Monthly Archives: December 2022

Plus, Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” takes over as the most-heard song on radio.

Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” hangs atop the Billboard Hot 100’s highest bough for an 11th total week. It leads for a third week this holiday season, as it has topped the chart over the holidays each year since December 2019.

Plus, Wham!’s fellow Yuletide classic “Last Christmas” reaches the Hot 100’s top five for the first time, rising from No. 6 to No. 5, and Taylor Swift’s former leader “Anti-Hero,” at No. 9 on the latest Hot 100, becomes the most-heard song on U.S. airwaves, ascending to the top of the Radio Songs chart, where Swift becomes the first artist to have reigned in the 2000s, ’10s and ’20s.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated Dec. 31) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 28, a day later than usual due to the Christmas holiday). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

“Christmas,” on Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings, was first released on Carey’s album Merry Christmas in 1994 and, as streaming has grown and holiday music has become more prominent on streaming services’ playlists, it first reached the Hot 100’s top 10 in December 2017 and first hit the top five in the 2018 holiday season, before dominating over the holidays in 2019 (for three weeks), 2020 (two), 2021 (three) and now 2022 (three to-date).

Streams, airplay & sales: “Christmas” drew 48.7 million streams (up 18%) and 39.5 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 19%) and sold 11,000 downloads (up 3%) in the U.S. in the Dec. 16-22 tracking week, according to Luminate. Adding to the song’s momentum, Carey’s two-hour holiday special Merry Christmas to All! premiered Dec. 20 on CBS.

The song adds a fourth total week at No. 1, and second in a row, on the Digital Song Sales chart, following frames on top in 2005 and 2019; rebounds 2-1 for an 18th week atop Streaming Songs; and jingles 14-11 for a new high on Radio Songs, where it reached a previous No. 12 best over the 1994 holidays and has returned to the top 15 in each of the last four holiday seasons.

Third No. 1 of at 11 weeks or more: Carey becomes the second artist, and first woman, with three songs that have topped the Hot 100 for 11 or more weeks each. She joins Boyz II Men for the honor – with Carey and the group having teamed for one song contributing to the feat:

Mariah Carey:
16 weeks, “One Sweet Day,” with Boyz II Men, 1995-96
14 weeks, “We Belong Together,” 2005
11 weeks (to-date), “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” 2019-22

Boyz II Men:
13 weeks, “End of the Road,” 1992
14 weeks, “I’ll Make Love to You,” 1994
16 weeks, “One Sweet Day,” with Carey, 1995-96

“Christmas” is the 28th title to command the Hot 100 for 11 or more weeks, a run that under just 2% of all 1,144 No. 1s have achieved. (Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” solely held the record for the chart’s longest reign for over 21 years, until Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito,” featuring Justin Bieber, matched it with 16 weeks on top in 2017. The songs now share the second-longest No. 1 stay, after Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, ruled for 19 weeks in 2019.)

Longest span atop the Hot 100: Carey’s “Christmas” extends the longest span from a song’s first week at No. 1 on the Hot 100 to its latest, to over three years and a week (Dec. 21, 2019-Dec. 31, 2022).

Plus, the latest week atop the Hot 100 for “Christmas” extends Carey’s record for the longest span of an artist ranking at No. 1 on the chart: 32 years and nearly five months, dating to her first week at No. 1 on the list dated Aug. 4, 1990, with her debut single “Vision of Love.”

Carey’s record 90th week atop Hot 100: With “Christmas,” Carey adds her record-extending 90th week at No. 1 on the Hot 100, dating to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958 inception.

Most Weeks at No. 1 on Hot 100:
90, Mariah Carey
60, Rihanna
59, The Beatles
54, Drake
50, Boyz II Men
47, Usher
43, Beyoncé
37, Michael Jackson
34, Adele
34, Elton John
34, Bruno Mars

“Christmas” became Carey’s 19th Hot 100 No. 1, the most among soloists and one away from The Beatles’ overall record 20. It also made Carey the first artist to have ranked at No. 1 on the chart in four distinct decades, dating to her first week at the summit with “Vision of Love.” The song is additionally the only title to have led in four separate runs on the survey.

Most weeks at No. 1 for a holiday hit: Carey’s “Christmas” expands its record for the most time atop the Hot 100 for a holiday song. The only other seasonal single to lead, “The Chipmunk Song,” by David Seville & the Chipmunks, spent four weeks at No. 1 beginning in December 1958.

No. 1 on Holiday 100: Carey’s “Christmas” concurrently crowns the multi-metric Holiday 100 chart for a 56th week, of the chart’s 61 total weeks since the list originated in 2011. It has topped the tally for 41 consecutive weeks, dating to the start of the 2015-16 holiday season, and rules as the top title on the Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs chart.

Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” originally released in 1958, keeps at its No. 2 Hot 100 high (for an eighth total week since it first reached the rank in December 2019), with 48.5 million streams (up 19%), 29.4 million in radio airplay audience (up 10%) and 5,000 sold (down 2%).

The late Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock,” from 1957, and the late Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” from 1964, rebound 4-3 and 5-4, respectively, on the Hot 100, each returning to their respective highs achieved in each of the last four holiday seasons.

