As you may or may not know, Billboard’s Hot 100 has changed over the years to adjust to how people actually listen to music nowadays. For instance, about a decade ago, most people were using YouTube to listen to their favorite songs and Billboard wasn’t tracking it and thus the charts were out of whack. Nowadays, obviously most people use song streaming services like Spotify to listen to music and Billboard has adopted to the change (among other measurements, of course).
Here’s the thing, though, while seasonal songs always tended to return to the charts when it got closer to Christmas, the boom in song streaming services make it SO much easier to listen to the same few songs over and over again (as opposed to actually, like, buying singles. People weren’t buying singles of older Christmas songs, ya know?). That’s totally cool for new songs as that’s literally how this stuff works, ya know? The most popular songs ARE the ones that people listen to over and over again, after all, but when it comes to Christmas, the relative dearth of modern Christmas songs has made it so that Mariah Carey’s 27-year-old “All I Want for Christmas Is You” has had an oversized impact on streaming services. After a few years of coming close, it finally hit #1 on the charts in December 2019 and remained there for three weeks (including the first week of 2020) and then two weeks on top in December 2020/January 2021 and now, due to the vagaries of when the Billboard week starts, it has remained #1 on the charts for THREE weeks, including ALL of 2022’s two Billboard weeks, January 1st and January 8th.
The first one, of course, January 1st, reflected Christmas day, but it’s still shocking to see that the song continued to be streamed after the New Year, as well. Its chart success also has to do with no other single being all that big right now (the #2 song and the only current hit among the top few songs is Adele’s “Easy On Me,” which first hit the charts back in OCTOBER!), but it’s still remarkable just HOW much “All I Want For Christmas” is played this time of year, and it’s equally fascinating how much Christmas music continues to be played at the start of the New Year (the rest of the top ten is mostly filled with other Christmas songs).
Continue Reading
Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” makes an unprecedented return to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, rising from No. 2. The carol logs its sixth total week atop the Hot 100 and becomes the first song in the chart’s history to have led in three distinct runs on the ranking.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
The song was first released on Carey’s album Merry Christmas in 1994 and, as streaming has grown and holiday music has become more prominent on streaming services’ seasonal playlists, it hit the Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time in December 2017, before ascending to No. 1 in both December 2019 (for three weeks) and December 2020 (two).
Carey’s gift that keeps on giving (and leading) paces six holiday classics in the Hot 100’s top 10, with Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” rising to No. 2 and Wham!’s “Last Christmas” returning to the tier at No. 9.
The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated Dec. 25) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 21). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Here’s a deeper look at Carey’s latest Hot 100 coronation with “Christmas,” on Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings.
Airplay, streams & sales: Carey’s “Christmas” drew 37.6 million U.S. streams (up 16%) and 26.1 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 7%) and sold 7,400 downloads (up 7%) in the Dec. 10-16 tracking week, according to MRC Data.
The song spends a 13th total week at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart and rises 9-7 on Digital Song Sales; and 24-23 on Radio Songs. It also leads the multi-metric Holiday 100 chart for a 49th week, of the chart’s 54 total weeks since the list launched in 2011; it has topped the tally for 34 consecutive weeks, dating to the start of the 2015-16 holiday season, and dominates as the top title on the recently-revealed Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs chart.
Since its release, the song has upped its U.S. totals to 4.3 billion in radio audience, 1.4 billion streams and 3.7 million in download sales.
No. 1 in a third separate chart run: Carey’s “Christmas” first topped the Hot 100 dated Dec. 21, 2019, and led again on the next two lists, dated Dec. 28, 2019, and Jan. 4, 2020.
The following holiday season, it returned to No. 1 on the chart dated Dec. 19, 2020, and, after a week at No. 2 (below Taylor Swift’s “Willow”), topped the Jan. 2, 2021, dated tally.
As “Christmas” rules the latest, Dec. 25, 2021-dated chart, it claims its sixth total week at No. 1 in its third seasonal run at the summit, becoming the first song in the Hot 100’s 63-year history to lead in three distinct chart runs. The track has re-entered the survey each November or December dating to 2012.
(As “Christmas” has made four interrupted climbs to the top of the Hot 100, on charts dated Dec. 21, 2019, Dec. 19, 2020, Jan. 2, 2021, and now Dec. 25, 2021, it ties 24kGoldn’s “Mood,” featuring iann dior, beginning in October 2020, and Drake’s “Nice for What,” in 2018, as the only songs with four separate ascents to No. 1; unlike “Christmas,” the latter two tracks logged their four distinct rises to No. 1 over unbroken chart stays.)
