Andy Williams Hits New High, The Ronettes ‘Ride’ Back After 52 Years & More Hot 100 Chart Moves
Holiday music continues to reach new heights on the Billboard Hot 100, as 12 seasonal songs light up the latest list (dated Dec. 22), including four in the top 20.
Holiday music continues to reach new heights on the Billboard Hot 100, as 12 seasonal songs light up the latest list (dated Dec. 22), including four in the top 20.
As previously reported, Mariah Carey leads the way with “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which rises 7-6, hitting a new peak and becoming the highest-charting holiday hit on the Hot 100 in 60 years (only David Seville and The Chipmunks’ “The Chipmunk Song” has charted higher, at No. 1 for four weeks in 1958-59).
Carey’s 1994 classic rises with 34.5 million radio audience impressions, 28.1 million U.S. streams and 14,000 downloads sold, according to Nielsen Music.
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“Christmas” also leads Billboard‘s Holiday 100 chart for a 33rd total week. The survey ranks the top holiday hits of all eras using the same methodology as the Hot 100, blending streaming, airplay and sales data.
Next up among yuletide tunes, Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” reaches a new peak, rising 16-13. It drew 31.4 million streams and 25.2 million in radio reach and sold 4,000 in the tracking week. The late crooner appears at his highest rank since 1971, when “(Where Do I Begin) Love Story” hit No. 9, becoming his fourth Hot 100 top 10. (Per chart rules put in place this decade, older songs are eligible to debut on or return to the Hot 100 if showing multi-metric gains and ranking in the top 50.)
The Ronettes return to the Hot 100 after a 52-year break, earning their ninth entry with “Sleigh Ride,” at No. 41. The trio, originally consisting of Veronica “Ronnie” Spector (nee Bennett), Estelle Bennett and Nedra Talley, released the Phil Spector-produced track in 1963, and it debuts at last, up 11 percent to 15.5 million streams. (Click here for details on the eligibility, or lack thereof, of holiday hits on the Hot 100 over the years.)
The Ronettes, who disbanded in 1968, earned eight Hot 100 entries between 1963 and 1966, including five top 40 hits and one top 10: “Be My Baby” peaked at No. 2 on Oct. 12, 1963. Eddie Money interpolated the song, with Ronnie Spector, for his 1986 hit “Take Me Home Tonight,” which reached No. 4, while the original “Baby” received more new exposure thanks to its inclusion in the box office blockbuster Dirty Dancing and its soundtrack in 1987.
Until this week, The Ronettes had last appeared on the Hot 100 dated Oct. 29, 1966, when “I Can Hear Music” spent a week on the chart at No. 100.
Here’s a look at all the holiday songs on the new, Dec. 22-dated Hot 100:
Rank, Title, Artist
No. 6, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Mariah Carey (up from No. 7)
No. 13, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” Andy Williams (up from No. 16)
No. 15, “Jingle Bell Rock,” Bobby Helms (up from No. 26)
No. 18, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” Brenda Lee (up from No. 21)
No. 21, “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” Burl Ives (up from No. 22)
No. 24, “The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You),” Nat King Cole (up from No. 29)
No. 27, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” Gene Autry (up from No. 36)
No. 31, “Last Christmas,” Wham! (up from No. 34)
No. 32, “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow,” Dean Martin (up from No. 41)
No. 40, “Here Comes Santa Claus (Down Santa Claus Lane),” Gene Autry (debut)
No. 41, “Sleigh Ride,” The Ronettes (debut)
No. 42, “Feliz Navidad,” Jose Feliciano (re-entry)
Gene Autry earns his second-ever Hot 100 entry with “Here Comes Santa Claus (Down Santa Claus Lane)” (No. 40), after making his first visit last week with “Rudolph.” Autry, who died in 1998, first released “Santa” in 1947, 11 years before the Hot 100 launched.
Plus, Jose Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad” re-enters at a new No. 42 high. Feliciano, 73, is seeking his third top 40 hit and first in 50 years; “Light My Fire” and “Hi-Heel Sneakers” hits Nos. 3 and 25, respectively, in 1968.
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