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ASCAP Announces Top 25 Holiday Songs
"Winter Wonderland" Tops Most Performed Song List Covering Past Five Years
Posted November 25, 2008
Gene Autry is the Christmas Cowboy when it comes to holiday music and once again you’ll find his songs on the ASCAP most performed holiday song list for the past five years. Gene Autry's recording of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is number 9, up one position from last year. Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) is number 22, last year it was Elvis Presley's version at number 21, but this year it is Gene Autry's version!
New York, NY, November 24, 2008 – As the countdown to the Holidays begins and seasonal music fills the airwaves, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) – the first and leading U.S. Performing Rights Organization representing over 330,000 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 songwriters, composers and publishers. Its proprietary technology and network of over 2,700 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" 2008 holiday song airplay may contact Kathleen Reynolds at 917-595-3036 or kreynolds@cooperkatz.com.
Marilyn Bergman, ASCAP President and Chairman, said: "More than anything else, music sets the mood for the Holidays, evoking the magic of the season and memories of Holidays past. These timeless classics have been recorded by artists in every genre, yet each song retains the original stamp of its creators."
Topping the list for the second time is "Winter Wonderland" by Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith. This perennial classic, written in 1934, was an instant hit for legendary bandleader Guy Lombardo And His Royal Canadians who took it to the #2 spot on the Billboard charts the same year. 1946 recordings by the Andrews Sisters and Perry Como established the song as a Yuletide favorite. Versions by the Eurythmics, Jewel and Air Supply are frequently heard on radio today.
Re-entering the Top 25 list after a brief hiatus is "This Christmas," written by Donny Hathaway and Nadine McKinnor. Featured on the 1968 Soulful Christmas compilation album, the song has been recorded by numerous artists including Gladys Knight, the Temptations, Peabo Bryson, Usher, Ruben Studdard and Gloria Estefan. It was also featured on the Soundtrack for the 2002 movie Friday After Next starring Ice Cube.
The Top 25 most performed ASCAP holiday songs of the past five years are listed below. Each song includes songwriter credits, and cites the most popular artist version played on radio. Click here to listen to all 25 songs on the ASCAP Network's Playback radio channel.
| 1. | Winter Wonderland Written by: Felix Bernard, Richard B. Smith Performed by: Eurythmics |
| 2. | The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) Written by: Mel Tormé, Robert Wells Performed by: Nat "King" Cole |
| 3. | Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Written by: Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin Performed by: The Pretenders |
| 4. | Sleigh Ride Written by: Leroy Anderson, Mitchell Parish Performed by: The Ronettes |
| 5. | Santa Claus Is Coming To Town Written by: Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie Performed by: Frank Sinatra |
| 6. | Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Written by: Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne Performed by: Michael Bublé |
| 7. | White Christmas Written by: Irving Berlin Performed by: Bing Crosby |
| 8. | Jingle Bell Rock Written by: Joseph Carleton Beal, James Ross Boothe Performed by: Bobby Helms |
9. |
Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer Written by: Johnny Marks Performed by: Gene Autry |
| 10. | Little Drummer Boy Written by: Katherine K. Davis, Henry V. Onorati, Harry Simeone Performed by: The Harry Simeone Chorale & Orchestra |
| 11. | It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year Written by: Edward Pola, George Wyle Performed by: Andy Williams |
| 12. | Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree Written by: Johnny Marks Performed by: Brenda Lee |
| 13. | Silver Bells Written by: Jay Livingston, Ray Evans Performed by: Kenny G |
| 14. | I'll Be Home For Christmas Written by: Walter Kent, Kim Gannon, Buck Ram Performed by: Amy Grant |
| 15. | Feliz Navidad Written by: José Feliciano Performed by: José Feliciano |
| 16. | Frosty The Snowman Written by: Steve Nelson, Walter E. Rollins Performed by: The Ronettes |
| 17. | A Holly Jolly Christmas Written by: Johnny Marks Performed by: Burl Ives |
| 18. | It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas Written by: Meredith Willson Performed by: Johnny Mathis |
| 19. | Blue Christmas Written by: Billy Hayes, Jay W. Johnson Performed by: Elvis Presley |
| 20. | (There's No Place Like) Home For The Holidays Written by: Bob Allen, Al Stillman Performed by: Perry Como |
| 21. | I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus Written by: Tommie Connor (PRS) Performed by: John Mellencamp |
| 22. |
Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) Written by: Gene Autry, Oakley Haldeman Performed by: Gene Autry |
| 23. | Carol Of The Bells Written by: Peter J. Wilhousky, Mykola Leontovich Performed by: David Foster (instrumental version) |
| 24. | Do They Know It's Christmas? (Feed the World) Written by: Midge Ure (PRS), Bob Geldof (PRS) Performed by: Band Aid |
| 25. | This Christmas Written by Donny Hathaway, Nadine McKinnor Performed by Gloria Estefan |
Some facts about the Top 25 ASCAP Holiday Songs:
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)
About ASCAP
Established in 1914, ASCAP is the first and leading U.S. Performing Rights Organization (PRO) representing the world's largest repertory totaling over 8.5 million copyrighted musical works of every style and genre from more than 330,000 songwriter, composer and music publisher members. ASCAP has representation arrangements with over 90 similar foreign organizations such that the ASCAP repertory is represented in nearly every country around the world. ASCAP protects the rights of its members and foreign affiliates by licensing the public performances of their copyrighted works and distributing royalties based upon surveyed performances. ASCAP is the only American PRO owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. www.ascap.com
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