Pop
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Selena Gomez is living her dream life! After the “Rare” singer announced her engagement to music producer Benny Blanco, the star took to her Instagram Stories on Thursday (Dec. 19) to share a video of her sparkling marquise-cut diamond engagement ring, complete with a pavé band. “Sorry last post,” she wrote over the clip. “I’ve […]
It’s as predictable as the crazed sprint to the mall for that last clutch of gifts on Dec. 23. The annual Billboard chart showdown between the two undisputed queens of Christmas music: Mariah Carey and Brenda Lee.
There a dozens of holiday classics, new and old, to choose from at this time of year, from Wham!’s “Last Christmas” to Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” and Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas.” But when it comes to the top spot, there are really only two songs that keep jostling for the No. 1 slot on the Hot 100 at this most festive time of year: Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”
Since you’ll be hearing a lot of those songs in the next week, let’s look at how we got to this annual tradition.
Lee released her song in 1958 when she was just 14 years old, with the track debuting on the Hot 100 singles chart on Dec. 12, 1960, originally peaking at No. 14 two weeks later, only to re-enter the Hot 100 after several decades during the 2013-2014 holiday season. “Rockin’” didn’t make it into the top 10 until 2018-2019 frame, then spent nine weeks at No. 2 on the singles tally in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 .
What kept the 80-year-old singer out of the top spot? Carey, of course.
“All I Want” — which appeared on Carey’s debut Christmas album, 1994’s Merry Christmas — first hit the Billboard charts in 1994, but didn’t crack the top 10 on the Hot 100 until December 2017. It finally reached the No. 1 spot in 2019 and has absolutely dominated every holiday season since.
Well, except for 2023, when Lee’s “Rockin’” finally shot to No. 1 on the Hot 100, spending three weeks at the apex of the chart, while Carey’s song led for two weeks that year, marking just the third holiday song ever to reach the top of the chart; the other one is “The Chipmunk Song” by the Chipmunks with David Seville, which spent four weeks at No. 1 in December 1958.
So in an era when dozens of new Christmas albums and songs flood the zone in search of classic standing, what explains the strength of Carey and Lee’s anthems? The rise of streaming and curated holiday playlists, as well as strong radio airplay and sales has helped both tracks become annual staples. It also helps that both singers have leaned into the virality of their hits, with Carey filming her popular “it’s time” teaser clips every year and Lee filming a music video for hers last year as well as joining TikTok to promote it.
No matter which one is your favorite, enjoy the season and keep rockin’ around the Christmas tree!
Watch Billboard Explains: Mariah Carey and Brenda Lee’s Battle for the Christmas Throne in the video above.
After the video, catch up on more Billboard Explains videos and learn about Peso Pluma and the Mexican music boom, the role record labels play, origins of hip-hop, how Beyoncé arrived at Renaissance, the evolution of girl groups, BBMAs, NFTs, SXSW, the magic of boy bands, American Music Awards, the Billboard Latin Music Awards, the Hot 100 chart, how R&B/hip-hop became the biggest genre in the U.S., how festivals book their lineups, Billie Eilish’s formula for success, the history of rap battles, nonbinary awareness in music, the Billboard Music Awards, the Free Britney movement, rise of K-pop in the U.S., why Taylor Swift is re-recording her first six albums, the boom of hit all-female collaborations, how Grammy nominees and winners are chosen, why songwriters are selling their publishing catalogs, how the Super Bowl halftime show is booked and more.
Sabrina Carpenter, fresh off the North American leg of her first-ever arena tour, is now accustomed to playing 20,000-seat concert halls. But at NPR’s offices in Washington, D.C., the short and sweet pop star finally found a venue that’s just her size. On a Monday in early December, Billboard was on hand to watch Carpenter […]
Ben Stiller would drive all night for SZA. In fact, in the new visual for the singer’s track “Drive,” which dropped on Friday morning (Dec. 20), the Nutcrackers star looks entranced as he lip-synchs along to the song while barreling down a dark road in his SUV.
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In the Bradley J. Calder-directed clip, Stiller enthusiastically sings the moody ballad’s lyrics about hitting the road to clear your head while trying to not get too in your head about everything that’s going on. “I been up ’til up midnight, drivin’ to nowhere/ Bumpin’ a slow song, can’t get my head clear/ I been up ’til sunrise, headed to nowhere/ Hopin’ that someone’s missin’ me somewhere,” SZA sings over gently plucked acoustic guitar.
