As the outdated cliché goes, Christmas comes simply every year – however it’s impressed a very timeless collection of seasonal songs. Drawing up a definitive record of festive hits is a process that will tax Santa Claus himself, however we expect these are the very best Christmas songs of all time so as to add to your Christmas Eve playlist ASAP. There is solely one thing for anybody that’s going to be unwrapping Christmas presents – child or grownup – beneath.
Listen to the very best Christmas songs on Apple Music and Spotify, and scroll right down to learn our greatest Christmas songs of all time.
66: Dermot Kennedy – Driving Home For Christmas
“Driving Home For Christmas” has turn out to be a festive favourite by stealth. Composed by highly-regarded UK singer-songwriter Chris Rea, the tune first appeared on the flipside of Rea’s 1986 single “Hello Friend” however solely grew to become a full-fledged A-side when it was launched as a single to assist promote Rea’s first profession retrospective, New Light Through Old Windows in 1988. Even then, it solely made No. 53 within the UK, however it’s loved a sturdy afterlife. Annual reissues have taken Rea’s unique recording into the UK’s festive singles chart on a yearly foundation since 2007, and the tune loved its highest chart peak to this point (No.10) in 2021.
Dermot Kennedy recorded an unique cowl of “Driving Home For Christmas” for Apple Music in 2021. His take is sparser and arguably extra poignant than Rea’s, however then it’s a tune which has all the time resonated with the Dublin singer-songwriter. “I think I feel an extra attachment to it now because I’m always away from home,” Kennedy mentioned in a 2021 interview. “Christmas is the time I just know I’m going to be home and I can always count on that.”
65: Eagles – Please Come Home For Christmas
First recorded by American blues singer/pianist Charles Brown in 1960, “Please Come Home For Christmas” entered the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1961 after which appeared on the Christmas Singles chart for 9 seasons, lastly hitting No. 1 in 1972. With Don Henley taking lead vocals, Eagles’ 1978 model peaked at No.18 on the Hot 100, the primary Christmas tune to succeed in the Top 20 on that chart since Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Paper,” in 1963.
64: Blondie feat. Fab 5 Freddy – Yuletide Throwdown
Blondie are well-known for shouting out Fab 5 Freddy on their 1980 tune “Rapture,” with lead singer Debbie Harry ending a verse with, “Fab 5 Freddy told me everybody’s fly.” What many don’t keep in mind, although, is that the 2 linked up for a Christmas tune known as “Yuletide Throwdown” a 12 months later. Blondie re-released the tune in 2021, shining a light-weight on what may be one among their first hip-hop Christmas songs ever. – Will Schube
63: Aly & AJ – Greatest Time of Year
It isn’t usually {that a} Christmas unique is accepted so rapidly into the mainstream, however Aly & AJ’s 2006 hit “Greatest Time of Year” is one among them. Alyson and AJ Michalka co-wrote the winter and bright-spirited tune alongside Antonina Armato and Tim James. It was featured within the motion pictures The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause and Barbie: A Perfect Christmas in addition to the duo’s personal album Acoustic Hearts of Winter. – Jacklyn Krol
62: Jonas Brothers – Girl of My Dreams
The Jonas Brothers are identified for hits like “Sucker” and “Burnin’ Up,” however what you might not know is that they really launched an unique Christmas tune again in 2007 for the Disney Channel Holiday report. Kevin, Joe, and Nick sing about forgetting presents and wishing for a “girl of my dreams” and even carry out some “fa-la-la-la-las” for good measure. Lucky followers could have seen the trio of brothers carry out the tune at Walt Disney World and at a “Christmas at Rockefeller” tv particular. – Jacklyn Krol
61: The Muppets – I Wish I Could Be Santa Claus
It’s not simply bands which have unique Christmas music. Even The Muppets have their very personal vacation carol. Muppets Gonzo and Fozzie sing about wanting Santa Claus’ job on this little quantity. The tune seems in each A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa and The Muppets: A Green and Red Christmas. It was even nominated for Outstanding Music and Lyrics on the 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. – Jacklyn Krol
60: Frank Sinatra – Mistletoe And Holly
Though a long-established Christmas basic, “Mistletoe And Holly” – which was co-written by Frank Sinatra – truly didn’t chart when Capitol launched it in 1957. The tune additionally featured on the star’s first full-length vacation album, A Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra, and has since turn out to be a festive staple due to covers by artists together with Jack Jones and Charlie Byrd.
