The country classic, featuring the guitar of Nashville legend Hank Garland, was actually written by two ad men (think Don Draper, but in Atlantic City) in 1956 - which might explain how catchy it is.ģ. The Spanglish single has become one of the world’s most popular Christmas songs - no surprise given its endless sing-a-long potential. 3 on the Holiday 100 songs chart.īurl Ives first sang the song as Sam the Snowman, narrator of the beloved 1964 stop-motion classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - since then, it’s become one of country music’s most-covered Christmas tunes. More than 50 years in, this 1963 Andy Williams staple shows no signs of fatigue: It’s currently at No. “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” Andy Williams The medley of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “Carol of the Bells” was first released on the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s 1996 debut - since then, they’ve become a holiday powerhouse.ħ.

“Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24),” Trans-Siberian Orchestra The song rose to prominence thanks to Crosby’s performance in Holiday Inn, which earned it an Academy Award for best original song in 1943 and has been popular ever since: According to Guinness World Records, it’s the best-selling single of all time.Ĩ. Not only is it the best song I ever wrote, it’s the best song anybody ever wrote!” is what Tin Pan Alley legend Irving Berlin is reported to have told his secretary in 1940, just before writing “White Christmas” - arguably as important to the American songbook as “God Bless America,” which Berlin, a secular Jewish-American immigrant, also wrote. “I want you to take down a song I wrote over the weekend. Since 1984, George Michael‘s onward-and-upward Christmas anthem has been a seasonal favorite, earning covers by everyone from Taylor Swift to Jimmy Eat World. Chances are, you’ve already heard all of them at least a dozen times this season, proving that holiday hits are truly the gifts that keep on giving (to songwriters, at least!). Some songs, though, become even more inescapable than others - a phenomenon that eventually led to the genesis of Billboard‘s Holiday 100 chart in 2011.īelow are the 10 most popular songs in that chart’s history. that play holiday music 24/7 this time of year (or stepping into just about any retail destination). Certain songs become ubiquitous every December, especially if you’re tuning into one of around 160 stations in the U.S.

Charmas songs