Christmas Song Quiz
Wham!, Slade, Mariah, The Pogues and a choir of Cambridge choristers: Christmas has the best soundtrack of the year. These 25 questions cover Christmas number ones, festive pop classics and the stories behind the carols, from 'Silent Night' to the sausage-roll songs.
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Christmas Music Quiz questions and answers
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1Which band recorded 'Fairytale of New York' with Kirsty MacColl?Reveal
Did you know? It reached number 2 in the UK in 1987, kept off the top by the Pet Shop Boys' 'Always on My Mind'.
2Wham!'s 'Last Christmas' was released in 1984. In which year did it finally reach UK number one?Reveal
Did you know? It first reached the top on 1 January 2021, held off in 1984 by Band Aid's 'Do They Know It's Christmas?', which George Michael also sang on.
3Bob Geldof co-wrote 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' with which musician?Reveal
Did you know? The 1984 single raised money for famine relief in Ethiopia and became the UK's best-selling single until 1997.
4In which year was Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' first released?Reveal
Did you know? It first topped the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2019, a full 25 years after its release.
5Who wrote the song 'White Christmas'?Reveal
Did you know? Bing Crosby's recording is listed by Guinness World Records as the best-selling single of all time.
6In which year was Slade's 'Merry Xmas Everybody' the UK Christmas number one?Reveal
Did you know? Noddy Holder's shout of 'It's Christmas!' is one of the most-played moments in British pop.
7Which frontman led Wizzard on 'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday'?Reveal
Did you know? Wood had earlier co-founded The Move and Electric Light Orchestra.
8'Silent Night' was originally written in which language?Reveal
Did you know? 'Stille Nacht' was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818 in Oberndorf, Austria, accompanied on guitar.
9Which Cambridge college's Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is broadcast every Christmas Eve?Reveal
Did you know? It has been broadcast on the radio since 1928. The boy who sings the solo opening of 'Once in Royal David's City' is only told moments before it starts.
10Who had the UK Christmas number one in 1985 with 'Merry Christmas Everyone'?Reveal
Did you know? It was originally planned for 1984 but was held back to avoid clashing with Band Aid.
11Who had the 1988 UK Christmas number one with 'Mistletoe and Wine'?Reveal
Did you know? It was the UK's best-selling single of 1988.
12Which band's 'Killing in the Name' beat the X Factor winner to Christmas number one in 2009?Reveal
Did you know? A Facebook campaign to stop another X Factor Christmas number one went viral. The X Factor winners had taken the top spot every year from 2005 to 2008.
13LadBaby's charity sausage-roll songs set a record with how many Christmas number ones in a row?Reveal
Did you know? Their run from 2018 to 2022 beat the record of three in a row shared by The Beatles and Spice Girls.
14Who recorded 'Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree' in 1958, aged just 13?Reveal
Did you know? It finally reached US number one in 2023, making Lee, then 79, the oldest artist ever to top the Billboard Hot 100.
15Who wrote and sang 'Driving Home for Christmas'?Reveal
Did you know? Rea wrote it while stuck in traffic on the way home to Middlesbrough in the late 1970s.
16Which boy band had the 1994 UK Christmas number one with 'Stay Another Day'?Reveal
Did you know? Despite its Christmas video and sleigh bells, the song isn't about Christmas at all.
17Which former Beatle released 'Wonderful Christmastime' in 1979?Reveal
Did you know? McCartney recorded it alone, playing every instrument himself.
18Who released 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)' in 1971?Reveal
Did you know? The song grew out of the couple's 'War Is Over! (If You Want It)' billboard campaign of 1969.
19Which singer released 'Step into Christmas' in 1973?Reveal
Did you know? Elton returned to Christmas in 2021, duetting with Ed Sheeran on 'Merry Christmas', which became that year's Christmas number one.
20Who first recorded 'Santa Baby' in 1953?Reveal
Did you know? Madonna, Kylie Minogue and Michael Bublé are among the many artists who have covered it since.
21Which singer joined Bing Crosby for 'Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy' in 1977?Reveal
Did you know? It was recorded for Crosby's Christmas TV special just weeks before his death. The single reached number 3 in the UK in 1982.
22Which carol contains the line 'Born is the King of Israel'?Reveal
Did you know? The carol is thought to come from Cornwall, and 'Nowell' is an old spelling of 'Noël'.
23The tune of 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing' was adapted from music by which composer?Reveal
Did you know? Mendelssohn wrote the music in 1840 to celebrate the printing press, and said it would never suit sacred words.
24Which composer wrote 'Messiah', which includes the 'Hallelujah' chorus?Reveal
Did you know? Messiah premiered in Dublin in 1742. It was first written for Easter, but became a Christmas tradition.
25Who sang the original 1950 hit 'Frosty the Snowman'?Reveal
Did you know? Gene Autry had also recorded the big 1949 hit 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'.
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