We've already complained about how the addition of streaming numbers to the Billboard 200 is a bad idea...but now streaming data will have a major effect on another one of the music industry's big traditions: What single takes no. 1 during the week of Christmas in the UK. The Official Charts company now incorporates streaming numbers into its charts and that advantage may help The Pogues' "Fairytale of New York" top the list, according to Billboard.
This isn't a publicity stunt: The band's 1987 tracks has always been a huge Christmas song in the UK despite being a downer. The Phonographic Performance Limited group (PPL) noted in a 2011 report that "Fairytale" was the most played Christmas song of the 21st Century, trumping even other huge UK singles such as Wham!'s "This Christmas."
Odds are still against The Pogues classic, although it remains a distinct possibility that the track could end up on top. The spot has traditionally gone to the winner of that year's X Factor winner, in this case Ben Haenow and his single "Something I Need." Another pox on the possibilities of The Pogues is newer tradition of X Factor-haters promoting an actively un-Christmas track in the hopes of disrupting the TV show's grip on society. This phenomenon led Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name" to be the no. 1 song of 2009 at the holiday peak (this year's nomination is Iron Maiden's "Number of The Beast."
When it comes down to download sales-the typical factor that would decide the charts question by itself-there's little doubt that "Something I Need" will triumph. If enough Spotify et al users tune in to "Fairytale," the song could come out on top. Its previous peak on the charts was at no. 2 during its debut year.
"If it does, it's like, 'Oh, f--- you.'" says Pogues accordion player James Fearnley. "Why couldn't you have done this while we were actually working?"