59: Descendants Cast – Jolly to the Core
This tune sees the forged of the Disney Channel Original Movie Descendants placing a vacation twist on their hit “Rotten to the Core.” The remixed model, “Jolly to the Core,” was sung by the film’s stars, Dove Cameron, Cameron Boyce, Sofia Carson, and Booboo Stewart. The forged carried out the tune throughout the tv particular, “Disney Parks Presents: A Descendants Magical Holiday Celebration” which obtained over 48 million views on YouTube. The tune was additionally featured on the 2016 album, Disney Channel Holiday Hits. – Jacklyn Krol
58: Burl Ives – Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
By the time Burl Ives got here spherical to recording “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” in 1964, the tune had already been a success tune for scores of musicians, together with Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Dean Martin, and Ella Fitzgerald. Ives had launched a Christmas album in 1957, and he returned to festive music together with his voiceover position as Sam the Snowman within the NBC tv particular Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which aired in December 1964. The ensuing album, which was launched with the unusually lengthy title The Original Sound Track And Music From Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer: A Videocraft TV Musical Spectacular that includes the voice of Burl Ives, was recorded at Brooklyn Studios and pressed by Decca Records. The reputation of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” has continued unwaveringly, and so has the basic 1964 tv present. It is now the longest-running vacation particular, having aired each Christmas for greater than half a century. When Ives was requested in regards to the present in 1978, he replied: “I always watch Rudolph every year. It’s always nice, it’s amazing seeing how well it’s held up.” – Martin Chilton
57: Ramones: Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)
“Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)” first appeared because the B-side to the 1987 single “I Wanna Live” and the Ramones recorded the better-known model for his or her 1989 album Brain Drain. It featured Johnny Ramone’s thrashing guitar behind Joey’s Ramone’s punchy vocal supply of his personal lyrics. Although this tune about avoiding battle at Christmas didn’t show widespread on the time, it’s now hailed as a substitute Christmas basic, filled with beguiling imagery (“All the children are tucked in their beds/Sugar-plum fairies dancing in their heads) and complete with a mention of Rudolph. In 2004, “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)” was used within the movie Christmas with the Kranks, starring Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Dan Aykroyd. – Martin Chilton
56: Willie Nelson: Pretty Paper
Back in 1963, when Willie Nelson was writing songs for commissions, he agreed to let Roy Orbison report “Pretty Paper” and the star of “Only the Lonely” promptly had a success with this sweetly sentimental tune a few avenue vendor who markets his stationary and pencils with cries of “pretty paper, pretty ribbons of blue.” Nelson primarily based the tune on a person in Fort Texas, whose legs had been amputated and who had to make use of rollers to maneuver up and down the sidewalk to promote his wares. Nelson launched his personal model a 12 months later, when it was initially known as “Little Darling (Pretty Paper),” and has returned repeatedly to the tune through the years, together with in a memorable duet with Dolly Parton. – Martin Chilton
55: Bing Crosby: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing / It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
Bing Crosby’s wealthy heat bass voice is completely suited to carols, and he recorded a complete set for his 1962 album I Wish You A Merry Christmas, utilizing beautiful orchestral preparations by Bob Thompson, Peter Matz, and Jack Holloran after which over-dubbing his vocals on the music. The spotlight of the album is a medley of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” primarily based on a 1739 biblical carol utilizing a melody from Felix Mendelssohn, and “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.” The phrases for that latter tune had been composed in 1850 by a dour cleric known as Edmund Sears, who was writing about his melancholy instances as a minister in Massachusetts. It says every thing for the heat in Crosby’s voice that he made a tune about “the weary world” and “life’s crushing load” sound so joyful. – Martin Chilton
54: Jimmy Durante – Frosty The Snowman
On June 20, 1950, 57-year-old Jimmy Durante went into MGM’s recording studios in Hollywood to report his first model of “Frosty the Snowman.” That orchestrated model was organized and performed by Roy Bargy, a pianist who had labored with jazz legend Bix Beiderbecke. His raspy-voiced model proved a success for MGM after it was launched in December 1950 for the Christmas rush. Nearly 20 years later, when Arthur Rankin Jr. was directing the well-known tv particular primarily based on the “Frosty the Snowman” lyrics, he mentioned he wished Durante to voice the narrator and sing the title tune “in that strange Jimmy Durante voice.” The 25-minute animated movie, that includes Jackie Vernon because the Snowman, was broadcast on CBS on December 7, 1969. The present rapidly grew to become a festive basic and Durante’s new model of the tune, scored by Maury Laws, grew to become widespread once more, proving its endurance as a vacation basic. – Martin Chilton
