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Music rankings by the trade magazine Billboard of Christmas Holiday Music From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Billboard magazine only charted Christmas singles and albums along with the other popular non-holiday records until the 1958 holiday season when they published their first section that surveys only Christmas music.
An increase of Christmas records began charting Billboard in 1957. The popular music surveys charted 9 Christmas singles, including the debut of the Bobby Helms' standard "Jingle Bell Rock" (Top 100 Sides #6).[1] Gene Autry's newly recorded version of his 1949 original "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"[2] made the Top 100 Sides at No. 70.[3] The Best Selling Pop LP's had 11 seasonal albums chart including the debut of Elvis' Christmas Album that topped the survey for 3 weeks.
Bing Crosby's all-time best-selling single[4] "White Christmas" returned to the Top 40 again in 1957 at No. 34. It has charted Billboard's surveys almost annually since it first spent 11 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on their Best Selling Retail Records chart beginning Oct. 31, 1942[5] It reached the top spot again in 1945 for two more weeks and made its 14th #1 week on December 28, 1946.[6] Crosby's "Silent Night" (Top 100 Sides #54) and "Silver Bells" (Top 100 Sides #78) also made the Top 100 Sides in 1957. All 3 of these titles are included on his Merry Christmas which returned to No. 1 in January 1958 after charting Billboard's album surveys since its debut in 1945.
The "Billboard Music Popularity Chart" began weekly publication in their July 27, 1940 issue, with lists covering jukebox play, radio play, record sales and sheet music sales. The following are the most popular Christmas holiday singles that charted prior to 1958 according to those surveys.[7]
On November 24, 1958, the magazine published Deejay's Favorite Christmas Disks. Described as the records played most frequently by disk jockeys each Christmas season, according to a survey made by The Billboard, the section consisted of 3 top 10 lists charting the top Holiday Singles, LP Albums and for the only time on Billboard's Christmas/Holiday surveys, EP Albums. Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" was the No. 1 single, Percy Faith's 1954 Music of Christmas[42] was the No. 1 LP and Pat Boone's 1957 Merry Christmas[43] was the No. 1 EP.[44] A Holiday survey would not be published again until the annual Christmas Records section is launched in 1963.
Seven holiday singles charted the first year of Billboard's Hot 100 in 1958 including the debut of "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" (Hot 100 #1 for 4 weeks)[45] and Harry Simeone's "Little Drummer Boy" (Hot 100 #13).[46] Bobby Helms' "Jingle Bell Rock" returned to the charts at No. 35. Eight holiday albums charted on Billboard's Best-Selling LP's survey in 1958 including the debut of Johnny Mathis' Merry Christmas that peaked at No. 3 on December 27.[47] Mitch Miller & The Gang's first holiday album Christmas Sing Along with Mitch peaked at No. 1 on January 8, 1959. Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" made its first Hot 100 appearance in 1959 at No. 59. Perry Como debuted his second Christmas album Season's Greetings from Perry Como on The Billboard's TOP LP'S on January 8, 1960, peaking at No. 22.[48]
The 1960 Hot 100 had 10 holiday singles including the debut of an annual charting of Brenda Lee's standard "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (Hot 100 #14)[49] and the return of Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)" (Deejay's Favorite Christmas Disks #2, Hot 100 #80).[50] Bing Crosby's "Silent Night" (Deejay's Favorite Christmas Disks #8, Hot 100 #54) also returned in 1960 and the flip side "Adeste Fidelis" (Hot 100 #45) also from his 1945 Merry Christmas album made its first charting.[51]
Bobby Helms returned to the Hot 100 at No. 36 in 1960 with the start of an annual charting of "Jingle Bell Rock". Harry Simeone's "Little Drummer Boy" and "The Chipmunk Song" re-charted the Hot 100 every year after their initial release just as Christmas Sing Along with Mitch and Johnny Mathis' Merry Christmas album had on Billboard's Best-Selling LPs chart. The Chipmunks with David Seville followed up in 1960 with a cover of "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" that peaked at No. 21 on the Hot 100. Bobby Rydell & Chubby Checker's cover of "Jingle Bell Rock" peaked at No. 21[52] and "Baby's First Christmas" by Connie Francis peaked at No. 26 in 1961, both re-charting the following year.[53] Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" returned to the Hot 100 in 1961 at No. 12[54] and in 1962 at No. 38.
