Wham! dominates Finnish airwaves with ‘Last Christmas’ as top holiday hit

By admin On Dec 20, 2023

Finland’s love affair with Wham!’s festive classic “Last Christmas” continues, as the song once again topped the commercial radio charts during the 2022 holiday season. The annual Christmas music statistics, compiled by Gramex, a Finnish copyright organization, highlight the most popular holiday songs played on commercial radio stations during November and December.

“Last Christmas” Leads the Pack

With 735 plays, Wham!’s “Last Christmas” led the holiday music chart, echoing its long-standing popularity in Finland. The song was heard 52 times across various commercial radio channels on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day alone.

Mariah Carey and Chris Rea in Close Pursuit

Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” held a strong second place with 646 plays, followed by Chris Rea’s “Driving Home For Christmas,” which made a notable climb to the third spot with 628 plays. Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas Time?” secured the fourth position with 596 plays.

Finnish Artists Make a Strong Showing

The top ten list saw a significant presence of Finnish artists. Vesa-Matti Loiri’s “Sydämeeni joulun teen” led the domestic songs at fifth place with 478 plays. Other Finnish favorites included Suvi Teräsniska’s “Hei Mummo” and Leevi & The Leavings’ “Jossain on kai vielä joulu.” New entries in the top ten were Kari Tapio’s “Tahdon oikean joulun” and Haloo Helsinki!’s “Joulun kanssas jaan.”

Overall, five Finnish songs featured in the top ten, an increase from the previous year. In the top twenty, nine spots were occupied by Finnish artists.

A Month of Festive Music on Finnish Radios

According to Gramex, commercial radio stations in Finland dedicate about a month to Christmas music, starting from late November and continuing until Boxing Day.

The chart, derived from play data provided by radio stations to Gramex, reflects the holiday music preferences of Finnish listeners. Gramex represents performers and producers of recorded music, playing a crucial role in monitoring and managing copyrights in the music industry.

Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi