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Back on the road after a three-year break following his record-breaking The Divide Tour, Ed Sheeran tops the year-end Top Ticket Sales chart after playing to more than 3 million fans in Europe in 2022.
This is not the first time that Ed Sheeran has won a year-end Boxscore trophy. The Divide Tour made him the first artist to repeat atop Billboard’s annual Top Tours ranking, winning the gold in 2018 and 2019. The first of those two victories was the biggest year-end total in Boxscore history, with $429.5 million. Further, that tour ended in 2019 with the highest gross and biggest attendance of any tour ever, at $776.4 million and 8.88 million tickets.
Now back with The Mathematics Tour, Sheeran winds up at No. 3 on the 2022 Top Tours chart with $246.3 million. But separated from gross revenue, his current tour is No. 1 on the Top Ticket Sales chart, ranking the top tours by total cumulative attendance. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, Sheeran moved 3,047,696 tickets in the 2022 tracking period.
Sheeran played 63 shows between Dec. 13, 2021, and Sept. 25, 2022, averaging out to 48,376 tickets per night. But that is a misleading number, as the first 11 of those shows were “rehearsal” dates, setting the British singer-songwriter in small clubs and theaters in London and Dublin. Those shows ranged from 357 tickets at Dublin’s Whelans on April 19 to 5,230 tickets at London’s Royal Albert Hall on March 27. All 11 shows combined to 16,810; even at the top of that range, he was still selling less than 15% of the year’s average.
Removing those rehearsal shows from the equation, the picture of The Mathematics Tour comes into focus. Sheeran’s 52 “proper” tour dates in 2022 paced 58,287 tickets.
Almost every market – each one except for Helsinki, Finland – required multiple shows. Sheeran mostly played double-header weekends, moving from city to city and maximizing audiences with Friday and Saturday shows. He topped off with a five-show run at London’s Wembley Stadium, moving 420,269 tickets.
And while there is no attendance-based chart for Boxscores, the Wembley streak does have the highest attendance total of any engagement this year, beating Coldplay’s four shows at Paris’ Stade de France by more than 100,000 tickets.
Elsewhere, Sheeran broke the 200,000 threshold with four shows at Manchester’s Etihad Stadium and Munich’s Olympiastadion.
These numbers are huge, but even compared to his record-setting predecessor, The Mathematics Tour is ahead of schedule. The Divide Tour included three European legs in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Those runs averaged 14,321 tickets (the 2017 leg was in arenas), 54,485 and 51,898, respectively. Sheeran’s ’22 stadium pace is 7% in front of Divide’s strongest year, setting him up quite well as he prepares to leave his home base.
The Mathematics Tour is scheduled for 12 shows in Australia in February and March, followed by 24 shows in North America throughout the summer. Whether or not Sheeran can match (or even approach) The Divide Tour’s three-year total may be entirely up to him. Fans showed up in droves to his European shows, but the expanse of his pre-pandemic tour was so huge. And not only did the tour last, it went wide, including shows in Asia, South America and South Africa. If Mathematics routing remains modest, it will be difficult to triple the tour’s current totals.
Based on his scheduled 36 shows in 2023, The Mathematics Tour should pick up another 1.5 million to 1.75 million tickets as it approaches the 5 million mark. Should more dates be added, the sky’s the limit.
Bailey Zimmerman‘s “Fall in Love” becomes the first rookie single to top Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart in 2022. The song, released on Elektra/Warner Music Nashville/WEA, jumps from No. 5 to No. 1 on the survey dated Dec. 10, up 16% to 26.5 million audience impressions in the week ending Dec. 4, according to Luminate.
The track – which Zimmerman co-authored with Gavin Lucas and Austin Shawn, who also solely produced it – marks the first Country Airplay leader for a freshman single since the chart dated Oct. 23, 2021, when Elvie Shane’s “My Boy” reached the summit.
“Two years ago, I quit my job to make music and now we have a No. 1 song,” says Zimmerman. “All I got to say is God is good and I’m very thankful for country radio and all the fans that support me and my music. Love y’all a lot!”