53: The Waitresses: Christmas Wrapping
One of probably the most uncommon and revolutionary festive hits was 1981’s “Christmas Wrapping,” a captivating, insouciant love tune a few single girl who is set to not be a part of the exhausting seasonal rigmarole – till destiny intervenes on Christmas Eve when she goes out to the all-night grocery to purchase cranberries. The Waitresses had been a brand new wave band from Akron, Ohio, and the tune was written in a rush by guitarist Chris Butler (he completed the lyrics in a taxi on the best way to the recording studio) and sung by the late Patty Donahue. Butler, who joked that earlier than the tune “I was such a Scrooge. I hated Christmas!”, mentioned the optimistic reception to “Christmas Wrapping” put the band “on an upswing again.” – Martin Chilton
52: Kelly Clarkson: Underneath the Tree
Kelly Clarkson swept the charts in 2013 together with her bubbly Christmas tune “Underneath the Tree” – carried out as a giant band energy ballad, with a wonderful baritone saxophone solo from David Ralicke – which she co-wrote with Grammy-winning producer Greg Kurstin. The feel-good tune, full with festive horns and bells, was launched because the lead single from the singer’s first Christmas album, Wrapped In Red. Clarkson additionally made the shrewd transfer to herald English director Hamish Hamilton, a person who’d filmed the Oscars and Super Bowl half-time exhibits, to supervise the video for the tune, filmed throughout a stay efficiency in Las Vegas for the tv particular Kelly Clarkson’s Cautionary Christmas Music Tale. – Martin Chilton
51: Judy Garland: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” accommodates the particular kind of lyrics that talk to the guts of listeners in probably the most affecting manner. It was written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blaine for Judy Garland’s 1944 film, Meet Me in St. Louis. Garland, star of The Wizard of Oz, thought the lyrics had been too unhappy, however put her coronary heart and soul into singing the traces about having to “muddle through somehow” in lonely instances. When Frank Sinatra recorded it in 1957, he rang Martin and mentioned, “The name of my album is A Jolly Christmas. Do you think you could jolly up that line for me?” Martin later confirmed that he “tweaked” the tune for Sinatra. “We put ‘hang a shining star upon the highest bough’ instead of having to muddle through,” the songwriter admitted. – Martin Chilton
50: Alvin & The Chipmunks – The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)
As novelty songs go, “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)” has lasted higher than most. Written by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr (beneath the stage title of David Seville), in 1958, the tune was conceived via a feat of pioneering studio wizardry throughout which the vocals had been recorded at various tape speeds to supply high-pitched “chipmunk” voices. Accordingly, the vocals are credited to The Chipmunks, Seville’s cartoon band, however it was their creator who bagged three Grammy Awards in 1958 – for Best Comedy Performance, Best Children’s Recording and Best Engineered Record (Non-Classical).
49: Thurl Ravenscroft – You’re A Mean One, Mr Grinch
“You’re A Mean One, Mr Grinch” was written for the 1966 cartoon particular How The Grinch Stole Christmas!, primarily based upon the eponymous youngsters’s e-book by Dr Seuss. The tune was carried out by Thurl Ravenscroft, who readers of a sure age may recall because the booming voice behind Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes’ animated spokesman, Tony The Tiger. However, as a result of Ravenscroft went uncredited within the present’s closing credit, the observe’s vocal is usually mistakenly attributed to Boris Karloff, who served because the narrator and the voice of The Grinch within the TV particular.
48: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez – Do You Want to Build a Snowman?
Ever because it leapt off the massive display in 2013, “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” has been a blockbuster vacation tune. The tune was recorded by Kristen Bell, Agatha Lee Monn, and Katie Lopez who portrayed the position of Anna at totally different ages for Frozen. Songwriting masterminds Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez penned the tune, which grew to become the second best-selling Christmas digital single of all time. It’s been lined by the likes of Mickey Guyton, Lea Michele, Laura Marano, and Disney Channel Korea’s Mickey Mouse Club. – Jacklyn Krol
47: Neil Diamond – Cherry Cherry Christmas
Neil Diamond’s third Christmas album, A Cherry Cherry Christmas, was launched in October 2009. It kicked off with the freshly-penned title observe, which references Diamond’s earlier hit “Song Sung Blue” in its lyrics, and has all of the hallmarks of a festive tune that will probably be round for a very long time. The album additionally included a canopy of Adam Sandler’s “The Chanukah Song,” which Diamond recorded as a result of “there are so many beautiful Christmas songs around and so few Hanukkah songs.”
