The Christmas number one by the NHS Choir has dropped down from 1 to 29. This is ridiculous. This must be one of the biggest drops from number one ever. Could you have imagined this a few years ago? Even when a Christmas song was at number one it would drop to 2 or 3 first before dropping down rapidly.
The Nhs Choir Drops From 1 To 29
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Biggest Fall From Number 1
In May 2007, McFly's double A side single "Baby's Coming Back/ Transylvania" dropped from the top spot to number 20; the biggest fall from the summit in chart history. A drop of this magnitude had been registered on one previous occasion when, in January 2005, the limited edition re-issue of Elvis Presley's "One Night / I Got Stung" fell to number 20 after a single week at number one. So this 'honour' is in fact shared. Elvis fans are quick to point out that (a) there were insufficient stocks in the shops (due to its limited nature) and (b) the tracks had been available as singles before. McFly fans have no similar defence as it remained freely available and was on first time of release.
Prior to the Elvis incident outlined above, Harry Belafonte's "Mary's Boy Child" had held the record for biggest drop (for 47 years!) from the top; no. 1 to no. 12 in the post-Christmas change of heart of record buyers.
In May 2007, McFly's double A side single "Baby's Coming Back/ Transylvania" dropped from the top spot to number 20; the biggest fall from the summit in chart history. A drop of this magnitude had been registered on one previous occasion when, in January 2005, the limited edition re-issue of Elvis Presley's "One Night / I Got Stung" fell to number 20 after a single week at number one. So this 'honour' is in fact shared. Elvis fans are quick to point out that (a) there were insufficient stocks in the shops (due to its limited nature) and (b) the tracks had been available as singles before. McFly fans have no similar defence as it remained freely available and was on first time of release.
Prior to the Elvis incident outlined above, Harry Belafonte's "Mary's Boy Child" had held the record for biggest drop (for 47 years!) from the top; no. 1 to no. 12 in the post-Christmas change of heart of record buyers.
Asked for a comment Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said 'The NHS Choir is higher now than at any time under the Labour Government'
This is often the case when a song gets to number one (or achieves some measure of relative success) for reasons other than its artistic merit. RATM's KITNO did something very similar in 2009. IIRC, it dropped from one to two - so far, so ok - then to position thirty-eight the next week, then to eighty or something like that the next.
The problem with charity singles at Christmas is just that...it's for charity.
If a charity single and an ordinary chart hit and doing battle, then it seems to be frowned upon in the UK to let the charity song "fail" when in actual fact what happens is the media jump on board a short lived bandwagon. The media give said charity single more exposure to people who probably have no interest in the charts.
Sadly this leads to a week of "aww, it's for a good cause so I will download the song" or "I will ask my son to download the song for me" etc...
The end result? A UK #1 that has only really got there because the media built the song up for a few days. If Chris Evans hadn't got involved and kick start this media frenzy then the NHS choir would've gone top 10 instead, and no doubt would've been much lower than #29 in today's UK chart.
Charity = guilt trip. I have nothing against charity singles, just make them interesting ones. It's like that Gareth Malone choir version of Wake Me Up that went to #1 last year was easily one of the worst UK #1 singles of 2014.
I think the worst thing about these type of #1 singles is that the people who do buy them probably don't bother listening to them after a couple of days. Yes, the money goes to charity but what a waste of a purchase when you have no desire to listen to the song much after you've bought it.
If a charity single and an ordinary chart hit and doing battle, then it seems to be frowned upon in the UK to let the charity song "fail" when in actual fact what happens is the media jump on board a short lived bandwagon. The media give said charity single more exposure to people who probably have no interest in the charts.
Sadly this leads to a week of "aww, it's for a good cause so I will download the song" or "I will ask my son to download the song for me" etc...
The end result? A UK #1 that has only really got there because the media built the song up for a few days. If Chris Evans hadn't got involved and kick start this media frenzy then the NHS choir would've gone top 10 instead, and no doubt would've been much lower than #29 in today's UK chart.
