THE race to crown the Christmas No1 will get under way in two weeks.
And a dark horse, or should that be lovable bear, has entered the fray.
Paddington has become a major contender with song One Of Us, which is actually sung by McFly’s Tom Fletcher, who wrote it for the new Paddington The Musical in London’s West End.
He has stiff competition in what is looking set to be the most closely fought contest in years.
Martin Talbot, chief executive of The Official Charts Company, said: “The vision of Paddington taking on this year’s diverse gaggle of new festive chart contenders, alongside seasonal classics from The Pogues, Mariah Carey and Wham!, will be something to savour.”
The winning song will be revealed on The Radio 1 Chart Show just after 5.30pm on December 19.
Lee Phelps, from bookies William Hill, said: “Wham! are our odds-on favourites to be Christmas No1 for the third year running.
“They’ve been popular in the betting and are now as short as 1/2
“Kylie Minogue is the only other single-figure price at 11/2, while Together For Palestine take third spot in our market at 12/1.
“At 14/1, Taylor Swift joins Alison Limerick and Mariah Carey to top the charts on Christmas Day for the first time in the UK.”
Associate Bizarre Editor Howell Davies casts his eye over the contenders . . .
- Odds provided by William Hill. See the full market at sports.williamhill.com.
Paddington and Tom Fletcher — One of Us
6/1
AS one of the nation’s favourite characters, Paddington has topped the box office multiple times.
Meanwhile McFly’s Tom Fletcher has scored seven No1 singles. Now they are joining forces with One Of Us, written by Tom for Paddington The Musical.
The video, which is out today along with the song, sees them appear together at Paddington train station in London and had to be filmed under the cover of darkness to keep the secret.
The full soundtrack to the musical will be released in March following rave reviews for the stage show.
Wham! — Last Christmas
1/2
WHAM!’s hit about a seasonal break-up, set against jingle bells, has reached No1 for the last two Christmases.
When it was first released in 1984, it was pipped to the top spot by Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas?.
It’s the third best-selling single in UK history and was already the highest charting Christmas song on last Friday’s rundown, when it was at No19.
The profits originally contributed to famine aid in Ethiopia, but in recent years George Michael’s estate has been dividing the proceeds between a series of other charity groups.
Roland Gift — Everybody Knows It’s Christmas
66/1
THIS number from Fine Young Cannibals frontman Roland Gift started off as a bet but has since racked up more than 86,000 views online.
It fuses glam rock with a festive, jingle bell ball and is being released on CD and 7in single, as well as streaming and download services, in a bid to boost sales.
Roland told The Sun: “It started out as a bet with my mate, who’s a big Slade fan.
“He said if I could write a Christmas song that was a hit, he’d give my car a free service and new tyres. I hope this song brings a bit of warmth, a smile and maybe a bit of that Christmas magic your way.”
Kylie Minogue — Xmas
11/2
SHE released her album Kylie Christmas in 2015 and now the Aussie star is back to spread joy with a savvy link-up.
Her new song Xmas is exclusive to Amazon Music, meaning it can only be downloaded there or played through its streaming service.
But it’s a clever move, because it is among the first tracks to be played when people ask their Alexa devices to play Christmas music.
The last two years have seen Tom Grennan’s It Can’t Be Christmas and Sam Ryder’s You’re Christmas To Me finish in second place in the festive chart because of the power of Amazon.
Alison Limerick — Where Love Lives
14/1
THIS track has swelled in popularity since a cover by Labrinth featured in this year’s John Lewis Christmas advert.
Alison Limerick’s pulsating house tune was originally released in 1990. It peaked at No9 in 1996 but recently re-entered the charts at No44.
Now it is being tipped to rise far higher as the TV ad gets more plays.
Alison said: “Music has always had the power to bring all kinds of peeps together, but I hope this year’s John Lewis Christmas advert will give those who see it a new, emotional connection with the song.”
Denise Welch — Slayyy Bells
100/1
THE firm festive outsider this year is actress Denise Welch with her borderline-unlistenable offering.
The track has been released as a tie-in with choc brand Celebrations – 30 years after she hit No23 with a cover of You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me.
Denise, whose son Matty Healy is lead singer for The 1975, said: “I love Christmas, but sometimes I want to shake things up a bit. We don’t always have to have turkey or play charades. We can celebrate this special holiday our way.
“This remix, apart from being cool, catchy and a sure- fire hit, is all about having fun.”
Mariah Carey — All I Want For Christmas Is You
14/1
AS the Queen of Christmas, Mariah is never far from the charts at this time of year.
All I Want For Christmas Is You was first released in 1994 and has returned to the Top 40 every year since 2007.
It is an unabashedly joyful belter, complete with bell chimes and lyrics about ditching a desire for materialistic gifts.
It topped the charts in 2021 and remains a strong contender for Christmas No1, finishing last year at No3.
In the US, it is even more popular and has been the festive No1 for the past six years.
Taylor Swift — Opalite
14/1
SHE already has five No1s to her name and has spent the same number of weeks at the top with The Fate Of Ophelia. But Opalite, another track from her The Life Of A Showgirl album, is poised to become a competitor after The Sun on Sunday revealed she had flown to London to shoot a festive video.
She hired out a shopping centre in Croydon to film the scenes, with the video believed to include cameos from singer Lewis Capaldi among others.
An updated version of Opalite is expected to be launched alongside the video, just in time for Christmas.
Together For Palestine — Lullaby
12/1
THERE have been plenty of Christmas songs for good causes. Now Together For Palestine are hoping to raise funds with their charity single Lullaby.
Musicians including Neneh Cherry, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Brian Eno, Bastille frontman Dan Smith and Celeste have joined forces with Palestinian musicians to appear on the track, which is a reimagining of a traditional Palestinian lullaby.
Speaking about the song, out on December 12, Eno said: “We have a real shot at landing Christmas No1 – and turning that moment into vital life-saving support for Gaza’s families.”
