The Story of the Christmas No. 1
This is the story of a national obsession: the annual race for the festive chart crown, and what it reveals about British culture, identity, and the ever-changing music industry.
From The Beatles to glam rock, from Do They Know It's Christmas? to reality-TV winners, novelty records, charity campaigns and viral streaming sensations, Marc Burrows uncovers the fascinating, funny and occasionally absurd stories behind the songs we love—and love to argue about.
New for the 2026 edition: the full story of Kylie Minogue's triumphant Christmas Number 1! Released through Amazon, Kylie's gloriously camp XMAS ended the recent dominance of charity singles and perennial festive classics to secure her first-ever Christmas chart-topper, becoming the first female artist to score UK Number One singles across four different decades. But what does it tell us about hits in the streaming age, and the deals with the devil you need to do to secure them?
Packed with chart battles, cultural curiosities, festive controversies and enough music trivia to fill Santa's sack, this updated edition brings the story of Britain's most peculiar annual sporting event bang up-to-date.
"An essential guide for those of us who hate or indeed love this annual struggle for artistic commercial dominance. It will answer some questions, settle some arguments, but I sense, will start many more."Â From the Foreword by Phill Jupitus
"A hugely entertaining romp through six decades of music trivia ★★★★"  Classic Pop Magazine
"The biographer of hip unwraps his pen to sprinkle glitter upon the fading tradition of the festive chart-topper and crafts the ultimate gift for everyone, aged 8 to 80. This sleighs."Â Billy Reeves, BBC Radio London
This edition now includes the remarkable story of how XMAS became the Christmas No. 1 of 2025!
Original: $24.19
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$8.47The Story of the Christmas No. 1
This is the story of a national obsession: the annual race for the festive chart crown, and what it reveals about British culture, identity, and the ever-changing music industry.
From The Beatles to glam rock, from Do They Know It's Christmas? to reality-TV winners, novelty records, charity campaigns and viral streaming sensations, Marc Burrows uncovers the fascinating, funny and occasionally absurd stories behind the songs we love—and love to argue about.
New for the 2026 edition: the full story of Kylie Minogue's triumphant Christmas Number 1! Released through Amazon, Kylie's gloriously camp XMAS ended the recent dominance of charity singles and perennial festive classics to secure her first-ever Christmas chart-topper, becoming the first female artist to score UK Number One singles across four different decades. But what does it tell us about hits in the streaming age, and the deals with the devil you need to do to secure them?
Packed with chart battles, cultural curiosities, festive controversies and enough music trivia to fill Santa's sack, this updated edition brings the story of Britain's most peculiar annual sporting event bang up-to-date.
"An essential guide for those of us who hate or indeed love this annual struggle for artistic commercial dominance. It will answer some questions, settle some arguments, but I sense, will start many more."Â From the Foreword by Phill Jupitus
"A hugely entertaining romp through six decades of music trivia ★★★★"  Classic Pop Magazine
"The biographer of hip unwraps his pen to sprinkle glitter upon the fading tradition of the festive chart-topper and crafts the ultimate gift for everyone, aged 8 to 80. This sleighs."Â Billy Reeves, BBC Radio London
This edition now includes the remarkable story of how XMAS became the Christmas No. 1 of 2025!
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This is the story of a national obsession: the annual race for the festive chart crown, and what it reveals about British culture, identity, and the ever-changing music industry.
From The Beatles to glam rock, from Do They Know It's Christmas? to reality-TV winners, novelty records, charity campaigns and viral streaming sensations, Marc Burrows uncovers the fascinating, funny and occasionally absurd stories behind the songs we love—and love to argue about.
New for the 2026 edition: the full story of Kylie Minogue's triumphant Christmas Number 1! Released through Amazon, Kylie's gloriously camp XMAS ended the recent dominance of charity singles and perennial festive classics to secure her first-ever Christmas chart-topper, becoming the first female artist to score UK Number One singles across four different decades. But what does it tell us about hits in the streaming age, and the deals with the devil you need to do to secure them?
Packed with chart battles, cultural curiosities, festive controversies and enough music trivia to fill Santa's sack, this updated edition brings the story of Britain's most peculiar annual sporting event bang up-to-date.
"An essential guide for those of us who hate or indeed love this annual struggle for artistic commercial dominance. It will answer some questions, settle some arguments, but I sense, will start many more."Â From the Foreword by Phill Jupitus
"A hugely entertaining romp through six decades of music trivia ★★★★"  Classic Pop Magazine
"The biographer of hip unwraps his pen to sprinkle glitter upon the fading tradition of the festive chart-topper and crafts the ultimate gift for everyone, aged 8 to 80. This sleighs."Â Billy Reeves, BBC Radio London
This edition now includes the remarkable story of how XMAS became the Christmas No. 1 of 2025!