Charity = guilt trip. I have nothing against charity singles, just make them interesting ones. It's like that Gareth Malone choir version of Wake Me Up that went to #1 last year was easily one of the worst UK #1 singles of 2014.
I think the worst thing about these type of #1 singles is that the people who do buy them probably don't bother listening to them after a couple of days. Yes, the money goes to charity but what a waste of a purchase when you have no desire to listen to the song much after you've bought it.
I think it highlights what an undeserving chart topper it was... the Christmas number one gets more publicity than any other all year, yet its sales have collapsed overnight. Says it all really; it was about a campaign to get the song to the top spot rather than people actually liking the record.
Still, they've made history by breaking a record - that's sort of a good thing, right?
Still, they've made history by breaking a record - that's sort of a good thing, right?
Originally Posted by Hitstastic:
“The end result? A UK #1 that has only really got there because the media built the song up for a few days. If Chris Evans hadn't got involved and kick start this media frenzy then the NHS choir would've gone top 10 instead, and no doubt would've been much lower than #29 in today's UK chart.”
“The end result? A UK #1 that has only really got there because the media built the song up for a few days. If Chris Evans hadn't got involved and kick start this media frenzy then the NHS choir would've gone top 10 instead, and no doubt would've been much lower than #29 in today's UK chart.”
Agreed, music wise they can be the worst kind of sacharine dirge but as long as they're performed by any organisation that is above criticism you have to buy it regardless of musical merit or otherwise. Get ready next xmas for Paul O Grady and a choir of howling dogs from Battersea Dogs Home.
Originally Posted by ohglobbits:
“Agreed, music wise they can be the worst kind of sacharine dirge but as long as they're performed by any organisation that is above criticism you have to buy it regardless of musical merit or otherwise. Get ready next xmas for Paul O Grady and a choir of howling dogs from Battersea Dogs Home.”
“Agreed, music wise they can be the worst kind of sacharine dirge but as long as they're performed by any organisation that is above criticism you have to buy it regardless of musical merit or otherwise. Get ready next xmas for Paul O Grady and a choir of howling dogs from Battersea Dogs Home.”
In fairness that would probably be better than much of the chart!
Originally Posted by Tejas:
“I think it highlights what an undeserving chart topper it was... the Christmas number one gets more publicity than any other all year, yet its sales have collapsed overnight. Says it all really; it was about a campaign to get the song to the top spot rather than people actually liking the record.
Still, they've made history by breaking a record - that's sort of a good thing, right?”
“I think it highlights what an undeserving chart topper it was... the Christmas number one gets more publicity than any other all year, yet its sales have collapsed overnight. Says it all really; it was about a campaign to get the song to the top spot rather than people actually liking the record.
Still, they've made history by breaking a record - that's sort of a good thing, right?
”
Harsh to say how undeserving it was of being No1, it sold more copies than other singles so it earned the right to be No1 & more importantly it raised money for a good cause, this may have made people buy it who didn't like it or encouraged people who don't usually buy singles to buy it....older people who usually only buy albums. At least it kept Bieber off the top!!
Originally Posted by Bandit06:
“Harsh to say how undeserving it was of being No1, it sold more copies than other singles so it earned the right to be No1 & more importantly it raised money for a good cause, this may have made people buy it who didn't like it or encouraged people who don't usually buy singles to buy it....older people who usually only buy albums. At least it kept Bieber off the top!!”
“Harsh to say how undeserving it was of being No1, it sold more copies than other singles so it earned the right to be No1 & more importantly it raised money for a good cause, this may have made people buy it who didn't like it or encouraged people who don't usually buy singles to buy it....older people who usually only buy albums. At least it kept Bieber off the top!!”
Sadly I disagree. 3 days into the race for Christmas #1, Justin Bieber was narrowly ahead of NHS Choir. There was hardly any hype surrounding A Bridge Over You whatsoever and in fact on the Monday it was closer to being #3 than #1 as Sorry was trailing the charity song by a few hundred sales.
