song was released. “We Built This City” was released in 2018 and gave the duo their first number one. The duo’s winning streak began with their second Christmas number one, “I Love Sausage Rolls” released in 2019. In 2020, the pair joined the ranks of The Spice Girls and The Beatles and secured their third number one “Don’t Stop Me Eatin”.

The Hoyle’s spoke with OfficialCharts.com concerning their record-breaking win, “Thank you, thank you, thank you to the great British public, for every single person in this country that has downloaded and streamed this song over the last week. You’re all absolute legends Thank you for helping us raise the profile, raise money and awareness for the Trussell Trust, the food banks in the UK and helping support the 14 million people in this country that are living below the poverty line. We couldn’t have done it without you. It means so much to us, and thank you so much for all the support, positivity and love that has been given to us over the last few weeks… Over the last four years!”

Although a great feat, the duo had help breaking the festive record. Their recent hit featured two of music’s most popular artists Sir Elton John and Ed Sheeran. Both featured artists were also in the annual race to number one, their duet “Merry Christmas” was hotly tipped to win this year. This year’s win also marks the third time that Sir John has overtaken himself to win the chart top spot and the second time for Sheeran. “Sausage Rolls For Everyone” marks the third number-one single for Sir John this year and his tenth top hit throughout his career.

Sir John and Sheeran’s duet lands at number two within this year’s Christmas charts. The Christmas contender is closely followed by a festive favourite, “Last Christmas” by Wham places at number three. At number four is “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by the Christmas Queen Mariah Carey. This year’s top 5 Christmas chart is closed off by “Boris Johnson Is Still A F**king C**nt” by K**ts, the group released a similar controversial track last year which also peaked at number 5.

Spotify took to Instagram to celebrate the news; the post also invites users to share their experience with the song. The social media post also features a personal video from Sheeran, the singer shared how he is “Chuffed” to break and set the streaming record. The 30-year-old artist also refers to the news as “Absolutely Insane” and continued to discuss the track’s origin story. “ [‘Shape Of You’] Wasn’t really meant to make the album, but when I finished making the song, Ben Cook, from my label, said it had to be a single – but I wanted ‘Castle on the Hill’ to be the single. We put both songs out at once and…I was wrong. Here we are with ‘Shape of You’ at 3 Billion.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Spotify (@spotify)

Sheeran is no stranger to immense streaming success; the singer is also a member of the platform’s Billions Club. The hitmaker earned his place twice with singles “Happier” and “Galway Girl”, both tracks have reached over a billion streams. The Billions Club is an exclusive rank and playlist curated by Spotify based on the track’s streaming figures. The playlist also features tracks such as “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by grunge icons Nirvana and “Good 4 u” by Olivia Rodrigo.

This is not the only achievement that Sheeran has had within Spotify. The singer released his fourth studio album Equals earlier this year, the release garnered great success and reached the number spot within Spotify’s global and US top 10 album debut charts. Due to the album’s popularity, Spotify hosted a very special event in celebration of the release. The event included a traditional Sunday Roast and an intimate acoustic set by the singer.

The singer’s record-breaking single “Shape Of You” was released on 6th January 2017 and is often regarded as the catalyst to Sheeran’s worldwide popularity. The track was the lead single from his third studio album Divide and went on to win the singer various accolades. The song was nominated for British Single of the Year and British video of the year at the 2018 Brit awards. The track also won Sheeran a Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2018 awards ceremony.

In more recent news, it was recently reported that Sheeran and musical partner Sir Elton John have joined the race for this year’s Christmas number one single. This year sees the two singers double their chances of winning the festive crown, both artists appear on two entries. Along with their recently released duet “Merry Christmas”, the duo also appears on former Christmas winner LadBaby’s new entry entitled “Sausage Rolls For Everyone”.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Official Charts (@officialcharts)

The duo’s duet is the second single in which Sheeran and Sir John have released this festive period. On 17th December 2021, LadBaby released their entry for this year’s competition, the new single features both Sheeran and Sir John. The YouTube artist’s single “Sausage Rolls For Everyone” is their fourth sausage roll parody and features Sheeran and Sir John in its music video. If the single wins, LadBaby will receive their fourth consecutive Christmas number one  and could also break a chart record. The British social media celebrity is currently in a three-way tie with The Beatles and Spice Girls, all three acts have achieved three Christmas number one singles.

This week’s chart also sees another record broken; 24 Christmas singles have placed within the Official Singles Chart Top 40. This is the greatest number of festive tracks which have placed within the charts so close to Christmas. Many re-entries of Christmas classics are seen within the top 10 this week. “Last Christmas” by WHAM has landed at number three, the track’s popularity has not diminished through time and continues to be a true festive favourite. One place behind is another holiday staple, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey. Often referred to as the Queen of Christmas, Carey has transcended into a holiday tradition.

