Lonely This Christmas
| "Lonely This Christmas" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Mud | ||||
| B-side | "I Can't Stand It" | |||
| Released | 22 November 1974[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1974 | |||
| Genre | Christmas music | |||
| Length | 3:35 | |||
| Label | RAK | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Mike Chapman, Nicky Chinn | |||
| Producer(s) | Mike Chapman, Nicky Chinn | |||
| Mud singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Lonely This Christmas" is a Christmas song by the English glam rock band Mud, that topped the UK Singles Chart in 1974,[2] selling over 750,000 copies and reaching Christmas number one.[3]
Song
Written and produced by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, "Lonely This Christmas" was Mud's second number one single in the UK, spending four weeks at the top in December 1974 and January 1975.[2][4] It was the third number one single that year for the ChinniChap writing and production team, and was performed in the style of Elvis Presley's slower songs from his later career.[5][6]
Performances
The song is noted[by whom?] for a performance on Top of the Pops in which guitarist Rob Davis was covered in tinsel and wore Christmas baubles as earrings, while vocalist Les Gray sang to a ventriloquist's dummy.[citation needed]
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[12] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Covers
In December 2024, a parody version was released entitled Freezing This Christmas. A response to the means-testing of the Winter Fuel Payment by the Labour government in July 2024, it had lyrics by Chris Middleton, and was performed by Dean Ager under the name Sir Starmer and the Granny Harmers, with all proceeds going to elderly charities.[13][14]
References
- ^ MUD (November 1974). Lonely this Christmas (Label). RAK Records. Retrieved 13 December 2024 – via Discogs.
- ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 308–9. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "A Christmas hit by Mud". Evening Standard. 9 December 1974. p. 7. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Radio 2's Great British Songbook: Lonely This Christmas". BBC. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ "Magic From MUD". Daily Record. 13 December 1974. p. 34. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Top Twenty". The Sunday People. 15 December 1974. p. 27. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Mud – Lonely This Christmas" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 51, 1974" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
- ^ "Mud – Lonely This Christmas" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
- ^ "Mud: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1975". Ultratop. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
- ^ "British single certifications – Mud – Lonely This Christmas". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
- ^ Elliards, Xander (16 December 2024). "Song lampooning Keir Starmer over winter fuel cuts hits number one". The National.
- ^ Haynes, Tom (17 December 2024). "Humiliation for Labour as 'Sir Starmer and the Granny Harmers' song surges in charts". The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