After worrying that she’s balled so hard she’s hit her peak, SZA brags about all the exes who still want to hit her up and how she has no time to waste on haters. And while he’s hitting those lines, Stiller closes his eyes and begins to drift to sleep before waking up with a renewed energy that inspires him to lean out of the window and rip doughnuts in the middle of the street. Eagle-eyed viewers noticed that the midnight ghost ride is similar to a lip-synching cameo Stiller had in Jack Johnson’s “Taylor” video in 2003 — only this time around, the actor’s hands are wrapped around a steering wheel instead of a guitar.
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Things then get super weird as Stiller drives off and SZA pops up in the woods dressed as a sexy alien insect as the second half of the song turns into a slow-grind R&B jam and the singer crawls her way across the marsh. The costume is similar to one in the teased artwork for SZA’s long-awaited deluxe edition of her blockbuster SOS album, Lana, which is due out on Friday, as well as her Hot Ones look from September.
SZA first revealed the Lana title during a show in New York in September 2023, during which she told the audience that the deluxe version of SOS would be like “a whole ‘nother album … It’s seven to 10 songs, and it’ll be out this fall.” Then in a November British Vogue interview, she described Lana and the SOS deluxe as two entirely different albums.
But then earlier this month, SZA confirmed that Lana is the title of the SOS deluxe album, and teased the tracklist. SOS debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums charts following its 2022 release, shattering the record for the biggest streaming week for an R&B album by a woman at the time with 404.6 million official on-demand streams for the album’s songs, according to Luminate.
SZA will embark on the Grand National stadium tour with Kendrick Lamar beginning in April.
Watch the “Drive” video above.
12/20/2024
Modern holiday chestnuts by veterans of the long-running TV talent competition.
12/20/2024
Charli XCX has invited Troye Sivan to Sweat with her some more. The Brat star opened the door for a one-time re-boot of her 2024 sold-out Sweat tour with Sivan on Thursday (Dec. 19) when she invited the “Rush” singer to join her on stage again next year. “ok so i know it’s already been […]
Katy Perry left an early gift under Katy Cats’ trees on Friday morning (Dec. 2) when she dropped a surprise deluxe edition of her 143 album, re-dubbed 1432. Even better, if features the previously unreleased tune “OK,” a Dr. Luke-produced mid-tempo pop bubbler on which Perry promises to stick with you, no matter what. Explore […]
Ringo Starr joined his Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney on the final night of the latter’s global ‘Got Back’ tour at London’s The O2 arena yesterday evening (Dec. 19).
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The drummer got behind his kit during the show’s encore to perform “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” and “Helter Skelter.” Watch footage of the moment below.
After honoring his late bandmate John Lennon during “I’ve Got A Feeling,” McCartney said to a giddy crowd, “We’ve got another surprise for you. Bring to the stage the mighty, the one and only Mr Ringo Starr.” The pair hugged on stage before McCartney quipped, “Should we rock? Get on your kit la” to Ringo before the two-song appearance.
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The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood also appeared onstage during the show, playing guitar on “Got Back.” McCartney introduced the song by talking about his old bass guitar that was stolen over 50 years ago, and was eventually returned after a public appeal. Holding the Höfner onstage, McCartney revealed that it was the bass’ first stage appearance since it had gone missing: “I haven’t played it in 50 years.”
The “Got Back” tour kicked off in 2022 and has seen the 82-year-old perform all over the globe, and included a headline performance at England’s Glastonbury Festival in June of that year. He then continued the run in the United States and through Latin America, eventually concluding with a run in Europe and a number of shows in the U.K. over the past few weeks.
The evening was a star-studded event with big-names such as Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Kate Moss, Dame Judi Dench, Greta Gerwig and more all spotted in the crowd.
There was also a festive surprise with a performance of his 1979 song “Wonderful Christmastime,” accompanied by the Capital Choir who provided backing vocals on the song as snow confetti filled the venue.
Elsewhere he performed a number of Beatles classics, including “Let It Be”, “Hey Jude” and “Something”, alongside Wings and solo material cuts like “Live and Let Die” and “Band On The Run”. He looked visibly emotional at the conclusion of “Now and Then,” the ‘final’ Beatles song released in 2023 which was completed through the use of assistive AI. McCartney has no more shows lined up in the near future, but promised the crowd at the conclusion that “we’ll see you again soon”.
Time to show off your wickedly good singing chops, as Wicked dropped a buzzed-about sing-along version of its film soundtrack on Friday (Dec. 20) via Universal Pictures / Republic Records / Verve Records. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Fans can channel their inner Ariana Grande as Glinda or […]
Billie Eilish has been giving back during her Hit Me Hard and Soft tour. The superstar partnered with Support+Feed and American Express to provide support for small businesses across cities including Atlanta, Nashville, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The partnership […]