In 1987 we had what is in my opinion the best Christmas number one ever, "Always On My Mind" by the Pet Shop Boys. Obviously it's not a Christmas song, but this was the moment that the Pet Shop Boys were perhaps the biggest act in the country from a singles chart perspective. This was their eighth single and third number one.
Such was the popularity of the Pet Shop Boys, they managed to keep one of the best known Christmas songs ever of the top spot. The Christmas number two was "Fairytale of New York" by the Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl. My parents used to play "Now - The Christmas Album" at Christmas time which had all the usual suspects on there, but it didn't have this on it and I used to wonder why given its status. It seems obvious now, the album came out in 1985 therefore this record didn't exist at the time.
We had a Christmas song at number three from Mel & Kim. Not the Appleby sisters though, it was Mel Smith and Kim Wilde with "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree". Although I do remember 1987 in music, this record completely passed me by, or given it did appear on Top of the Pops I most probably forgot it. The first time it came to my attention was around ten years ago when I saw it on a music channel.
Ever wondered why we hear "When I Fall in Love" by Rick Astley at Christmas time? Well it was because it was Christmas number four in 1987. May sound silly to play a non Christmas record that was only number four, but at the time this was considered by many to be the strongest contender for Christmas number one. Rick Astley had burst onto the scene that August and was very much at his peak. However, the Nat 'King' Cole version was on the same label as the Pet Shop Boys and they rereleased it to deter people from buying the Rick Astley version to give the Pet Shop Boys a better chance of the Christmas number one. It did peak at number two the week before Christmas and on Christmas week the Nat 'King' Cole version was at seven, so the labels tactics worked.
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