Holiday 100 Chart Returns, Ruled by Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’
The seasonal survey finds Carey's 1994 classic at its familiar spot on top.
The Holiday 100 makes its annual sleigh ride back to Billboard‘s charts menu, ranking the top seasonal songs of all eras via the same formula used for the Billboard Hot 100, blending streaming, airplay and sales data.
Continuing a modern tradition, Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” leads the Holiday 100, for a 31st of the chart’s 36 total frames since the list launched in 2011. The only other No. 1s: Justin Bieber‘s “Mistletoe,” for a week in the 2011-12 holiday season; Pentatonix‘s “Little Drummer Boy” (one, 2013-14) and “Mary, Did You Know?” (two, 2014-15); and Ariana Grande‘s “Santa Tell Me” (one, 2014-15).
Carey’s 1994 carol crowns all three of the Holiday 100’s component charts: Holiday Airplay (27.5 million audience impressions, up 19 percent, in the tracking week, according to Nielsen Music); Holiday Streaming Songs (22 million U.S. streams, up 53 percent); and Holiday Digital Song Sales (12,000 sold, up 40 percent).
Rounding out the Holiday 100’s top five is a quartet of multi-generational favorites: Andy Williams‘ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” (No. 2); Brenda Lee‘s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (No. 3); Burl Ives‘ “A Holly Jolly Christmas” (No. 4); and Bobby Helms‘ “Jingle Bell Rock” (No. 5).
The second-youngest song in the Holiday 100’s top 10? Wham!‘s 1984 chestnut “Last Christmas” (No. 7).
Among songs released this year, Katy Perry‘s Amazon-exclusive “Cozy Little Christmas” and John Legend‘s “What Christmas Means to Me,” featuring Stevie Wonder, decorate the Holiday 100 for the first time, at Nos. 43 and 44, respectively.
Check out the entire Holiday 100 here.
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