Clean Bandit Lead Tight Race to U.K. Christmas Chart No. 1
Reigning chart champs Clean Bandit is in pole position for the crown with "Rockabye" (Atlantic).
Clean Bandit, Rag ‘n’ Bone Man and Little Mix are the lead pack in a tight race for the U.K.’s coveted Christmas No. 1 single.
Reigning chart champs Clean Bandit is in pole position for the crown with “Rockabye” (Atlantic). The track leads the midweek survey, though BRITS Critics Choice winner Rag ‘n’ Bone Man is less than 4,000 copies behind in second place with his song “Human” (Best Laid Plans/Columbia).
Should “Rockabye” hold its position when the Official Singles Chart is published on Friday, Clean Bandit will join the ranks of The Human League (“Don’t You Want Me” In 1981), Whitney Houston (“I Will Always Love You” in 1992), East 17 (“Stay Another Day” in 1994) and several others who logged time at the summit of the chart ahead of clinching the festive No. 1, the Official Charts Company notes.
Meanwhile, Little Mix are mounting a late challenge with “Touch” (Syco Music), which rockets 23-3 on the Official Singles Chart Update, and sits just ahead of Louis Tomlinson & Steve Aoki’s “Just Hold On” (Syco Music) and X Factor U.K. winner Matt Terry’s “When Christmas Comes Around” (Syco Music).
According to the OCC, just 9,000 copies separate “Rockabye” from the No. 10 ranked song, Bruno Mars‘ “24K Magic” (Atlantic), at the half-way stage of the chart week.
The Official Singles Chart Update is teeming with Christmas spirit, as seven festive songs are on track for a Top 40 finish: Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (No. 7 via Columbia), The Pogues ft. Kirsty MacColl’s “Fairytale Of New York” (No. 15 via Warner Bros), Wham’s “Last Christmas” (No. 16 via RCA), Shakin’ Stevens’ “Merry Christmas Everyone” (No. 25 via RCA), Wizzard’s “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday” (No. 28 via EMI), Chris Rea’s “Driving Home for Christmas” (No. 35 via Warner Bros) and Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas” (No. 39 via Mercury).
Michael Ball and Alfie Boe’s Together (Decca) took six weeks to ascend to No. 1 on the albums chart, and there’s a strong chance it’ll stay there when the new survey is published. The LP has already sold 44,000 combined units at the midweek point to take top spot on the Albums Chart Update.
The King is an outside chance to snatch the crown; Elvis Presley’s The Wonder of You (Legacy/RCA) is at No. 2 on the chart update. Little Mix’s Glory Days is currently at No. 3, The Rolling Stones‘ Blue & Lonesome (Polydor) is at No. 4 and Olly Murs’ 24 HRS (RCA) rounds out the top 5.
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