On Thursday, Billboard published Soundscan’s list of the 25 top selling digital holiday songs from 2003 to today.
The list reflects the growing number of modern artists that have recorded new holiday classics to mix in with the tried-and-true numbers from the 40’s through the 60’s.
Topping the list is Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas is You. The song had everything going for it when it was released in 1994. Carey was at the peak of her popularity, coming off of Music Box, her third and most successful album to-date. The arrangement hearkened back to Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound and felt like it could have fit into his classic album A Christmas Gift For You. It has become a perennial favorite in radio holiday programming and received an extra boost when a cover version by Olivia Olson was used in the film Love Actually.
Number two is a surprise as it only started to rack up sales last year. Do You Want to Build a Snowman? from the Disney film Frozen was the bridesmaid to the Oscar winning (but non-holiday) Let It Go, yet it had huge sales both with album sales and in individual track downloads.
The Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 and Justin Bieber’s Mistletoe follow before hitting the first true older holiday classic, Brenda Lee’s Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree which falls at number 5. Classics by veteran artists then dominate, taking 16 of the remaining 20 slots.
Here is SoundScan’s list of the 25 Top Digital Holiday Songs 2003 to 2014
All I Want For Christmas is You – Mariah Carey
Do You Wanna Build a Snowman? – Frozen Soundtrack
Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 – Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Mistletoe – Justin Bieber
Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee
Christmas Canon – Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Where Are You Christmas? – Faith Hill
Feliz Navidad – Jose Feliciano
The Chanukah Song – Adam Sandler
Jingle Bell Rock – Bobby Helms
The Christmas Song – Nat King Cole
Last Christmas – Wham
White Christmas – Bing Crosby
Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt
The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late) – The Chipmunks
Blue Christmas – Elvis Presley
You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch – Thurl Ravenscroft
Santa Clause is Coming to Town – Bruce Springsteen
Believe – Josh Groban
A Holly Jolly Christmas – Burl Ives
Baby, It’s Cold Outside – Dean Martin
Same Old Lang Syne – Dan Fogelberg
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year – Andy Williams
I Want a Hippopotamus (For Christmas) – Gayla Peevey
Wizards in Winter – Trans-Siberian Orchestra
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