A few years back, radio industry news publications put out the word that Nielsen, the large research organization that, among other things, publishes the radio and television listenership reports, had done an analysis of the holiday songs most played on the radio during the 2016 Christmas season.
What really attracted my attention to this is the list of the 10 most-played recordings and their age. What’s most interesting is that not a single one of the ten – which has obviously been extensively researched to determine which songs have the greatest magnetic attraction with the most devoted listeners and lovers of holiday music – is new here in the 21st century, even though we were already a decades-and-a-half in.
In 2016, there were only 2 of the 10 that dated only to the 1990s. Then, you’ve got to go back nearly 50 years to Jose Feliciano’s masterpiece, “Feliz Navidad,” first released in 1970. It comes as no surprise to me that this one is #1 on the most-played list.
Looking back to the 1960s, I was “Mr. Christmas Music,” as in 1963 in Philadelphia, I conceived the idea of playing non-stop Christmas music on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, something that didn’t appear to be done at the time. And, we began including holiday melodies in our music mix immediately after Thanksgiving, with the percentage increasing as the days passed.
A great holiday melody, which I gave much airplay, was “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas,” which was first recorded in 1951 by Perry Como, but Bing Crosby’s version would soon arrive. A new version, which caught on with the programmers and listeners alike, would finally appear in 2011 … this one by Michael Buble:
Compare what I conceived and did in 1963 with what happened 50 years later, when at least one radio station in every market of any size across the country plays nonstop Christmas music for six weeks or more leading up to Christmas. Chuck Knight is the former program director of that same station, now B101. As his station has been one of those stations for many years, I asked Chuck his opinion on why the all-Christmas radio station format continues to be so popular in cities throughout America. I found his response to be quite insightful:
“It’s all about tradition. At almost any of our ages, the holidays are universally a trip down memory lane to a happy, simpler and easier time.”
Oh yes, those remaining seven songs on the 2016 list? Five of them – even though they were vocals – were being played on our mostly-instrumental Easy Listening-formatted station back in the 1960s and 70s. Some you can likely guess: Nat King Cole’s “Christmas Song,” Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas,” “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams, and Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas.”
Looking ahead nearly a decade to this holiday season of 2025 – thanks to my friend Sean Ross, a radio station consultant – I found music industry’s Billboard magazine’s listing of the 100 most-played holiday song list … little has changed, as sitting at the top is Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” which was released in 1993.
However, right behind on the most-played list, both in 2016 and today as well, are recordings both released in 1962 … more than 60 years ago: “Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” Right up there with them on this year’s list – even though recorded back in the 1980s, is one by a group with the intriguing name of WHAM singing “Last Christmas.”
Further down in the Top 20, you’ll find two tunes from this century by two female contemporary singers … Kelly Clarkson and “Underneath the Tree” and Arriana Grande singing “Santa Tell Me.” Just below the Top 20 are two that go back so far you may be too young to remember: Gene Autry’s “Here Comes Santa Claus” and Elvis singing “Blue Christmas!”
Of the traditional religious carols, you need to get to the very bottom of the long list … there you’ll find a couple sung by Nat Cole and Andy Williams! A little bit back up the list, there are two by the new favorite group, Pentatonix: “Hallelujah” and the modern carol “Mary, Did You Know.” Listen/watch this official video of the latter – what I cannot connect with is why, while the group sings the actual lyrics, the words on the screen are totally different?
Why not tune in to your local station playing all-Christmas music and see how long it takes before you hear one or more of these holiday recordings?
After all … it’s all about tradition and sweet memories! AND, yes… Merry Christmas to all!!
One of my favorites is a song that I’ve never heard on the radio. It’s on Mariah Carey’s Christmas album, the same album that contains the most-played holiday song, “All I Want for Christmas is You.” The song is an amazing, soulful rendition of “O Holy Night.”
Thank you, Roddy … have not listened to her rendition, but will … “O Holy Night” has always been one of my favorites pieces of music!