With Christmas just around the corner, it is nearly impossible to turn on the radio or walk into a store and not hear a holiday song playing.
From new Christmas albums from singers like Kelly Clarkson to classic earworms like “This Christmas” from Donny Hathaway, it seems like every musician has written a holiday tune or delivered a rendition of a beloved song.
But what does the data say about which Christmas song is the best?
Ahead of the holiday, Spotify has released some surprising data about the most streamed Christmas songs in each state that might settle the debate on what truly is the greatest festive anthem ever created.
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Based on the music Spotify users played from Dec. 1-25, 2020, the platform determined the two most-listened-to tracks were Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas is You.”
Although Carey is often called the “Queen of Christmas” and her upbeat single continues to top the charts decades after it first debuted in 1994, Lee's 1958 classic came out on top. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” was the most streamed Christmas song last year in a whopping 42 states.
“All I Want For Christmas is You” came in second, with California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York and Washington, D.C., preferring the pop song penned by Carey.
However, Carey, whose song recently reached 1 billion streams, is the artist with the most streamed Christmas song on Spotify in the United States based on data from Nov. 1-Dec. 15 of this year.
Below is the full list of the most streamed Christmas hits on Spotify based on data from Nov. 1-Dec. 15:
- “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey
- “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Brenda Lee
- “Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms
- “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby, John Scott Trotter & His Orchestra, Ken Darby Singers
- “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams
- “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” by Michael Bublé
- “Last Christmas” by Wham!
- “The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)” by Nat King Cole
- “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande
- “Feliz Navidad” by Jose Feliciano
Spotify also tracked the success of Christmas songs released in the last five years. Sia landed at the top of the list with her hit “Snowman,” and her 2017 song “Santa’s Coming for Us” placed third. Amy Grant’s “White Christmas” came in second and Pentatonix’s “Hallelujah” was fourth.
Despite Ed Sheeran and Elton John’s “Merry Christmas” being released less than two weeks ago, the collaboration took the final spot on the best new songs list.
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