Christmas is around the corner and for many, this means travelling to spend time with family and friends. If you’re one of the many who will be driving home for Christmas this year, we’ve put together the ultimate Christmas playlist to accompany you on your journey. Travall’s Christmas playlist includes Christmas classics new and old, all of which are listed below with a snippet of information. If you want to skip the Trivia and get straight into listening, you can follow our playlist on Spotify here: https://spoti.fi/2rvOP6g
Do They Know It’s Christmas? – Band Aid
The original Band Aid song written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure was the 1984 Christmas number one and it soon became the fastest selling single in UK chart history. The major success of the song across the globe led it to raise £8 million within the first year of release.
White Christmas – Bing Crosby
“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…” Words echoed by every family each year, all around the world. The Bing Crosby version of this song has sold over 50 million copies worldwide. Bing truly is the voice of Christmas!
The Christmas Song – Nat King Cole
This classic Christmas song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1974. It is commonly referred to as “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire”
Mary’s Boy Child / Oh My Lord – Boney M
A cover of Harry Belafonte’s 1956 hit – Boney M put their spin on the song my medlying it with “Oh My Lord”. On release, it went to Christmas number one and spent eight weeks in the charts.
I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday – Wizzard
Wishing it was Christmas every day was and still is a dream for many children. Surprisingly, this song has never reached number one in the UK charts. Its highest entry was number 4 when it was released in 1973.
Merry Christmas Everyone – Shakin’ Stevens
“Snow is falling, all around me” – a lyric sung in every household during the Christmas period. In the songs release year of 1985, it was the UK Christmas number one.
Stop The Cavalry – Jona Lewie
A song that was never intended as a Christmas hit according to an interview with Jona Lewie and was instead intended as a protest song. However, the brass band arrangements and the lyric “wish I was at home for Christmas” give the song a Christmassy feel.
8 Days of Christmas – Destiny’s Child
Released in 2001, 8 Days of Christmas is based on “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. The song was written by band members Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Errol McCalla, Jr.
Lonely This Christmas – Mud
This was Mud’s second number one single in the UK, spending four weeks at the top in December of 1974 and January 1975. It is a common misconception that Elvis Presley sang this, however it was just performed in the style of songs from later on in his career.
Do They Know It’s Christmas? – Band Aid 30
The latest version of the Christmas classic was released in 2014. The Band Aid 30 supergroup consisted of One Direction, Ed Sheeran, Rita Ora and many other current stars.
‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over)’ – John Lennon and Yoko Ono
Released in 1971 in the US, “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” was the conclusion of over two years of peace activism work undertaken by John and Yoko. The songs released in the UK was delayed until the latter part of 1972.
Stay Another Day – East 17
The Christmas number one of 1994, “Stay Another Day” is one of the very few Christmas songs that doesn’t make a specific reference to Christmas in the lyrics. I’m sure you all remember those white furry parkas!
Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town – Bruce Springsteen
Many artists have tackled this Christmas classic including Mariah Carey, Michael Bublé and Justin Bieber, However, we have chosen Bruce Springsteen’s version due to its upbeat and rocky feel – two ingredients to the perfect driving anthem.
Peace On Earth/The Little Drummer Boy – David Bowie and Bing Crosby
A combination of Bing’s original song “The Little Drummer Boy” and “Peace on Earth” make a special song that became one of Bowie’s best selling ever! It’s probably the most successful duet in the history of Christmas music.
Mistletoe and Wine – Cliff Richard
Initially written for a musical called Scraps, “Mistletoe and Wine” was made famous by Sir Cliff Richard in 1988. This was Richard’s twelfth UK number one single!
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Gene Autry
Many have recorded this traditional Christmas song but the most successful is probably the Gene Autry version that reached number 1 in the U.S charts in 1949.
All I Want for Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey
American singer and songwriter, Mariah Carey wrote and produced this song alongside Walter Afanasieff. This upbeat Christmas tune is considered to be the best-selling modern-day Christmas song.
Last Christmas – Wham!
Recorded by English pop duo Wham! and released in December of 1984, “Last Christmas” reached number one in Slovenia and Sweden and hit number two in seven other countries including the UK. All royalties for this song were donated to the Ethiopian famine by Wham!
I Believe in Father Christmas – Greg Lake
Although this song is often categorised as a Christmas song this wasn’t Greg Lake’s intention. It was written in protest at the commercialisation of Christmas. Released in 1975, the song reached number 2 in the UK charts.
Mistletoe – Justin Bieber
One of the most recent Christmas songs on our playlist. Justin Bieber’s “Mistletoe” reached the top ten in Canada, Denmark and Norway and reached the top forty in 9 other countries. It sold 164,000 copies in its first week of release.
Blue Christmas – Elvis Presley
A longstanding staple in the Christmas music genre and one of Elvis’s most famous Christmas songs. The single reached number 11 in the UK charts in 1964.
Jingle Bell Rock – Bobby Helms
Again, this is one of the many Christmas songs that has been performed by a variety of artists. However, the most popular version is Bobby Helms’ original version. The song still receives frequent airplay, particularly in the US during every Christmas season.
Frosty The Snowman – The Jackson 5
The famous Christmas song was first recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys in 1950. However, The Jackson 5 version makes the cut on our Christmas playlist as it just gives you a real feel-good vibe!
Winter Wonderland – Michael Bublé
“Winter Wonderland” is one of the oldest songs on our playlist, written in 1934! Over 200 artists have recorded versions of the song but Michael Bublé’s version is the one to make our list!
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! – Dean Martin
Often referred to as simply “Let It Snow,” this song was written in July of 1945 during a California heat wave. Although there is no mention of Christmas in the lyrics of the song, it is widely regarded as a Christmas song. We’ve chosen Dean Martin’s version for our playlist.
Wonderful Christmastime – Paul McCartney
“Simply having a wonderful Christmastime”… What sort of Christmas playlist doesn’t include this 1979 Paul McCartney hit? It continues to enjoy significant popularity during the festive season around the World.
Step Into Christmas – Elton John
Another Christmas hit from the ’70s, “Step into Christmas” was released as a stand-alone single in November of 1973. In 2009, it was the ninth most played Christmas song in the UK.
When A Child Is Born – Johnny Mathis
This beloved Christmas song has been sung by many artists, but most successfully by Johnny Mathis in 1976. His version was also the Christmas number one in the UK that year.
Merry Xmas Everybody – Slade
“Are you hanging up your stocking on your wall?” This Christmas hit by British rock band Slade beat Wizzard’s “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday” to the top spot in the UK charts in December of 1973. The song remained in the charts for nine weeks and sold 500,000 copies in its first week of release.
Driving Home for Christmas – Chris Rea
What better way to top off Travall’s Driving Home for Christmas playlist. “Driving Home for Christmas” was first released in 1988 and still makes it into the UK charts each year. The inspiration for the song came when Chris and his wife were stuck in heavy traffic while the snow was falling. Chris has stated in multiple interviews that he wrote the song for Van Morrison, however, we wouldn’t want it sung any other way.
So that’s it for Travall’s Christmas playlist. If you’re hitting the road this year we hope you enjoy the journey along with our favourite festive songs. We wish you safe travels and a fantastic Christmas and New Year.
