They don’t call her the Queen of Christmas for nothing! Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is still dominating the festive season — 26 years after release. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) rounded up the most-played holiday songs of 2020 and — to the surprise of absolutely no one — Mimi came out of top. Other seasonal favorites include “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas,” “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” “Sleigh Ride” and Wham!’s “Last Christmas.”
Believe it or not, there isn’t a song released in the 21st century in the top 20. To find a semi-recent offering, you have to scroll all the way down to number 23 for Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath The Tree.” Ariana Grande rounds out the top 25 with “Santa Tell Me.” Given the impact and ongoing success of “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” isn’t it about time the Recording Academy gave Mariah an honorary Grammy for the song’s history-making achievements? Check out ASCAP’s top 25 holiday songs (based on streaming and radio data) below.
Top 25 ASCAP Holiday Songs Of 2020
1. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff (1994)
2. “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” by Meredith Willson (1951)
3. “A Holly Jolly Christmas” by Johnny Marks (1962)
4. “Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson and Mitchell Parish (1948)
5. “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow” by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne (1945)
6. “Jingle Bell Rock” by Joseph Carleton Beal and James Ross Boothe (1958)
7. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Johnny Marks (1958)
8. “Last Christmas” by George Michael (1984)
9. “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Edward Pola and George Wyle (1963)
10. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin (1944)
11. “Winter Wonderland” by Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith (1934)
12. “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” by Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie (1934)
13. “White Christmas” by Irving Berlin (1941)
14. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by Johnny Marks (1949)
15. “The Christmas Song” by Mel Tormé and Robert Wells (1946)
16. “Here Comes Santa Claus (Down Santa Claus Lane)” by Oakley Haldeman and Gene Autry (1947)
17. “Home for the Holidays” by Robert Allen and Al Stillman (1954)
18. “Feliz Navidad” by Jose Feliciano (1970)
19. “Happy Holiday/The Holiday Season” by Kay Tompson and Irving Berlin (1942)
20. “Santa Baby” by Joan Javits, Anthony Springer and Philip Springer (1953)
21. “Frosty the Snowman” by Steve Nelson and Walter E. Rollins (1950)
22. “Jingle Bells” by James Lord Pierpont; Frank Sinatra version arranged by Gordon Jenkins (ASCAP, 1958)
23. “Underneath the Tree” by Kelly Clarkson and Greg Kurstin (2013)
24. “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” by Dr. Seuss and Albert Hague (1966)
25. “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande and Savan Kotecha (2013)
