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Wham!’s “Last Christmas” sleigh-rides from No. 18 to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated Dec. 14), as the 1984 classic by the British duo of Michael, who died in 2016, and Andrew Ridgeley hits a new high on the survey, surpassing its prior No. 4 peak.
The chestnut, written and produced by Michael (and serviced on Sony Music’s Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings), tallied 34.3 million official streams (up 57% week-over-week), 17.9 million in radio airplay audience (up 20%) and 2,000 sold (up 75%) in the United States Nov. 29-Dec. 5, according to Luminate.
‘I’m delighted that Wham!’s festive classic has reached its highest-ever chart placing in the U.S.A.,” Ridgeley tells Billboard via email. “It is a testament to the enduring appeal of one of George Michael’s songwriting masterstrokes that ‘Last Christmas’ seems to have become woven into the very fabric of Christmas. I’d like to thank Wham!’s U.S. fans, the American public at large, Sony Music, Netflix all the DSPs and media who continue to support Wham! and ‘Last Christmas.’ Thank you and Merry Christmas everyone!”
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“It seems barely credible that ‘Last Christmas’ was first released 40 years ago,” Michael’s estate shares in a statement. “It means so much to all of us that this quintessential Christmas song continues to resonate with so many people across the generations. Thank you to all Wham! fans across the United States who have made this incredible chart position possible. We should also thank Andrew Ridgeley for all he has done – it has been a privilege to work alongside him on all Wham! projects.
“We say this every time a new landmark is achieved, but we truly know just how proud and moved George would have been that his music continues to mean so much to so many people. Thank you all.”
To date, “Last Christmas” has drawn 3.66 billion in radio reach and 1.16 billion official on-demand streams and sold 1.1 million downloads in the U.S. The song reached No. 1 on the Official UK Singles chart in 2021 at last, while its pop culture impact has extended to the 2019 film of the same name.
Meanwhile, six of Wham!’s seven Hot 100 top 10s have now reached the top three, with the act having previously notched top-three placements in 1984-86 with “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” “Careless Whisper” (each No. 1 for three weeks), “Everything She Wants” (No. 1, two weeks), “Freedom” and “I’m Your Man” (each No. 3). The pair’s other top 10, “The Edge of Heaven,” hit No. 10 in 1986.
Upon the 40th anniversary of “Last Christmas” this Yuletide season, four physical versions – on CD and on black, “snowflake white” and zoetrope 12-inch vinyl – were put up for pre-order Oct. 24, and are set for release Friday (Dec. 13).
The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week, for the upcoming Billboard 200 albums chart dated Dec. 21, 2024, we look at Taylor Swift’s recently resumed reign on the chart, and whether the solo bow of a K-pop star can challenge it.
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Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department (Republic): Since late August, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department album has been stuck at 15 weeks at No. 1 – still the longest run of both Swift’s career and of any 2024 album. But now, its reign has resumed, thanks in large part to the physical release of the album’s 31-track Anthology edition – which had never been previously available for purchase besides in digital form – as a Target in-store exclusive on both CD and vinyl, with four additional bonus tracks (which had previously been released in other alternative versions of the album).
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The album sold 368,000 copies last tracking week (ending Dec. 5) – split nearly evenly between CD and vinyl purchases – and moved 405,000 units overall, according to Luminate. That was good not only for the biggest single-week number posted by an album since Poets itself moved 439,000 in its second week of release, but also a bigger number than any non-Swift artist has managed in 2024 outside of Beyoncé, whose Cowboy Carter debuted with 407,000 units in April.
That number probably won’t be as sizeable this week, but the drop off might not be as steep as some other albums that get big post-release bumps from physical drops. Swift also released Poets for order from Target.com shortly after the in-store release, with those copies impacting this current tracking week (and thus next week’s Billboard 200). So don’t be surprised if the album sells well into the six digits again this week – and perhaps gets Swift to a 17th week at No. 1 for Poets, moving it just two weeks shy of Morgan Wallen’s 2020s-best 19 weeks at No. 1 with 2023’s One Thing at a Time.
ROSÉ, Rosie (The Black Label/Atlantic): One of the year’s most-anticipated solo debuts comes from BLACKPINK breakout star ROSÉ, with her first official solo LP Rosie. The set obviously comes pre-blessed with a true breakout hit in the Bruno Mars collab “APT.,” which debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 – a higher peak than ROSÉ had previously reached, with or without her superstar group – and has also topped the Global 200 for seven weeks and counting.
Mars is the only featured artist on the album’s 12-song tracklist, but the writer and producer credits are littered with recognizable names: Amy Allen, Cirkuit, Rock City, Sarah Aarons, D’Mile, Omer Fedi, Emily Warren and Greg Kurstin all among them. Mars himself even shows up a second time, as a co-writer on “Number One Girl,” the album’s lead track and second single. Everything points to the album being a big priority for her Atlantic label, and a set likely to launch ROSÉ to true solo stardom.
A No. 1 bow on the Billboard 200 may be a tougher ask, however, with Swift’s blockbuster album still doing the kind of numbers it is. Nonetheless, ROSÉ is expected to stream well – helped in no small part by “APT.,” which is still in the top 20 of the Streaming Songs chart even following an avalanche of Christmas classics and new Kendrick Lamar songs taking over the listing – and sell in robust numbers, with more than 15 different physical variants of the album made available across CD and vinyl, all coming with collectibles, some of which are randomized. (There’s also a digital edition on her webstore with an exclusive live version of “Number One Girl.”)
Sabrina Carpenter, Fruitcake (Island): Have you watched A Nonsense Christmas With Sabrina Carpenter yet on Netflix? If so, and if you’re still in the (slightly naughty) festive spirit afterwards, you might do well to revisit Carpenter’s Fruitcake EP, released in late 2023 — which included a holiday-themed spin on her breakout hit “Nonsense” new originals like “Santa Doesn’t Know You Like I Do” and “Cindy Lou Who” and even a version of the Irving Berlin perennial “White Christmas” (cheekily stylized “White Xmas”).
And more good news for you there: Fruitcake was also finally given wide physical release on Friday, with the album being issued on CD, cassette and vinyl – with three different variants of the latter, including a Target exclusive. (Previously, the set was only available in one color of vinyl on her webstore.) The “Queen of Christmas” title may already be spoken for by the artist currently claiming the Hot 100’s top spot, but perhaps room can be made for a new Princess.
TWICE, STRATEGY (JYP Entertainment): Star K-pop nonet TWICE has already topped the Billboard 200 once this year with March’s With YOU-th – though it’ll be a tougher mountain to climb in this packed week for the group’s seven-track latest STRATEGY. Nonetheless, the set – which features a guest verse from U.S. rap superstar Megan Thee Stallion on its title-track opener — should sell very well, with help from 15 different physical variants of the album across CD and vinyl formats. There are also a number of digital album variants available with “voice memo” bonus tracks exclusive to the group’s webstore.
It’s only taken four months for Grupo Frontera to regain its No. 1 slot on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart thanks to “Hecha Pa’ Mi,” which jumps 2-1 to lead the Dec. 14-dated ranking. Before the song took the throne, the Mexican-Americans ruled with their Maluma collab, “Por Qué Será?” for one week in August.
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“Hecha Pa’ Mi,” released on the group’s label (Grupo Frontera) Oct. 3, traces its gain to 7.8 million audience impressions earned in the U.S. during the Nov. 29-Dec. 5 tracking week, according to Luminate; that’s a 16% increase from the previous week. The song trades places with “Amor Bonito” by Luis Angel “El Flaco,” as the latter dips 1-2 with a 7% decline in audience for the week.
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While Frontera bags its 11th No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay, the second-most in the 2020s decade (behind Calibre 50’s 12 rulers), with the new arrival, the group achieves its fifth champ in 2024 and extends its record for the most leaders in the calendar year. Let’s look at the artists with the most No. 1s on the radio tally in 2024:
5, Grupo Frontera3, Alejandro Fernández3, Eden Muñoz3, Xavi
Thanks to its 16% surge in audience, “Hecha Pa’ Mi” takes home the Greatest Gainer trophy, awarded weekly to the song with the biggest increase in impressions on the 40-deep chart. Plus, it becomes the group’s first No. 1 song unaccompanied by any other collaborator among its collection of 11 leaders. Further, continued progress among regional Mexican stations pushes “Hecha Pa’ Mi” 5-3 on the overall Latin Airplay chart, for the song’s new peak there.
The song also advances 13-12 on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart despite decreases in the two other metrics that inform the chart. It generated 2.5 million official U.S. streams, that’s a 15 dip in clicks during the tracking period, while declined 33% in digital sales.
“Hecha P’a Mi” went viral in October after the band crashed a wedding to perform the song, surprising the bride, groom and guests. “You won’t believe me,” leading singer Payo said on social media. “I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but that gig was more difficult than a concert. I swear, I was more nervous than in a concert.”
Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” isn’t just one of the longest-running No. 1s of all time on the Billboard Hot 100; it was also the most-played song on TouchTunes jukeboxes for 2024, TouchTunes announced on Tuesday (Dec. 10).
“A Bar Song (Tipsy),” which was released in April, was an immediate hit on the company’s jukeboxes, allowing it to reign as the most-played song of the year despite not being available for the first quarter of the year. In July, Billboard began partnering with TouchTunes to present a pair of quarterly charts – the Frontline and Catalog rankings – and Shaboozey’s tune has ranked at No. 1 on the Frontline survey for both iterations so far.
According to TouchTunes, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” is the first Frontline song (defined as music released in the past 18 months) to be its most-played year-end music on its jukeboxes since Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey,” which was released in 2015.
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(Naturally, Stapleton’s rendition of “Tennessee Whiskey” remains a perennial favorite; it’s the second-most-played song on TouchTunes for the year.)
“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” has spent 19 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 between July and November, tying the song with Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, for the longest reign on the tally in its history.