“Merry Christmas Everyone” by Shakin’ Stevens re-entered the chart at number six. The single was originally released on 25th November 1985 and first re-entered the charts in 2007. One of Christmas’ more alternative hits is also included within the top 10, “Fairytale of New York” by Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl lands at number seven. The folk style duet was originally released on 23rd November 1987 and is often cited as the most played Christmas song in the UK.

One of the season’s eldest hits also lands within the top ten, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee enters the chart at number eight. The track was released in December 1962 and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2008. Due to its immense popularity, the song has sold over 25 million copies and has become the fourth most downloaded Christmas single. Closing the top 10 is “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas” by crooner Michael Bublé. The track was written in 1951 and has been recorded by many artists including Bing Crosby.

Music fans have speculated whether the hunger for festive hits can be attributed to COVID’s influence and its potential threat to Christmas. The race for 2021 Christmas number one single will close at 11:59 pm on Thursday 23rd December 2021, the winner will be announced on the Official chart via BBC Radio 1 on Christmas eve from 4 pm.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ed Sheeran (@teddysphotos)

The single is available across many streaming platforms and debuted at number one within the UK Big Top 40. “Merry Christmas” marks Sir John’s third number one within the chart this year. Sheeran has also achieved success with the Big Top 40, the new festive single marks Sheeran’s fifth number one this year. The “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” singer has two singles placed within the top three this week, with Sir John and Dua Lipa’s duet “Cold Heart” charting at number two. Sir John took to Instagram to announce the good news whilst sharing a message of thanks.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

  A post shared by Elton John (@eltonjohn)

The single was also released with an accompanying music video, which aims to celebrate Christmas. The singers can be seen impersonating past festive hits including “Stay Another Day” by East 17, “Last Christmas” by Wham, The Snowman’s “Walking In The Air” and many more. The new music video also features cameos by Mr Blobby, presenter and talk show host Jonathan Ross, Big Narstie, Comedian Michael McIntyre and British rock band The Darkness.

Sir John and Sheeran are no strangers to a successful Christmas single; both have achieved success with festive releases. In 2017 Sheeran secured Christmas number one with the track “Perfect”. The single was released on 26th September 2017 and was the third track to be released from the singer’s third studio album Divide. Sir John released “Step Into Christmas” on 23rd November 1973, the single peaked at number eight within the UK Singles Chart. The song was co-written by Sir John and his long-term musical partner Bernie Taupin. The single has since become a favourite during the festive period and has re-entered the charts. The track first re-joined the charts last year and is also seen within the top 10 this year.

The race to the Official UK Christmas number one is an annual tradition that is as anticipated as Christmas itself. This year marks the title and competition’s 70th anniversary. The British institution began in 1952 when the first Christmas number one single was announced. The competition’s first winner was “Here In My Heart” by Al Martino. The track is also known as the first UK number-one single.

Proceeds that are accrued through the single’s global record and publishing royalties will be donated. The singers will split the profits to be donated equally to their respective charities, Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation and The Elton John AIDS Foundation.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Official Charts (@officialcharts)

The annual festive race sees artists from all genres of music duke it out to be crowned Christmas number one. Contenders from all avenues of the entertainment industry have competed for the prize. With the rise of social media, a new form of public figure can now enter the festive competition. Last year saw YouTuber Mark Hoyle claim the top spot for the third year, otherwise known as LadBaby the husband and father won with his single “Don’t Stop Me Eatin”.

The contenders for this year’s Christmas number One includes a varied list of legendary artists and rising stars.  It was reported earlier this year that Sir Elton John had joined forces with Ed Sheeran to compete. Both have experienced festive chart success before, Sheeran scored a Christmas number one in 2017 with “Perfect” and Sir John placed at number eight in 1973 with “Step Into Christmas”. The single has remained a festive favourite and has re-entered the charts this year.

This year has seen a comeback for Disco icons ABBA, the “Dancing Queen” singers scored a number one this year with their album Voyages. They are also hoping to claim another hit with their upcoming track “Little Things”. The track is their first Christmas single and will be released on 3rd December 2021 accompanied by a music video. This year has also seen Adele dominate the charts, certain tracks from her newly released album 30 are being tipped as this year’s number one.

