Pub singer tipped to beat Robbie to number 1
Chart experts are predicting an upset in the race for this year’s Christmas number one, tipping pub crooner Gordon Haskell to beat pop legend Robbie Williams to the top spot.
Williams and Nicole Kidman’s cover of the Sinatra classic, Somethin’ Stupid, which was released on Monday, looks set to reach number one when the new chart is announced this Sunday.
But the excitement surrounding Haskell’s ballad, How Wonderful You Are, looks likely to leapfrog the 55-year-old into the all-important Christmas number one spot the week after.
Haskell, who lives in Dorset and played with the 1960s band King Crimson, wrote his song as he walked around the supermarket with his 82-year-old mother.
It has been made Radio 2’s Record Of The Week and retailers have pre-ordered a quarter of a million copies in anticipation of huge demand for the track.
Excitement about the single has led high street store HMV to change its predictions for the Christmas number one.
Chart expert Gennaro Castaldo of the store said it was difficult to tell whether all the media interest would translate into sales but the indicators were pointing to great sales for the single.
‘‘We know from previous experience that anything is possible when it comes to the Christmas No 1. This year Robbie and Nicole, Daniel Bedingfield and Gordon Haskell are all in the running, and it could be one of the closest finishes for a long time - coming down to just a few hundred sales.
‘‘However, HMV are sticking their necks out and are plumping for Gordon Haskell - just. If this virtual unknown does pull it off to deny Robbie, it will be one of the biggest upsets in chart history.’’