Shaboozey was also the 10th-most-played artist on TouchTunes in 2024. The distinction of No. 1 goes to Morgan Wallen, whose music dots the collection of most-played songs on TouchTunes for the year. Along with being featured on Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” the No. 5 song of the year, his own “Last Night” is No. 8, and he’s featured on six of the top 50 most-played songs of the year in all. “I Had Some Help,” “Last Night” and his “Cowgirls,” featuring ERNEST, are also Nos. 3-5 for the most-played songs in the Frontline category of the year.
The No. 2 in the Frontline category also happens to be the only non-country song in the top 10 of the overall ranking: Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control,” which ends the year as the third-most-played song overall. The pop track topped the Hot 100 for a week in March and boasts a monstrous 45 weeks in the top 10, second-most all time behind The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights.”
One must scroll to No. 11 to find the most-played rock song of the year, Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls.” Even still, the rock genre remains the most-consumed genre on TouchTunes, with the company reporting that 38% of its plays were rock songs in 2024. Country music follows with 24%. Comparatively, rock had 39% in 2023, while country had 23%. Other genres that saw gains year over year include hip-hop (up 2% to 14%) and pop (up 1% to 11%).
The entire top nine of the year was performed by soloists; the first duo or group to appear comes in at No. 10 via Brooks and Dunn’s “Neon Moon.” AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck,” which ranks at No. 31, is the highest-performing song of the year for the veteran rockers, who rank as TouchTunes’ most-played band of the year.
Taylor Swift ends the year as the most-played solo woman on the platform, with the top song from a woman being “Save Me,” Lainey Wilson’s duet with Jelly Roll.
See more insights from TouchTunes’ year-end roundup here and see below for the top 50 most-played songs of the year.
TouchTunes’ Most-Played Songs of 2024
1. “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” Shaboozey2. “Tennessee Whiskey,” Chris Stapleton3. “Lose Control,” Teddy Swims4. “I Love This Bar,” Toby Keith5. “I Had Some Help,” Post Malone feat. Morgan Wallen6. “Friends in Low Places,” Garth Brooks7. “Son of a Sinner,” Jelly Roll8. “Last Night,” Morgan Wallen9. “Fast Car,” Luke Combs10. “Neon Moon,” Brooks & Dunn11. “Fat Bottomed Girls,” Queen12. “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here and Drink,” Merle Haggard13. “Copperhead Road,” Steve Earle14. “Drinkin’ Problem,” Midland15. “Cowgirls,” Morgan Wallen feat. ERNEST16. “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Journey17. “Something in the Orange,” Zach Bryan18. “Whiskey Glasses,” Morgan Wallen19. “Lovin on Me,” Jack Harlow20. “Save Me,” Jelly Roll with Lainey Wilson21. “Simple Man,” Lynyrd Skynyrd22. “Truck Bed,” HARDY23. “White Horse,” Chris Stapleton24. “Rockstar,” Nickelback25. “Family Tradition,” Hank Williams Jr.26. “Wasted On You,” Morgan Wallen27. “Beautiful Things,” Benson Boone28. “The Joker,” The Steve Miller Band29. “Should’ve Been a Cowboy,” Toby Keith30. “Brown Eyed Girl,” Van Morrison31. “Thunderstruck,” AC/DC32. “Save Me,” Jelly Roll33. “Where the Wild Things Are,” Luke Combs34. “Higher,” Creed35. “Oklahoma Smokeshow,” Zach Bryan36. “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” Guns N’ Roses37. “Not Like Us,” Kendrick Lamar38. “In the Air Tonight,” Phil Collins39. “Too Sweet,” Hozier40. “Bartender Song,” Rehab41. “Kryptonite,” 3 Doors Down42. “Picture,” Kid Rock feat. Sheryl Crow43. “Feathered Indians,” Tyler Childers44. “You Proof,” Morgan Wallen45. “Hippies and Cowboys,” Cody Jinks46. “I Remember Everything,” Zach Bryan feat. Kacey Musgraves47. “Chicken Fried,” Zac Brown Band48. “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” Def Leppard49. “Dreams,” Fleetwood Mac50. “Sweet Home Alabama,” Lynyrd Skynyrd
“When I was a boy, just about every summer we’d take a vacation. And, you know, in 18 years, we never had fun.”
—
In 1983’s National Lampoon’s Vacation, Clark W. Griswold (Chevy Chase) ruminates about his childhood trips, as he takes his own family cross-country in their new metallic-pea Wagon Queen Family Truckster. (The blue Sports Wagon was much too small.)
Despite the Griswolds’ series of mishaps, the hit film introduced, upon its opening frames, a buoyant theme song: “Holiday Road,” written and performed by Lindsey Buckingham. The single spent five weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 82 in August 1983. It became the then-Fleetwood Mac member’s second of three career solo entries, in between “Trouble” (No. 9 peak, 1982) and “Go Insane” (No. 23, 1984).
Like the Griswolds finally witnessing Walley World, and Marty Moose (the moosiest moose we know), “Holiday Road” this week reaches the top 10 of a Billboard chart for the first time at last, as Kesha’s cover ascends 10 spots to No. 6 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs survey dated Dec. 14. It debuted on the list three weeks earlier, marking the first charted version of the song since Buckingham’s.
The update was released Oct. 15 as an exclusive on Spotify, along with four other holiday-themed songs.
