During the final week of the year, over 110 radio stations will broadcast the Winter 50: a list of the top fifty winter songs according to listeners. You can listen to the songs on Enschede FM on December 26 from 12 to 4 pm.
`The list is headed by classics like Wham's Last Christmas and hit songs of the past year,' Martijn de Lange, communications major and initiator of the Winter 50, tells us. `Early figures predict that the frontrunners of last year's list are again doing well. Do They Know It's Christmas by Band Aid is very popular, as well as Driving Home For Christmas by Chris Rea. Newcomers are You are Beautiful by James Blunt and Jan Smit's Laura.
So, a mix of old and new? `Yes, listeners remain faithful to the classics and complement them with recent hit songs. For example, the Tokkies' Christmas song, which was popular last year, completely disappeared off the list.'
De Lange composes the list based on the favorite songs as submitted by listeners through the website. `They can submit their favorites until December 18. That could be Christmas records, but also songs that call up that special winter feeling of sitting at the fireplace, with glühwein or hot chocolate.' Songs like? `Nine Million Bicycles of Katie Melua is doing well, as well as Michael Jackson's Heal The World.'
In his spare time, De Lange works at Enschede FM and now also at Radio Oost. The idea for a winter hit list came five years ago, as an extension of the summer version. `In the summer of 2001, Enschede FM was looking for a way to get through the slow period. We decided to create a top fifty of the best and sultriest summer songs - a whale of a job and sadly the result was only used by Enschede FM. That is why I told about twenty other, friendly stations about our project. They responded positively, helped promote it and broadcast the songs.' The Summer 50 became a hit itself and grew to be an annual radio item. The step to a winter version was not far off. `This is the fourth year we're doing the winter list. Right now, 120 radio stations are participating. In the final week of the year, local stations in both the Netherlands and Belgium will broadcast the fifty best winter records.'
The public can vote on the website www.winterse50.nl. `To vote, you have to make a personal top five of records that make your winter special. Every artist may only appear once in your personal top five.' The final list is determined by assigning points. `Five points for the number one song, four for number two and so on to one point for the last record.' The site also shows when each radio station will broadcast the list. And De Lange's own favorites? Driving home for Christmas by Chris Rea, Thank God it is Christmas by Queen and Flappie by Youp van 't Hek.'
Trans. Jeroen Latour
