Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” remains the biggest song in the world, as it continues at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Jan. 1).
Plus, Wham!’s “Last Christmas” ascends to No. 2 on both rankings and fellow holiday hits by Andy Williams, Michael Bublé, Elton John and Ed Sheeran, and Brenda Lee boast top 10 status.
Billboard‘s two global charts, which began in September 2020 and recently marked their first year, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by 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 ranks 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.
Carey’s ‘Christmas’ Leads Seven Holiday Hits in Global 200 Top 10
Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” holds atop the Billboard Global 200 with 105.3 million streams (up 30%) and 17,100 sold (up 16%) worldwide in the Dec. 17-23 tracking week. The 1994 anthem topped the chart for four weeks last holiday season and adds its third week at No. 1 this season.
The top four titles on the Global 200 are holiday songs, as Wham!’s “Last Christmas” rises from No. 3 to No. 2, Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” pushes 5-3 and Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” goes gliding 6-4. The three songs return to their respective highs first reached during the 2020 holiday season.
Rounding out the Global 200’s top five, GAYLE’s breakout single “abcdefu” descends to No. 5 from its No. 2 high.
As for other Yuletide songs in the Global 200’s top 10, Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” climbs 9-6 (after it reached No. 5 last holiday season); Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” lifts 11-8 (after it hit No. 7 a year ago); and Michael Bublé’s “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” rises 14-9 (after peaking at No. 6 last holiday season).
Carey, Wham! Also Nos. 1 & 2 on Global Excl. U.S.
Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” likewise keeps atop the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, logging its second week at No. 1 this season following its one-week reign last holiday season. It surged by 32% to 64.1 million streams and 23% to 8,900 sold in territories outside the U.S. in the Dec. 17-23 tracking week.
Wham!’s “Last Christmas” rises 4-2 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart, revisiting its best rank first reached a year ago; GAYLE’s “abcdefu” dips to No. 3 from its No. 2 high; Adele’s “Easy on Me” descends 3-4, after seven weeks at the summit; and The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” repeats at No. 5, following a record-tying nine weeks on top (matching the January-March reign of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License”).
Three other Christmas carols place in the Global Excl. U.S. top 10: Ed Sheeran and Elton John’s “Merry Christmas” jumps 13-7 for a new high, after it debuted at its prior No. 10 peak two weeks earlier; Michael Bublé’s “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” advances 14-8, also a new best (after it reached No. 9 a year ago); and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” bounds 17-10 for its first week in the top tier (after it hit a previous No. 11 peak last holiday season).
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Jan. 1) 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.