Billboard's TOP LP's charted 21 holiday albums in 1962. Mitch Miller's Gang peaked at No. 1 again with their latest Christmas album Holiday Sing Along with Mitch.[55] Bing Crosby returned with Merry Christmas (Deejay's Favorite Christmas Disks #3, Top Mono LP's #46) and debuted his latest I Wish You a Merry Christmas (Top Mono LP's #50).[56] The 1962 Hot 100 had 12 seasonal singles including new releases like The 4 Seasons cover of "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" (Hot 100 #23) and re-charting holiday standards like Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" (Hot 100 #65). Billboard debuted their first annual Christmas Records charts the following year.
Beginning with the issue dated November 30, 1963, Billboard magazine no longer charted Christmas albums or singles on its existing music charts. For the next 10 years, these titles could only be found in their new annual best-selling Christmas Records section (retitled Billboard Top Christmas Sellers in 1965[57] and then Billboard Best Bets for Christmas in 1966[58] through 1973).[upper-alpha 1] The 5-position survey ranking of top-selling Christmas Singles[upper-alpha 2] and Christmas LP's[upper-alpha 3] ran for 3–5 weeks each holiday season expanding in size as sales activity increased.[60]
The Andy Williams Christmas Album was the first number one album and his version of "White Christmas" from the same album was the first number one single, both peaking at No. 1 for the 5 week entirety of the section run in 1963.[61] The chart size increased each holiday season until peaking at 38 singles and 117 LPS in 1967.[62] Beginning in 1971, the Best Bets for Christmas only ran 2–3 weeks a year and listed significantly less titles with the singles chart only having 3 positions on December 18 of that year.[63]
Bing Crosby's Merry Christmas (LPs #2) spent 39 weeks on the LP survey from 1963 to 1973, more than any other album at the time. Harry Simeone's album The Little Drummer Boy (LPs #1)[64] and Nat King Cole's album The Christmas Song (LPs #1) tie at second, both charting 35 weeks between 1963 and 1973. Crosby's Merry Christmas, Cole's The Christmas Song and Johnny Mathis' Merry Christmas (LPs #2) spent more than 25 weeks each in the top 10. The Andy Williams Christmas Album spent the most time on top of the chart at 9 inconsecutive weeks between 1963 and 1965. Andy Williams follow up, Merry Christmas spent 3 inconsecutive weeks at number one from 1966 to 1969.[65][66] Barbra Streisand's 1967 A Christmas Album topped the second most with 6 weeks[67] and Harry Simeone's The Little Drummer Boy album comes in 3rd with 4 weeks at number one on the Best Bets For Christmas album chart.[68][69]
Harry Simeone's "The Little Drummer Boy" single peaked at No. 1 for 10 weeks between 1964 and 1968, the most of any title on Billboard's Christmas 45 rpm record surveys. His hit and 1960's "Please Come Home For Christmas" by Charles Brown (45's #1) spent more time than any other single in the top 10 of the Best Bets for Christmas survey at 33 weeks each. Both, along with Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" (45's #1), Bobby Helms' "Jingle Bell Rock" (45's #1) and Elvis Presley's "Blue Christmas" (45's #1) spent more than 30 weeks each on the Christmas singles survey between 1963 and 1973. Andy William's "White Christmas" and 1967's "Snoopy's Christmas" by The Royal Guardsmen topped the chart 5 times each tying both for the second most weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Christmas Singles chart.
The Carpenters "Merry Christmas, Darling" was No. 1 on the singles chart the most during the 1970s with 3 weeks.[70] Second is the Jackson 5's "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town' which topped the survey twice that decade.[71] Both debuted on the Best Bets For Christmas in 1970.[72] The Jackson 5 Christmas Album topped the album chart the most in the 70's with 3 weeks.[73] 1971's A Partridge Family Christmas Card[74] and Elvis Sings The Wonderful World of Christmas[75] tie for second with each peaking at No. 1 for 2 weeks.
Titles on these Christmas surveys did not appear on Billboard's other charts until 1973 when "Please Daddy" by John Denver (Hot 100 #69,[76] Hot Country Singles #69)[77] and "If We Make It Through December" by Merle Haggard (Hot 100 #28,[78] Hot Country Singles #1)[79] both peaked at No. 7[80][81] on the Best Selling Christmas Singles chart as well as appearing on the Hot 100 and Hot Country Singles chart.[upper-alpha 4] Holiday albums only charted the Best Bets for Christmas that year. Christmas music surveys were not published after the December 22, 1973 Best Bets For Christmas until the section continues in 1983 retitled Christmas Hits.
