Door 11: Quiz – Christmas Number 2s

A quiz based on some famous songs that didn't quite make it to the Xmas Number 1 spot. How many can you get correct?


  1. 1 What song beat 'I have a Dream, by Abba' to the Christmas number 1 spot in 1979?

    1. Mary's Boy Child
    2. Another Brick in the Wall
    3. Bohemian Rhapsody
    Correct!
    Wrong!

    Despite ABBA's widespread success, this was the closest they ever got to UK Xmas number 1. 

  2. 2 What year was this song released?

    1. 1976
    2. 1978
    3. 1980
    Correct!
    Wrong!

    YMCA has gone on to be sold over 12,000,000 times!

  3. 3 A Christmas number 2 for Joe McElderry, but what position did the original, by Miley Cyrus, reach in the UK Charts?

    1. 7
    2. 9
    3. 11
    Correct!
    Wrong!

    Joe was beaten to the number 1 spot in 2009 by Rage Against the Machine's 'Killing in the Name of' as part of a campaign to stop the X Factor winner from getting the number 1 spot again!

  4. 4 Pharrell Williams missed out on the Xmas No1 spot in 2013, but went on to reach No1 the following week. How many weeks did 'Happy' spend at No1 in total in the UK Chart?

    1. 2
    2. 4
    3. 6
    Correct!
    Wrong!

    Happy went on to be the highest-selling single of 2014, with 13.9 million sales worldwide! 

  5. 5 Nizpoli were beaten into the No1 spot by the second winner of the UK X Factor. Who was it?

    1. Shayne Ward
    2. Steve Brookstein
    3. Leona Lewis
    Correct!
    Wrong!

    Shayne Ward's Xmas number 1 started a run of 4 consecutive years where the Xmas number 1 was also the X Factor winner.

  6. 6 Name the year this song by Cliff was released

    1. 1998
    2. 1999
    3. 2000
    Correct!
    Wrong!

    Set to the tune of Auld Lang Syne, this single was released as a charity record ahead of the turn of the Millennium. 

  7. 7 The Millennium Prayer was not the only time that Cliff was relegated to the No2 spot for Xmas. Holding the record, how many times did Cliff have an Xmas No2?

    1. 2
    2. 3
    3. 4
    Correct!
    Wrong!

    The Millennium Prayer joined this list following 'The Next Time' (1962), 'Wind me up' (1965) and 'Daddy's Home' (1981).

  8. 8 Mariah was beaten to number 1 in 1994, by who?

    1. Mr Blobby
    2. East 17
    3. Michael Jackson
    Correct!
    Wrong!

    Despite never being a Xmas number 1, 'All I want for Christmas' finally reached the number 1 spot of the UK Singles Chart in December 2020, 26 years after its release and after spending an unprecedented 70 continuous weeks in the UK top 40!

  9. 9 Cliff Richard had the Xmas No1 in 1990 with Saviour's Day, with Vanilla Ice coming in at No2. But did "Ice Ice Baby" ever reach the No1 spot?

    1. Yes
    2. No
    Correct!
    Wrong!

    Saviours Day came two years after Cliff scored another Xmas number 1 with, perhaps his most famous Xmas song, Mistletoe and Wine. Ice Ice Baby spent 4 weeks in the number 1 spot in the run up to Christmas 1990, before being bumped off by Cliff.

  10. 10 Fairytale of New York has never been a UK no1, missing out on the Xmas No1 spot 1987. But how many times has it reached the UK top 20 (up to 2020)?

    1. 12
    2. 15
    3. 17
    Correct!
    Wrong!

    Despite the popularity of the song, often voted the nations favourite Xmas song, it is not without its controversy. There have been numerous attempts to have some of its lyrics censored.

  11. 11 Last Christmas by Wham! is perhaps the most famous UK Xmas No2, after being beaten by the original Band Aid. But in what year?

    1. 1983
    2. 1984
    3. 1985
    Correct!
    Wrong!

    On its release in 1984, it spent 5 consecutive weeks at number 2! It returned to the number 2 spot numerous times over the years before finally being a UK number 1 on January 1st 2021. 

  12. 12 Jo Staffords 'You Belong to Me' was the first official Xmas No2, in what year?

    1. 1948
    2. 1950
    3. 1952
    Correct!
    Wrong!

    This was the first-ever UK number 1 by a female singer!

  13. 13 Its Now or Never Reached number 2 in 1960. But what was Elvis Presley's only UK Xmas No1?

    1. Return to Sender
    2. A Little Less Conversation
    3. Are you Lonesome Tonight?
    Correct!
    Wrong!

    Return to Sender was Elvis's only UK Xmas no1, and also the first-ever Irish Xmas Number 1.

  14. 14 Ronan Keating teamed up with Yusuf Islam to release Father and Son, a Xmas No2 in 2004. However, what is Yusuf Islam better known as?

    1. Shakin' Stevens
    2. Cat Stevens
    3. Ray Stevens
    Correct!
    Wrong!

    Ronan Keeting was no stranger to this song when it come to releasing it with Yusuf Islam. In fact, Father and Son was the song Ronan sang as part of his audition for Boyzone!

  15. 15 A surprise Xmas No2 in 1997 from the Teletubbies. But what was the name of the yellow Teletubby?

    1. Po
    2. Tinky Winky
    3. Dipsy
    4. Laa-Laa
    Correct!
    Wrong!

Door 11: Quiz - Christmas Number 2s

Created on
  1. Quiz result
    You scored
    Correct!
    Share Your Result
  2. Quiz result

    More Dipsy than a Xmas Hit

    You scored
    Correct!
    Share Your Result
  3. Quiz result

    Still a bit of a Climb to go for you!

    You scored
    Correct!
    Share Your Result
  4. Quiz result

    Just like all of these artists, you didn't quite make it this time!

    You scored
    Correct!
    Share Your Result
  5. Quiz result

    Definitely a Fairytale of New York for you! Top of the Pops!

    You scored
    Correct!
    Share Your Result

Like it? Share with your friends!

What's Your Reaction?

like like
2
like
disagree disagree
0
disagree
useful useful
0
useful
fun fun
2
fun
love love
0
love
lol lol
4
lol
omg omg
1
omg
Gareth Jones

2 Comments

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.