The Official Christmas No 1 Singles Book

'A Christmas cracker' - Record CollectorSo here it is...The perfect gift for music lovers of all ages, The Official Christmas No. 1 Singles Book is jam-packed with facts, figures and photos to get your toes tapping along to the sounds of seven decades of festive chart-toppers. Have you ever wondered how many Christmas number ones actually have the word 'Christmas' in their title? Or how many TV talent-show winners have claimed the festive top spot? Do you know which artist has racked up the most Christmas number ones? Or which single is the biggest-selling seasonal chart-topper of all time? Can you name the only song to have topped the Christmas chart twice by two different artists? Or the only artist to have been Christmas number one twice with the same song? The answers to all these questions - plus many more - can be found in this exclusive festive companion, published in conjunction with the Official Charts Company. With a fully illustrated double-page spread for every year since the UK singles chart began in 1952, Michael Mulligan's fun and authoritative journey through the Christmas archives will delight curious browsers and dedicated pop nerds alike. Featuring top-ten countdowns, fascinating trivia about the highest-charting Christmas singles and plenty of entertaining infographics, this is the ideal family stocking-filler, celebrating all that is wonderful, whimsical and unpredictable about the festive season's most hotly contested musical event.

A Christmas Number One is the single that tops the singles chart during the week in which Christmas Day falls and, with record sales peaking in the lead up to Christmas, for many years the Christmas Number One has been considered especially prestigious in the UK.The first official UK singles chart was published in November 1952 in New Musical Express magazine. Al Martino's Here In My Heart was no.1 on the first chart published in New Musical Express, and it held the top spot for the rest of 1952, making it the first officially recognised Christmas Number One. However, the race for the Christmas Number One didn't really begin to take-off until 1973, when Slade released Merry Xmas Everybody, with the aim of topping the Christmas chart (which it did).In 2013, however, Steve Waters published The British Hit Singles January 1940 - October 1952, sub-titled 'The Missing Charts'. The book featured the week by week Top 30 best-selling 78s, as compiled by Colin Brown, based not on over-the-counter sales (as post-1952 charts are), but on sales reps' order and re-order sheets. The Christmas Number Ones detailed in this book are listed chronologically, from 1940 to 2014. The Christmas Number Ones in five other countries are also revealed, namely Australia, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands and the USA.

'A riveting read about a pop revolution hiding in plain sight' PETE PAPHIDES 'Highly energetic, well-informed, opinionated in all the right places and always exciting' DAVID QUANTICK 'Thoroughly researched, erudite and often laugh-out-loud funny' DARYL EASLEA In 1984, pop came out of the closet - even if not all of the artists felt that they could - and, in the process, charted the course of the rest of the decade. In 1984: The Year Pop Went Queer, writer and musician Ian Wade charts where these artists, including Queen, George Michael, David Bowie, Pet Shop Boys, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Madonna - who all enjoyed chart success in 1984 - were during that epoch-making year. It studies the impact these groundbreaking musicians had before, during and after on the gay community and popular culture, and it demonstrates how they were able to break down barriers, raise consciousness and set in motion the first nascent ripples in a pond that are still being felt today. As a backdrop, it explores the strides made in the name of the cause and how the wider surrounding culture reacted with equal parts glee, bafflement and disgust.

Inspired by Mariah Carey's childhood, The Christmas Princess is an unforgettable holiday story, told by the Queen of Christmas herself with Michaela Angela Davis and featuring beautiful illustrations by Fuuji Takashi. The Queen of Christmas introduces . . . Little Mariah! There was one time unlike any other, when everyone pitched in and helped one another . . . CHRISTMAS TIME! Mariah Carey, lovingly and aptly known as the Queen of Christmas, has brought forth a unique, heartwarming, and modern fairy tale with The Christmas Princess, starring Little Mariah! Like her historic, globally adored song “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” this story is an instant and inclusive family holiday classic. While firmly placed in the tradition of Christmas storytelling, The Christmas Princess is infused with her one-of-a-kind festive Mariah magic and musicality. Little Mariah doesn’t have much and doesn’t want a lot, but there is just one thing she longs for: a peaceful and joyous holiday season. Feeling outcast and alone, Little Mariah sets off on a wintry, wondrous journey, ultimately discovering the healing power of her voice to spread the spirit of Christmas at home and all around the world.

The Jackson family, between them, have scored over 200 hits since November 1969, when the Jackson 5's I Want You Back entered Billboard's Hot 100 and Hot R&B singles charts in the States. I Want You Back went on to become the first Jackson no.1 - the first of 50 (and counting!). It is these chart toppers that form the A-Z backbone of this book - 20 by Janet, 20 by Michael, seven by the Jackson 5, two by Jermaine and one by the Jacksons, plus a further seven with a Jackson connection. The book also features a comprehensive Fact File section, including: Top 100 Jackson singles, Chartography (USA & UK), the Jacksons in the USA, and the Jacksons in the UK and around the world.

Documents the history of rhythm and blues music by examining every song to top the Billboard R & B singles chart between 1965 and 1990 and offers inside stories from the singers, musicians, songwriters, arrangers, and producers who created the hits.

Mariah Carey's classic Christmas song is now featured in a one-of-a-kind picture book that will have readers of all ages singing all season long! Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You", one of the bestselling and most beloved songs of all time, brings Christmas joy to countless listeners of all ages every year. And now its classic lyrics will bring that same holiday spirit to readers of all ages in this one-of-a-kind picture book about a young girl whose greatest Christmas wish is for a new puppy! Full of festive December moments with family, friends, presents, and of course, Santa Claus—and featuring lively yuletide illustrations alongside the complete song lyrics—All I Want for Christmas Is You will become a cherished part of your family's Christmas traditions for many years to come. Includes a special Christmas letter from Mariah to her fans! "All we want for Christmas is this!" —USA Today "All we want for Christmas is Mariah Carey's new book!" --People Magazine "All I Want For Christmas Is You is the gift that keeps on giving." --Entertainment Weekly

The updated edition of the only chart book that lists both singles and albums in one volume. A new 'statistics' section has been added to include most number ones, most top ten hits, most weeks at number one, most weeks in the chart, one hit wonders and much more.