Billboard sporadically provided a section entitled New Christmas Selections from 1974 until 1976 that alphabetically listed titles of holiday record albums and singles. Many singles and albums have re-charted over the years, but hundreds of titles only appeared in these best-seller sections that are unavailable on Billboard's website. The charts are extensively researched in Joel Whitburn's Christmas in the Charts 1920-2004 that contain statistics on every Christmas single and album that charted all of Billboard's music surveys. From 1974 until 1982, the magazine reverted to charting seasonal hits only on their weekly popular music surveys such as the Eagles' 1978 cover of "Please Come Home For Christmas" (Hot 100 #18)[85] and Dan Fogelberg's 1980 "Same Old Lang Syne" (Hot 100 #9,[86] Adult Contemporary #8)[87] as well as LPs and tapes like John Denver's 1975 Rocky Mountain Christmas (Top LPs & Tapes #14)[88] and Kenny Rogers' 1981 Christmas (Top LPs & Tapes #34,[89] Top Country LPs #10).[90]
After 9 years, Billboard began publishing the best-selling Christmas Album and Single chart survey section again under the title Christmas Hits on December 17, 1983. The top 10 charts ran for two weeks each holiday season for the next 3 years[91] then returned in 1987 as a 30 position album only chart. Unlike the Best Bets For Christmas, Christmas Hits would often also chart Billboard's other music surveys such as Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton's 1984 Once Upon A Christmas (Top 200 Albums #31, Top Country Albums #12)[92] and 1985's Alabama Christmas (Top 200 Albums #75, Top Country Albums #8)[93] which both peaked at No. 1 on the Christmas Hits album survey.[94]
Kenny Roger's 1981 Christmas was number one on the album chart for the first two weeks of the Christmas Hits survey. A Very Special Christmas spent the most weeks at the top of the album chart during the 1980s with 3 consecutive weeks starting December 12, 1987.[95][96] Mannheim Steamroller's A Fresh Aire Christmas spent 2 consecutive weeks at No. 1 starting December 24, 1988 and went on to top the chart 4 more weeks during the 1990s.
Barbra Streisand's A Christmas Album (Christmas Hits #2) and 1978's Christmas Portrait by The Carpenters (Christmas Hits #2) charted all 13 weeks of the Christmas Hits album chart. Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton's Once Upon a Christmas, Nat King Cole's The Christmas Song (Christmas Hits #5) and 1984's Mannheim Steamroller Christmas (Christmas Hits #2) tie for second most times on the chart during the eighties with 11 weeks each.[97] Bing Crosby's Merry Christmas, Nat King Cole's The Christmas Song and Elvis's Christmas Album spent more than 40 weeks each on the Best Bets for Christmas and Christmas Hits surveys, more weeks than other LP during the entire holiday album chart run at the time.[98][99]
Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" returned to the top of the singles chart for the first week of the Christmas Hits survey. His hit has charted the most with 37 total weeks during the entire Christmas singles survey run. Bobby Helms comes in second with "Jingle Bell Rock" charting a total of 36 weeks. Harry Simeone's "Little Drummer Boy", Charles Brown's "Please Come Home For Christmas", Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" and Elvis Presley's "Blue Christmas " also charted over 30 weeks each during the entirety of the Christmas singles survey. All 6 of these records peaked at No. 1 over the duration of Billboard's Christmas singles charts.