“Fall in Love” is the first single from Zimmerman’s debut collection Leave the Light On, which arrived on Top Country Albums at its No. 2 peak in October. The set has spent its first seven weeks in the top 10, ranking at No. 8 on the Dec. 10 tally with 17,000 equivalent album units earned Nov. 25-Dec. 1.
The 22-year-old from Louisville, Ill., worked at a meat processing plant and on a gas pipeline, among other jobs, before segueing to a career in music. He gained traction by posting videos on social media and now boasts 1.8 million followers on TikTok.
In September, Zimmerman made history when he became the first act to place three career-opening entries in the Hot Country Songs top 10 simultaneously, since the chart began as an all-encompassing genre ranking in October 1958, as “Fall in Love” accompanied “Rock and a Hard Place” and “Where It Ends.”
On the Dec. 10 Hot Country Songs chart, “Fall in Love” pushes 7-5 for a new best. It collected 7.2 million official U.S. streams and sold 2,000 downloads in the latest tracking week.
Meanwhile, “Rock” ranks at No. 9 on Hot Country Songs after it opened at its No. 2 best in June. It drew 10.8 million clicks and sold 1,000 in the latest frame. The song also rises to a new No. 44 high on Country Airplay (1.6 million, up 18%) and is now being promoted as the radio follow-up to “Fall in Love.”
‘Whiskey’ Straight Up
Nate Smith scores his first Country Airplay top 10 as his initial entry “Whiskey on You” pushes 12-10, up 8% to 18.2 million in audience.
The single, which Smith co-penned, ranks at No. 13 on Hot Country Songs after it reached No. 11 in October. It corralled 4.8 million streams and sold 1,000 downloads in the latest tracking week.
Like Zimmerman, the 23-year-old Smith, from Paradise, Calif., also scored early success on TikTok prior to signing to Sony Music Nashville’s Arista Nashville roster in November 2021.
Bryan Does ‘Good’
Zach Bryan scores his first No. 1 on Country Digital Song Sales as “The Good I’ll Do” blasts in atop the list. It sold 5,000 downloads Nov. 25-Dec. 1. The song is Bryan’s second top 10 in as many appearances, after “Something in the Orange” hit No. 4 in November.
When news of Christine McVie’s death reached the U.K., her fans turned to Fleetwood Mac‘s music.
The English singer and songwriter died last Wednesday (Nov. 30) following a “short illness,” her family explained. She was 79.
Now, based on sales and streaming data captured by the Official Charts Company, the group’s iconic 1977 LP Rumours (Rhino/Warner Bros) is surging, and is on track for a return to the top 10.
The set, which led the chart for a single week following its release, rises 28-9 on the midweek survey, thanks to a 200% week-on-week uplift, the OCC reports. Further down the chart blast, Fleetwood Mac’s hits collection 50 Years – Don’t Stop vaults 29-14.
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McVie was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame for her work with Fleetwood Mac, which she joined in 1970.
She wrote and sang lead vocals on a raft of the group’s biggest songs, including “Hold Me,” “Little Lies,” “Don’t Stop,” “Say You Love Me” and “You Make Loving Fun.”
During her lifetime, she received a Gold Badge of Merit Award from the Ivors Academy, the Ivor Novello Award for lifetime achievement, and two Grammy Awards.
With McVie in the lineup, Fleetwood Mac had 25 Hot 100 hits in the United States, including nine top 10s on the Billboard Hot 100 and one No. 1 smash: “Dreams” in 1977.
In the U.K., the band has ten top 10 singles, including a No. 1 with 1968’s “Albatross” (a pre-McVie lineup), and four No. 1 albums.
The Official U.K. Albums Chart is published Friday.
The queen of Christmas is here to reclaim her crown.
Based on midweek data published by the Official U.K. Charts Company, Mariah Carey’s classic “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (Columbia) is the race leader, lifting 8-1.
Proving that Brits are in the mood for the holiday season, Carey’s “Christmas” leads an all-yuletide top three on the midweek survey, ahead of Wham’s “Last Christmas” (RCA) and Ed Sheeran’s “Merry Christmas” (Atlantic), respectively.
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All three singles have led the Official U.K. Singles Chart, with “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and “Last Christmas” taking the long route to the top – and smashing records along the way.
Originally released in 1994, Carey’s “Christmas” finally reached the summit in December 2020 to complete a 26-year journey. According to the OCC, no other song has spent more weeks in the top 40 before reaching the top.