Wham!’s “Last Christmas” dashes to a new best Hot 100 rank, rising 6-5, after the 1984 release first reached the top 10 during the 2020 holidays and, until this holiday season, hit a prior No. 7 high over last year’s holidays. It ascends with 43.7 million streams (up 51%), 24.2 million in radio reach (up 5%) and 3,000 sold (up 11%).

The duo of George Michael (who died in 2016, on Christmas Day) and Andrew Ridgeley adds its sixth top five Hot 100 hit, among seven top 10s, after charting its first six top 10s in 1984-86: the No. 1s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” “Careless Whisper” and “Everything She Wants”; the No. 3 hits “Freedom” and “I’m Your Man”; and the No. 10-peaking “The Edge of Heaven.”

Wham! appears in the Hot 100’s top five for the first time since the Feb. 8, 1986-dated chart (the last week in the top five for “Man”); Michael subsequently notched nine solo top five hits, including seven No. 1s, among 14 solo top 10s, through 1996; he last ranked in the top five as a soloist on the Feb. 15, 1992, list with former leader “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” with Elton John. Meanwhile, a song written by Michael places in the top five for the first time since former No. 1 “Praying for Time” ranked at No. 3 on the Oct. 20, 1990, chart.

Andy Williams’ 1963 chestnut “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” pushes 8-6 on the Hot 100; it hit a No. 5 high during the 2020 holidays. The song’s latest week in the top 10 extends the late singer’s record for the longest span of an act appearing in the tier to 63 years, two months and three weeks, dating to his first week in the top 10 with “Lonely Street,” in October 1959.

Notably, holiday hits decorate the Hot 100’s top six spots for a second time, following a frame over the 2020 holidays (also the only other week in which the entire top five consisted of carols).

SZA’s “Kill Bill” slips to No. 7 on the Hot 100 a week after it debuted at No. 3, as it tops Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs, which use the same methodology as the Hot 100, for a second week each. The track is from her album SOS, which logs a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

José Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad,” from 1970, jumps 11-8 on the Hot 100. It hit a No. 6 best over the 2020 holidays.

Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” descends 7-9 after spending its first six weeks on the Hot 100 at No. 1 starting in November. It concurrently crowns Radio Songs, rising from No. 2, with 79.4 million in audience (up 3%). Swift scores her seventh Radio Songs leader, tying Maroon 5, Katy Perry and Usher for the fourth-most No. 1s dating to the chart’s December 1990 start; Rihanna leads with 13, followed by Carey (11) and Bruno Mars (nine).

Here’s a recap of Swift’s seven Radio Songs No. 1s:

Title, Weeks at No. 1, Year(s)
“You Belong With Me,” two, 2009
“I Knew You Were Trouble.,” four, 2013
“Shake It Off,” four, 2014
“Blank Space,” six, 2014-15
“Bad Blood” (feat. Kendrick Lamar), five, 2015
“Wildest Dreams,” two, 2015
“Anti-Hero,” one (to-date), 2022

With Radio Songs No. 1s in the 2000s, ’10s and ’20s, Swift becomes the first artist with leaders on the chart in each of the three decades – and the only artist with No. 1s as a lead act in any three distinct decades. Christina Aguilera is the only other artist with No. 1s in each of three decades, with one each as a lead in the 1990s (“Genie in a Bottle,” 1999) and ’00s (“Lady Marmalade,” with Lil’ Kim, Mya and P!nk, 2001) and one as featured in the ’10s (on Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger,” 2011).

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” dips 9-10, after it led the Oct. 29-dated chart.

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Dec. 31), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 28).

Source: billboard.com

Plus, RM’s ‘Indigo’ re-enters chart in top five after its CD release.

SZA’s SOS spends a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart (dated Dec. 31), as the album earned 180,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Dec. 22 (down 43% from its opening frame a week ago), according to Luminate. The set debuted atop the list with 318,000 units.

Also in the top 10, BTS member RM scores his first top 10-charting album, as Indigo re-enters the list at No. 3 following its CD release on Dec. 16. The set debuted on the Dec. 17-dated chart at No. 15 after its initial release via streaming services and as a digital download album. RM becomes the first member of BTS to earn a solo top 10 album on the Billboard 200.

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. 31, 2022-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Dec. 28 (one day later than usual, due to the Christmas Day holiday on Dec. 25). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of SOS’ 180,000 equivalent album units earned, SEA units comprise 179,000 (down 42%, equaling 236.52 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks), album sales comprise 1,000 (down 87% and TEA units comprise less than 1,000 (down 49%).

Taylor Swift’s former No. 1 Midnights is a non-mover at No. 2 — though up 12% to 155,000 equivalent album units earned. The set’s sales were up 31% to 97,000, owed to holiday shopping as the chart reflects the sales week ending Dec. 22. (We’ll still see holiday gift-giving purchases impacting next week’s chart, dated Jan. 7, 2023, as that chart will reflect the tracking week of Dec. 23-29.) The bulk of Midnights’ sales were vinyl-driven, with 68,000 on vinyl sold for the week — up 41%. That also marks the third-largest sales week for any vinyl album in 2022, following the debut weeks of Midnights (575,000) and Harry Styles’ Harry’s House (182,000). Midnights continues to profit from its availability across five vinyl variants — all colored vinyl editions, including one exclusive to Target.

