The year is now 1955, and rock & roll is just beginning to make inroads into the British charts. This year also marks the first time we see what would become an important tradition in the UK - the Christmas Day single. In the US, only one Christmas song has ever made it to #1 on the charts (that, of course, being the unforgettable “Chipmunk Song” by David Seville). In the UK, however, it is considered a pretty prestigious achievement to have the #1 song for the week in which Christmas falls, and it’s almost always a holiday song (with a few exceptions, including a pretty notable one we’ll get to in the 21st century).
For this year, there are 14 songs that topped the charts in Britain. What’s your favorite?
Previous polls; 1952-1953 1954
Best US #1 singles: 1955-56 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s All-time
Best of the Rest of the Top 40: 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s All-Time (Tiebreaker)