Elmo 'N Patsy's "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" spent the most weeks at top of the Christmas Hits singles chart during the 1980s with 4 consecutive weeks starting December 24, 1983.[100] It was also the only single that crossed over charting the Hot Country Singles chart at No. 92 in 1984. Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (Hot 100 #13)[101] reached number 6 on Billboard's Hot Singles Sales chart in 1984 and had sold an estimated 2.5 million copies in the U.S. by January 1985,[102] but did not appear on Billboard's Christmas Hits best selling singles survey.[upper-alpha 5]
Bruce Springsteen's cover of "Santa Claus is Comin' To Town" had peaked at No. 1 when Billboard published their last Christmas Hits single survey on December 28, 1985.[104] An alphabetical listing of Christmas singles would be featured in the magazine's "Reviews and Previews" section, but a seasonal album chart would be the only Christmas survey published until the introduction of Holiday Songs in 2001. For the next 25 years, best-sellers like 1989's "This One's For The Children" by New Kids On The Block (Hot 100 #7,[105] Adult Contemporary #7,[106] Hot Black Singles #55)[107] and 1993's "Let It Snow" by Boyz II Men Featuring Brian McKnight (Hot 100 #32,[108] Hot R&B Singles #17)[109] were only surveyed on their weekly popular music charts until Billboard began surveying best selling Christmas songs in 2010 on the Holiday Digital Song Sales chart and also on the Holiday 100 beginning the following year.
The Deejay's Favorite Christmas Disks, Christmas Records, Top Christmas Sellers. Best Bets For Christmas and Christmas Hits single surveys ran 46 weeks and charted 134 titles from 1958 until 1985. These are Billboard's top ranking Christmas 45 rpm record singles.[110][111][112][113][114][115][116]
Both the A-side and B-sides of the following 6 records charted the Christmas single surveys.[lower-alpha 1]
| Artist | Side A | Peak Date |
Peak Pos. |
Side B | Peak Date |
Peak Pos. |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Jackson 5 | "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town"[197] | 12/19/1970 | 1 | "Christmas Won't Be The Same This Year"[198] | 12/26/1970 | ―[lower-alpha 2] | Motown 1174[199] |
| Brenda Lee | "Christmas With Be Just Another Lonely Day"[200] | 12/12/1964 | 24 | "This Time Of The Year"[201] | 12/19/1964 | 12 | Decca 31688[202] |
| Otis Redding | "White Christmas"[203] | 12/21/1968 | 12 | "Merry Christmas Baby"[204] | 12/28/1968 | 9 | Atco 6631[205] |
| The Temptations | "Silent Night" | 12/13/1969 | 7 | "Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer" | 12/18/1971 | 3 | Gordy 7082[206] |
| Bobby Vinton | "Dearest Santa" | 12/19/1964 | 8 | "The Bell That Couldn't Jingle"[207] | 12/26/1964 | 23 | Epic 9741[208] |
| Nancy Wilson | "That's What I Want For Christmas"[209] | 12/14/1963 | 6 | "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve"[210] | 12/25/1965 | 17 | Capitol 5084[211] |
The following artists had more than one single chart the Christmas surveys (A-Side and B-Side chartings of the same single count as one).
After no holiday charts were published in 1986, the Christmas Hits section resumed December 12, 1987 with a 30-position album survey, but Billboard stopped publishing a singles sales chart.[212] Only alternate weeks of the survey were available in print[98] with alternating weeks available via the Billboard Information Network. The various artist collection A Very Special Christmas topped the survey for the first 3 weeks of its return. Billboard published the chart for 2 consecutive weeks in 1987, then in 1988 began to run the survey every other week 2-3 times a holiday season.
The album-only Christmas Hits section was retitled Top Christmas Albums in 1990. Barry Manilow's Because It's Christmas was the No. 1 album for the first 2 weeks under the survey's new name.[213] Billboard began running the chart 5 consecutive weeks each holiday season in 1991, but all weeks are still not available in print.[214] In 1992, Billboard increased the survey to 7 weeks and started compiling the Top Christmas Albums chart using actual sales figures (SoundScan).[215] After a 6-week run in 1993, Billboard increased the survey size to 40 positions and began publishing the chart 7–10 weeks a year starting with the 1994 holiday season.[216]
Kenny G's Miracles: The Holiday Album topped the Christmas Albums chart for 17 weeks starting December 12, 1994, the most of any album during the 1990s. Kenny G also spent 5 more weeks at No. 1 in the nineties with his Faith: A Holiday Album from 1999. Celine Dion's These Are Special Times spent the second most weeks at the top during the 90's with 9 weeks at number one starting November 21, 1998. The album made its tenth week at No. 1 on October 29, 2016.[217]
Christina Aguilera's My Kind of Christmas topped the chart when Billboard renames the survey Top Holiday Albums on November 25, 2000.[216] The chart size increased to 50 positions in 2002[218] and expanded an 11-week run in 2006.[219] On October 20, 2007, Billboard began publishing the chart online in October for 14–15 weeks each holiday season.[220]
Josh Groban's Noël started a 12-week consecutive run at number one on October 27, 2007. It topped the chart 6 more weeks in 2008 making it the top charting Holiday Album of the first decade of the century. Now That's What I Call Christmas! was the second top charting album of the 2000s with 14 inconsecutive weeks at number one from 2000 to 2003.[221] Two follow ups also topped the chart for 2 weeks each that decade, Now That's What I Call Christmas!: The Signature Collection went to number one beginning November 22, 2003[222] and Now That's What I Call Christmas! 3 beginning January 13, 2007.[223] Andrea Bocelli's My Christmas, Susan Boyle's The Gift and Sarah McLachlan's Wintersong all topped the Top Holiday Albums chart for 8 weeks that decade.
