What songs do Ed Sheeran and Elton John parody in the 'Merry Christmas' music video?

3 December 2021, 11:32 | Updated: 16 November 2022, 16:07

Ed Sheeran and Elton John channel the likes of Wham!, East 17 and Shakin' Stevens in the video for 'Merry Christmas'.

Would you believe it, but Sir Elton John has never had a Christmas number one, so he has teamed up with someone who has (Ed Sheeran) to see if he can right that musical wrong.

In doing so, Ed and Elton have looked back at various Christmas classics of the past to create a super-fun festive music video for their new duet, 'Merry Christmas'.

Ed Sheeran & Elton John - Merry Christmas [Official Video]

The song is out now, and is a serious contender for 2021's festive chart-topper, but which songs does it pay homage to?

1. David Bowie & Bing Crosby - 'Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy'

   

   

   Elton and Ed first take on a previous duet between a then-young popstar and an ageing icon of music: Bing and Bowie.

   • The Story of... 'Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy' by David Bowie and Bing Crosby

   The current duo use their predecessors' famous video as a backdrop to a party, presumably hosted by the party king, Sir Elton.

2. Mariah Carey - 'All I Want for Christmas is You'

   

   

   • The Story of... 'All I Want for Christmas is You'

   We're assuming Ed is going all Mariah Carey for this little segment, in which he proudly dances about in a somewhat familiar Santa dress.

3. Shakin' Stevens - 'Merry Christmas Everyone'

   

   

   Ed and Elton hop onto a sleigh, with Ed wearing a very familiar red scarf.

   • The Story of... 'Merry Christmas Everyone'

   Sadly, we didn't see him go full Shakin' Stevens by grabbing a vintage Christmas jumper by the fireplace.

4. The Snowman/Aled Jones - 'Walking in the Air'

   

   

   Ed is perfectly cast as an adult version of the boy from the classic TV special The Snowman, as he goes walking in the air with an Elton-ified version of the title character.

5. Wizzard - 'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday'

   

   

   We really love the effort involved here. The guys behind the video has really studied the classic Top of the Pops performance of Wizzard's festive favourite, even down to the outfits and hairstyles of each band member.

   • The Story of... 'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday' by Wizzard

   Plus, the creepy big snowman in the background is back. Plus, a certain glam band from the 2000s (more on them in a minute).

6. Wham! - 'Last Christmas'

   There had to be a call-back to this iconic video of 'Last Christmas' by Wham!

   • The Story of... 'Last Christmas', as told by Andrew Ridgeley

   Ed arrives at a ski chalet, where some of his friends, one of which has the gorgeous locks of a young George Michael, have arrived.

7. Ed Sheeran - 'Perfect'

   

   

   Yes, Ed channels himself!

   • The Story of... 'Perfect'

   The music video for Ed's 2017 Christmas number one had already paid homage to 'Last Christmas', and Ed goes full circle by bringing back the cute cat, wooly hats and snow angels.

8. East 17 - 'Stay Another Day'

   

   

   Ed joins up with Michael McIntyre, Jonathan Ross and Big Narstie (we're pretty sure he found them while they were filming a recent episode of The Wheel), and chucked on East 17's legendary white furry hooded coats.

   • The Story of... 'Stay Another Day'

   Even Elton passed on that ridiculous get-up.

9. LadBaby

   

   There's a little mention of perhaps Ed's biggest rival, LadBaby, and his love of sausage rolls. Can Ed stop him from landing a fourth Christmas number one in a row?

10. Wings - 'Mull of Kintyre'

    

    

    There's a very small nod to Ed's other hero Paul McCartney, as we see a lookalike in Macca's 'Mull of Kintyre' (the 1977 Christmas number one) getup playing guitar, while a dragoon guard appears behind him.

11. The Darkness and Mr Blobby cameos!

    

    

    Blink and you'll miss them, but The Darkness appear at the end of the video, harking back to their Christmas number two track 'Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)'.

    Next to the Darkness is Ed's wife Cherry, and if you squint hard enough, you'll also see 1993's Christmas number one champion Mr Blobby!

12. Wizzard (again)

    

    

    The whole thing is wrapped up in the same manner of Wizzard's famous video.

    Nice touch, lads.