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To date, Buckingham’s original “Holiday Road” has drawn 40.9 million official U.S. streams and 25.8 million in radio airplay audience and sold 133,000 downloads.
National Lampoon’s Vacation grossed a reported $60 million-plus in U.S. theaters. The film, directed by Harold Ramis, with its screenplay by John Hughes, is bookended by Buckingham’s music, closing with his likewise sprightly “Dancin’ Across the USA.” Along with Chase, its cast includes Beverly D’Angelo, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, John Candy and, in her first film role, Christie Brinkley.
Notably, Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” – his ode to Brinkley, his then-future wife – debuted on the Hot 100 three weeks after Buckingham’s version departed, on its way to a No. 3 peak.
The second iteration of the Top Gabb Music Songs chart features a new No. 1, as KSI‘s “Thick of It,” featuring Trippie Redd, rises to No. 1 as the most-played song on Gabb Wireless phones and tablets for November 2024.
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Billboard has partnered with Gabb Wireless, a phone company for kids and teens, to present a monthly chart tracking on-demand streams via its Gabb Music platform. Gabb Music offers a vast catalog of songs, all of which are selected by the Gabb team to include only kid- and teen-appropriate content. Gabb Music streams are not currently factored into any other Billboard charts.
“Thick of It,” released Oct. 3, bowed at No. 3 on the inaugural Top Gabb Music Songs list as the most recently released song in the tally’s top 10. It retains that distinction on the November 2024 survey as well (though it isn’t the newest song on the 25-position chart – more on that later).
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The song has peaked so far at No. 64 on the multimetric Billboard Hot 100, achieving the feat on the Oct. 26-dated ranking.
Released by rapper and YouTube star KSI, “Thick of It” leads a hip-hop-dominated Top Gabb Music Songs top 10, with half of the region from rappers. Drake’s “God’s Plan,” No. 1 on the Hot 100 for 11 weeks in 2018, enters the survey at No. 4, while Travis Scott’s “Butterfly Effect” at No. 6 (No. 50 on the Hot 100 in 2018) and Juice WRLD’s “Face 2 Face” at No. 8 (No. 92 on the Hot 100 in 2022) also debut. The fifth, NF’s “Let You Down,” remains in the top 10 for a second straight month, falling 5-7.
Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things,” which reigned atop the first Top Gabb Music Songs list, dips to No. 2 on the November tally, but Boone still boasts a new distinction: he’s the first act with two songs in the top three, as “Slow It Down” zooms 9-3 in its second month. The former peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 in March, while the latter reached No. 32 in September.
Olivia Rodrigo’s “Deja Vu” and Imagine Dragons’ “Bones” appear in the Top Gabb Music Songs chart’s top 10 for the first time; “Deja Vu” shoots 15-9, while “Bones” jumps 16-10. Three and two years old, respectively, the former reached No. 3 on the Hot 100 in 2021 and the latter peaked at No. 47 in 2022.
Top Gabb Music Songs’ top debut of the month by a song released in 2024 belongs to Maddox Batson, whose “X’s” starts at No. 14. It’s the second-highest-performing country song on the tally, following Luke Combs‘ “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” at No. 5. The 14-year-old Warner signee’s song was released in September.
Holiday music has officially come to Gabb as of November, as Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” bows at No. 15. And the newest song to grace the survey, ROSE and Bruno Mars’ “APT.” (released Oct. 18), starts at No. 24.
See the full top 25 below.
Top Gabb Music Songs, November 2024
1. “Thick of It,” KSI feat. Trippie Redd (+2)2. “Beautiful Things,” Benson Boone (-1)3. “Slow It Down,” Benson Boone (+6)4. “God’s Plan,” Drake (debut)5. “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma,” Luke Combs (-3)6. “Butterfly Effect,” Travis Scott (debut)7. “Let You Down,” NF (-2)8. “Face 2 Face,” Juice WRLD (debut)9. “Deja Vu,” Olivia Rodrigo (+6)10. “Bones,” Imagine Dragons (+6)11. “Hope,” NF (-4)12. “Please Please Please,” Sabrina Carpenter (-4)13. “Motto,” NF (=)14. “X’s,” Maddox Batson (debut)15. “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Mariah Carey (debut)16. “Mood,” 24KGoldn feat. Iann Dior (debut)17. “Love Somebody,” Morgan Wallen (debut)18. “Stargazing,” Myles Smith (-4)19. “Ghost,” Justin Bieber (debut)20. “Eyes Closed,” Imagine Dragons (-3)21. “Enemy,” Imagine Dragons & JID (-1)22. “Stressed Out,” Twenty One Pilots (-10)23. “Too Sweet,” Hozier (-19)24. “APT.,” ROSE & Bruno Mars (debut)25. “Radioactive,” Imagine Dragons (-6)
DROPS FROM OCTOBER 2024: JVKE, “Golden Hour”; NF, “The Search”; Glass Animals, “Heat Waves”; Zach Bryan, “Pink Skies”; Imagine Dragons, “Demons”; Tate McRae, “She’s All I Wanna Be”; Ariana Grande, “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)”; Jelly Roll, “I Am Not Okay”; Nicky Youre & Dazy, “Sunroof”
It’s officially that time of year again — on the charts, anyway. The proper holidays may still be a couple weeks ago, but the Billboard Hot 100 is in full seasonal swing, with timely perennials absolutely taking over the chart’s top tier.
