Clean Bandit bring home the Official Christmas Number 1 2016 with Rockabye

"It’s something we never imagined would happen..."
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Clean Bandit bring home the most coveted chart accolade of the year – the Official Christmas Number 1 2016, with their huge chart smash Rockabye, the OfficialCharts.com can confirm.

The classical crossover trio have held off competition from Rag‘n’Bone Man, Little Mix and a raft of campaigns and charity singles with Rockabye, a song that first entered the chart nine weeks ago, before later climbing to the top spot to score an impressive seven-week reign at Number 1. 

In that time Rockabye has become one of the year’s biggest hits across both downloads and streams, racking up 589,000 combined chart sales to date. 

Watch members Grace Chatto and Jack Patterson celebrate with Official Charts below: 

"To have been Number 1 for seven weeks is something amazing in its own right that we are all incredibly proud of, but to now be Christmas Number 1 is mind-blowing," they said. "It’s something we never imagined would happen with Rockabye when we were writing and recording it. Thanks to everyone who has made this happen! We hope you all have a Merry Christmas and New Year!"

The group also reveal in the video that they considered recording a Christmas version of the track, and, while Jack quipped that his mum has a theory Rockabye is in fact about Jesus.

Celebrating Clean Bandit's achievement, Ben Cook, President of the band's label Atlantic Records, said: "This is the most highly contested Number 1 chart position of the year and I’d like to congratulate Jack, Grace and Luke on achieving this incredible milestone and an impressive seven weeks at Number 1.

"Credit also goes to Anne-Marie and Sean Paul for amazing vocal performances and I’d like to thank the wider Atlantic and Warner Music teams who have worked hard to deliver the track so well here and abroad."

MORE: See the Official Christmas Top 100 in full

Clean Bandit join several other acts across history whose tracks were already in residence on the Official Chart throne before eventually clinching the Christmas Number 1. The likes of the Human League’s Don't You Want Me (1981), Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You (1992), East 17's Stay Another Day (1994), and even Mr Blobby, who hit Number 1 in early December 1993, before being toppled by Take That’s Babe, only to then reclaim the top spot in time for Christmas.

Meanwhile, Clean Bandit have held off competition from breakthrough star and BRITS Critics Choice winner Rag ‘n’ Bone Man who finishes the race in second place with his track Human.

One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson and Steve Aoki slip down one place to Number 3 with Just Hold On, Little Mix new single Touch leaps 19 places this week to land at Number 4, while Zara Larsson’s I Would Like secures its first appearance inside the Top 10 at Number 6.

New entries and high climbers

This year’s race welcomed a host of new contenders battling for the Christmas Number 1 crown, many raising money for worthy causes.

Rangers football fans delivered the highest-charting ‘campaign’ this week, pushing Glad All Over by The Dave Clark Five back into the Official Chart in support of striker Joe Garner, following their 2-1 win over Hamilton last weekend. Glad All Over originally topped the Official Singles Chart back in 1963, toppling The Beatles’ I Wanna Hold Your Hand.

Inspiral Carpets fans helped the Manchester band’s 1994 hit Saturn 5 to its first chart appearance (48) in nearly 23 years, in tribute to drummer Craig Gill who sadly passed away last month. Read our interview with the campaigners here.

London Hospices Choir – a team of volunteers and staff from 18 hospices across London debut at Number 81 with their cover of Mike & The Mechanics’ The Living Years.

Yorkshire’s Everley Pregnant Brothers’ and their rework of Kings of Leon’s Sex On Fire, Chip Pan, debuts at (131), while You Can’t Always Get What You Want by Friends Of Jo Cox released in memory of the late politician who was tragically murdered earlier this year in Birstall, West Yorkshire ends the week at 136. Salford’s James ‘Shinny’ Davenport finishes at 252 with Christmas Number 1, and Hartlepool’s Liv ‘N’ G land at 280 with Our Superhero (A Christmas Wish).

Festive songs account for nearly one third of this week’s Official Singles Chart Top 100, with a whole host of seasonal classics jingling all the way into the Top 40, led by Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You (5), the song’s highest peak since 2007, The Pogues ft. Kirsty Maccoll’s Fairytale Of New York (15), Wham’s Last Christmas (16), Shakin’ Stevens’ Merry Christmas Everyone (22), Chris Rea’s Driving Home for Christmas (26), Wizzard’s I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday (27) and Band Aid’s Do They  Know It’s Christmas (35). Festive songs account for Michael Buble’s It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas hits a new peak of 38, and Slade’s Merry Christmas Everybody (39). 

Check out the Official Christmas Top 100 in full here

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etin

0

I wonder if there was "clean bandit featuring cliff Richard" song, would it be No 1 :))

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etin

0

Single prices are so low, so they easily reach 1 million copies

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Mr. Threepwood

1

Thanks to Simon Cowell, no one cares about Christmas #1 anymore. Once his crappy releases stopped claiming the top spot each year no one's bothered to fill the void with anything of note.

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Johnny McVey

0

Streaming rate is being reduced from next week onwards. From 100 to 150.

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I Am A Stegosaurus

-1

WHAT??? What a FIX!