RM’s Indigo re-enters the Billboard 200 at No. 3 with 83,000 equivalent album units earned (up 1,290%) following its CD release on Dec. 16. It’s a new high for the set, and RM’s first top 10 album as a soloist. (The seven-member group BTS, of which RM is a member, has logged seven top 10s, six of which reached No. 1.)

RM is the first member of BTS to earn a solo top 10 album on the Billboard 200, and the second to reach the chart in 2022 with a solo project, following the No. 17 debut and peak of J-Hope’s Jack in the Box (July 30 chart).

Indigo debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 dated Dec. 17 with 31,000 equivalent album units, following the set’s initial release via streaming services and as a digital download album for purchase. It slipped off the chart the following week, only to return on the new list after its CD release.

Of the album’s 83,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Dec. 22, album sales comprise 79,000 (up from less than 500 sales the week previous), while SEA units comprise 4,000 (down 28%; equaling 5.3 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum (down 32%).

CDs comprise 77,500 of Indigo’s sales for the week, while digital album purchases comprise 1,500. Like many K-pop releases, the CD configuration of Indigo was issued in collectible deluxe packages (three, including exclusive versions for Target and the Weverse webstore), each with a standard set of items and one randomized element (a photocard).

A trio of former No. 1s is next on the Billboard 200, as Metro Boomin’s Heroes & Villains falls 3-4 with 76,000 equivalent album units earned (down 25%), Michael Bublé’s Christmas is a non-mover at No. 5 with 72,000 (up 16%), and Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss dips 4-6 with 60,000 (down 10%).

Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song jingles 8-7 (59,000 equivalent album units earned; up 24%), Vince Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack glows 9-8 (56,000; up 20%) and Mariah Carey’s Merry Christmas dashes 11-9 (53,000; up 18%).

Bad Bunny’s former No. 1 Un Verano Sin Ti closes out the new top 10, as it falls 7-10 with 52,000 equivalent album units earned (though up 2%).

Source: billboard.com

She is the first woman with three songs that have led the chart for double-digit weeks. Plus, SZA debuts two tracks in the top 10.

Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” tops the Billboard Hot 100 for a 10th week. With its latest frame at No. 1, Carey becomes the third artist – and first woman – with three songs that have reigned for double-digit weeks. Carey crowned the chart for 16 weeks with “One Sweet Day,” with Boyz II Men, in 1995-96, and for 14 weeks with “We Belong Together” in 2005. Boyz II Men and Drake are the only other acts to have achieved such a triumphant triple.

Plus, SZA launches two songs in the Hot 100’s top 10 – “Kill Bill,” at No. 3, and “Nobody Gets Me,” at No. 10 – both from her new album, S.O.S, which launches as her first No. 1 on the Billboard 200. She ups her count to seven career Hot 100 top 10s and, with the former arrival, ties her highest rank, establishes a new top placement as a lead act and makes her highest debut.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated Dec. 24) will update on Billboard.com Tuesday (Dec. 20). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

“Christmas,” on Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings, was first released on Carey’s album Merry Christmas in 1994 and, as streaming has grown and holiday music has become more prominent on streaming services’ playlists, it first reached the Hot 100’s top 10 in December 2017 and first hit the top five in the 2018 holiday season, before reigning over the holidays in 2019 (for three weeks), 2020 (two), 2021 (three) and now 2022 (two to-date).

Streams, airplay & sales: “Christmas” drew 41.4 million streams (up 14%) and 33.1 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 11%) and sold 11,000 downloads (up 86%) in the U.S. in the Dec. 9-15 tracking week, according to Luminate.

The song adds a third week at No. 1, up from No. 3, on the Digital Song Sales chart, following frames on top in 2005 and 2019; dips to No. 2 after 17 total weeks atop Streaming Songs; and rises 17-14 on Radio Songs, where it hit a No. 12 high over the 1994 holidays and has returned to the top 15 in each of the last four holiday seasons.

Third No. 1 of at 10 weeks or more: Carey becomes the third artist, and first woman, with three songs that have ruled the Hot 100 for 10 or more weeks. Here’s a recap of the elite three acts to have earned the honor – with Carey and Boyz II Men having teamed for one song below. Boyz II Men initiated the club in 1996 and Drake became its second member in 2018.

Mariah Carey:

• 16 weeks, “One Sweet Day,” with Boyz II Men, 1995-96
• 14 weeks, “We Belong Together,” 2005
• 10 weeks (to-date), “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” 2019-22

Drake:

• 10 weeks, “One Dance,” featuring WizKid & Kyla, 2016
• 11 weeks, “God’s Plan,” 2018
• 10 weeks, “In My Feelings,” 2018

Boyz II Men:

• 13 weeks, “End of the Road,” 1992
• 14 weeks, “I’ll Make Love to You,” 1994
• 16 weeks, “One Sweet Day,” with Carey, 1995-96

“Christmas” is the 43rd song to command the Hot 100 for 10 or more weeks, a feat that under just 4% of all 1,144 No. 1s have achieved. (Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” solely held the record for the chart’s longest reign for over 21 years, until Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito,” featuring Justin Bieber, matched it with 16 weeks on top in 2017. The songs now share the second-longest No. 1 stay, after Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, dominated for 19 weeks in 2019.)