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As it has at some point in all of the last six years — although it had to split time a bit last year — Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” rules the Hot 100 dated Dec. 14, followed by last year’s three-week champ, Brenda Lee‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” And Wham!’s “Last Christmas,” celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, already hits a new all-time peak this week by jumping to No. 3.
What other seasonal staples might hit new peaks on the Hot 100 this year? And how long until “All I Want” starts to seriously threaten the all-time chart record? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
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1. Though Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” captured the Hot 100 No. 1 for the first three weeks of the holiday season in 2023, this year Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is the first seasonal classic to claim the chart’s apex. Are you surprised at the changeover, or did you expect “All I Want” to reclaim its throne on the early side this year?
Katie Atkinson: I had no doubt that Carey would reclaim her Christmas crown; it was just a matter of at what point in the 2024 holiday season. That said, it also feels very likely that Brenda Lee could rock her way back to the top of the Hot 100 Christmas tree this year. What was exciting about “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” hitting No. 1 for the first time last year was the idea that maybe a revolving door of holiday classics (or maybe even new seasonal songs) could jockey for that position each year, keeping the Christmas chart race interesting and festive — just like in Love, Actually (or in the real U.K.).
Kyle Denis: I’m not surprised at all. The Mariah Claus promotional machine has been in full swing since Oct. 2 – the date of her first Christmas-themed Instagram post of the year. Between her ongoing holiday tour and a new 30th-anniversary edition of Merry Christmas, both Carey and “All I Want” have been far more visible than Brenda Lee and “Rockin’” at this point in the season.
Jason Lipshutz: “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” reaching the top of the Hot 100 for the first time last year represented a lovely chart tribute to Brenda Lee, a beloved performer in her late seventies who got to watch her song hit No. 1 decades after its release. That said, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” remains the dominant holiday pop smash of this era, and will exist as the safest bet for the No. 1 slot in December unless there’s a special circumstance (such as Lee releasing a music video for “Christmas Tree” last year). Maybe Lee notches more weeks atop the Hot 100 during this and future holiday seasons, but Carey’s hit will remain bigger for the foreseeable future.
Andrew Unterberger: Yeah, Brenda Lee had a deserved nice moment for the song’s 65th anniversary last year, but Mariah remains the Queen of Christmas — and in the 30th-anniversary year of her Merry Christmas Album and its signature hit, there was never any real chance of anyone besting her.
Christine Werthman: Am I surprised that the queen of Christmas has reclaimed her throne? No, and I suspect that she will sit there all season. I was much more shocked that Brenda Lee topped the chart in 2023 simply because Mariah has been so dominant.
2. Wham!’s “Last Christmas” ranking is perhaps the real headline news of this week’s Hot 100, as the ‘80s holiday staple reaches a brand-new peak of No. 3 this week. Why, after four decades, do you think the song continues to grow on the charts?
Katie Atkinson: It’s just such a perfect pop hit, in addition to being a great Christmas song. And it’s celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, so just like Brenda Lee pulled out all the stops last year for the song’s 65th anniversary – new music video, round-the-clock media appearances, etc. – we’re seeing Wham!’s Andrew Ridgeley hit the interview circuit to hype up the beloved song. It hit No. 1 in the U.K. for the first time in 2021 and has spent a total of seven weeks in the top spot. I would love if this were the year for it to climb to No. 1 in the U.S.
Kyle Denis: Outside of it being a near-perfect pop song that’s gotten tons of new lives over the past few decades thanks to some stunning covers, I think “Last Christmas” is benefitting from a new generation of queer audiences connecting with George Michael’s lyrics. Long considered a queer Christmas classic, these new listeners can hear and see themselves in “Last Christmas” — and it’s likely they were introduced to the song through covers from pop stars like Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift. I definitely expect “Last Christmas” to continue surging in the coming weeks, especially as some of 2024’s biggest stars – like Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan and ROSÉ — deliver their own spins on it this holiday season.
Jason Lipshutz: “Last Christmas” has been a holiday staple for years now — but the top three of the current Hot 100 makes clear that Wham!’s classic is now considered precisely the third-biggest holiday staple, behind “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” The song has slowly grown in stature over the years, and while reaching a new peak on the Hot 100 is an achievement worth commemorating, I do think that No. 3 high will remain for quite some time, since Lee’s smash still outpaces Wham! in streams and airplay, and Carey’s holiday hit towers above both. Maybe “Last Christmas” eventually climbs to No. 2 this year or in the near future, but it also might have hit its ceiling this week.
Andrew Unterberger: It’s all about anniversary years, isn’t it? “Last Christmas” grows in estimation every year because it’s one of the best holiday-themed songs ever written, but it’s specifically spiking this year likely due in no small part due to sentimentality over the song celebrating its 40th birthday this year — and will do so only more so once the physical single versions of its anniversary reissue ship this Friday.