Wham’s enduring pop hit also set a new record when, last Christmas, the single was crowned for the first time in its 36-year history. No other track has taken such a long stroll to the chart apex, an effort that eclipsed the 33-year effort of Tony Christie’s “(Is This The Way To) Amarillo.”
As Christmas playlists around the country get a solid work out, holiday tunes flood the chart blast, including top 10 reentries for Brenda Lee (“Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” up 19-7 via MCA), Michael Buble (“It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” up 24-8 via Reprise) and Shakin’ Stevens (“Merry Christmas Everyone” up 29-10 via RCA), while musical gifts from the Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, Ariana Grande, Kelly Clarkson and Band Aid, Bobby Helms and Chris Rea are eying the top 20.
The highest new entry on the chart blast belongs to Lewis Capaldi with “Pointless” (Vertigo), at No. 18. Co-written with Ed Sheeran, it’s the second single taken from his upcoming studio LP Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent, and it should give the Scottish artist his seventh top 40 appearance.
The Official U.K. Singles Chart is published late Friday.
Olly Murs‘ Marry Me (via EMI) is walking up the aisle for a U.K. No. 1.
The English pop singer’s seventh studio LP leads the midweek chart, and is heading for a fifth U.K. No. 1 following In Case You Didn’t Know (from 2011), Right Place Right Time (2012), Never Been Better (2014) and 24 HRS (2016).
The X Factor alum has brushed off controversy surrounding the lyrics to Marry Me song “I Hate You When You’re Drunk,” to take pole position on the Official Chart Update, ahead of Taylor Swift’s Midnights (EMI) and Cliff Richard’s Christmas With Cliff (EastWest/Rhino), respectively.
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Meanwhile, Atlanta hip-hop producer Metro Boomin could score a career-best with Heroes & Villains (Republic Records), his sophomore solo studio album. It’s new at No. 4 on the Official Chart Update.
Metro Boomin (real name Leland Tyler Wayne) previously impacted the chart with 2018’s Not All Heroes Wear Capes (No. 16) and 2020’s Savage Mode II with 21 Savage (No. 10).
Veteran British electronic music duo Leftfield could snag a fourth top 10 with This Is What We Do (Virgin Music), their first new studio record in seven years. It’s new at No. 8 on the chart blast. The duo of Neil Barnes and Adam Wren hit No. 3 with their classic debut from 1995, Leftism; No. 1 with 1999’s Rhythm And Stealth; and No. 6 with 2015’s Alternative Light Source.
BTS star RM’s solo debut Indigo (BigHit Entertainment) could enter the top 40 at the first attempt. It’s new at No. 27 on the chart blast. As a member of BTS, the South Korean rapper has enjoyed U.K. No. 1s with Map Of The Soul – Persona in 2019, and Map Of The Soul – 7 in 2020.
Christmas has already arrived on the U.K. charts, with several titles making an impression on the midweek albums survey.
Behind Cliff Richard’s first yuletide offering in almost 20 years is Michael Bublé’s Christmas (Reprise), which is on track for its annual return to the top 5, up 11-5; Andrea, Matteo and Virginia Bocelli’s A Family Christmas (Decca) dips 6-5; Andre Rieu & Johann Strauss Orchestra’s Silver Bells (Decca) is up 10-7; Aled Jones & Russell Watson’s Christmas With Aled & Russell (BMG) lifts 37-29; and the Corrs’ lead vocalist Andrea Corr could grab a solo career-best with The Christmas Album (Atlantic), new at No. 32 on the midweek chart.
Finally, Fleetwood Mac is staging a return to the top ten, following Christine McVie’s death Nov. 30, aged 79. The Rock Hall inductees’ 1977 LP Rumours (Rhino/Warner Bros) experiences a 200% week-on-week gain, and is on track for a top 10 return, up 28-9; while 50 Years – Don’t Stop (Rhino) could lift 29-14.
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published Friday.
In the first full year of tracking since the pandemic, New York’s Madison Square Garden (MSG) returns to No. 1 on Billboard’s year-end Top Venues (15,001+ capacity) chart. But more than that, MSG is the highest-grossing venue of any size or shape, eclipsing all stadiums, arenas, theaters and clubs. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, Madison Square Garden hosted 124 shows during the tracking period, combining to $241.4 million and 1.8 million tickets.
