AS ONLY THEY 'CAN-CAN': After melding Toto's "Africa" into last year's No. 5-peaking Adult Contemporary hit "The 12 Days of Christmas," buzzworthy a capella act Straight No Chaser enters the chart at No. 27 with its latest inventive carol, "The Christmas Can-Can."
 
The song largely incorporates the melody of the traditional French can-can composition. The peppy chorus line accompaniment was first popularized in Paris ballrooms as early as the 1830s.

While poking fun at the ever-increasing commercialization of the holiday season, Straight No Chaser also takes a cue from Adam Sandler and reaches out to those without a Christmas tree. To the tune of "I Have a Little Dreidel," "The Christmas Can-Can" light-heartedly laments: "Drediel, dreidel, drediel, I made it out of clay. You realize that Christmas ain't the only holiday!"

"We take the music very seriously; we just don't take ourselves too seriously," says the act's Randy Stine. "We dip into (arrangements) that you wouldn't think an a cappella group could pull off.

"Instead of having people (just) say, 'oh, that was funny,' we want them to say, 'wow, I can't believe they did that.'"


BIG MAC: "Southern Voice" makes an 11-10 northerly advance on Country Songs to become Tim McGraw's 44th top 10 on the tally.

McGraw first entered the top 10 with "Indian Outlaw" on the chart dated March 26, 1994. He has banked a top 10 title each year since.

Over the '90s and 2000s, McGraw boasts the third-highest top 10 sum on Country Songs. Here are the artists with the most visits to the survey's top tier in that span:

56, George Strait
50, Alan Jackson
44, Tim McGraw
41, Brooks & Dunn
38, Toby Keith


'PERFECT' NINE: Depeche Mode collects its ninth No. 1 on Dance/Club Play Songs, as "Perfect" pounces 2-1. Among duos or groups in the chart's history, the venerable modern rock/dance band trails only Pet Shop Boys for most No. 1s by one; the latter act maintained its lead when "Did You See Me Coming?" became its 10th topper last month.

Here is a recap of Depeche Mode's nine No. 1s on Dance/Club Play Songs. For a band with a discography covering multiple Billboard charts dating to 1981, it's notable that seven of its nine Dance/Club Play champs have reigned this decade:

1987, "Strangelove" (three weeks)
1997, "It's No Good" (one week)
2001, "Dream On" (one week)
2001, "I Feel Loved" (two weeks)
2002, "Freelove" (one week)
2005, "Precious" (two weeks)
2006, "Suffer Well" (one week)
2009, "Wrong" (one week)
2009, "Perfect" (one week to date)

Depeche Mode's biggest Billboard Hot 100 hit, 1990's No. 8-peaking "Enjoy the Silence," reached No. 6 on Dance/Club Play Songs.


COMPLETE BEAT: Straight No Chaser's "The Christmas Can-Can" isn't the only seasonal song new to this week's Adult Contemporary chart. Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Nutrocker," a rock reworking of Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite," begins at No. 23, and Susan Boyle bows at No. 29 with "Silent Night."

Check Chart Beat tomorrow for more on Boyle's stunning storming of the Billboard 200 penthouse, as first reported on billboard.com.