Longest span atop the Hot 100: Carey’s “Christmas” now boasts the longest span from a song’s first week at No. 1 on the Hot 100 to its latest: two years and four days (Dec. 21, 2019-Dec. 25, 2021).
It passes the only other song to lead the Hot 100 over multiple runs: Chubby Checker’s “The Twist,” which topped the tally dated Sept. 19, 1960, before, thanks to new popularity among adult audiences, leading the lists dated Jan. 13 and 20, 1962, ruling again after a gap of a year, three months and three weeks. (Still, that break remains the longest between Hot 100 reigns.)
Most weeks at No. 1 for a holiday hit: With its sixth week atop the Hot 100, Carey’s “Christmas” extends its record for the most time at No. 1 among holiday songs. The only other seasonal single to jingle to the apex, “The Chipmunk Song,” by David Seville & the Chipmunks, spent four weeks on top beginning in December 1958.
Carey’s record 85th week atop Hot 100: With “Christmas,” Carey claims her record-extending 85th week at No. 1 on the Hot 100, dating to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958, inception.
Most Weeks at No. 1 on Hot 100
85, Mariah Carey
60, Rihanna
59, The
Beatles
52, Drake
50, Boyz II Men
47, Usher
41, Beyoncé
37, Michael Jackson
34, Elton John
34, Bruno Mars
“Christmas” became Carey’s 19th Hot 100 No. 1, the most among soloists and one away from The Beatles’ overall record 20. It also made Carey the first artist to have ranked at No. 1 on the chart in four distinct decades, dating to her first week on top with her debut single, “Vision of Love,” in 1990.
Further, “Christmas” is Carey’s record fifth Hot 100 No. 1 to rule for six weeks or more. She one-ups Boyz II Men, Drake and Usher, each with four such leaders.
Plus, it’s not only fitting that “Christmas” leads the Hot 100 dated Dec. 25, 2021, but Carey is the only artist to top the chart on multiple rankings dated Dec. 25: her “Hero” began a four-week stay at No. 1 on the Dec. 25, 1993, Hot 100. (This week’s chart is the 10th dated Dec. 25 in the list’s history.)
Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” originally released in 1958, rises 3-2 on the Hot 100, returning to its high reached in each of the last two holiday seasons. It dances merrily with 19.8 million in radio airplay audience (up 7%), 35.8 million streams (up 19%) and 5,900 sold (down 3%).
Adele’s “Easy on Me” slips to No. 3 on the Hot 100, after seven nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1, with 86.6 million in radio reach (up 1%), 19.2 million streams (down 7%) and 8,300 in sales (down 10%). The ballad spends a fourth week at No. 1 on Radio Songs.
The late Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock,” from 1957, lifts 6-4 on the Hot 100 and the late Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” from 1964, keeps at No. 5. The Yuletide standards have hit respective peaks of Nos. 3 and 4 in each of the last two holiday seasons.
The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” slides 4-6 on the Hot 100, after seven weeks at No. 1. Notably, over its first 23 weeks on the chart, dating to its July debut at No. 3, the song has yet to rank below No. 6. It’s one of only three titles ever to have spent its first 23 weeks or more in the top six spots, after Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” (27, in 2017) and Post Malone’s “Rockstar,” featuring 21 Savage (also 23, in 2017-18).
The late Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” rises 10-7 on the Hot 100. Originally released in 1963, it hit a No. 5 high last holiday season.
Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves” pushes 9-8 on the Hot 100, after reaching No. 7, as it tops the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts, both of which use the same multi-metric methodology as the Hot 100, for a 13th week each.
Wham!’s “Last Christmas” dashes back to the Hot 100’s top 10, and its No. 9 high, first reached last holiday season, from No. 13. The 1984 release advances with 23.4 million streams (up 16%), 17.1 million in airplay audience (up 7%) and 3,400 sold (up 2%).
The song became the seventh Hot 100 top 10 for the duo of George Michael (who died Dec. 25, 2016) and Andrew Ridgeley, after the pair charted its first six in 1984-86, including the No. 1s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” “Careless Whisper” and “Everything She Wants.” Michael subsequently notched 14 solo top 10s, including seven No. 1s, through 1996.
Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow’s “Industry Baby” descends 8-10, after a week at No. 1, as it posts a 17th week atop the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs charts.
Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Dec. 25), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 21).