A reimagined version of the 1960 Charles Brown single, “Come on Home For Christmas” has also joined the race. The new version has been recorded by English singer-songwriter George Ezra and has been released alongside Amazon Music.  Much like previous years, a celebrity duet has also been released to compete. Former Take That member Gary Barlow and actress Sheridan Smith have teamed up to release the single “How Christmas Is Supposed To Be”.

British rockers The Lathums have also released a festive single , the track entitled “Krampus” was released on 12^th November 2021. The track serves as an anti-Christmas track and is named after a festive folklore figure. Often depicted as the evil counterpoint as Santa Claus, Krampus is shown in popular culture as a villain. Another Christmas contender is Olivia Dean, the up-and-coming artist is set to storm the charts with her cover of the Nat King Cole standard “The Christmas Song”.

Other artists who have thrown their hat in the ring include Gypsy Pistoleros and the controversial act The K**ts. The results will be published by The Official Chart via an announcement on BBC Radio 1 on Christmas Eve from 4 pm. The show will not just announce this year’s Christmas number one single but will also reveal the official Christmas top 40. Music fans will also be able to catch the countdown on Top Of The Pops broadcasted on Christmas Day on BBC One. The full official top 100 Official Christmas Singles and Albums chart will be published via OfficialCharts.com.

Weller has stated that during the filming he felt awkward, due to the drug use in which he stated was occurring during the event. The singer has made claims that artists among the video’s star-studded roster were taking drugs whilst recording and performing, he claimed that the artists in question were doing the narcotics in the bathrooms.

The music video was filmed in support of the charity single, ‘Do They Know Its Christmas?’ by the supergroup Band-Aid. The group and release were organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in aid of the famine in Ethiopia. The single was released on 25th November 1984 and would go on to win the coveted Christmas number one spot.

The music video was released on 3rd December 1984 and was recorded at the music studio Sarm West Studios located in Notting Hill, London. Those taking part in the release were given specific sections and verses to sing with the chorus sung by the whole group. The group consisted of a line-up of the era’s most popular performers, including Bono, Phill Collins, Boy George, George Michael, Sting and Paul Weller.

The former Jam bassist and vocalist made the accusations during a fan Q&A, Weller revealed: “That was horrible. Everyone was getting off doing blow in the toilets. It probably would have been all right for me in the ’90s but I wasn’t into all that then. I was totally out of my comfort zone.”

Weller related the experience with his own sobriety and has credited his deeper relationship with his music to his decision to stay sober. The singer has stayed sober for 11 years after suffering an addiction to alcohol. “I didn’t give up because of vanity – because the drink was bigger than vanity. Now, when I look back to before I stopped, I just think: ‘Christ, the state of me’. I looked a lot older, a bit puffy, red and just wrong. Since I’ve been sober I get more from music.”

Weller also made headlines recently when the 63-year-old artist scored his sixth number one. The singer’s release, ‘Fat Pop (Volume 1)‘, was released on 14th May 2021 and debuted at number one. The album has sired over 26,000 chart sales and marks five decades of chart success for Weller.

The 31-year-old YouTuber and dad blogger, Mark Hoyle plus his wife Roxanne and their two sons, recorded their own version of Starship’s 1985 hit, ‘We Built This City’, as an ode to sausage rolls (rather than rock and roll). Proceeds from the single will be going to foodbank charity, The Trussell Trust.

Speaking about the news, LadBaby said: “Thank you everybody in the UK who has got a sausage roll to the top. I can’t thank you enough not only for downloading the song but for raising money for such an incredible charity. I’m honestly speechless and lost for words. Thank you so much. YES MAAATE!”

LadBaby’s, ‘We Built This City’ sold 75,000 combined sales this week to take the top spot, and despite an extremely close race all week, finishes 18,500 ahead of his closest competition, US singer Ava Max and her track ‘Sweet But Psycho’, after a last-minute push. Out of the total sales, 93% were downloads, with the remainder made up from audio and video streams.

‘We Built This City’ is also the first novelty song to claim the festive top spot in 18 years, since Bob The Builder’s Can We Fix It? in 2000. After leading the way at the midweek stage, US singer Ava Max’s Sweet But Psycho has to settle for number 2. Meanwhile last week’s chart-topper ‘THANK U, NEXT’ by Ariana Grande is at number 3.

Martin Talbot, Official Charts chief executive, said: “It is a truly fantastic achievement by LadBaby to claim the 2018 Official Christmas Number 1, in what has been an incredibly competitive race against two massive hits of the moment. In doing so, he has also shown once again the enduring power of campaign singles, especially at this time of year. The success is tribute to the huge effort put into the campaign by LadBaby himself, plus all of his supporters – and, in raising money for the Trussell Trust, is very much in the spirit of Christmas.”