On November 11, 2011, Michael Bublé's Christmas went to No. 1 for its first week. To date, it has spent 52 total weeks at No. 1 on the Top Holiday Albums, the most of any album on the entire Christmas album survey.[224] Pentatonix spent 47 weeks at No. 1 with 4 different albums during the 2010s with 2014's That's Christmas to Me (18 weeks), 2016's A Pentatonix Christmas (18 weeks), 2018's Christmas Is Here! (2 weeks) and 2019's The Best of Pentatonix Christmas (3 weeks).[225] The original soundtrack to 1993's The Nightmare Before Christmas has topped the chart for 15 inconsecutive weeks beginning October 21, 2017.
So far this decade, Michael Bublé's Christmas has topped the chart for 30 inconsecutive weeks. The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack has topped the chart for 8 weeks since 2021. Carrie Underwood's My Gift was no. 1 for 7 weeks beginning October 10, 2020. Billboard reduced the Top Holiday Album chart run to 12 weeks in 2022[226] then 10 weeks in 2023.[227]
For over 60 years, Billboard has provided a Christmas holiday album survey, consecutively since the 1987 Christmas Hits charts. The following albums have spent at least 6 weeks at the #1 position.[228] They have been sorted by the total weeks charted on all the various named Christmas album charts since Deejay's Favorite Christmas Disks was published on November 24, 1958.[lower-alpha 3][234]
The following albums have charted over 200 weeks on Billboard's Christmas Holiday Album surveys since November 24, 1958.
| Weeks | Album | Artist | Rlsd. | Debut | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 357[lower-alpha 9] | Elvis' Christmas Album[257] | Elvis Presley | 1957 | 12/7/1963 | #2 |
| 334[lower-alpha 10] | White Christmas[258] | Bing Crosby | 1945 | 11/24/1958 | #2 |
| 326[lower-alpha 11] | A Charlie Brown Christmas (soundtrack)[259] | Vince Guaraldi Trio | 1965 | 12/12/1987 | #2 |
| 317[lower-alpha 12] | Merry Christmas[260] | Mariah Carey | 1994 | 11/26/1994 | #1 |
| 311[lower-alpha 13] | The Christmas Song[261] | Nat King Cole | 1960 | 12/14/1963 | #1 |
| 289 | These Are Special Times[262] | Celine Dion | 1998 | 11/21/1998 | #1 |
| 252[lower-alpha 14] | Christmas Portrait[263] | The Carpenters | 1978 | 12/15/1984 | #2 |
| 243 | Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (soundtrack) | Burl Ives[264] | 1964 | 11/21/1998 | #5 |
| 242 | Christmas Eve and Other Stories[265] | Trans-Siberian Orchestra | 1996 | 11/28/1996 | #3 |
| 209 | Noël[236] | Josh Groban | 2007 | 11/20/2007 | #1 |
The following artists or series have had at least 6 albums chart Billboard's Christmas Holiday Album surveys since November 24, 1958.