For those following Billboard’s monthly Boxscore charts, MSG’s No. 1 finish shouldn’t be a huge surprise. The arena led the monthly venue chart in February, August and September, the last of which was a record-setter for the biggest one-month sum for a venue since the monthly rankings launched in early 2019. MSG’s 22 September shows raked in a combined $64.3 million.
MSG appeared on the 10-position chart for 10 of the year’s 12 months, only missing in January and March. Otherwise, including its three months at No. 1, it spent half of the year in the top three.
With 124 shows, MSG’s calendar was packed. Still, some heavy hitters can take some credit for its ultimate triumph. Harry Styles, No. 1 on the year-end Top Boxscores chart, led the charge with his mammoth 15-show residency. The shows collectively grossed $63.1 million and sold 277,000 tickets between Aug. 20 and Sept. 21, a key factor in the venue’s monthly wins.
And while they are regarded as individual engagements, Billy Joel’s ongoing residency continued with 11 shows during the tracking year – one show in each month except for January, during a largely dark period amid the Omicron wave. His shows combined to $29.6 million and 205,000 tickets sold. That means that Styles and Joel’s 26 shows accounted for $92.7 million, or 39% of the venue’s total annual gross.
Following Styles atop the heap, Phish ($8.8 million), Rage Against the Machine ($8.2 million), Elton John ($6.9 million) and Genesis ($5.3 million) round out MSG’s top five grossing concert engagements of the year with multi-show runs. Based on attendance, Styles leads Phish (76,000), Rage Against the Machine (71,000), John Mulaney (42,000) and Luke Combs (36,000).
MSG became the first venue to earn more than $200 million in a year when it closed out 2019 with $221.7 million. The arena reaches new heights three years later, but considering 2020 and 2021 were shortened due to COVID, its own record re-set is essentially immediate. The $241.4 million gross is the largest for any venue in a single year.
While Boxscore charts date back to the late ‘80s, year-end venue charts launched in 1999. In those 24 years, MSG has led the charge among venues with a capacity of 15,001 or more in 14 of those years. After starting at No. 6 in 1999, MSG was No. 1 for nine consecutive years from 2000-2008. It then floated around the top 10 while London’s O2 Arena assumed the throne from 2009-2016, falling one year short of MSG’s record ‘00s-era reign.
MSG regained the title for 2017-2020, slipped to No. 2 last year behind Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, and returns to the summit for 2022.
Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” dashes from No. 5 to No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200, adding a ninth total week atop the tally since the list launched in 2020.
Plus, Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” holds for an eighth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart.
Meanwhile, holiday classics from Brenda Lee, Wham! and Bobby Helms resurge to the Global 200’s top 10.
The two global charts, which began in September 2020, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Billboard Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the U.S.
Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.
Carey’s ‘Christmas’ Sleighs Competition on Global 200
Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” blasts 5-1 on the Billboard Global 200, with 64.5 million streams (up 47%) and 8,000 sold (up 62%) worldwide in the Nov. 25-Dec. 1 tracking week. The 1994 modern holiday classic adds a ninth week at No. 1, after it topped the chart for four weeks each in the 2020 and 2021 holiday seasons. Notably, the song leads a week earlier this year, on the chart dated Dec. 10, than in the past two years, as it first hit No. 1 on the Dec. 19, 2020, survey and returned to the top of the chart dated Dec. 18, 2021.
Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” keeps at No. 2 on the Global 200, following four weeks at No. 1 beginning in October, and Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” drops to No. 3 after four weeks at the summit starting in November.
Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” originally released in 1958, bounds 19-4 on the Global 200, after reaching No. 3 in each of the past two holiday seasons, and Wham!’s “Last Christmas,” from 1984, jumps 21-5, after rising to No. 2 over the holidays the past two years. The latter also leaps 27-9 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart, where it has likewise peaked at No. 2.
Elsewhere in the Global 200’s top 10, Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock,” from 1957, roars 23-8, after hitting No. 4 in both the 2020 and 2021 holiday seasons.
Smith & Petras Continue Atop Global Excl. U.S.
Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” adds an eighth nonconsecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, with 51 million streams (down 3%) and 5,000 downloads sold (down 10%) in territories outside the U.S. Nov. 25-Dec. 1.
Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” holds at No. 2 on Global Excl. U.S., after two weeks at No. 1 beginning in November, and Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” soars 16-3, with 37.4 million streams (up 53%) and 3,000 sold (up 67%) outside the U.S. The modern carol topped the chart for a week in the 2020 holiday season and for three weeks over last year’s holidays.
David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” slips 3-4 on Global Excl. U.S., after hitting No. 2, and Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” holds at No. 5 after reaching No. 4.
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Dec. 10, 2022) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 6). For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard‘s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
As Taylor Swift‘s Midnights logs its fifth week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, Swift becomes just the third artist in the history of Billboard‘s flagship album chart to log 60 or more weeks at No. 1. That’s pretty impressive when you consider that the chart dates back to March 1956, more than 33 years before Swift was born.
Elvis Presley was the first artist to log 60 weeks at No. 1. He reached that milestone in the Billboard issue dated April 14, 1962, when his Blue Hawaii soundtrack was in its 18th of 20 weeks on top. He has since spent seven additional weeks at No. 1, for a career total of 67.
The Beatles were the second artists to log 60 weeks at No. 1. The Fab Four reached that milestone in the issue dated Feb. 12, 1966, when Rubber Soul was in its sixth and final week at No. 1. Incredibly, at that point the group wasn’t even halfway through its commanding tally of weeks at No. 1, which currently stands at 132.
The Fine Print: If you count the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (which logged 24 weeks at No. 1 in 1978) as a Bee Gees album, the trio had 31 weeks on top. Bee Gees had six tracks on the album — five of which were No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. But Billboard counts it as a multi-artist soundtrack album.
Here’s a look at all acts with 30 or more weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 since March 24, 1956, when the chart began publishing on a consistent weekly basis. Ties are shown in alphabetical order:
Taylor Swift‘s “Anti-Hero” rules the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart for a sixth week, encompassing its entire run on the ranking so far. The single is just the 10th in the Hot 100’s history to have spent its first six weeks on the chart at No. 1.
Meanwhile, six holiday classics light up the Hot 100’s top 10, led by Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which rises from No. 5 to No. 2 and becomes the most-streamed song in the U.S., while two carols return to the region: Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” (19-9) and Wham!’s “Last Christmas” (23-10).
The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated Dec. 10, 2022) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 6). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.
In the Nov. 25-Dec. 1 tracking week, “Anti-Hero,” released on Republic Records, tallied 68.9 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 6%), 20.9 million streams (down 19%) and 13,000 sold (up 15%), according to Luminate. Aiding its sales sum, 10 previously-released versions of the song (its original, acoustic and instrumental versions; mixes featuring Bleachers; and its ILLENIUM, Jayda G, Kungs and Roosevelt remixes) were made available again in Swift’s webstore, discounted to 69 cents each, from late Nov. 30 through Dec. 1.
The single rebounds from No. 2 for a third week at No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales chart; holds at its No. 2 high on Radio Songs; and drops 2-6 after two weeks atop Streaming Songs.
As “Anti-Hero” tops the Hot 100 for a sixth week, Swift moves to within a week of her longest reign: “Blank Space” dominated for seven weeks in 2014-15.
Five weeks ago, “Anti-Hero” blasted in atop the Hot 100, as Swift made history as the first artist to monopolize the chart’s entire top 10 in a single week, with all tracks all from her new album Midnights.
Meanwhile, of the 64 singles that have debuted atop the Hot 100, “Anti-Hero” is just the 10th to have spent at least its first six weeks on the chart at No. 1.
