Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” remains the biggest song in the world, as her 1994 carol spends a third frame at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart.
The track also ascends to No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. survey.
The two charts (the latest of which are dated Jan. 2, 2021) premiered in September and rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Nielsen Music/MRC Data. The Billboard Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the U.S.
Chart rankings are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.
Third Week at No. 1 for ‘Christmas’ on Global 200
Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” tops the Billboard Global 200 for a third week, up 55% to 130 million streams and 30% to 27,000 sold worldwide in the week ending Dec. 24. The song, first released on Carey’s 1994 holiday album Merry Christmas, claims the second-most weekly streams since the chart began, trailing only the weekly high for BTS’ “Life Goes On” (152.5 million, Dec. 5).
The Global 200’s top nine songs are seasonal, with Carey’s followed in the top five by Wham!’s “Last Christmas” (5-2), Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (4-3), Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” (7-4) and Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” (10-5), all of which hit new highs.
Michael Bublé’s “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” jingles 14-6 on the Global 200, followed by Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” (11-7), Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath the Tree” (17-8) and Jose Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad” (18-9), also all at new best ranks.
(Rounding out the Global 200’s top 10, and breaking up the region’s sleighful of holiday hits, Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez’s former three-week No. 1 “Dákiti” drops 3-10.)
‘Christmas’ Atop Global Excl. U.S. for First Time
Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” rises to No. 1, from No. 2, to top the Global Excl. U.S. chart for the first time, with 58.5 million streams (up 22%) and 11,000 sold (up 3%) in territories outside the U.S. in the week ending Dec. 24.
Wham!’s “Last Christmas” rises 4-2 for a new Global Excl. U.S. peak; BTS’ “Dynamite” drops to No. 3 from No. 1, after a record six weeks at the summit; Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez’s former five-week leader “Dákiti” descends 3-4; and Karol G’s “Bichota” becomes her first top five hit on the survey (6-5).
Three other holiday songs rank in the Global Excl. U.S. top 10, led by Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” (11-7), in the bracket for the first time. Michael Bublé’s “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” returns to the top 10 at a new best placement (12-9) and LadBaby’s “Don’t Stop Me Eatin’ ” enters the chart at No. 10, with 676,000 streams and a weekly-best 98,000 sold outside the U.S. The latter, which hits No. 1 on the Official UK Singles chart, is a holiday-themed ode to Journey’s 1981 classic “Don’t Stop Believin’.”
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Jan. 2, 2021) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 29). For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