46. Chuck Berry – Run, Rudolph Run
Written by Johnny Marks (of “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” fame), Chuck Berry’s “Run, Rudolph, Run” was virtually a Xerox of his hit “Little Queenie,” however with further festive enjoyable. Though solely a minor hit (it peaked at No. 69 on the Billboard Hot 100), it’s loved a fertile afterlife, with Keith Richards, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Billy Idol, Lulu and Mancunian glam-punks Slaughter & The Dogs among the many multitude who’ve since recorded variations.
45: Michael Bublé – It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
Written in 1951 by US composer and flautist Meredith Willson, “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” has been recorded by many artists, however was initially a success for Perry Como in 1951 – the identical 12 months that Bing Crosby recorded a model that was additionally broadly praised. Renowned Canadian crooner Michael Bublé’s rendition featured on his 2011 album Christmas, which topped the US Billboard 200 on launch.
44: Justin Bieber – Mistletoe
A contemporary-day Christmas tune with all of the hallmarks of a keeper, the reggae-flavored “Mistletoe” was written by Justin Bieber and the tune’s producers, Nasri and Adam Messinger. A Top 10 hit in Bieber’s native Canada and a Billboard Top 20 entry when it was first launched in 2011, “Mistletoe” is among the many all-time best-selling Christmas/vacation digital singles in historical past.
43: Jessie J – (Everybody’s Waitin’ For) The Man With The Bag
Jessie J first recorded this ode to Santa’s sackful of presents for a 2015 Boots Christmas advert, and it additionally featured on her first festive album, 2018’s This Christmas Day. The tune itself, nevertheless, dates again to the early 50s, when versatile US jazz and pop singer Kay Starr’s unique recording was a daily function of Billboard’s “Top Christmas Songs” run down.
42: Pentatonix – Mary, Did You Know?
Pentatonix’s memorable model of “Mary, Did You Know?” appeared on the a cappella outfit’s third album, 2014’s That’s Christmas To Me, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and went double-platinum within the US. A flexible Christmas tune addressing Mary, mom of Jesus, the tune was initially recorded by Christian recording artist Michael English on his self-titled debut solo album, in 1991, and it’s since been reimagined by artists starting from rapper CeeLo Green to nation stars Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd.
41: Bing Crosby – Do You Hear What I Hear?
Unlikely as it might sound, 1962’s “Do You Hear What I Hear?” – created by married songwriting workforce Noël Regney and Gloria Shayne – started life as a plea for peace throughout the doubtlessly apocalyptic Cuban Missile Crisis. The tune’s common message, nevertheless, led to it being recorded for Mercury Records by The Harry Simeone Chorale (of “Little Drummer Boy” fame) earlier than Bing Crosby made the tune into a success when he recorded his personal model, in October 1963.
40: Bryan Adams – Christmas Time
Bryan Adams’ most enduring festive quantity, 1985’s “Christmas Time,” was co-written by the singer and his longtime collaborator Jim Vallance, who additionally penned the only’s B-side, “Reggae Christmas.” The latter tune was apparently influenced by an opportunity assembly with Ringo Starr, and it was first launched as a fan club-only single in December 1984, with a Christmas message by Adams and his band on the B-side, titled “Plum Pudding.”
39: Vince Guaraldi Trio – Christmas Time Is Here
“Christmas Time Is Here” was written by Lee Mendelson and jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi for the 1965 TV particular A Charlie Brown Christmas, one of many first animated Christmas specials produced for community TV within the US. Because the tune grew to become a success, two variations had been included on the album A Charlie Brown Christmas: an instrumental model by Vince Guaraldi Trio and a vocal model by choristers from St Paul’s Episcopal Church in San Rafael, California.
38: Ariana Grande – Santa Tell Me
A brand new breed of Christmas tune, 2015’s R&B-influenced “Santa Tell Me” finds Ariana Grande questioning whether or not the massive man on the North Pole actually exists, and, in that case, can he supply recommendation on what would possibly simply be a vacation romance or maybe the true factor? Smart, sassy and extremely infectious.