Singles to Spend Their First Six Weeks on the Hot 100 at No. 1:Title, Artist, Year(s), Weeks at No. 1 from debut (marking titles’ total weeks at No. 1 unless otherwise noted)“Anti-Hero,” Taylor Swift, 2022 (six, to-date)“Butter,” BTS, 2021 (seven / 10 weeks at No. 1 total)“Drivers License,” Olivia Rodrigo, 2021 (eight)“God’s Plan,” Drake, 2018 (11)“Hello,” Adele, 2015-16 (10)“Born This Way,” Lady Gaga, 2011 (six)“Candle in the Wind 1997″/”Something About the Way You Look Tonight,” 1997-98 (14)“I’ll Be Missing You,” Puff Daddy & Faith Evans feat. 112, 1997 (11)“One Sweet Day,” Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, 1995-96 (16)“Fantasy,” Mariah Carey, 1995 (eight)
Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” jingles 5-2 on the Hot 100, with 30.3 million streams (up 41%), 29.8 million airplay audience impressions (up 45%, good for top Airplay Gainer honors on the Hot 100), and 5,000 sold (up 59%). It surges 3-1 for 16th cumulative week atop Streaming Songs, 14-7 on Digital Song Sales and dashes 38-23 on Radio Songs. It also crowns the multi-metric Holiday 100 chart for a 53rd week, of the chart’s 58 total frames since the list launched in 2011; it has topped the ranking for 38 consecutive weeks, dating to the start of the 2015-16 holiday season, and rules as the top title on the Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs chart.
The song sports a record-setting history on the Hot 100, following its 1994 release on Carey’s 1994 album Merry Christmas. As streaming grew through the 2010s and holiday music became more prominent in Yuletide playlists on multiple streaming services, the song first hit the top 10 (reaching No. 9) in December 2017 and the top five (No. 3) in the 2018 holiday season. In December 2019, it ascended to the summit, 25 years after its original release, becoming the second holiday hit to reign, after “The Chipmunk Song” by David Seville & the Chipmunks spent four weeks at No. 1 beginning in December 1958.
“Christmas” became Carey’s 19th Hot 100 No. 1, as she extended her mark for the most leaders among soloists and pushed to within one of The Beatles’ overall record 20.
As “Christmas” dominated the Hot 100 for three weeks on the charts dated Dec. 21, 2019, through Jan. 4, 2020, Carey also became the first artist to have ranked at No. 1 on the survey in four distinct decades. The track led again for two weeks in the 2020 holiday season, passing “The Chipmunk Song” for the most for a seasonal song, and ruled for three more frames over the 2021 holidays, upping its total to eight weeks at No. 1.
Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” originally released in 1958, climbs 6-3 on the Hot 100. It has peaked at No. 2 in each of the last three holiday seasons. The song claims the Hot 100’s top Streaming and Sales Gainer awards, up 51% to 29.9 million streams and 292% to 4,000 sold, while also soaring by 30% to 26.2 million in radio reach.
Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” slips 3-4 on the Hot 100, after it topped the Oct. 29-dated chart, as it leads Radio Songs for a third week (77.4 million in audience, up 8%).
The late Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock,” from 1957, rises 9-5 on the Hot 100 and the late Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” from 1964, advances 10-6. The standards have reached Nos. 3 and 4 respective peaks in each of the last three holiday seasons.
Drake and 21 Savage’s “Rich Flex” falls to No. 7 on the Hot 100 after spending its first three weeks on the chart at No. 2 (dating to its debut when Drake placed eight songs in the top 10 and 21 Savage, seven). The collab controls the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts, which use the same methodology as the Hot 100, for a fourth week each.
Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit” descends 4-8 on the Hot 100, following three weeks at No. 1 in October. It concurrently tops the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, Hot Rock Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts for a 15th week each and Hot R&B Songs for a 13th frame.
Andy Williams’ 1963 chestnut “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” roars 19-9 on the Hot 100; it hit a No. 5 high in the 2020 holiday season. The song’s latest week in the top 10 extends the late Williams’ record for the longest span of an artist appearing in the tier to 63 years and two months, dating to his first week in the top 10 with “Lonely Street,” on the chart dated Oct. 12, 1959.
Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Wham!’s “Last Christmas” jumps 23-10; released in 1984, the song by the duo of George Michael (who died in 2016) and Andrew Ridgeley first reached the top 10 during the 2020 holidays and lifted to a No. 7 high last holiday season.
Notably, Backstreet Boys’ new cover of “Last Christmas” spends a second week at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Adult Contemporary airplay chart. Praised Michael’s family and George Michael Entertainment on his official Facebook account of the coronation, “George would have been delighted. What a great start to December!”
Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Dec. 10), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 6).
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.