Christine Werthman: Because…it’s a vibe? In all seriousness, the song is usually a less invasive option than many Christmas songs. While “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is a showstopper and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” kicks it back to the oldies, “Last Christmas” seamlessly slides into playlists that aren’t even entirely holiday themed. It’s an easy one to play on repeat.
3. Though both are now considered modern classics, neither Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” (No. 19) or Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath the Tree” have yet hit the Hot 100’s top 10, both peaking thusfar at No. 11. Do you think this be the lucky year for Ariana, Kelly, both or neither?
Katie Atkinson: I’m going to wager that, on the strength of the good will around her performance in Wicked, this could be Ariana’s year. Anecdotally, it feels like I’ve heard “Santa Tell Me” more than ever this year – especially in Target, for what it’s worth – and this is obviously not scientific, but it just feels like the song has some serious tailwinds at the moment.
Kyle Denis: I’m going to give Ariana the edge; she’ll be incredibly visible this holiday season thanks to Wicked and the awards cycle for both film and music. She also has three physical 10th-anniversary editions of the “Santa Tell Me” single available on her website, and those will ship on Dec. 20.
Jason Lipshutz: I predict “Santa Tell Me” to hit the top 10 for the first time this year, once some long-running non-holiday hits like “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and “Die With a Smile” (as well as Kendrick Lamar’s GNX material) naturally starts slipping. Along with the holiday season, we are currently in the Autumn of Ariana, thanks to Wicked dominating the box office and earning Grande raves (and a Golden Globe nod as of yesterday), in addition to hosting Saturday Night Live and seeing Eternal Sunshine pop up on year-end lists. “Santa Tell Me” will no doubt reach the top 10 of the Hot 100 someday — why not this season, during Grande’s red-hot streak? Other holiday songs may try to crowd it out and keep it down in the top 20, but I think “Santa Tell Me” will be… wait for it… apologies in advance… defying gravity.
Andrew Unterberger: Why not both? They’re the eighth- and ninth-highest-ranked holiday hits on the Hot 100 currently — so if they stay at their current trajectories, they’ll both have a pretty good shot at making the top 10 when Christmas music becomes all anyone is listening to in the next couple weeks to come. Unless Kendrick Lamar has a second 2024 album in the offing for late December; can’t totally rule out the possibility of course.
Christine Werthman: Unless there’s a cup of cheer and a sweet new sync in their future, neither of these songs are breaking into the top 10 this season. I know there’s a lot of Ari fever because of Wicked, but I don’t think it will drive more people to stream “Santa Tell Me.” Bah humbug!
4. Lower on the ranking, Laufey makes her Hot 100 debut with the new “Christmas Magic” from Red One. Does it feel like a future staple to you, or will most of its impact come this season?
Katie Atkinson: I could see it being a staple. It’s got that timeless, jazzy feel of a lot of holiday music, and Laufey taps into the same vibe that Zooey Deschanel mined with her She & Him Christmas project, which has become a mistletoe mainstay. Laufey and Christmas music go together like candy canes and cocoa.
Kyle Denis: No — then again, I don’t think anything attached to Red One will be a future staple. I also think Laufey can come a bit harder, though “Christmas Magic” is just fine. Regardless, it’s really great to see her on the Hot 100 for the very first time!
Jason Lipshutz: “Christmas Magic” may not sound like a typical holiday hit, but Laufey has a ton of goodwill at the moment, with a passionate fan base and a growing number of casual listeners latching onto her singular style. Seeing her score her first Hot 100 hit with an Amazon Music holiday track was not on my bingo card! But it’s a well-deserved debut, and will lead to bigger things in 2025.
Andrew Unterberger: I don’t think this is necessarily the song that’s gonna do it, but I have every confidence in Laufey eventually finding her way to a holiday perennial — she’s got just the right voice and temperament for it, not to mention the sizeable following. (You can already see her versions of “Winter Wonderland” and “Santa Baby” creeping up the Spotify charts as well.)
Christine Werthman: This is a pleasant, jazzy little bop, but I can’t even listen to the full thing because I don’t have Amazon Music. I would guess there are many others like me out there, so I think this will have a limited impact beyond this year. Also, Red One has a 31 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and though I have not seen the movie, I am guessing it will not become the type of holiday classic that will help endear certain songs to listeners (like Home Alone for Brenda or Love Actually for Mariah).
5. This marks Mariah Carey’s 15th week atop the Hot 100 with “All I Want,” leaving the song just four weeks shy of tying the all-time record held by Lil Nas X’s Billy Ray Cyrus-featuring “Old Town Road” and recently matched by Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” Do you think it’ll claim the record in the next couple years?
Katie Atkinson: Yes. In fact, I feel confident in guessing that it will surpass the record next year. What will be most interesting is how many weeks it can sustain in the years to come after that. This unique way of piecing together weeks at No. 1 could create a truly untouchable all-time Hot 100 record. Long live the Queen of Christmas.
Kyle Denis: Barring any unforeseen rule changes, I think it’s safe to say “All I Want” will claim the title by the end of the 2025 holiday season. At least Lil Nas X can say his 19 weeks at No. 1 were consecutive!
