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On The Table Read Magazine, “the best entertainment magazine in the UK“, research into Spotify streaming data has revealed the top earning Christmas song of the past 50 years!
As the festive season approaches, the air is filled with the melodies of cherished Christmas songs. These timeless tunes evoke memories of childhood, family gatherings, and the magic of the holiday season. But beyond their sentimental value, some Christmas songs have also amassed impressive financial returns, earning their composers and performers substantial royalties over the years.
Join us as we embark on a musical journey to uncover the top-earning Christmas songs of the last 50 years. These compositions have transcended their festive origins, becoming enduring financial successes that continue to generate revenue long after the holiday season ends.
Research conducted by CSGO gambling site CSGOLuck into Christmas songs released in the past 50 years determined the most streamed songs on Spotify and each song’s estimated earnings. The research also looked at the ‘playlist reach’ for each song, which examines how many user-created Spotify playlists include the song.
Christmas music provides a sense of nostalgia, tradition and memories, becoming a fundamental part of the holiday season.
Social media once again has revealed its power, as you would expect more classic Christmas songs to rank within the top 10. Most of the songs in the ranking have been, to some extent, trending on TikTok or Instagram, resulting in a surge of streams. Despite that, seeing an even blend of modern-day and classic songs on everyone’s holiday playlist is great this year.
-a spokesperson for CSGOLuck
The study revealed that Wham!’s 1986 release, Last Christmas, is the most streamed Christmas song released in the past 50 years. The song has amassed a whopping 1.9 billion streams on Spotify alone, with this number expected to increase as we enter this year’s holiday season. The song alone has earned an estimated $15,356,729 in royalties from Spotify and has a playlist reach of 39 million.
Surprisingly, in second place is Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You. The 1994 Christmas classic has been played over 1.4 billion times on Spotify, which means the song has earned an estimated $11,854,972 in royalties. The song also has a playlist reach of 178 million. The song has recently landed Mariah Carey in some legal trouble, as she is being sued for $20 billion for alleged copyright infringement.
The remaining songs within the top five were all released in the 2010s. In third place is Ariana Grande’s 2013 release, Santa Tell Me. The song has received over 849 million streams on Spotify and has earned an estimated $6,795,815 in royalties. The song has a playlist reach of 100 million.
Michael Bublé’s rendition of It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas is the fourth most streamed Christmas song. The song has been streamed over 820 million times on Spotify, earning an estimated $6,560,168. The song has a playlist reach of 93 million. The original version was performed by Bing Cosby and was released over 70 years ago; it has over 1 billion streams on Spotify alone.
Sia’s Snowman from her 2017 Christmas album Everyday is Christmas ranks as the fifth most streamed Christmas song. The song has been streamed over 724 million times on Spotify, earning an estimated $5,799,889 in royalties. The song had a surge in popularity after trending on TikTok in November 2020, becoming a modern-day Christmas classic. TikTok has also popularized the trend of speeding up or slowing down tempos of trending songs, and Snowman has been released officially with both sped-up and slowed-down tempos. Both variants have been streamed over 24 million times and 11 million times, respectively.
The sixth most streamed Christmas song is Mistletoe by Justin Bieber. The song, which was released in 2011, has amassed over 639 million streams, an estimated $5,115,799 in royalties and has a playlist reach of 85 million.
José Feliciano ranks in seventh place with Feliz Navidad. The song has over 526 million streams and has earned an estimated $4,214,551 in royalties. The song also has a playlist reach of 26 million.
Rounding off the top ten is Kelly Clarkson in eighth place with Underneath the Christmas Tree, which has been streamed over 494 million times on Spotify; Michael Bublé ranks in the top ten again with Holly Jolly Christmas in ninth place, this song has been streamed over 483 million times; and in tenth place is John Lennon’s Happy Xmas (War is Over), which has been streamed 467 million times on Spotify.
| Rank | Song | Artist | Year Released | Streams | Estimated Royalties US ($) |
| 1 | Last Christmas | Wham! | 1986 | 1,919,591,160 | 15,356,729 |
| 2 | All I Want for Christmas Is You | Mariah Carey | 1994 | 1,481,871,437 | 11,854,972 |
| 3 | Santa Tell Me | Ariana Grande | 2013 | 849,476,875 | 6,795,815 |
| 4 | It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas | Michael Bublé | 2011 | 820,020,944 | 6,560,168 |
| 5 | Snowman | Sia | 2017 | 724,986,083 | 5,799,889 |
| 6 | Mistletoe | Justin Bieber | 2011 | 639,474,874 | 5,115,799 |
| 7 | Feliz Navidad | José Feliciano | 1970 | 526,818,901 | 4,214,551 |
| 8 | Underneath the Tree | Kelly Clarkson | 2013 | 494,094,115 | 3,952,753 |
| 9 | Holly Jolly Christmas | Michael Bublé | 2011 | 483,865,973 | 3,870,928 |
| 10 | Happy Xmas (War is Over) | John Lennon | 1971 | 467,239,874 | 3,737,919 |
| 11 | Driving home for Christmas | Chris Rea | 1986 | 408,564,486 | 3,268,516 |
| 12 | Wonderful Christmastime | Paul McCartney | 1979 | 374,434,387 | 2,995,475 |
| 13 | Hallelujah | Pentatonix | 2016 | 356,083,669 | 2,848,669 |
| 14 | Merry Christmas Everyone | Shakin’ Stevens | 1985 | 331,090,318 | 2,648,723 |
| 15 | Fairytale of New York | The Pogues | 1988 | 326,441,975 | 2,611,536 |
| 16 | Somewhere Only We Known | Lily Allen | 2013 | 284,540,171 | 2,276,321 |
| 17 | Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas | Sam Smith | 2019 | 269,790,268 | 2,158,322 |
| 18 | Christmas Lights | Coldplay | 2011 | 263,525,820 | 2,108,207 |
| 19 | My Only Wish (This Year) | Britney Spears | 2000 | 247,096,161 | 1,976,769 |
| 20 | Santa Claus Is Coming To Town | The Jackson 5 | 1970 | 238,821,726 | 1,910,574 |
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