In looking at the Billboard top 100 chart for this week there are apparently 4 older Christmas songs in the top 10, and still more in other parts of the chart: https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100 This is the first year that I can recall this happening, or at least it being a major news item with Mariah's song being number 1. Has is always been this way, or is it possible that this is happening more because of streaming playing more of a factor in recent years?
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
Mariah Carey finally at #1
- Thread starter oldies76
- Start date
Brenda Lee is currently at #2, which in itself is beyond amazing. A song from the late 50's charting at #2 on the Hot 100, in 2019 ahead of Post Malone's "Circles". Just incredible. I would almost certainly bet that streaming is contributing to these achievements for the older Christmas classics these last two weeks! To me, this proves that the older songs have lasting power. Musical quality and composition are key!
How old is the Star Spangled Banner? How old is Happy Birthday? Yes SOME older songs have lasting power when used for certain periods or certain occasions. None of this means you'll be hearing more Brenda Lee on the radio starting today. She gets put back into the library until next November, along with Gene Autry and Bing Crosby.
That's good. My opinion is send her back and exchange her, not just at Christmas but anytime.
And I guess could stations with all Christmas formats at this time of the year, which I forgot to mention earlier, be a factor as well?
No, an iHeart station just played a song which the web site identified as being by Brenda Lee. It was NOT the original I remember. It was in a different key and she sounded older and added more energy to her performance. There were some violins that reminded me of "Kiddio" by Brook Benton.
If you hurry you can get a free trial to iHeart radio and find out exactly what it is. I think I'll pass.
My point is that, even in 2019 and beyond, you will always hear more Christmas songs from pre-1985 (including many from the 1950's) as a whole on radio, instead of forgotten and poorly made ones by post 1985 acts. When I say that older songs have lasting power, there's a reason why. I suppose Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, Buble and Connick Jr. are exceptions to the rule. So yes, the Rat Pack, Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis, Brenda Lee, Jose Feliciano, Beach Boys, Supremes, Darlene Love, Ray Charles, Jimmy Durante, Bing Crosby, Burl Ives, Gene Autry, Ray Conniff, Percy Faith, the Vienna Boys Choir and the like will all return in 2020, because they are all quality songs and carols.
Why do you think there are several songs in the top ten this week on the Hot 100, all but one from the 50's and 60's??? TIMELESS and LASTING POWER.
Audiences much prefer the classics, not the newer stuff.
Last edited:
People get nostalgic at Christmas. Check back in a week or two.
The iHeart app is free but they do have a premium service that has Spotify-like features.
And the original just played. It was not the first Brenda Lee song the iHeart station played today. The other was "Jingle Bell Rock". Maybe that's the one I've been thinking about.
She didn't have the original hit with it. Bobby Helms was a labelmate with her at Decca, and he recorded it in Nashville with some of the same musicians as Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree.
Yeah, I was forgetting that wasn't the one.
And in an amazing coincidence, as soon as I post this, Hall & Oates are playing it.
I don't have another place to say this, but Harry Connick Jr.'s "Sleigh Ride" sounds so good. I'd like to hear more of that kind of big band music, regardless of the time of year or lyrics.
The Test of Time
What's truly amazing now on the Hot 100 chart week ending 1/4/20, is that FIVE classic Christmas songs are in the top ten!
#1 All I Want For Christmas is You - Mariah Carey (1994) 3 weeks at #1
#2 Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee (1958) 2 weeks at #2
#3 Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms (1957)
#4 Holly Jolly Christmas - Burl Ives (1964-65)
#7 It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Andy Williams (1963)
And since the Hot 100 is mainly based on younger folks tastes in popular music, this is unprecedented for the Hot 100. Proves again, even if it's just the Holiday Season, people's tastes for music skews to the classics big time.
Again, quality has lasting power and always will. Exactly what makes music timeless and worthy to listen. What a great way to end 2019 and the decade!
What's truly amazing now on the Hot 100 chart week ending 1/4/20, is that FIVE classic Christmas songs are in the top ten!
#1 All I Want For Christmas is You - Mariah Carey (1994) 3 weeks at #1
#2 Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee (1958) 2 weeks at #2
#3 Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms (1957)
#4 Holly Jolly Christmas - Burl Ives (1964-65)
#7 It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Andy Williams (1963)
And since the Hot 100 is mainly based on younger folks tastes in popular music, this is unprecedented for the Hot 100. Proves again, even if it's just the Holiday Season, people's tastes for music skews to the classics big time.
Again, quality has lasting power and always will. Exactly what makes music timeless and worthy to listen. What a great way to end 2019 and the decade!
I wouldn't jump to conclusions about that. I took a look at the format breakouts for the younger formats, such as Hot AC and CHR, and the only Gold song they played on that list is Mariah. The CHR stations played an N'Sync Christmas song from the 90s too. The Hot 100 is based on wherever the biggest mass is. For Christmas, that is primarily the mid-aged mainstream AC stations. They had small playlists so these songs came up a lot, especially Mariah. Most of the other formats stuck with the regular playlist except for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
What do you mean by "recently?" They haven't changed their methodology in a while, since adding streaming to the Hot 100.
There was a stretch when Post Malone had 4 songs in the Hot 100.
As Big A mentions, streaming was the last methodology change. But I also don't like the idea of Drake's album cuts (or any artists) making the Hot 100, just because of his album releases and subsequent streaming of those fillers. Most of those dropped off after a week or two, but the major singles stayed on, like "God's Plan".
And for next week, all of those Christmas songs on the Hot 100 will have gone into hibernation and many regular songs will move up and fill the gaps. Post Malone's "Circles" is predicted to retake the top again.
LISA LAYNE and the Valiants FIRST recorded "All I want for Christmas is You" back in 1989, years before
Carey plagiarized the song. To compare the incredible voice of Lisa Layne to Carey is like comparing
Streisand to a chalkboard.... It just goes to show you it's not what you know or how good you are but
who you know............
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8HWHd0EYJA
Plagiarized?
Artists redo songs that have been previously recorded all the time. Often the remakes are more successful than the originals. This is one of those cases.
YES, plagiarized...... I am unable to find anything before Lisa Layne's FIRST recording of the song.
Please advise as to recordings PRIOR to 1989............thanks.
- Status