Jason Lipshutz: Definitely. Unless “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” makes a forceful push to become the top holiday hit, or something semi-recent like “Santa Tell Me” or “Underneath the Tree” explodes for some unforeseen reason, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is going to keep logging weeks at No. 1, year after year, and eventually own the all-time record. My question is, how far can it go once that record is claimed? If Carey keeps spending a month at No. 1 every year for the next half-decade, could we see “All I Want” reach 30 total weeks at No. 1? How about 40? Because of this annual tradition, the sky is the limit for what Carey could achieve as a perennial chart behemoth.
Andrew Unterberger: Yep, hard to see anything short of a holiday-themed “We Are the World”-type gathering of superduperstars getting in its way.
Christine Werthman: Oh yes, she’ll get there. Slow and steady wins the race!
Billboard is revamping its dance charts offerings at the outset of the new year to better recognize the varied sounds of the genre.
While the metrics of Hot Dance/Electronic Songs will remain the same, the songs eligible to debut on the ranking will, as of the charts dated Jan. 18, 2025 (reflecting activity Jan. 3-9, the first full chart week of the year), be those primarily recorded by DJs or producers with an emphasis on electronic-based production.
Billboard’s weekly multimetric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart currently ranks the top 50 songs based on U.S. streaming (official audio and official video) and sales data, according to Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, plus radio airplay audience impressions, as measured by Mediabase. The sales metric reflects purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers.
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Billboard launched the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart in January 2013. It became the publication’s first multimetric chart to rank the most popular dance and electronic songs.
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Concurrently with the charts dated Jan. 18, Billboard is also launching the 25-position Hot Dance/Pop Songs chart, utilizing the same multimetric methodology as Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, featuring titles with dance-centric vocals, melody and hooks by artists not considered rooted in the dance/electronic genre. Songs co-billed to both a DJ/producer and a singer who extends beyond the dance genre may be eligible for both Hot Dance/Electronic Songs and Hot Dance/Pop Songs.
With the start of Hot Dance/Pop Songs, Billboard will also introduce corresponding Dance/Pop Songwriters and Dance/Pop Producers charts, based on total points accrued by a songwriter and producer, respectively, for each attributed song that appears on each respective chart.
Further, Billboard is also renaming the Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart to Top Dance Albums to better represent the cross-reference of dance titles that appear on the ranking. The chart ranks the most popular dance albums of the week, based on multimetric consumption, blending traditional album sales, streaming-equivalent albums and track-equivalent albums, as compiled by Luminate.
In March 2020, Elena Rose was a songwriter in her mid-twenties who had helped craft hits for Latin superstars like Becky G and Myke Towers. She was content with her day job, but as lockdown began to take hold, the Venezuelan American had an early-pandemic revelation.
“I really thought that the world was coming to an end,” she says. “When I saw that my voice had not been heard, it made me sad.”
While Rose continued to work behind the scenes — her songwriting credits to-date include Billboard chart entries and collaborations with Selena Gomez, Bad Bunny, Marc Anthony, and the Becky G-Karol G team-up “MAMIII,” which reached No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart — she made her singing debut as an independent artist that May with the Latin urban song “Sandunga.” She paired the release with a colorful music video that showcased her striking presence and alluded to her superstar capabilities.
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Today, the 29-year-old has fully realized her potential, breaking through in recent months on the Billboard charts as a performer with “Orion,” her collaboration with Panamanian star Boza.
Born Andrea Elena Mangiamarchi in Miami to Venezuelan parents, Rose grew up between Puerto Rico and Venezuela before returning to her hometown due to sociopolitical and economic crises in the South American country. No matter her location, she loved to sing anywhere and everywhere: initially, she began as a performer, singing in bars, restaurants and at parties.
She met mentor and producer Patrick Romantik in Miami in her early twenties, who brought Rose to the studio and taught her the ins and outs of the technology, while also letting her observe sessions to learn about the songwriting process. “And my years of silence began,” she reflects. “I remember they told me, ‘OK, you can be here, but we cannot feel you.’ ”
During that time, she watched writers and producers such as Servando Primera, Yasmil Murrufo and Mario Cáceres create hits including Becky G’s “Mayores” featuring Bad Bunny in 2019, which reached No. 74 on the Billboard Hot 100. Along the way, she gained an informal music education as a hitmaker.
“When I worked in bars in Miami, the musicians were Ricky Martin’s percussionist, Alejandro Sanz’s pianist, the bassist who had played with Stevie Wonder,” Rose says. “It was my best school because they were people who had experienced music, understood it and wanted to preserve it.”
Elena Rose photographed September 26, 2024 at Grove Studios in Miami.
Mary Beth Koeth
She continued to self-release new singles through the next few years, such as “La Ducha” and “Picachu” and made appearances at key industry events such as Billboard Latin Music Week, where she has participated every year since 2021 either as a panelist or a performer. In summer 2022, she signed a record label deal with Warner Music Latina.
“Her lyrics, her voice, her presence and the ability she has to convey emotions is unparalleled,” said the label’s president Alejandro Duque at the time. In September of the following year, she agreed to a management deal with OCESA Seitrack, whose artists include superstars such as Sanz and Alejandro Fernández.
