Magic Radio to play non-stop Christmas music
- Published
Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You has become a festive staple
Magic Radio is determined to get its listeners into the festive spirit - by playing Christmas music all the time.
Previously Magic Christmas was offered in addition to the main station. But this year the regular playlist will be replaced by a diet of merry music.
Station owner Bauer said listeners could expect a selection of much-loved Christmas pop hits from the last 50 years.
"I can't wait to kick Christmas off," said breakfast host Ronan Keating.
The Boyzone singer turned DJ said the tinsel takeover would begin on Friday at 09:00 GMT with a Christmas song voted for by listeners.
"With Christmas music being the number one reason for putting the UK in that festive spirit, we decided to embrace the season," the station's Tony Moorey told RadioToday., external
Earlier this month Heart's Extra Xmas digital offshoot was also made available and will replace Heart Extra until Boxing Day.
Here are five songs listeners may soon be hearing.
1. All I Want for Christmas is You - Mariah Carey
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Whether it's blasted through speakers at the supermarket or badly sung by your colleagues at the office party, Carey's 1994 hit is a Christmas song staple.
As of 2017, the song was reported to have earned $60m (£46m) in royalties. It's also Spotify's most-streamed Christmas song with more than 217 million global streams.
2. Last Christmas - Wham!
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Unrequited love isn't exactly the most merry mood. But didn't seem to bother anyone last Christmas Eve and Day, when Wham!'s hit was the most streamed single on Spotify in the UK.
As of January 2017, the synthy song has sold more than one million copies and is the biggest-selling single in the UK chart history to not reach number one.
3. 8 Days of Christmas - Destiny's Child
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Other than giving some of the greatest R&B bops ever, perhaps the greatest gift Destiny's Child ever gave us was this modern and materialistic update of The 12 Days of Christmas.
Filled with heavenly harmonies and a solid beat, this song really could take you from carolling to the club.
4. It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas - Michael Bublé
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The first few seconds of the opening make you feel like you're in the middle of a Disney film. What more could you ask of a Christmas song?
David Foster, one of the producers of Bublé's festive album, described the singer's voice as "velvet that wraps its arms around you." He couldn't be more right.
5. Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Jackson 5
Despite being covered by more than 200 artists, Jackson 5's cover of the old festive favourite is just a bit groovier than the rest.
The song was released in 1970, when the album it featured on became the best-selling Christmas album of the year. The track has since sold more than three million copies worldwide.
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