In the mid-1990's, holiday songs with no commercial single availability had begun appearing more often on Billboard's airplay charts. New songs like 1995's "Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (Adult Contemporary #34,[285] Adult Top 40 #25,[286] Hot 100 Airplay #49)[286] and "The Chanukah Song" by Adam Sandler (Adult Contemporary #35, Adult Top 40 #32, Hot 100 Airplay #10,[287] Mainstream Rock #20,[288] Modern Rock Tracks #25[289]) would re-chart annually each Christmas season along with older titles such as 1984's "Last Christmas" by Wham! (Adult Contemporary #22,[290] Adult Top 40 #40,[291] Hot 100 Airplay #58)[292] and 1979's "Wonderful Christmastime" by Paul McCartney (Adult Contemporary #29, Adult Top 40 #32)[293]
The Hot Country Singles & Tracks and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay survey were also charting earlier classics such as The Temptations' "Silent Night" (Hot R&B Airplay #16)[294] and new songs like Jeff Foxworthy's "Redneck 12 Days of Christmas" (Hot Country Singles & Tracks #18).[295] On the Hot 100, Christina Aguilera's cover of "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)" peaked at #18 for 2 weeks starting December 25, 1999, and Kenny G's "Auld Lang Syne (The Millennium Mix)" peaked at No 7 on January 8, 2000, making both the first holiday songs to enter their top 40 in the past 6 years.[296]
Billboard introduced the 25-position Holiday Songs survey online December 8, 2001. The top 15 has occasionally appeared in the print magazine.[297] The chart differed from the discontinued best-selling Christmas singles survey(s) by ranking songs based solely on radio airplay detections as measured by Nielsen BDS of Adult Contemporary and a few Adult Top 40 stations, most of which switch to all or nearly all Christmas music around Thanksgiving.[298] Billboard later began to compile the chart data from all-format radio airplay audience impressions, as measured by Mediabase and provided by Luminate. The first number one Holiday Song was the 1977 track "Celebrate Me Home" by Kenny Loggins.[298] The initial chart had a 3-week run, then expanded to 6 weeks in 2002. Billboard increased the survey to 30 positions and ran the chart 6–9 weeks each holiday season starting in 2006.[299]
Amy Grant has charted the most songs on the Holiday Song survey with nine.[300] Michael Bublé is second with 6 charted songs.[301] 1964's "A Holly Jolly Christmas" by Burl Ives (Holiday Songs #1) and 1963's "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" by Andy Williams (Holiday Songs #2) have both charted 132 weeks, the most of any songs on the survey. Both Brenda Lee's 1958 "Rockin" Around The Christmas Tree" (Holiday Songs #1) and Gene Autry's 1949 "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" (Holiday Songs #2) tie for second most chart appearances with 130 charted weeks each.[302]
The most weeks at the top of the Holiday Songs survey is held by Mariah Carey's 1994 Hot 100 Airplay Christmas classic, "All I Want for Christmas Is You".[303] It has held the number one position for 55 weeks.[304] Lee's "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" has peaked at No. 1 for a total of 30 weeks and Ives' "A Holly Jolly Christmas"[305] has topped the survey the third most times with 20 inconsecutive weeks.[306] Since December 4, 2010, these three songs and 1971's "Feliz Navidad" by Jose Feliciano have alternated the #1 position on the Holiday Songs chart.[307]
Billboard changed the name of the Holiday Songs survey to Holiday Airplay after the launch of the Holiday 100 in 2011 and run the charts concurrently each holiday season. At over 20 years, the Holiday Airplay chart is their longest running holiday single or song survey and their second longest running holiday survey after the Top Holiday Albums chart.