“The day I sat down a year and a half ago to have dinner with her, I was blown away,” says OCESA Seitrack founder/CEO Alex Mizrahi. He adds today that he recognized her as “a diamond in the rough” with the potential of becoming “the next Karol G” in terms of success.
In the year-plus since then, she has released soulful solo songs, including the empowering “Me Lo Merezco” in March. But her collaborations with artists spanning genres on her November EP, En Las Nubes (Con Mis Panas), and elsewhere have taken her to new markets — chiefly with “Orion.” Sophisticated in both its lyrics and production, the song is a captivating fusion of reggaetón, salsa and Afrobeats. It has an irresistibly playful bridge from Boza, and with Rose’s evocative writing, the single shows new layers to both artists.
“I made the song ‘Orion’ at a [writers] camp in Miami a year ago,” remembers Boza. “I heard it with the producer, Daramola, and the songwriters, Essa Gante and Omar, and at that moment we already knew that we needed a female voice. Together with my team, we thought of Elena.”
Adds Rose: “When this song came to me, I remember saying, ‘OK, it has a soul, it has something nice. If you allow me, I want to take it to my world and see how I can give it a little more of myself.’ I remember that was when I gave love to the chorus, changed the lyrics, and wrote my verse. I feel that, for me, the concept of ‘Orion’ became a source of information on emotional intelligence.”
The song was released May 29 on Sony Music Latin (Boza’s record label), with an official music video arriving the following day. Though Rose recorded her part separately, they got together to shoot the video in Panama, which has since tallied more than 105 million views on YouTube. “Orion” steadily began to take hold at radio as well, and by mid-September, it debuted at No. 20 on the Latin Pop Airplay chart. Three weeks later, it arrived on the overall Latin Airplay ranking. It has held ever since on both, with “Orion” spending the last six weeks at No. 2 on the Latin Pop Airplay chart. It has also reached a No. 15 high on Latin Airplay. “Working with her is like traveling to another planet,” Boza says of Rose.
As her public profile reached new heights fueled by the song’s success, so did her status within the industry: in September, she earned three Latin Grammy nominations, for song of the year for “Caracas En El 2000” with Danny Ocean and Jerry Di; best pop/rock song for “Blanco y Negro,” a LAGOS song featuring Rose; and best regional song for her hand in Becky G’s “Por El Contrario,” which she co-wrote with Latin hitmakers Edgar Barrera and Keityn. (The year prior, she was the only woman to be nominated when the songwriter of the year category was inaugurated.)
Rose has continued to prioritize her collaborative efforts, releasing both the country-tinged ballad “A Las 12 Te Olvidé” with Ha*Ash and a Latin pop song infused with cumbia and urban rhythms, “Pa’ Qué Volviste?” with Maria Becerra, as non-EP singles in November. And while her success with Boza has made her a recognizable face in Panama — Rose coyly says that a recent flight she was taking was delayed after the co-pilot requested a photo with her — Mizrahi teases that more duets are on the immediate horizon, which aim to bolster her following in other countries.
In the coming months, there are plans for releases with Camilo and Morat (both from Colombia), Sanz (Spain) and Los Ángeles Azules (Mexico). She is also scheduled to perform at both Lollapalooza Argentina and Lollapalooza Chile in March 2025. “The goal is to bring Elena’s music to the world,” Mizrahi says, “to make her a global artist.”
Elena Rose photographed September 26, 2024 at Grove Studios in Miami.
Mary Beth Koeth
A version of this story appears in the Dec. 14, 2024, issue of Billboard.
The legendary Bing Crosby is back in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 albums chart for the first time in nearly 64 years, as his new holiday compilation Ultimate Christmas climbs 18-9 on the chart dated Dec. 14.
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The entertainer, who died in 1977, was last in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 with his classic Merry Christmas album, which ranked at No. 9 on the Dec. 31, 1960-dated chart. It had previously spent a week at No. 1 on Jan. 6, 1958-dated chart.
Merry Christmas became the second holiday album to top the Billboard 200, following its launch as a regularly published weekly chart in March 1956. Elvis Presley’s Elvis’ Christmas Album was the first chart-topping holiday set, as it topped the chart for three weeks in December 1957, moved aside for Crosby for a week and then returned to No. 1 for one more week in January 1958.
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Ultimate Christmas is available as 14-song standard album, an expanded 28-song edition, and a deluxe 58-song version. All versions of the album contain such classic Holiday 100-charting tunes from Crosby as “White Christmas” (featuring The Ken Darby Singers and John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra), “It’s Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas,” “Do You Hear What I Hear?,” “Mele Kalikimaka” (with The Andrews Sisters) and “Silent Night” (featuring John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra and Max Terr’s Mixed Chorus).
In the tracking week ending Dec. 5, as reflected on the Dec. 14-dated Billboard 200 chart, Ultimate Christmas earned 50,000 equivalent album units in the week ending (up 59%). Of that sum, SEA units comprise 46,000 (up 62%; equaling 61.37 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks; it jumps 16-6 on Top Streaming Albums).
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Dec. 14, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard’s website on Tuesday, Dec. 10. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.