37: Gwen Stefani And Blake Shelton – You Make It Feel Like Christmas
The celebratory, Motown-esque “You Make It Feel Like Christmas” is the titular tune from the No Doubt singer’s full-length Christmas album. A duet with nation singer Blake Shelton, it was first launched in time for Christmas 2017.
36: Seth McFarlane & Sara Bareilles – Baby, It’s Cold Outside
Penned by Frank Loesser in 1944, “Baby It’s Cold Outside” first rose to prominence 5 years later when it received an Academy Award after that includes within the soundtrack for the smash hit film Neptune’s Daughter. Though not particularly a festive tune, its winter theme has led to it turning into a Christmas normal. Recorded in 2014, Seth McFarlane and Sara Bareilles’ swingin’ model of this basic duet takes some beating, although artists comparable to Vince Gill and Amy Grant, and Darius Rucker and Sheryl Crow have additionally tackled it lately.
35: Burl Ives – A Holly Jolly Christmas
“A Holly Jolly Christmas” (also called “Have A Holly Jolly Christmas”) was extra festive gold from the pen of Johnny Marks, and most famously recorded by US entertainer Burl Ives, in 1964. It appeared on the album Have A Holly Jolly Christmas, first launched by Decca Records in October 1965. alongside Ives’ different legendary festive tune, “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
34: The Temptations – Silent Night
The Temptations’ emotive studying of the basic Christmas hymn “Silent Night” appeared on the Motown stars’ second festive album, 1980’s widely-acclaimed Give Love At Christmas. The group’s model of the long-lasting Nineteenth-century Austrian hymn was punctuated by bass singer Melvin Franklin’s memorable sign-off, “Merry Christmas, from the Temptations!” and the tune grew to become an everlasting staple of rhythm’n’blues radio throughout the vacation season.
33: The Beach Boys – Little Saint Nick
“Little Saint Nick” is a Christmas-themed hot-rod tune about Santa Claus and his sleigh, written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love. The tune was first launched as a single on December 9, 1963, and peaked at No. 3 on Billboard’s particular seasonal weekly Christmas Singles chart. It additionally appeared on the Californian legends’ Beach Boys Christmas Album in November 1964, which blended modern materials with covers of requirements comparable to “White Christmas” and “Frosty The Snowman.”
32: Peggy Lee – The Christmas Waltz
Eminent songwriters Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne initially composed “The Christmas Waltz” for Frank Sinatra, who recorded it in 1954 because the B-side of a brand new recording of “White Christmas.” However, Peggy Lee later reduce a captivating model for her 1960 Capitol Records album Christmas Carousel, and this enduring tune has since proved its value within the palms of stars comparable to Doris Day, Bing Crosby, Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett and Harry Connick, Jr.
31: Josh Groban & Faith Hill – The First Noël
Featuring a duet with nation star Faith Hill, US singer-songwriter Groban’s model of “The First Noël” appeared on his 2007 Yuletide album, Noël, which grew to become North America’s biggest-selling vacation album of 2008. However, the tune itself – a conventional classical English Christmas carol of Cornish origin – has lent itself to cowl variations for nicely over a century, with performers as various as Frank Sinatra, The Louvin Brothers, Al Green and even Chas & Dave having taken a tilt at over the previous 60 years.
30: Stevie Wonder – Someday At Christmas
First launched by Motown in November 1967, Stevie Wonder’s Someday At Christmas was the star’s eighth studio album and his first full-length vacation album. It included covers of festive requirements comparable to “Ave Maria” and “The Little Drummer Boy,” but in addition freshly-penned materials, such because the title observe, which was a US Top 30 for Wonder and was later lined by Jackson 5, The Temptations, Mary J Blige and Pearl Jam.
29: Ella Fitzgerald – Sleigh Ride
Originally a light-weight orchestra normal composed by Leroy Anderson, “Sleigh Ride” first grew to become a success after Mitchell Parish added lyrics and The Andrews Sisters recorded the primary vocal model in 1950. It has additionally been recorded by The Ronettes and Spice Girls, however arguably its definitive model is Ella Fitzgerald’s regal take from 1960 – one of many many highlights of Verve’s Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas, recorded with a full studio orchestra performed by Academy Award nominee Frank DeVol.
