On the 4th day before Christmas... the Christmas number one is announced
Well, what do you know? The 2003 Christmasnumber one is Mad World by Gary Jules. Excellent! I was championing this audio jewel on diamond geezer as far back as October last year, noting "Somebody release it please - it could be huge." I'm well chuffed finally to have been proved correct. This spine-tingling Tears For Fears cover version first came to public attention over the closing credits of the film Donnie Darko and has been track 1 on my mp3 player ever since, but the song remained resolutely unreleased until this week. Gary has just beaten The Darkness into second place and (ha!) those bland Pop Idols into fifth. It's also the second time a cover version of a 1982 New Romantic classic has topped the charts at Christmas (see also Only You by the Flying Pickets in 1983). Mad.
To celebrate this rare triumph of taste over tat, here's the diamond geezerChristmas Number Ones Lyrics Quiz. Can you identify these Christmas number one records from their lyrics? Every Christmas number one from the last thirty years (1973-2003) appears once on the list. (Why not annoy the family and print out the quiz for use over Christmas?)
All answers now in the comments box, or by clicking on the question numbers.
1) any way the wind blows 2) a ray of hope flickers in the sky 3) look for a rainbow in every storm 4) no dark sarcasm in the classroom 5) the reddest rose I'll always bring you 6) what about sunrise? what about rain? 7) do the fairies keep him sober for a day 8) it'll be cold so cold without you to hold 9) digging and mixing, having so much fun 10) it's the season, love and understanding 11) with logs on the fire and gifts on the tree 12) nights when we sang like a heavenly choir 13) I want a man not a boy who thinks he can 14) the beat of the drum goes round and round 15) long time ago in bethlehem so the holy bible say 16) bittersweet memories, that is all I'm taking with me 17) throw your arms around the world at Christmas time 18) five years later on you've got the world at your feet 19) she always is a friend to you and she's a friend to me 20) I believe in angels, something good in everything I see 21) have you ever seen a girl for whom your soul you'd give 22) the dreams in which I’m dying are the best I’ve ever had 23) wonder if you'll understand it's just the touch of your hand 24) candlelight and soul forever, dream of you and me together 25) little things I should have said and done I never took the time 26) now we have been through the harvest winter has truly begun 27) I'd like to go back one time on a roller coaster ride when life was just a game 28) don't you know we've come too far now just to go and try to throw it all away 29) although he's unconventional in hue his philosophy of life will steer him through 30) we drop into a quiet little place and have a drink or two and then I go and spoil it all
On the 4th day before Christmas...