From Tuesday morning onwards, everything changed. Chris Evans made his 10 million listeners on his Radio 2 breakfast show aware of the songs existence. The song got a nice boost on iTunes and was suddenly neck and neck with Love Yourself. On Wednesday, members of the choir were starting to appear on different programmes like Good Morning Britain talking about their charity single, and therefore promoting their single to a wider audience. Chris Evans again bigged up the song for a second day in a row. By Wednesday afternoon both versions of A Bridge Over You were in the top 5 on iTunes, and it was this boost that sealed the deal. Thursday was the after effects of the media exposure from Tuesday/Wednesday, and come Friday evening once it was announced they were #1, the UK media had done their bit, got off the bandwagon and the bandwagon stopped rolling.
This week it sold 20k at #29. I'd say about 16k of that total was sold last Friday, whilst the remaining 4k was sold over the course of the week. Pretty shocking really. Even after the news broadcasts on Christmas day announced the NHS choir were #1, there was no interest in the song to keep it selling decently for a second week. Even Gareth Malone's choir version of Wake Me Up dropped 01-07, it still made the top 10 the week after.
A Bridge Over You is probably going to become one of the biggest non #1 singles of all time. Shame, as I really wanted House Every Weekend to hold that record for 2015.
Pretty certain it'll be out of the Top 75 (nay top 100) by this time next week.
The only UK #1 to spend just two weeks in the chart.
Doesn't give the song any credibility really.
Ironic that Bieber still has 3 of his snivellings in the top ten week after week after week.
The only UK #1 to spend just two weeks in the chart.
Doesn't give the song any credibility really.
Ironic that Bieber still has 3 of his snivellings in the top ten week after week after week.
Originally Posted by Bandit06:
“Harsh to say how undeserving it was of being No1, it sold more copies than other singles so it earned the right to be No1 & more importantly it raised money for a good cause, this may have made people buy it who didn't like it or encouraged people who don't usually buy singles to buy it....older people who usually only buy albums. At least it kept Bieber off the top!!”
“Harsh to say how undeserving it was of being No1, it sold more copies than other singles so it earned the right to be No1 & more importantly it raised money for a good cause, this may have made people buy it who didn't like it or encouraged people who don't usually buy singles to buy it....older people who usually only buy albums. At least it kept Bieber off the top!!”
It didn't keep him off for very long though did it? He was back at #1 for the 11th time in 18 weeks.
The worst bit imo is that, looking at the chart, there are a hell of a lot of rises this week. Guessing people making use of their Xmas iTunes vouchers? Clearly people weren't interested beyond the 'make it Christmas No.1' hype.
I wonder if the choir know they have made chart history as the biggest drop from number one ever?
In other news Louise Johnson has dropped from 12 to 61. This is a complete disaster for the X Factor. The winners single would usually still be at number one this week or climbed to number one after a charity single had their week at the top or at least still in the top five.
The charts certainly are odd these days. In a way if JB had got the christmas number one it would have been like the old days where a single reached the top in early December and was in its third or fourth week at the top on Christmas week. Plus it would have been the first non X factor or charity song to get the Christmas number one for several years.
In other news Louise Johnson has dropped from 12 to 61. This is a complete disaster for the X Factor. The winners single would usually still be at number one this week or climbed to number one after a charity single had their week at the top or at least still in the top five.
The charts certainly are odd these days. In a way if JB had got the christmas number one it would have been like the old days where a single reached the top in early December and was in its third or fourth week at the top on Christmas week. Plus it would have been the first non X factor or charity song to get the Christmas number one for several years.
Originally Posted by Hitstastic:
“Sadly I disagree. 3 days into the race for Christmas #1, Justin Bieber was narrowly ahead of NHS Choir. There was hardly any hype surrounding A Bridge Over You whatsoever and in fact on the Monday it was closer to being #3 than #1 as Sorry was trailing the charity song by a few hundred sales.
From Tuesday morning onwards, everything changed. Chris Evans made his 10 million listeners on his Radio 2 breakfast show aware of the songs existence. The song got a nice boost on iTunes and was suddenly neck and neck with Love Yourself.