28: U2 – Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)
U2 first had a run-in with Christmas songs in 1984, when Bono sang, and Adam Clayton performed bass, on Band Aid’s iconic “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” In 1987, nevertheless, future Rattle & Hum producer Jimmy Iovine oversaw the A Very Special Christmas charity album for the Special Olympics, to which U2 donated a canopy of the Phil Spector-penned “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).” The earlier 12 months, Darlene Love had sung the identical tune on Late Show With David Letterman (beginning a convention that will proceed till his present left the air), and he or she additionally contributed backing vocals to U2’s rousing model.
27: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Christmas All Over Again
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers introduced slightly Byrds-esque jangle to the festive season with the self-penned “Christmas All Over Again,” the lead reduce from 1992’s A Very Special Christmas 2 – the second of A&M’s Yuletide-themed compilation albums produced to profit the Special Olympics. The album was licensed double-platinum in 2001, having moved two million copies in North America.
26: Eartha Kitt – Santa Baby
Another festive basic relationship again to the 50s, Joan Javits and Philip Springer’s “Santa Baby” was an enormous hit for Eartha Kitt in 1953. More light-hearted than many Yuletide songs, the observe is a tongue-in-cheek take a look at a Christmas record addressed to Santa Claus by a girl who needs extravagant presents comparable to sables, yachts and decorations from Tiffany’s. A perennial Christmas favorite, “Santa Baby” yielded a gold disc for Kitt within the US and has since been lined by Madonna, Kylie Minogue, and Ariana Grande.
25: Glen Campbell – I’ll Be Home For Christmas
Originally a US Top 10 hit for Bing Crosby in 1943, Kim Gannon and Walter Kent’s “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” was initially written in tribute to abroad troopers throughout World War II who longed to be dwelling at Christmas time. The tune has since turn out to be a holidays normal, with Frank Sinatra, Jack Jones and Connie Francis additionally recording variations, along with Glen Campbell, whose plaintive tackle “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” appeared on 1968’s That Christmas Feeling.
24: Charles Brown – Merry Christmas, Baby
Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers had been one of many hottest blues sights on the US West Coast when their recording of “Merry Christmas Baby” reached No. 3 on Billboard’s R&B Juke Box chart throughout the Christmas season of 1947. For the recording, Moore, a guitarist, was accompanied by singer/pianist Brown, bassist Eddie Williams and guitarist Oscar Moore (Johnny’s brother, then a member of The King Cole Trio). An enduring hit, “Merry Christmas Baby” has since been lined by many artists, together with Chuck Berry, Otis Redding, BB King, Elvis Presley and Bruce Springsteen.
23: Brenda Lee – Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree
Another Christmas cracker from Johnny Marks – who additionally penned Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas” – “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” was first recorded by the 13-year-old Brenda Lee, in 1958. An preliminary Billboard Hot 100 breakthrough got here in 1960, however the tune hit its US chart peak (to this point) in 2018 when it rose to No. 9. Now a longtime seasonal normal, “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” additionally featured prominently within the blockbuster 1990 film Home Alone.
22: Elton John – Step Into Christmas
First issued in 1973, Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s “Step Into Christmas” was deliberately combined utilizing a number of compression, in homage to Phil Spector’s legendary “Wall Of Sound” productions from the 60s. Though recorded rapidly, the tune has an everlasting attraction and it achieved its highest UK chart putting of No.11 when it was reissued in 2017.
21: Frankie Goes To Hollywood – The Power Of Love
If we’re splitting hairs, we may argue Frankie Goes To Hollywood‘s “The Power Of Love” isn’t technically a Christmas tune as its lyric doesn’t instantly reference the yearly festivities. However, the unique single sleeve depicted the Assumption of the Virgin, and the tune’s promo video featured the Nativity of Jesus, so it’s a Christmas tune in all however title. It additionally climbed to No. 1 within the UK within the run as much as Christmas 1984, however just for one week earlier than being usurped by Band Aid’s high-profile charity single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” Nonetheless, as hovering energy ballads go, “The Power Of Love” is correct up there with the very best of them. It didn’t have the controversy of “Relax” or the widescreen drama of “Two Tribes” however it’s bought soul and spirituality, and it’s arguably the very best of Frankie’s triumvirate of chart-toppers.
20: Carpenters – (There’s No Place Like) Home For The Holidays
Another festive basic relationship again to the 50s, “(There’s No Place Like) Home For The Holidays” is probably nonetheless related primarily with legendary crooner Perry Como, who recorded the tune twice with Mitchell Ayres’ Orchestra and The Ray Charles Singers, with its preliminary launch peaking at No. 8 within the Billboard journal chart in 1954. Carpenters, nevertheless, additionally recorded this tender model of the tune, which appeared on 1984’s An Old-Fashioned Christmas.
