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Top 25 Holiday Songs

THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF COMPOSERS, AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS (ASCAP) Lists of Top 25 Holiday

Songs







"The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting…)" Tops "Most Performed" Song List Covering Past Five Years




New York, NY, November 27, 2006: With holiday tunes already on the airwaves, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) - the first and leading U.S. Performing Rights Organization representing over 260,000 music creators and copyright owners - today announced its Top 25 most performed holiday songs for the past five years, based on performance data tracked by radio airplay monitoring service Mediaguide.



Mediaguide, co-owned by ASCAP, was launched in 2002 to monitor radio broadcast music in real-time and facilitate the accurate distribution of royalty payments to composers, lyricists and publishers. Its proprietary technology and network of over 2,500 radio stations currently tracks more stations and total airplay than any other monitoring service in the U.S.



Members of the press who would like a custom week-to-week or local run of "real-time" 2006 Holiday song airplay may contact Kathleen Reynolds (CooperKatz for Mediaguide) at 212-455-8062 or kreynolds@cooperkatz.com.



"Re-recorded and revived by each decade's most popular artists, these holiday favorites illustrate the vital connection between ASCAP music creators and the holiday spirit, which fills the airwaves each year," said ASCAP President and Chairman Marilyn Bergman. "For Americans and many others around the world, these classic lyrics and melodies are inseparable from the celebration of the holiday season - brightening lives year after year, and serving as a cornerstone of the ASCAP repertory."



The most performed ASCAP Holiday song is "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)." Written by Robert Wells and the singing great, Mel Tormé, the song became a seasonal classic with the release of Nat "King" Cole's 1946 recording. The song has been covered by numerous artists, including Celine Dion, Luther Vandross, Amy Grant and James Taylor, but Cole's version remains the most played on radio today.



Entering the Top 25 song list for the first time is "Do They Know It's Christmas? (Feed the World)" written by Midge Ure and Bob Geldof. Recorded in 1984 by Band Aid — an all-star band of British musicians — this benefit single assisted famine relief efforts in Ethiopia, and sold millions of copies over the '84 holiday season. Twenty years later, Band Aid 20 recorded a remake to aid famine relief efforts in Africa. The single featured over 50 artists and reached #1 on the U.K. charts.



The Top 25 most performed ASCAP holiday songs are listed below. Each song includes songwriter credits, and cites the most popular artist version played on radio.


  1. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)

    Written by: Mel Tormé, Robert Wells

    Performed by: Nat "King" Cole


  2. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

    Written by: Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin

    Performed by: The Pretenders


  3. Winter Wonderland

    Written by: Felix Bernard, Richard B. Smith

    Performed by: Eurythmics


  4. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

    Written by: Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie

    Performed by: Bruce Springsteen


  5. White Christmas

    Written by: Irving Berlin

    Performed by: Bing Crosby


  6. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

    Written by: Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne

    Performed by: Andy Williams


  7. Jingle Bell Rock

    Written by: Joseph Carleton Beal, James Ross Boothe

    Performed by: Bobby Helms


  8. Little Drummer Boy

    Written by: Katherine K. Davis, Henry V. Onorati, Harry Simeone

    Performed by: The Harry Simeone Chorale & Orchestra


  9. Sleigh Ride

    Written by: Leroy Anderson, Mitchell Parish

    Performed by: The Ronettes


  10. Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer

    Written by: Johnny Marks

    Performed by: Gene Autry


  11. It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

    Written by: Edward Pola, George Wyle

    Performed by: Andy Williams


  12. I'll Be Home For Christmas

    Written by: Walter Kent, Kim Gannon, Buck Ram

    Performed by: Vanessa Williams


  13. Silver Bells

    Written by: Jay Livingston, Ray Evans

    Performed by: Kenny G


  14. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

    Written by: Johnny Marks

    Performed by: Brenda Lee


  15. Feliz Navidad

    Written by: José Feliciano

    Performed by: José Feliciano


  16. Blue Christmas

    Written by: Billy Hayes, Jay W. Johnson

    Performed by: Elvis Presley


  17. Frosty The Snowman

    Written by: Steve Nelson, Walter E. Rollins

    Performed by: The Ronettes


  18. A Holly Jolly Christmas

    Written by: Johnny Marks

    Performed by: Burl Ives


  19. It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

    Written by: Meredith Willson

    Performed by: Johnny Mathis


  20. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

    Written by: Tommie Connor (PRS)

    Performed by: John Mellencamp


  21. Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)

    Written by: Gene Autry, Oakley Haldeman

    Performed by: Elvis Presley


  22. Carol Of The Bells

    Written by: Peter J. Wilhousky, Mykola Leontovich

    Performed by: John Tesh and the Christmas Symphony Orchestra


  23. Do They Know It's Christmas? (Feed the World)

    Written by: Midge Ure (PRS), Bob Geldof (PRS)

    Performed by: Band Aid


  24. (There's No Place Like) Home For The Holidays

    Written by: Bob Allen, Al Stillman

    Performed by: The Carpenters


  25. Santa Baby

    Written by: Joan Ellen Javits, Philip Springer, Tony Springer

    Performed by: Madonna


Some facts about the Top 25 ASCAP Holiday Songs:



Oldest songs:

"Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" and "Winter Wonderland" (both 1934)



Newest song:

"Do They Know It's Christmas? (Feed the World)" (1984)



Most recorded Holiday song:

"White Christmas" with well over 500 versions in dozens of languages.



Songs introduced in Film and Television:

"White Christmas" in Holiday Inn (1942)

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

"Silver Bells" in The Lemon Drop Kid (1950)

"A Holly Jolly Christmas" in TV special Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1962)



Writer with most top Holiday songs:

Johnny Marks with three - "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," and "A Holly Jolly Christmas"



"Sleigh Ride" is the only Holiday song written originally as an instrumental piece for a symphony orchestra. The Boston Pops Orchestra gave the first performance in a concert conducted by Arthur Fiedler at Symphony Hall in Boston, May 4, 1948. Mills Music published it that same year. The Boston Pops Orchestra recorded it in June of 1949. Mitchell Parish added lyrics in 1949. 






Related Posts;

Top 10 Christmas Films

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