No. 1 on both ‘Christmas’ Eve and Day: Among its 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, Carey’s “Christmas” has led lists dated Dec. 24 (this year) and Dec. 25 (2021). It, fittingly, becomes the only song to have topped Hot 100 charts dated both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Longest span atop the Hot 100: Carey’s “Christmas” extends the longest span from a song’s first week at No. 1 on the Hot 100 to its latest, to just over three years (Dec. 21, 2019-Dec. 24, 2022).

Plus, the latest week atop the Hot 100 for “Christmas” extends Carey’s record for the longest span of an artist ranking at No. 1 on the chart: 32 years and nearly five months, dating to her first week at No. 1 on the list dated Aug. 4, 1990, with her debut single “Vision of Love.”

Most weeks at No. 1 for a holiday hit: Carey’s “Christmas” expands its record for the most time atop the Hot 100 for a holiday song. The only other seasonal single to lead, “The Chipmunk Song,” by David Seville & the Chipmunks, spent four weeks at No. 1. (“‘The Chipmunk Song’ is one of the fastest breaking and fastest selling records of 1958,” Billboard reported when the song first reigned, in the Dec. 22, 1958, issue, adding that it had become the “biggest seller since ‘Hound Dog’,” first made a hit by Big Mama Thornton and then Elvis Presley. “Sales city by city [for “Chipmunk”] have been astounding and it has been blaring out of radios, juke boxes and loudspeaker systems from New York to Los Angeles every day for weeks.”)

Carey’s record 89th week atop Hot 100: With “Christmas,” Carey adds her record-extending 89th week at No. 1 on the Hot 100, dating to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958, inception.

Most Weeks at No. 1 on Hot 100:

• 89, Mariah Carey
• 60, Rihanna
• 59, The Beatles
• 54, Drake
• 50, Boyz II Men
• 47, Usher
• 43, Beyoncé
• 37, Michael Jackson
• 34, Adele
• 34, Elton John
• 34, Bruno Mars

“Christmas” became Carey’s 19th Hot 100 No. 1, the most among soloists and one away from The Beatles’ overall record 20. It also made Carey the first artist to have ranked at No. 1 on the chart in four distinct decades, dating to her first week at the summit with “Vision of Love.” The song is additionally the only title to have led in four separate runs on the survey.

No. 1 on Holiday 100: “Christmas” concurrently crowns the multi-metric Holiday 100 chart for a 55th week, of the chart’s 60 total weeks since the list originated in 2011. It has topped the tally for 40 consecutive weeks, dating to the start of the 2015-16 holiday season, and rules as the top title on the Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs chart.

Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” originally released in 1958, keeps at its No. 2 Hot 100 high, with 40.9 million streams (up 19%), 26.7 million in radio airplay audience (up 2%) and 5,000 sold (up 4%).

SZA scores two debuts in the Hot 100’s top 10 – “Kill Bill,” at No. 3, and “Nobody Gets Me,” at No. 10 – both from her new album, S.O.S. Streaming drive the bulk of both tracks, which begin with 36.9 million and 25.1 million streams, respectively.

“Kill Bill” debuts at No. 1 on Streaming Songs, where it’s SZA’s first leader, and “Nobody Gets Me,” at No. 6. (While the former’s sum of raw streams is the week’s fourth-highest, the song tops the chart due to the application of weighting to all titles’ paid/subscription and ad-supported on-demand streams and programmed/radio streams.)

SZA ups her career total to seven Hot 100 top 10s and, with the entrance of “Kill Bill,” ties her highest rank, establishes a new highest placement as a lead act and makes her strongest debut. Her previous top 10s: as featured on Maroon 5’s “What Lovers Do” (No. 9, November 2017); with “All the Stars,” with Kendrick Lamar (No. 7, March 2018), and “Good Days” (No. 9, February 2021); as featured on Doja Cat’s “Kiss Me More” (No. 3, July 2021); and with “I Hate U” (No. 7, December 2021). (SZA previously debuted at a No. 7 best with both “Kiss Me More” and “I Hate U.”)

Concurrently, “Kill Bill” begins at No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs, which use the same methodology as the Hot 100. SZA earns her third leader on the latter list, following “I Hate U” and “The Weekend” (in 2018), and her second No. 1 on the former, after “I Hate U.”

The late Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock,” from 1957, drops 3-4 on the Hot 100 and the late Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” from 1964, backtracks 4-5, each slipping a spot from their respective highs reached in each of the last four holiday seasons.

Wham!’s “Last Christmas” hits a new best Hot 100 rank, jingling 9-6, after the 1984 release first reached the top 10 during the 2020 holidays and hit a prior No. 7 high last holiday season. It ascends with 28.9 million streams (up 15%), 23 million in radio reach (up 2%) and 3,000 sold (up 7%).

Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” retreats 6-7 after spending its first six weeks on the Hot 100 at No. 1 starting in November. It concurrently ascends to the top of the Pop Airplay chart, where it’s Swift’s 10th leader and first since “Delicate” in 2018. “Anti-Hero” leads Adult Pop Airplay, where it’s her ninth No. 1, for a fourth week. On Radio Songs, it holds at its No. 2 high (77 million, up 3%).

Andy Williams’ 1963 carol “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” rebounds 11-8 on the Hot 100; it hit a No. 5 high in the 2020 holiday season. The song’s latest week in the top 10 extends the late crooner’s record for the longest span of an act appearing in the tier to 63 years, two months and two weeks, dating to his first week in the top 10 with “Lonely Street,” on the chart dated Oct. 12, 1959.

Elsewhere in the Hot 100’s top 10, Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” slides 7-9, after it topped the Oct. 29-dated chart, as it rules Radio Songs for a fifth week (78.3 million, essentially even week-over-week).

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Dec. 24), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 20).

Source: billboard.com

The 1994 modern classic leads five holiday hits in the top 10, plus two new top 10s from Metro Boomin.

Like Santa setting off on his annual airborne sleigh ride, Mariah Carey makes her ascent back to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart with “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” The modern carol logs its ninth total week atop the Hot 100 and becomes the first song to have led in four distinct runs on the ranking.

The song was first released on Carey’s album Merry Christmas in 1994 and, as streaming has grown and holiday music has become more prominent on streaming services’ playlists, it hit the Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time in December 2017 and the top five for the first time in the 2018 holiday season, before reigning over the holidays in 2019 (for three weeks), 2020 (two) and 2021 (three).

“Christmas” paces five holiday classics in the Hot 100’s top 10, while Metro Boomin debuts two titles in the bracket – “Creepin’,” with The Weeknd and 21 Savage (No. 5), and “Superhero (Heroes & Villains),” with Future and Chris Brown (No. 8) – both from his new album Heroes & Villains, which launches at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated Dec. 17) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 13). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Here’s a deeper look at Carey’s latest Hot 100 coronation with “Christmas,” on Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings.

Streams, airplay & sales: “Christmas” drew 36.2 million streams (up 19%) and 29.9 million radio airplay audience impressions (up less than 1%) and sold 6,000 downloads (up 23%) in the U.S. in the Dec. 2-8 tracking week, according to Luminate.

The song holds for a 17th total week at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart and No. 7 on Digital Song Sales and rises 23-17 on Radio Songs. It also crowns the multi-metric Holiday 100 chart for a 54th week, of the chart’s 59 total weeks since the list launched in 2011. It has topped the tally for 39 consecutive weeks, dating to the start of the 2015-16 holiday season, and rules as the top title on the Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs chart.

No. 1 in a fourth separate chart run: Carey’s “Christmas” first topped the Hot 100 dated Dec. 21, 2019, and led again on the next two lists, dated Dec. 28, 2019, and Jan. 4, 2020.

The following holiday season, it returned to No. 1 on the chart dated Dec. 19, 2020, and, after a week at No. 2, topped the Jan. 2, 2021-dated tally.

As “Christmas” returned to rule the Dec. 25, 2021-dated chart, it became the first song in the Hot 100’s now-64-year history to lead in three distinct chart runs. It held atop the charts dated Jan. 1 and 8, 2022, and now becomes the first title to have led in four separate stays on the ranking.

Longest span atop the Hot 100: Carey’s “Christmas” extends the longest span from a song’s first week at No. 1 on the Hot 100 to its latest: three years (Dec. 21, 2019-Dec. 17, 2022).

Plus, the latest week atop the Hot 100 for “Christmas” extends Carey’s record for the longest span of an artist ranking at No. 1 on the chart: 32 years, four months and three weeks, dating to her first week at No. 1 on the list dated Aug. 4, 1990, with her debut single “Vision of Love.”

Notably, when “Christmas” first hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 2019, Carey passed Cher, whose solo leaders span 27 years and five months, from “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves” (from its first week at No. 1 in 1971) through “Believe” (through its last week on top in 1999). (If Cher’s career as half of duo Sonny & Cher were combined with her solo output, her No. 1 span would cover 33 years, seven months and two weeks, from the twosome’s “I Got You Babe,” which hit the top spot in 1965, through “Believe.”)

Most weeks at No. 1 for a holiday hit: With its ninth week atop the Hot 100, Carey’s “Christmas” expands its record for the most time at No. 1 for a holiday song. The only other seasonal single to lead, “The Chipmunk Song,” by David Seville & the Chipmunks, spent four weeks at No. 1 beginning in December 1958.

Carey’s record 88th week atop Hot 100: With “Christmas,” Carey adds her record-extending 88th week at No. 1 on the Hot 100, dating to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958, inception.

Most Weeks at No. 1 on Hot 100:
88, Mariah Carey
60, Rihanna
59, The Beatles
54, Drake
50, Boyz II Men
47, Usher
43, Beyoncé
37, Michael Jackson
34, Adele
34, Elton John
34, Bruno Mars

“Christmas” became Carey’s 19th Hot 100 No. 1, the most among soloists and one away from The Beatles’ overall record 20. It also made Carey the first artist to have ranked at No. 1 on the chart in four distinct decades, dating to her first week at the summit with “Vision of Love.”

Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” originally released in 1958, rises from No. 3 to its No. 2 Hot 100 best (a.k.a., a new old-fashioned way of scaling the chart, as it has reached the runner-up rank in each of the last three holiday seasons). It tallied 34.3 million streams (up 15%), 26.1 million in radio airplay audience (essentially even week-over-week) and 5,000 sold (up 19%) Dec. 2-8.

The late Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock,” from 1957, lifts 5-3 on the Hot 100 and the late Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” from 1964, climbs 6-4. As with Lee’s Yuletide standard, Helms’ and Ives’ return to their respective highs reached in each of the last three holiday seasons.

Metro Boomin blasts in with two songs in the Hot 100’s top 10, as “Creepin’,” with The Weeknd and 21 Savage, debuts at No. 5 and “Superhero (Heroes & Villains),” with Future and Chris Brown, opens at No. 8. The tracks start at Nos. 4 and 6 on Streaming Songs with 30.8 million and 27.4 million streams, respectively.

Metro Boomin hits a new Hot 100 best and doubles his career top 10 total as a billed recording artist, as he previously debuted and peaked at Nos. 9 and 10, respectively, with “Runnin” (with 21 Savage) and “Mr. Right Now” (with 21 Savage and featuring Drake) in October 2020. Metro Boomin co-produced and co-wrote those songs and has done the same for six other top 10s, including the No. 1s “Bad and Boujee” by Migos featuring Lil Uzi Vert (2017), and “Heartless” by The Weeknd (2019); he also co-wrote Big Sean’s 2017 top 10 hit “Bounce Back.”

Thanks to “Creepin’,” The Weeknd adds his 15th Hot 100 top 10 and 21 Savage, his 14th. With “Superhero,” Future and Chris Brown stretch their top 10 totals to 10 and 17, respectively.

Concurrently, “Creepin’ ” premieres at No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs, while “Superhero (Heroes & Villains)” starts atop Hot Rap Songs, with the charts using the same methodology as the Hot 100. Metro Boomin, The Weeknd and 21 Savage claim their first, seventh and fifth No. 1 each on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and their first, 10th and first apiece on Hot R&B Songs. Metro Boomin, Future and Brown notch their first, third and fifth No. 1 each on Hot Rap Songs.

Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” falls to No. 6 after spending its first six weeks on the Hot 100 at No. 1 starting in November, with 74.6 million in radio reach (up 8%), 18.6 million streams (down 11%) and 7,000 sold (down 48%).

Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” dips 4-7 on the Hot 100, after it topped the Oct. 29-dated chart, as it rules Radio Songs for a fourth week (78.6 million in audience, up 2%).

Wham!’s “Last Christmas” advances 10-9 on the Hot 100, after the 1984 release first reached the top 10 during the 2020 holidays and hit a No. 7 high last holiday season.

Closing out the Hot 100’s top 10, Drake and 21 Savage’s “Rich Flex” falls 7-10, after it spent its first three weeks on the chart at its No. 2 best beginning in November.

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Dec. 17), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 13).

Source: billboard.com

Plus: Mariah Carey’s ‘Merry Christmas’ returns to top 10.

Metro Boomin’s superstar-filled album Heroes & Villains debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart (dated Dec. 17), giving the producer his third leader on the list. The 15-song set starts with his biggest week yet: 185,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Dec. 8, according to Luminate — largely driven by streaming activity.

Heroes & Villains boasts a cavalcade of heavy-hitters, including 21 Savage, A$AP Rocky, Chris Brown, Future, Gunna, John Legend, Travis Scott, the late Takeoff, Don Toliver, The Weeknd, Young Thung and unbilled spoken word cameos from Morgan Freeman.

Heroes & Villains is Metro Boomin’s seventh charting effort on the Billboard 200, and fifth to reach the top 10. He previously hit the region with Savage Mode II (a collaborative album with 21 Savage, No. 1 in 2020), Not All Heroes Wear Capes (No. 1, 2018), Double or Nothing (a collaborative set with Big Sean, No. 6 in 2017) and Without Warning (billed to 21 Savage, Offset and Metro Boomin, No. 4 in 2017).

On Sept. 16, Heroes & Villains was initially announced with a release date of Nov. 4. Then, on Oct. 26, the set was pushed to Dec. 2 due to sample clearance issues.

Also in the top 10 on the Billboard 200, Mariah Carey’s Merry Christmas returns, rising 11-10. The album, released in 1994, peaked at No. 3 that year, and has returned to the top 10 in each of the last four holiday seasons.

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. 17, 2022-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Dec. 13. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of Heroes & Villains’ 185,000 equivalent album units earned, SEA units comprise 179,000 (equaling 233.38 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks), album sales comprise 5,000 and TEA units comprise 1,000. The album’s sales were largely powered by its digital download album, though there was a CD available in limited quantities (including a signed version), which resulted in about 3,000 sales. In addition, on Dec. 5 the album was reissued in a deluxe edition on streamers and at digital retail with 15 bonus instrumental tracks of the album’s standard songs.

