Bing Crosby Achieves a Fresh Number One Hit Track After a Nearly Two-Decade Absence
Bing Crosby, who passed away in 1977, continues to make waves on the charts, especially during the Christmas season in the UK. This holiday season, he's back with a vengeance, occupying several spots on various rankings and even securing a new hit with a decades-old recording.
"Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas)" makes its grand debut on the UK singles chart, the most sought-after ranking of the most popular tunes in the country. The track enters the chart at position 71, joining a myriad of holiday smashes that have taken over this week's rankings, as British music lovers can't seem to get enough of the yuletide tunes.
This marks Crosby's first new hit on the UK singles chart in nearly 18 years. His last appearance on the chart was back in 2007 when he teamed up with David Bowie for "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy," which debuted at position 97. The following week, it climbed to position 73, reaching its all-time high.
"Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas)" is the only other track that Crosby has on various charts this week. It manages to climb from position 90 to position 64 on the Official Streaming chart, which measures the most popular tracks streamed in the country. This could potentially be a new high for the song, but the Official Charts Company doesn't release such information for this particular list.
Crosby secures a double appearance on the Official Singles chart this week, with "Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas)" making its debut. To the north, "White Christmas" comes close to returning to the top 40, reappearing on the consumption chart at position 42. While this is far from its all-time best of position 5, there are multiple versions of the track on the UK charts at the moment.
Earlier in the year, a new edition of "White Christmas" was released, featuring BTS singer V. This version can be found on several UK charts this week, but not the main singles chart. The collaboration fails to make an impact on the Official Vinyl Singles chart (position 13), Official Singles Sales chart (position 91), and remains unchanged at position 15, its peak, on the Official Physical Singles list.
Crosby and the Andrews Sisters also collaborated on "Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas)." Although they are credited on other versions of the track, they don't secure a new hit on the Official Singles chart this week. If they had, the vocal group would have claimed their first placement on the main ranking.
The classic holiday track "Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas)" performed by Bing Crosby, initially released in 1950, reappears on the UK charts this year, increasing its position on the Official Streaming chart from 90 to 64. This resurgence of popularity has earned Crosby a double appearance on the Official Singles chart, with "Mele Kalikimaka" entering at position 71 and "White Christmas" returning at position 42. Interestingly, a new edition of "White Christmas" featuring BTS singer V is also present on various UK charts this week, but it fails to make an impact on the main Official Singles chart. This resurgence of "Mele Kalikimaka" by Bing Crosby has also seen it secure a spot on the 'Mele Kalikimaka' charts worldwide and the 'Bing Crosby Christmas' charts, solidifying its status as a timeless holiday classic.
