I’m just about old enough to remember there being some kind of excitement surrounding the Christmas number one position, the track which tops the UK chart the week before Christmas; it was 2002 when reality tv fever took over and the chart became boring and predictable. There’s been a couple of non-Pop Idol/X Factor years since then but the thrill has gone. So why even waste your money on buying a single these days? Why constantly hand your money over to Syco every year? Doesn’t Mr Cowell have enough? If you really have a few £ burning a whole in your pocket then maybe you could put it towards something useful. With that in mind, let’s look at who’s in the running for Christmas Number 1.
Ben Haenow – Something I Need
If you’ve been watching this year’s X Factor, like I haven’t, then you’ll probably know this man won the televised karaoke contest, which probably means he’s either likeable or has some kind of singing talent. Honestly, I couldn’t really care which, it’d sound the same whether he could sing or not and I don’t want to subject myself to three minutes of it. Why line Simon Cowell’s pockets any more? Why not give to a better cause? There’ll be 93,000 children homeless this Christmas and the people at Shelter do good work to resolve housing issues and house those currently homeless. By their claimed cost to help a family find and keep a home, if everyone who’d downloaded the single so far had given the money to Shelter instead they’d have been able to help find homes for 1800 families.
Iron Maiden – The Number Of The Beast
Ever since the masses decided to give money to Sony Records by buying, en mass, Rage Against The Machine‘s single Killing In The Name Of, as a way of sticking it to Sony Records by not giving them money buying that year’s X Factor winner (erm…) there’s always been a heavier protest vote. This year’s is Number Of The Beast. It has basically no chance of winning as the X Factor winner’s sales already make the follower count of the campaign on Facebook look minuscule. Don’t bother, give your money to Samaritans instead. This time of year can be incredibly stressful for some people and others can feel lonely; sometimes people need someone to talk to. Your money will be far better received by Samaritans than the fairly wealthy members of Iron Maiden or their label, currently part of Universal (as I understand).
The Peace Collective – All Together Now
I can’t really berate this one, given that all profits are going to the British Red Cross and the Shorncliffe trust. It was also recorded to commemorate the Christmas Truce, a century ago, during World War One, and features a large cast of well known musicians as well as English and German footballers singing in their respective language. Sadly, early statistics put this single fairly low in the charts but there’s still time to give it a little boost.
Text GET PEACE to 84222. (Texts cost £1. + 1 standard rate msg)
Band Aid 30 – Do They Know It’s Christmas?
Firstly; yes, they do. Secondly there’s so much here to be infuriated by: the fact no one could be bothered to write a new track, the questionable tax arrangements of some of the people contributing. It’s apparently the best selling physical release this week so far, which is probably because you can buy it from tax avoiding Starbucks. I’d like to suggest the shoebox appeal as an alternative (I mean, I still do, to an extent) but I don’t like how it’s used to send religious literature, plus it’s a bit late this year – maybe next year! For now, Oxfam’s christmas gifts are probably the best alternative. You can use your money to fund actual items which will help people who need it most overseas. For £1 more than the cost of a CD from Starbucks you can send a chicken to a family. Much more useful.
Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk
Already number one, completely passed me by. I won’t waste your time writing about the track; Mark Ronson is insufferable so it’s probably god awful. Instead, Social Bite have started a fairly successful campaign to ensure homeless people are able to eat on Christmas Day, by sponsoring a meal.It’s only £5 and that includes a free coffee in January, which you can in turn donate to a homeless person if you desire. They have restaurants in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
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