Following Heroes & Villains (released via Boominati/Republic) on the Billboard 200, a pair of former No. 1s is up next, as Taylor Swift’s Midnights (Republic) falls to No. 2 with 143,000 equivalent album units (down 5%) and Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss (OVO Sound/Republic) dips 2-3 with 78,000 (down 16%). Thus, Republic Records completes a sweep of the top three on the Billboard 200, the first time any label has held the top three since Republic itself did it on the Feb. 6, 2021-dated list. That week, the chart was led by Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album (Big Loud/Republic), Pop Smoke’s Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon (Victor Victor Worldwide/Republic) and Swift’s Evermore (Republic).

Bad Bunny’s chart-topping Un Verano Sin Ti falls 3-4 on the Billboard 200 with 55,000 equivalent album units earned (though up 5%). Michael Bublé’s former No. 1 Christmas is pushed down 4-5 despite a 16% gain to 54,000 units. Harry Styles’ No. 1 Harry’s House rises 9-6 with 49,000 units (up 42% — mostly owed to vinyl LP sales) and Wallen’s Dangerous descends 6-7, but with a gain of 16% to 47,000.

Wrapping up the top 10 are The Weeknd’s The Highlights (7-8 with 42,000 equivalent album units; up 5%), Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song (8-9 with just over 40,000; up 13%) and Carey’s Merry Christmas (11-10 with 40,000; up 23%).

Source: billboard.com

Meanwhile, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” climbs to No. 2.

Taylor Swift‘s “Anti-Hero” rules the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart for a sixth week, encompassing its entire run on the ranking so far. The single is just the 10th in the Hot 100’s history to have spent its first six weeks on the chart at No. 1.

Meanwhile, six holiday classics light up the Hot 100’s top 10, led by Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which rises from No. 5 to No. 2 and becomes the most-streamed song in the U.S., while two carols return to the region: Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” (19-9) and Wham!’s “Last Christmas” (23-10).

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated Dec. 10, 2022) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 6). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

In the Nov. 25-Dec. 1 tracking week, “Anti-Hero,” released on Republic Records, tallied 68.9 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 6%), 20.9 million streams (down 19%) and 13,000 sold (up 15%), according to Luminate. Aiding its sales sum, 10 previously-released versions of the song (its original, acoustic and instrumental versions; mixes featuring Bleachers; and its ILLENIUM, Jayda G, Kungs and Roosevelt remixes) were made available again in Swift’s webstore, discounted to 69 cents each, from late Nov. 30 through Dec. 1.

The single rebounds from No. 2 for a third week at No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales chart; holds at its No. 2 high on Radio Songs; and drops 2-6 after two weeks atop Streaming Songs.

As “Anti-Hero” tops the Hot 100 for a sixth week, Swift moves to within a week of her longest reign: “Blank Space” dominated for seven weeks in 2014-15.

Five weeks ago, “Anti-Hero” blasted in atop the Hot 100, as Swift made history as the first artist to monopolize the chart’s entire top 10 in a single week, with all tracks all from her new album Midnights.

Meanwhile, of the 64 singles that have debuted atop the Hot 100, “Anti-Hero” is just the 10th to have spent at least its first six weeks on the chart at No. 1.

Singles to Spend Their First Six Weeks on the Hot 100 at No. 1:
Title, Artist, Year(s), Weeks at No. 1 from debut (marking titles’ total weeks at No. 1 unless otherwise noted)
“Anti-Hero,” Taylor Swift, 2022 (six, to-date)
“Butter,” BTS, 2021 (seven / 10 weeks at No. 1 total)
“Drivers License,” Olivia Rodrigo, 2021 (eight)
“God’s Plan,” Drake, 2018 (11)
“Hello,” Adele, 2015-16 (10)
“Born This Way,” Lady Gaga, 2011 (six)
“Candle in the Wind 1997″/”Something About the Way You Look Tonight,” 1997-98 (14)
“I’ll Be Missing You,” Puff Daddy & Faith Evans feat. 112, 1997 (11)
“One Sweet Day,” Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, 1995-96 (16)
“Fantasy,” Mariah Carey, 1995 (eight)

Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” jingles 5-2 on the Hot 100, with 30.3 million streams (up 41%), 29.8 million airplay audience impressions (up 45%, good for top Airplay Gainer honors on the Hot 100), and 5,000 sold (up 59%). It surges 3-1 for 16th cumulative week atop Streaming Songs, 14-7 on Digital Song Sales and dashes 38-23 on Radio Songs. It also crowns the multi-metric Holiday 100 chart for a 53rd week, of the chart’s 58 total frames since the list launched in 2011; it has topped the ranking for 38 consecutive weeks, dating to the start of the 2015-16 holiday season, and rules as the top title on the Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs chart.

The song sports a record-setting history on the Hot 100, following its 1994 release on Carey’s 1994 album Merry Christmas. As streaming grew through the 2010s and holiday music became more prominent in Yuletide playlists on multiple streaming services, the song first hit the top 10 (reaching No. 9) in December 2017 and the top five (No. 3) in the 2018 holiday season. In December 2019, it ascended to the summit, 25 years after its original release, becoming the second holiday hit to reign, after “The Chipmunk Song” by David Seville & the Chipmunks spent four weeks at No. 1 beginning in December 1958.