The Holiday Season Digital Song Sales survey of music download purchases debuted on October 16, 2010. Billboard published the 50-position chart for at least 12 weeks each holiday season mostly coinciding with the Top Holiday Albums chart, until they reduced it to a 7-week run at the beginning of December 2021 and then 6 weeks concurrently with the Holiday 100 in 2022.[308] Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" was the chart's first No. 1 and has topped the survey the most with 77 inconsecutive weeks.[309] Carey has charted 4 different versions on Holiday Digital Song Sales, including the 2011 "SuperFestive!" duet with Justin Bieber that also peaked at number one for one week.[310] Beginning November 5, 2011, Bieber's "Mistletoe" topped the chart for 11 inconsecutive weeks.[311] "Hallelujah" by Pentatonix has spent the second most weeks at No. 1 on the survey with 19 inconsecutive weeks beginning November 12, 2016.[312]
Holiday Digital Song Sales has charted over 750 songs, significantly more titles than any of the Holiday Songs or Christmas Singles surveys. Pentatonix has charted 49 songs on the survey.[313] The Glee Cast,[314] Kelly Clarkson[315] and Michael Bublé[316] have also charted at least 20 songs each. Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You",[317] Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Christmas Eve" (Holiday Digital Song Sales #2),[318] and Wham!'s "Last Christmas" (Holiday Digital Song Sales #2)[319] have appeared on all 160 weeks surveyed. The top 15 Holiday Digital Song Sales occasionally appear in the print magazine.[320] Billboard reduced the chart to 25 positions with a 5-week run starting December 2, 2023.[321]
An increase of Christmas songs occurred on the Hot 100 in 2010 when 6 holiday songs appeared on the survey with 4 more Bubbling Under the Hot 100. On December 25, Coldplay reached No. 25 on the Hot 100 with "Christmas Lights", making it the first holiday song in their top 40 in the past 11 years.[322] On December 10, 2011, Billboard expanded the Holiday Song chart to 50 positions, reduced it back to a 5-6 week run and renamed it Holiday Airplay. The newly reconfigured Hot Holiday Songs, like the Hot 100, ranks holiday tracks based on a formula blending airplay, download sales and streaming data as tracked by Nielsen Entertainment.[323] The 50-position chart survey begins to appear in print and Billboard.com in early December for 5–6 weeks each year. On December 14, 2013, Holiday Songs was expanded to 100 positions and renamed the Holiday 100, although only the top 50 remain in print.[324]
Topping the inaugural Hot Holiday Songs ranking was Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You".[325] It has been #1 for 60 total weeks.[326][327] After 34 weeks at No. 2, Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" topped the chart for 3 inconsecutive weeks starting December 9, 2023.[328][329][330][331] The other songs that have taken the #1 spot on the Holiday 100[332] are Justin Bieber's "Mistletoe" in 2012,[333] Ariana Grande's "Santa Tell Me" in 2015[334][335] and both Pentatonix's "Little Drummer Boy" in 2013[336] and "Mary, Did You Know?" for 2 weeks in 2014.[337][338] Michael Bublé, Pentatonix and Bing Crosby have charted the most songs on the Holiday 100 with 15 or more each.[339]
Billboard also began publishing their 25-position Holiday Streaming Songs chart on December 14, 2013.[340] The survey runs for 5–6 weeks concurrently with the Holiday 100 each holiday season. The chart size increased to 50 positions in 2016.[341] The survey measures the top streamed holiday radio songs, on-demand songs and videos from the leading U.S. online music services.[342] Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" has been #1 for 47 inconsecutive weeks on the survey.[343] Besides Carey's hit, the only other songs that have topped the Holiday Streaming Songs charts are Pentatonix's "Mary, Did You Know?" for 3 weeks,[337] Grande's "Santa Tell Me"[344] for 2 weeks and most recently Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" for 6 weeks.[345][346]
Michael Bublé has charted 15 songs on the Holiday Streaming Songs survey.[347] Bing Crosby[348] and Pentatonix[349] tie for second most songs with 10 each. Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You", Lee's "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree", Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)" (Holiday Streaming Songs #2),[350] Gene Autry's "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" (Holiday Streaming Songs #2) and 2011's "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas" by Michael Bublé (Holiday Streaming Songs #2)[351] have charted all 58 weeks of the Holiday Streaming Songs survey. Mariah Carey's chart topping success[352][353] and other songs that appear on Billboard's Holiday Song surveys every year have met criticism.[354] [355]
In 2022, Billboard launched the Holiday 100 Songwriters and Producers charts that run during the same seasonal period as the Holiday 100. The weekly 25 position charts are based on points accrued by a songwriter and producer, respectively, for each attributed song. They join Billboard's 26 other songwriter and producer rankings covering the Hot 100 and all other “Hot”-named genre charts: Christian, country, dance/electronic, gospel, Latin, R&B/hip-hop, R&B, rap, rock & alternative, rock, alternative and hard rock. On the inaugural Holiday 100 Songwriters survey, Johnny Marks (who died in 1985 at age 75) was No. 1 for seven songwriting credits on the Holiday 100. Lee Gillette (who died in 1981 at age 68) topped the inaugural Holiday 100 Producers chart for seven production credits.[356] Both have held their number 1 positions for the 12 weeks each chart has run.[357][358]
Billboard's Holiday 100 has charted 305 songs. The following ranked by peak position have consecutively charted all 68 weeks since its debut on December 10, 2011.
The following songs debuted on the Holiday 100 after December 20, 2011, and have consecutively charted every week following for at least two holiday seasons.
The following artists have had at least 4 songs chart the Holiday 100.
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