19: José Feliciano – Feliz Navidad
Puerto Rican singer-songwriter José Feliciano wrote “Feliz Navidad” in 1970, and it’s lengthy been accepted as a basic Christmas pop tune. Its Spanish refrain (the normal Christmas/New Year greeting “Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad”) interprets as “Merry Christmas, a prosperous year and happiness”, whereas there’s no denying the sincerity of its English lyric, “I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart.” “Feliz Navidad” has a common attraction, so it’s no shock to be taught it’s one the most-played Christmas songs within the US and Canada.
18: Bobby Helms – Jingle Bell Rock
An evergreen Christmas tune, first launched in 1957, Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” was composed by Joseph Carleton Beal and James Ross Boothe, and its lyrics reference different widespread 50s hits, comparable to Bill Haley’s “Rock Around The Clock.” Remarkably, in January 2019, the tune entered the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 10 for the primary time – 60 years after it first charted, in 1958.
17: Mariah Carey – All I Want For Christmas Is You
The lead single from Carey’s fourth studio album – and first vacation album – 1994’s Merry Christmas, the uptempo “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is the best-selling modern-day Christmas tune, having moved an estimated 16 million copies to this point. It’s additionally attracted vital acclaim, with The New Yorker referring to it as “one of the few worthy modern additions to the holiday canon.”
16: Queen – Thank God It’s Christmas
Queen’s bid for festive glory, the stirring “Thank God It’s Christmas,” was written by lead guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. Released on November 26, 1984, the only spent six weeks within the UK charts that Christmas and New Year, peaking at No. 21. It later appeared solely on the band’s Greatest Hits III, in 1999, and was included on the bonus EP packaged with the deluxe version of The Works, remastered and reissued in 2011.
15: Harry Simeone Chorale – The Little Drummer Boy
A festive tune with an intricate historical past, “The Little Drummer Boy” was written (as “Carol Of The Drum”) by American classical music composer Katherine Kennicott Davis, in 1941. It was first recorded by the Trapp Family Singers (of The Sound Of Music fame) in 1951, however loved extra widespread reputation in 1958 after being rearranged as “The Little Drummer Boy” by composer/conductor Harry Simeone. With an added counterpoint concord and extra lyrics, David Bowie and Bing Crosby revisited the tune as “The Little Drummer Boy”/“Peace On Earth” in 1977 and scored an enormous transatlantic hit.
14: Nat King Cole – The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas)
First recorded (twice) in 1946, then once more in 1953 and, lastly, in 1961, with an orchestra performed by Ralph Carmichael, “The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas)” is broadly considered one of many season’s definitive songs. Ironically, the tune’s co-writers, Bob Wells and Mel Tormé, composed it on the peak of a sweltering summer time. We can in all probability assume there have been no chestnuts roasting on an open hearth proper then.
13: Tony Bennett And Lady Gaga – Winter Wonderland
Composers Felix Barnard and Richard B Smith co-wrote “Winter Wonderland” in 1934 and it’s since turn out to be a Christmas normal, attracting upwards of 200 cowl variations. Earning its place among the many greatest Christmas songs ever is an particularly dashing rendition by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, which was given a standalone launch in 2014, shortly after the duo’s US chart-topping jazz requirements album, Cheek To Cheek.
12: Wizzard – I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday
Bearing in thoughts he was integral to The Move and a founder member of ELO, Roy Wood has fairly a CV. He’s additionally synonymous with Yuletide, due to the anthemic “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday,” which he recorded together with his glam rock outfit, Wizzard. First launched in December 1973, the tune soared to No. 4 on the UK Top 40, however it was overwhelmed to that 12 months’s Christmas No. 1 spot by Slade’s equally memorable “Merry Xmas Everybody.” However, “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday” has since turn out to be a part of the cultural cloth. In December 2012, the British public voted the tune second (behind “Fairytale Of New York”) in ITV’s The Nation’s Favorite Christmas Song.
11: Jackson 5 – Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town
An enduring basic, John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie’s “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town” was first recorded in 1934 and has handed down the generations from Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters to Bruce Springsteen and Mariah Carey. Jackson 5’s euphoric model first appeared on their 1970 bestseller, Jackson 5 Christmas Album.