“Christmas” became Carey’s 19th Hot 100 No. 1, as she extended her mark for the most leaders among soloists and pushed to within one of The Beatles’ overall record 20.

As “Christmas” dominated the Hot 100 for three weeks on the charts dated Dec. 21, 2019, through Jan. 4, 2020, Carey also became the first artist to have ranked at No. 1 on the survey in four distinct decades. The track led again for two weeks in the 2020 holiday season, passing “The Chipmunk Song” for the most for a seasonal song, and ruled for three more frames over the 2021 holidays, upping its total to eight weeks at No. 1.

Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” originally released in 1958, climbs 6-3 on the Hot 100. It has peaked at No. 2 in each of the last three holiday seasons. The song claims the Hot 100’s top Streaming and Sales Gainer awards, up 51% to 29.9 million streams and 292% to 4,000 sold, while also soaring by 30% to 26.2 million in radio reach.

Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” slips 3-4 on the Hot 100, after it topped the Oct. 29-dated chart, as it leads Radio Songs for a third week (77.4 million in audience, up 8%).

The late Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock,” from 1957, rises 9-5 on the Hot 100 and the late Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” from 1964, advances 10-6. The standards have reached Nos. 3 and 4 respective peaks in each of the last three holiday seasons.

Drake and 21 Savage’s “Rich Flex” falls to No. 7 on the Hot 100 after spending its first three weeks on the chart at No. 2 (dating to its debut when Drake placed eight songs in the top 10 and 21 Savage, seven). The collab controls the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts, which use the same methodology as the Hot 100, for a fourth week each.

Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit” descends 4-8 on the Hot 100, following three weeks at No. 1 in October. It concurrently tops the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, Hot Rock Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts for a 15th week each and Hot R&B Songs for a 13th frame.

Andy Williams’ 1963 chestnut “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” roars 19-9 on the Hot 100; it hit a No. 5 high in the 2020 holiday season. The song’s latest week in the top 10 extends the late Williams’ record for the longest span of an artist appearing in the tier to 63 years and two months, dating to his first week in the top 10 with “Lonely Street,” on the chart dated Oct. 12, 1959.

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Wham!’s “Last Christmas” jumps 23-10; released in 1984, the song by the duo of George Michael (who died in 2016) and Andrew Ridgeley first reached the top 10 during the 2020 holidays and lifted to a No. 7 high last holiday season.

Notably, Backstreet Boys’ new cover of “Last Christmas” spends a second week at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Adult Contemporary airplay chart. Praised Michael’s family and George Michael Entertainment on his official Facebook account of the coronation, “George would have been delighted. What a great start to December!”

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Dec. 10), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 6).

Source: billboard.com

Nat King Cole’s ‘The Christmas Song’ and Vince Guaraldi Trio’s ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ return to top 10.

Taylor Swift’s Midnights logs a fifth week atop the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated Dec. 10), while a flurry of holiday albums jingles in the top 10. Midnights earned 151,000 equivalent album units in the tracking week ending Dec. 1 in the U.S. (down 15%), according to Luminate. The last Swift album with more weeks at No. 1 is Folklore, which notched eight nonconsecutive weeks atop the list in 2020. Since then, she’s claimed four more chart-topping albums: Evermore (four weeks at No. 1 in 2020-21), Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (two weeks, 2021), Red (Taylor’s Version) (one week in 2021) and Midnights (five weeks so far).

Also in the top 10, catalog holiday albums powered by streaming activity make waves as Michael Bublé’s former No. 1 Christmas rises 10-4, Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song vaults 18-8 and Vince Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack jumps 17-10.

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. 10, 2022-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (Dec. 6). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of Midnights’ 151,000 equivalent album units earned, SEA units comprise 89,000 (down 24%, equaling 117.93 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks), album sales comprise 60,000 (up 5%) and SEA units comprise 2,000 (down 6%).

Five former No. 1s are Nos. 2-6 on the latest Billboard 200 chart. Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss holds at No. 2 (93,000 equivalent album units earned; down 22%), Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti is stationary at No. 3 (52,000 units; down 7%), Bublé’s Christmas climbs 10-4 (47,000 units; up 55%), Lil Baby’s It’s Only Me falls 4-5 (43,000 units; down 10%) and Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album dips 5-6 (40,000 units; down 3%). The Weeknd’s compilation The Highlights descends 6-7 with 40,000 units (up 2%).

Cole’s The Christmas Song rises 18-8 with 36,000 equivalent album units (up 58%). The album, which includes such seasonal favorites like the title track and “O Holy Night,” peaked at No. 6 two holiday seasons ago, on the Jan. 2, 2021-dated chart. Harry Styles’ chart-topping Harry’s House falls 8-9 with 35,000 units (up 5%). Guaraldi Trio’s A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack jumps 17-10 with 33,000 units (up 45%). The seasonal set peaked at No. 6 nearly a year ago on the Jan. 1, 2022-dated list.

Source: billboard.com