<snip>”
“Sadly I disagree. 3 days into the race for Christmas #1, Justin Bieber was narrowly ahead of NHS Choir. There was hardly any hype surrounding A Bridge Over You whatsoever and in fact on the Monday it was closer to being #3 than #1 as Sorry was trailing the charity song by a few hundred sales.
From Tuesday morning onwards, everything changed. Chris Evans made his 10 million listeners on his Radio 2 breakfast show aware of the songs existence. The song got a nice boost on iTunes and was suddenly neck and neck with Love Yourself.
<snip>”
IIRC, Bieber himself also basically told people not to buy his single, but to buy the charidee one instead, which must have closed the gap considerably.
Originally Posted by Bandit06:
“At least it kept Bieber off the top!!”
“At least it kept Bieber off the top!!”
Why would that have been a bad thing though? This is part of the reason the NHS song fell so far, so quickly. Many people would have bought it just to show their anti-Bieber credentials, not because they necessarily cared about the charity it supported. As much as I might dislike a song (or the singer), I'd much rather it got to number one because it was genuinely well liked, rather than because it was essentially a protest vote that very few actually liked. It's that sort of tactical buying that makes me think the inevitable X-Factor number one every year wasn't so bad. At least they were genuinely popular and no-one bought it as a protest.
I nearly choked over my breakfast when I noticed that the NHS Choir had plummeted a rather drastic 28 places off the top down to No29 last night. What it goes to prove is that it was never a genuine No1 song in the first place, merely there on the most technical of reasons. The real Christmas period No1, whether you like it or not is Justin Bieber, simple as that really.
In terms of the way the singles chart is operating I don't think that a No1 to No29 fall gives it a lot of credibility. I also don't think that a UK singles chart should be open to so easily being "ambushed" by songs like this for a single week. Why do some people need the stick of a charity single in order to give to any given charity? Can they just not give their cash direct, which is surely more effective. In the end the whole concept has proved itself incredibly shallow and superficial. Let's have an end to such stunts.
I believe it has matched the album chart plunge from the top spot record which was also a 1 to 29 fall for a Christina Aguilera album.
Couldn't be happier to see that X Factor drivel being shown the door by the public with a big boot up the rear, plunging out of sight to No61. At least the invincibility of that brand has now been smashed and can never be restored. Almost too good to be true.
In terms of the way the singles chart is operating I don't think that a No1 to No29 fall gives it a lot of credibility. I also don't think that a UK singles chart should be open to so easily being "ambushed" by songs like this for a single week. Why do some people need the stick of a charity single in order to give to any given charity? Can they just not give their cash direct, which is surely more effective. In the end the whole concept has proved itself incredibly shallow and superficial. Let's have an end to such stunts.
I believe it has matched the album chart plunge from the top spot record which was also a 1 to 29 fall for a Christina Aguilera album.
Couldn't be happier to see that X Factor drivel being shown the door by the public with a big boot up the rear, plunging out of sight to No61. At least the invincibility of that brand has now been smashed and can never be restored. Almost too good to be true.
I wonder what would have happened if the chart day had still been on a Sunday. Then the Christmas number one would have been announced on December 20th. Even so it looks like Louisa Johnson would not have fared much better. Perhaps the NHS choir promotion may have started a week earlier so it may still have made number one. Plus it would have had four days in the run up to Christmas to still sell and then may have dropped to a position within the top 5 if their had been a chart on December 27th.
Originally Posted by Bandit06:
“Harsh to say how undeserving it was of being No1, it sold more copies than other singles so it earned the right to be No1 & more importantly it raised money for a good cause, this may have made people buy it who didn't like it or encouraged people who don't usually buy singles to buy it....older people who usually only buy albums. At least it kept Bieber off the top!!”
“Harsh to say how undeserving it was of being No1, it sold more copies than other singles so it earned the right to be No1 & more importantly it raised money for a good cause, this may have made people buy it who didn't like it or encouraged people who don't usually buy singles to buy it....older people who usually only buy albums. At least it kept Bieber off the top!!”