10: Paul McCartney – Wonderful Christmastime
A UK Top 10 hit on its preliminary launch in 1979, “Wonderful Christmastime” now feels a part of the festive cloth. The tune nonetheless receives substantial airplay every year and has attracted covers from artists as disparate as Diana Ross, Jimmy Buffett, Demi Lovato and The Shins.
9: Andy Williams – It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
With its lyrical references to spending time with family members, sledding for kids, roasting marshmallows and different festive staples, “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” is a real Christmas chestnut. Curiously, although, whereas the observe is broadly considered the flagship tune from the platinum-selling The Andy Williams Christmas Album, the Grammy Award-winning US vocalist’s model of “White Christmas” was initially chosen to advertise the album when it first launched in 1963.
8: Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas
Written by Billy Hayes and Jay W Johnston, the melancholic “Blue Christmas” was first recorded by Doye O’Dell, in 1948, earlier than nation pioneer Ernest Tubb turned in a distinguished model of the tune. However, Elvis Presley cemented “Blue Christmas”’s standing as a rock’n’roll vacation basic when he recorded it for his 1957 report Elvis’ Christmas Album, which moved over 20 million copies and stays the world’s best-selling Christmas album.
7: Dean Martin – Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow
This enduring festive tune was recorded for RCA Victor in 1945, by Vaughn Monroe, and have become a No. 1 on Billboard’s Best Sellers music chart in late January, the place it remained via February 1946. Woody Herman’s competing recording peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard chart, although legendary crooner Dean Martin recorded what is usually considered the definitive model in 1959, as a part of his album A Winter Romance. A re-recorded model of “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!’ later appeared in 1966 on The Dean Martin Christmas Album.
6: John Lennon & Yoko Ono – Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
The end result of greater than two years’ value of peace activism undertaken by John Lennon and Yoko Ono that started with the bed-ins they staged in March and May 1969, “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” was partially conceived as an anti-Vietnam War protest tune. Recorded with the Harlem Community Choir, the tune first charted within the UK Top 5 in 1972 and shortly earned its fame as the most effective Christmas songs of all time.
5: Band Aid – Do They Know It’s Christmas?
Co-written by Bob Geldof and Ultravox’s Midge Ure in response to Ethiopia’s mid-80s famine, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” featured an array of stars together with Sting, Phil Collins and U2’s Bono. It displaced Wings’ “Mull Of Kintyre” because the fastest-selling UK single in historical past and held the report till Elton John’s 1997 launch of “Candle In The Wind”.
4: The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl – Fairytale Of New York
About as bittersweet a Christmas tune because it’s attainable to think about, The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl’s Celtic folk-flavored “Fairytale Of New York” was as soon as banned by the BBC for its uncooked language (“You’re a bum, you’re a punk, you’re an old slut on junk”), however it’s now the most-played Christmas tune of the twenty first century. Wherever you stand on its lyrics, it’s not possible to disclaim the facility of this really singular ballad, which was inexplicably held off the Christmas No. 1 slot by Pet Shop Boys’ cowl of “Always On My Mind” in 1987.
3: Frank Sinatra – Jingle Bells
“Jingle Bells” could now be synonymous with Christmas, however it was written by James Lord Pierpont in 1857 and meant for Thanksgiving season within the US. First recorded on an Edison Cylinder in 1889, it’s been a million-seller for Bing Crosby, Perry Como and extra, however Frank Sinatra’s elegant 1948 recording nonetheless takes some beating.
2: Wham! – Last Christmas
1984 was a 12 months for iconic ballads, and two of them – Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s “The Power Of Love” and the high-profile charity tune “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” – conspired to stop Wham!’s in any other case sure-fire festive chart-topper, “Last Christmas,” from reaching No. 1 that 12 months. Reissues of the George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley tune, nevertheless, have taken it into the UK Top 40 on 13 events. Indeed, “Last Christmas” at the moment holds the report because the biggest-selling single in UK chart historical past to not attain No. 1.
1. Bing Crosby – White Christmas
Simply a behemoth of a festive anthem, “White Christmas” is the daddy of all Christmas songs. Penned by Irving Berlin, it has been recorded numerous instances, however the definitive take remains to be Bing Crosby’s 1942 Decca recording – broadly believed to the world’s best-selling single of all time, with estimated gross sales of over 50 million copies.
Looking for extra? Discover the best Christmas songs of all time.