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John Peel (BBC Radio 1) · All-time countdown series

Festive Fifty (all-time countdown)

RockLists has 7 editions of the Festive Fifty (all-time countdown), from 1976 to 2000. Across all of them, the most successful song is “Anarchy in the U.K.” by The Sex Pistols, which appears in 6 editions. The Sex Pistols’s “Anarchy in the U.K.” finished first four times.

7editions
1976–2000years
3different #1s

Every edition and its number one

YearCountdownNumber oneSize
1976 All-Time Festive Fifty (1976) Stairway to HeavenLed Zeppelin 50
1978 All-Time Festive Fifty (1978) Anarchy in the U.K.The Sex Pistols 50
1979 All-Time Festive Fifty (1979) Anarchy in the U.K.The Sex Pistols 50
1980 All-Time Festive Fifty (1980) Anarchy in the U.K.The Sex Pistols 50
1981 All-Time Festive Fifty (1981) AtmosphereJoy Division 50
1982 All-Time Festive Fifty (1982) Anarchy in the U.K.The Sex Pistols 50
2000 All-Time Festive Fifty (2000) AtmosphereJoy Division 50

How the top songs moved between editions

Each song’s position in every edition. A dash means it did not appear.

#Song'76'78'79'80'81'82'00
1 Anarchy in the U.K.The Sex Pistols – 1 1 1 2 1 4
2 Teenage KicksThe Undertones – 10 2 7 6 8 2
3 White Man In Hammersmith PalaisThe Clash – 7 3 5 10 10 5
4 Complete ControlThe Clash – 2 5 15 18 19 33
5 New RoseThe Damned – 13 10 8 12 13 39
6 Down in the Tube Station at MidnightThe Jam – 24 4 4 13 11 –
7 AtmosphereJoy Division – – – 2 1 2 1
8 Alternative UlsterStiff Little Fingers – 11 6 9 16 16 –
9 Love Will Tear Us ApartJoy Division – – – 3 3 3 3
10 Public ImagePublic Image Ltd. – 9 9 11 26 20 –
11 Holiday In CambodiaDead Kennedys – – – 6 9 14 14
12 New Dawn FadesJoy Division – – – 20 5 4 15
13 Another Girl, Another PlanetThe Only Ones – 17 20 28 41 24 18
14 Holidays In The SunThe Sex Pistols – 18 14 12 17 37 –
15 Suspect DeviceStiff Little Fingers – 4 8 24 32 31 –
16 God Save the QueenThe Sex Pistols – 3 13 25 38 25 –
17 Pretty VacantThe Sex Pistols – 6 16 23 – 44 29
18 TransmissionJoy Division – – – 10 14 26 28
19 CeremonyNew Order – – – – 4 6 17
20 DecadesJoy Division – – – 14 7 7 –
21 A ForestThe Cure – – – 18 8 5 –
22 Johnny Was'Stiff Little Fingers – – 15 16 24 29 –
23 Get Over YouThe Undertones – – 12 17 20 36 –
24 Going UndergroundThe Jam – – – 13 23 17 35
25 Stairway to HeavenLed Zeppelin 1 14 24 – – – –
26 In A RutThe Ruts – – 11 19 31 35 –
27 Shine On You Crazy DiamondPink Floyd 8 29 30 – – – –
28 Shot By Both SidesMagazine – 5 17 – – 47 –
29 Dead SoulsJoy Division – – – – 11 12 –
30 She's Lost ControlJoy Division – – – 22 – 41 20
31 How I Wrote 'Elastic Man'The Fall – – – 26 33 – 24
32 LaylaDerek and the Dominos 2 31 – – – – –
33 Dead Pop StarsAltered Images – – – – 15 21 –
34 BoredomThe Buzzcocks – 12 25 – – – –
35 TemptationNew Order – – – – – 18 19
36 White RiotThe Clash – 15 26 48 – – –
37 FreebirdLynyrd Skynyrd 20 19 – – – – –
38 All Along the WatchtowerJimi Hendrix 5 – – – – – 37
39 Madame GeorgeVan Morrison 21 21 – – – – –
40 Jigsaw FeelingSiouxsie and the Banshees – 43 42 37 35 39 –
41 RequiemKilling Joke – – – 35 27 32 –
42 Wasted LifeStiff Little Fingers – – 18 27 – – –
43 Like a Rolling StoneBob Dylan 10 36 – – – – –
44 Release The BatsBirthday Party – – – – 19 28 –
45 Love SongThe Damned – – 22 29 – 49 –
46 Desolation RowBob Dylan 3 46 – – – – –
47 The Sweetest GirlScritti Politti – – – – 22 27 –
48 IsraelSiouxsie and the Banshees – – – – 37 15 –
49 California Uber AllesDead Kennedys – – 33 31 42 – –
50 Totally WiredThe Fall – – – 21 – – 34
51 EchoesPink Floyd 4 – – – – – –
52 Twenty Four HoursJoy Division – – – 41 43 23 –
53 Blue MondayNew Order – – – – – – 6
54 All Right NowFree 6 – – – – – –
55 What Do I Get?The Buzzcocks – 8 50 – – – –
56 LegionTheatre Of Hate – – – – 25 33 –
57 How Soon is Now?The Smiths – – – – – – 7
58 GangstersThe Specials – – 7 – – – –
59 They Shoot Horses Don't They?Racing Cars 7 – – – – – –
60 Smells Like Teen SpiritNirvana – – – – – – 8