But ultimately he's had the last laugh and pretty sure his gesture of encouraging his fans to buy the charity single shifted even more of his. These silly campaigns to get a song to no. 1 should quite rightly be treated as gimmicks as even if they make it, they need to understand they haven't got there as a result of any artistic merit. Not really a Bieber fan but he has deservedly reclaimed his spot...
It's a bloody awful song. I wouldn't think it would be possible to make a bad song from bridge over troubled water.
Originally Posted by Sweet FA:
“But ultimately he's had the last laugh and pretty sure his gesture of encouraging his fans to buy the charity single shifted even more of his. These silly campaigns to get a song to no. 1 should quite rightly be treated as gimmicks as even if they make it, they need to understand they haven't got there as a result of any artistic merit. Not really a Bieber fan but he has deservedly reclaimed his spot...”
“But ultimately he's had the last laugh and pretty sure his gesture of encouraging his fans to buy the charity single shifted even more of his. These silly campaigns to get a song to no. 1 should quite rightly be treated as gimmicks as even if they make it, they need to understand they haven't got there as a result of any artistic merit. Not really a Bieber fan but he has deservedly reclaimed his spot...”
Fair enough but I still cant get away from the feeling that the chart isn't the chart anymore when someone like Bieber can almost orchestrate his immense following to "allow" another record to have a week at the top.
Originally Posted by JEFF62:
“I wonder if the choir know they have made chart history as the biggest drop from number one ever?
In other news Louise Johnson has dropped from 12 to 61. This is a complete disaster for the X Factor. The winners single would usually still be at number one this week or climbed to number one after a charity single had their week at the top or at least still in the top five.
The charts certainly are odd these days. In a way if JB had got the christmas number one it would have been like the old days where a single reached the top in early December and was in its third or fourth week at the top on Christmas week. Plus it would have been the first non X factor or charity song to get the Christmas number one for several years.”
“I wonder if the choir know they have made chart history as the biggest drop from number one ever?
In other news Louise Johnson has dropped from 12 to 61. This is a complete disaster for the X Factor. The winners single would usually still be at number one this week or climbed to number one after a charity single had their week at the top or at least still in the top five.
The charts certainly are odd these days. In a way if JB had got the christmas number one it would have been like the old days where a single reached the top in early December and was in its third or fourth week at the top on Christmas week. Plus it would have been the first non X factor or charity song to get the Christmas number one for several years.”
Was the Rage Against The Machine song the last time we had non-charity or X Factor Christmas No.1?
Originally Posted by Brummy Girl:
“Was the Rage Against The Machine song the last time we had non-charity or X Factor Christmas No.1?”
“Was the Rage Against The Machine song the last time we had non-charity or X Factor Christmas No.1?”
Yes that would be it. Before that it was Mad World in 2003.
Originally Posted by Rich Tea.:
“ The real Christmas period No1, whether you like it or not is Justin Bieber, simple as that really.
”
“ The real Christmas period No1, whether you like it or not is Justin Bieber, simple as that really.
”
Except it wasn't Number 1 at Christmas....that's what defines a Christmas Number 1
It will be interesting to see just how streaming changes the UK chart over the next 12 months.
Could a charity song end up going to #1 on Spotify as sales on iTunes continue to plummet year on year. Or will iTunes somehow recover and 2016 might see a buck in trend as sales start increasing again?
I'm sure whatever happens, the UK media will be going all out to encourage the general public to download some charity song for Christmas 2016 if it looks like the X Factor 2016 winner's single performs even worse than Forever Young.
Could a charity song end up going to #1 on Spotify as sales on iTunes continue to plummet year on year. Or will iTunes somehow recover and 2016 might see a buck in trend as sales start increasing again?
I'm sure whatever happens, the UK media will be going all out to encourage the general public to download some charity song for Christmas 2016 if it looks like the X Factor 2016 winner's single performs even worse than Forever Young.
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