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Alfred Lock

0

NO FURTHER UPDATE ON WHO WILL BE THE FINAL NO.1 OF 2016 OR HOW THE LATE GEORGE MICHAELS' BACK CATALOGUE IS DOING?

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I Am A Stegosaurus

0

Don't think so, the bank holiday on Monday hindered it

NB

Niall B

1

Great tune. I hope the song pulls off a breakthrough in America like "Rather Be" did!

PR

Paul Roberts

0

Congrat's to the winner. You'll all be surprised to know that arguably the best original Christmas song of 2016 'Christmas Number 1' by James 'Shinny' Davenport, didn't even get into the top 100. If you haven't heard it I suggest you listen to it. I'm sure you'll like it. If you do, download it.

EH

Edward Howard

0

The actual Christmas number one would have been Human by Rag'N'Bone Man, but streaming prevented that. I hope one day that streaming stops counting in the official charts.

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Alfred Lock

0

Maybe one day but we'll have to wait and see what possible direction the charts can go now and only then could proper music lovers rule again so enjoy your dominance teenagers while you can.

EH

Edward Howard

0

I'm a teenager, but this dominance on behalf of streaming is utterly infuriating. It gives awful music a longer shelf life than necessary not to mention it gives an unfair monopoly to popular songs based on streaming. And no-one is buying the thing through streaming either. It's a crock and hopefully it's a practice that'll be abandoned at some point.

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Alfred Lock

1

Well described and you are an exception in my book as far as real music goes.i prefer Radio 2 over Radio 1 now or maybe even 6 Music

EH

Edward Howard

0

I don't listen to most radio stations these days, beyond LBC & Radio X.

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Alfred Lock

0

My dad has only listened to LBC for years in the morning

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BrendaKilgour

1

Greg Lake is #1 at my house.

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Wayne Nevin

0

Mine too, I had dinner recently at Prezzo and I Believe in Father Christmas came on and I told my Sister it was my favourite Christmas song of all time. Two days later Greg sadly passed away. Glad to see someone else remember him at this time of year.
That said, congratulations to Clean Bandit, I like the song but just not for Christmas No1. (Though I hear the baby in the song could be Jesus...)

P

Paddymac

0

Xfactor beat again...Byeeeeeeeeeeee cowell

L

Liam

1

7 weeks at #1 and it hasn't even "sold" 600k.
You are changing the formula nxt year for streams, cutting their impact by 50%. Will all "sales" figures now be revised. Or can u just do the thing u should have done to start with and just confine the "chart sales" thing to the bin where it belongs?
Official U.K. chart. Official. Joke.

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Alfred Lock

1

Unlike Lukas Grahams 7 years which has more than double that amount and well that hurts the charts website doesn't it??Maybe we need a few more like that for public opinion so come on teen generation where's your defence?? Thought not cowards ...a joke just like the charts!

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Piran

4

Congratulations to Clean Bandit on getting the 2016 Christmas #1! :)
Also, with a seventh week in a row at #1, it's now the second longest consecutive run atop the Official Charts of the entire decade.

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Sunshine Gal

1

so, this article isn't for the updated singles chart?

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Piran

1

It's just for the highlights of the Official Charts this week. I believe the full Top 100 will be posted soon. :)
What do you think of the Christmas Charts so far then?

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Sunshine Gal

1

i got the chart up on another tab...is this the chart where louis is #2?

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Piran

2

That was last week's chart! :P LOL
I might as well tell you what this week's Top 10 was...
#1: Clean Bandit ft Sean Paul & Anne-Marie - Rockabye
#2: Rag'n'Bone Man - Human
#3: Louis Tomlinson & Steve Aoki - Just Hold On
#4: Little Mix - Touch
#5: Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You
#6: Zara Larsson - I Would Like
#7: The Weeknd ft Daft Punk - Starboy
#8: Matt Terry - When Christmas Comes Around
#9: James Arthur - Say You Won't Let Go
#10: Rae Sremmurd ft Gucci Mane - Black Beatles

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Sunshine Gal

2

oh woops! :D but the link does say 'official xmas top 100'...and that's very interesting mariah is #5. so, in the uk, there's no separate holiday charts, everything's meshed on the main chart? the xmas hot 100 has been going on for as long as i can recall...didn't pay too much attn. to it when i first followed the chart. when mariah's xmas album came out, i do recall checking out the bb holiday charts. and sure enough, she's always #1 on the holiday hot 100 every year for many weeks :)

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Piran

0

Yeah, everything is combined into the main Top 100 & we don't have a separate chart for just Christmas songs. Regarding Mariah, one of my observations for my review later is that this is the highest it has charted in the UK since 2007. Overall, it had a peak of #2 back when it was released in 1994. :)
Oh to answer your earlier question, neither 1D or Little Mix have had a Christmas #1 in the UK. The latter group came close with 'Cannonball', as that was #2 on the Christmas week of 2011.

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Alfred Lock

0

Now watch Clean Bandit be humiliated by Honey G to end the year.OR WILL THEY?/

JT

John T

0

I am not expecting Honey G to be in the top 20 next week. A few sales maybe but no streaming.

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Alfred Lock

0

Well that may be a relief to millions as she enjoys her hopefully brief moment of fame. Missy Elliott she isn't!!