Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” returns to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, rising from No. 2. The song, first released on Carey’s album Merry Christmas in 1994 and which first reigned for three weeks last holiday season, adds its fourth total week atop the Hot 100, tying for the most time at No. 1 among holiday hits in the chart’s 62-year history.
The carol is one of a record-tying five Yuletide songs in the Hot 100’s top 10, joined by Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock,” Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and, in the top 10 for the first time, 50 years after its original release, Jose Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad.”
The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated Dec. 19) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 15). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Here’s a deeper look at Carey’s ascent back to No. 1 on the Hot 100 with “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” on Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings.
Streams, sales & airplay: “Christmas” drew 31.4 million U.S. streams (up 19%) and sold 7,000 downloads (up 8%) in the week ending Dec. 10, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. It also tallied 27.1 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 11%) in the week ending Dec. 13.
The track spends a seventh total week at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart and rises 9-8 on Digital Song Sales and 27-22 on Radio Songs. It also crowns the multi-metric Holiday 100 chart for a 43rd week, of the chart’s 48 total weeks since the list launched in 2011; it has topped the tally for 28 consecutive weeks, dating to the start of the 2015-16 holiday season.
(Since its release, the song has drawn 4.1 billion in total radio audience, 1 billion on-demand streams and 3.7 million in download sales in the U.S.)
Ties for longest-leading holiday hit: In December 2017, Carey’s “Christmas” hit the Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time, while a year ago it ascended to the summit at last, 25 years after its original release, becoming the second holiday hit ever to reign: “The Chipmunk Song,” by The Chipmunks with David Seville, spent four weeks at No. 1 beginning in December 1958. Carey’s hit this week, thus, matches The Chipmunks’ for the Hot 100’s longest-leading holiday hit.
No. 1 again after almost a year: Carey’s “Christmas” first topped the Hot 100 dated Dec. 21, 2019, and also led the lists dated Dec. 28, 2019, and Jan. 4, 2020. As it returns to No. 1 this week, on the chart dated Dec. 19, it reigns again after a break of 11 months and 15 days. Only one other song in the Hot 100’s history has returned to the summit after a longer break: Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” topped the Hot 100 dated Sept. 19, 1960, before, thanks to new popularity among adult audiences, it resurged to lead the lists dated Jan. 13 and 20, 1962, ruling again after a gap of a year, three months and three weeks. The latter’s longevity helped spark its No. 1 status on the Greatest of All-Time Hot 100 recap.
Carey’s record 83rd week atop Hot 100: With “Christmas,” Carey claims her record-extending 83rd 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
83, Mariah Carey
60, Rihanna
59, The Beatles
50, Boyz II Men
50, Drake
“Christmas” last year became Carey’s 19th Hot 100 No. 1, the most among soloists and lifting her to within one of 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.
7 x 4: Of Carey’s 19 Hot 100 No. 1s, “Christmas” is her record-tying seventh to rule for four weeks or more. Here’s a rundown: 16 weeks at No. 1, “One Sweet Day” (with Boyz II Men), 1995-96 / 14 weeks, “We Belong Together,” 2005 / 8 weeks, “Fantasy,” 1995; “Dreamlover,” 1993 / 4 weeks, “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” 2019-20; “Hero,” 1993-94; “Vision of Love,” 1990.
Rihanna also boasts seven No. 1s (of her 14 total) that have each led for four or more weeks, including her longest-leading No. 1, “We Found Love” (10 weeks, 2011-12).
Historic No. 1 in U.S. & U.K.: Carey’s “Christmas” additionally makes international chart history, becoming the first holiday song to have topped both the U.S.-based Hot 100 and the Official UK Singles chart, where this week it reigns for the first time. (While just two seasonal songs have ever led the Hot 100, “Christmas” is the latest in the tradition of such hits reaching No. 1 on the UK list.)
More from ‘Santa’: Carey also debuts at No. 76 on the Hot 100 with her new version of “Oh Santa,” featuring Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson. The song, whose original 2010 solo version spent a week at No. 100 on the Hot 100 during the 2010-11 holiday season, charts in its new form with 6.3 million streams, 1.7 million in airplay audience and 10,000 sold. It starts at No. 3 on Digital Song Sales, as well as No. 1 on Holiday Digital Song Sales.
Carey’s update of “Santa,” as well as a new mix of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (both respectively tracked separately from their original versions for chart purposes), premiered on the Apple TV exclusive Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas, Dec. 4. The set’s soundtrack debuts at No. 28 on Top Holiday Albums and No. 99 on the Billboard 200 with 12,000 equivalent album units. Meanwhile, Carey’s Merry Christmas returns to the Billboard 200’s top 10.
24kGoldn’s “Mood,” featuring Iann Dior, drops to No. 2 on the Hot 100 after six nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1, with 84.2 million in airplay audience (down 2%), as it leads Radio Songs for a seventh week; 18.1 million streams (down 4%); and 5,000 sold (down 10%). It tops the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts for a 16th week each and Hot Rap Songs for a ninth week (with all three charts using the same methodology as the Hot 100).
Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” hops 4-3 on the Hot 100, up by 21% to 29.2 million streams, 9% to 21.1 million in radio reach and 13% to 10,000 sold. The 1958 classic hit a No. 2 Hot 100 high last holiday season.
Ariana Grande’s “Positions” drops 3-4 on the Hot 100, after it led the Nov. 7-dated chart upon its debut.
The late Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock,” first released in 1957, trots 9-5 on the Hot 100, after reaching a No. 3 best last holiday season, while Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” re-enters the top 10 at a new peak, jumping 12-6 (besting its prior No. 7 peak reached last holiday season).”Wonderful” was first released in fall 1963 and this week grants the late Williams his highest Hot 100 rank since that spring, when his highest-charting hit, “Can’t Get Used to Losing You,” peaked at No. 2 for four weeks.
The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” returns to the Hot 100’s top 10 (11-7), following the Dec. 4 release of its remix with Rosalía. In the week ending Dec. 10 the song (its original version and Rosalía remix, among other remixes) gained by 22% to 15.3 million streams. The track spent four weeks at No. 1 and banks a record-extending 42nd week in the top 10, while ruling the multi-metric Hot R&B Songs chart for a record-furthering 39th week and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for a fifth frame.
Drake’s “Laugh Now Cry Later,” featuring Lil Durk, descends 6-8 on the Hot 100, after debuting at its No. 2 peak, and Justin Bieber’s “Holy,” featuring Chance the Rapper, falls 7-9, after entering at its No. 3 high.
Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Jose Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad” bounds 16-10, hitting the top 10 for the first time, 50 years after its original 1970 release. (It previously reached No. 12 last holiday season.) It sports gains of 6% to 23 million in radio reach, 15% to 18.5 million streams and 34% to 3,000 sold.
Feliciano adds his second Hot 100 top 10, after his debut entry, his cover of The Doors’ “Light My Fire,” hit No. 3 in August 1968. (The Doors’ original ruled for three weeks in the summer of 1967.) The legendary singer, songwriter and guitarist — who is celebrating the 50th anniversary of “Feliz” this year, including with performances on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and CBS Sunday Morning last week, and a livestream scheduled for Dec. 20 — has charted 11 total Hot 100 entries, as well as 16 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, including eight top 10s.
Meanwhile, a record-tying five holiday songs decorate the Hot 100’s top 10, by Carey, Lee, Helms, Williams and Feliciano. Five holiday hits first sleighed the competition in the region on the chart dated Jan. 4, 2020, with Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas” in place of “Feliz” that week. (On the latest Hot 100, Ives’ standard, first released in 1964, jumps 24-14.)
Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Dec. 19), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 15).
