The nineteenth day of Hot Roxmas

Dan Fogelberg's "Same Old Lang Syne" is apparently played "a zillion times" every year during the holiday season, but I don't remember hearing it before this week. I was living overseas during the early 1980s, so I missed out on lots of U.S. radio hits during that time. But I was exposed to lots of international holiday hits that were completely unknown over here. Songs like this one.

That's "Merry Christmas Everyone" by Shakin' Stevens, Britain's Christmas #1 from 1985. I always confuse this song with Slade's "Merry Christmas Everybody", Britain's Christmas #1 from 1973 (covered by R.E.M. in 2007). Their titles are quite similar, and that Slade song also isn't that well known over here. At least Slade themselves are well known in the US (from "Run Runaway" or their Quiet Riot songs). Most Americans think Shakin' Stevens is either the guy who replaced Casey Kasem on American Top 40 or that guy who's doing an album for each of the 50 states. In the UK and Europe, "Shaky" is an institution the top selling male UK singles artist of the 1980s, according to wikipedia, with 33 top 40 singles and one Christmas #1. He's way more famous than Sufjan. Or "Surfin' Stevens" as I used to call him.

Anyone who's seen the movie Love Actually should understand the importance of having a "Christmas Number One" in the UK. It's taken really seriously! The Pogues' "Fairytale of New York" (featuring Kirsty MacColl) was just reissued as a single, with hopes that it would be the Christmas #1. "Fairytale" lost out to the Pet Shop Boys 20 years ago, and faces tough competition this year from (faux Kirsty) Katie Melua and X-Factor winner Leon Jackson, among others.

The latest UK singles chart has Katie at #1, "Fairytale of New York" at #8, and lots of holiday chestnuts in the lower reaches of the top 40. Slade's "Merry Christmas Everybody" and Shaky's "Merry Christmas Everyone" are side by side at 22 and 23, and Wizzard's "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" (which lost the Xmas #1 to Slade in 1973) even higher at #16.

Why the UK singles charts are infinitely cooler than Billboard's Hot 100 -- Roy Wood has a UK top twenty hit in 2007!

Shakin' Stevens - Merry Christmas Everyone (link removed)