The holiday season is here, and so is the annual race for the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Two Christmas classics are competing for the coveted position: Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”. Both songs have become timeless hits that bring joy to millions of listeners every year, but which one will prevail this time?
Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is the undisputed queen of holiday songs. It has reigned atop Billboard’s Holiday 100 listing for 43 consecutive weeks, and has reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 every year since 2019. The song was first released in 1994, and has since become a pop culture phenomenon, featuring in movies, TV shows, commercials, and memes. Carey wrote the song with Walter Afanasieff, and said she wanted to create a song that would make her happy and feel like a kid at Christmas. “I just wanted to write a song that would make me happy and make me feel like a kid at Christmas. And I think I did that,” she said.
Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” is the challenger that might dethrone Carey’s song this year. The song was recorded in 1958, when Lee was only 13 years old, and has been steadily gaining popularity over the past half-decade. It has climbed to No. 2 on both the Holiday 100 and the Hot 100 charts, and has achieved a new high this year by jumping to No. 3 on the Hot 100. The song is a fun and upbeat tune that features saxophones and a rock and roll vibe. Lee said she loved the song for its joyous sound and energy. “I just think it’s a fun song. It’s upbeat, it’s happy, it makes you want to dance and move around. And it’s got saxophones in it, which I love. I think it’s just a natural, fun, joyous sound,” she said.
The competition between these two holiday classics is heating up, and it will be interesting to see which song comes out on top. Both songs have loyal fan bases and strong streaming numbers, but they also face other contenders, such as Wham!’s “Last Christmas”, Bobby Helms’s “Jingle Bell Rock”, and Burl Ives’s “A Holly Jolly Christmas”. No matter which song wins, one thing is for sure – both Carey and Lee have created songs that have become part of the holiday tradition and will continue to delight generations of listeners.
Relevant articles:
– Brenda Lee’s ‘Rockin Around the Christmas Tree’ Duels Mariah for No. 1 …
– Brenda Lee’s ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ Hits No. 3 on Hot 100 …
– Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Wikipedia
– music.apple.com