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As the most wonderful time of the year fills the radio waves and streaming playlists with cheer, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers has announced its Top 10 ASCAP New Classic Holiday Songs and the Top 25 ASCAP Holiday Songs for 2023.
Celebrating the ASCAP songwriters behind the holiday hits, the lists reflect the number of streams and plays a song receives, including the original recording and covers recorded by various artists. The first list consists largely of songs written in the last 20 years or so.
Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath the Tree,” written with Greg Kurstin, takes the No. 1 spot on ASCAP’s New Classic Holiday Songs. Her hit “Santa, Can’t You Hear Me” also makes an appearance on the New Classics chart. Two 2023 chart-toppers join the trending tinsel tunes on the New Classic list: “Wrap Me Up” by Jimmy Fallon, Gian Stone and Meghan Trainor and Cher’s “DJ Play a Christmas Song,” co-written by Sarah Hudson and Leland.
Brenda Lee’s recording of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” penned by Johnny Marks, shattered records this year by topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart 65 years after its initial release. Marks, who also wrote seasonal standards “A Holly Jolly Christmas” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” earns three of the top 10 spots on the Top 25, making him the ultimate holiday hitmaker.
Meredith Willson’s “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” lands at No. 1 on the Top 25. Mariah Carey’s "All I Want for Christmas Is You,” written with producer Walter Afanasieff, and José Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad” continue to cement their status on the chart as perennial holiday favorites.
If you’d like to hear them live, several titles on the lists are being performed at Merry, Merry Chicago!, the annual CSO holiday revue, this season: “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “Sleigh Ride” and “Winter Wonderland” (plus a surprise or two).
Following are the Top 10 Most Played ASCAP New Classic Holiday Songs of 2023 and the Top 25 Most Played ASCAP Holiday Songs of 2023, all written, co-written or arranged by ASCAP songwriters and composers.
THE TOP 10 ASCAP NEW HOLIDAY SONGS OF 2023
1. “Underneath the Tree” by Kelly Clarkson and Greg Kurstin (2013)
2. “Santa Tell Me” by Savan Kotecha and Ilya Salmanzadeh (2013)
3. “Like It’s Christmas” by Gian Stone (2019)
4. “Mistletoe” by Justin Bieber and Adam Messinger (2011)
5. “Snowman” by Greg Kurstin and Sia (2017)
6. “Santa, Can’t You Hear Me” by Kelly Clarkson (2021)
7. “Cozy Little Christmas” by Ferras Alqaisi, Katy Perry and Greg Wells (2018)
8. “DJ Play a Christmas Song” by Sarah Hudson and Leland (2023)
9. “Believe” by Glen Ballard (2004)
10. “Wrap Me Up” by Jimmy Fallon, Gian Stone & Meghan Trainor (2023)
THE TOP 25 ASCAP HOLIDAY SONGS OF 2023
1. “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” by Meredith Willson (1951)
2. “A Holly Jolly Christmas” by Johnny Marks (1962)
3. “Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson and Mitchell Parish (1948)
4. “Jingle Bell Rock” by Joseph Carleton Beal and James Ross Boothe (1958)
5. “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow” by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne (1945)
6. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by Johnny Marks (1949)
7. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Johnny Marks (1958)
8. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Walter Afanasieff and Mariah Carey (1994)
9. “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” by Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie (1934)
10. “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Edward Pola and George Wyle (1963)
11. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin (1944)
12. “Winter Wonderland” by Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith (1934)
13. “The Christmas Song” by Mel Tormé and Robert Wells (1946)
14. “Frosty the Snowman” by Steve Nelson and Walter E. Rollins (1950)
15. “Feliz Navidad” by José Feliciano (1970)
16. “White Christmas” by Irving Berlin (1941)
17. “Jingle Bells” (Frank Sinatra version), arranged by Gordon Jenkins (1958)
18. “Deck the Halls” (Nat King Cole version), arranged by Nat King Cole and Leland Gillette (1960)
19. “Santa Baby” by Joan Javits, Anthony Springer and Philip Springer (1953)
20. “O Holy Night” (Mariah Carey version), arranged by Walter Afanasieff and Mariah Carey (1994)
21 “Here Comes Santa Claus (Down Santa Claus Lane)” by Gene Autry and Oakley Haldeman (1947)
22. “This Christmas” by Donny Hathaway and Nadine McKinnor (1970)
23. “Silver Bells” by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston (1950)
24. “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” by Dr. Seuss and Albert Hague (1966)
25. “Underneath the Tree” by Kelly Clarkson and Greg Kurstin (2013)
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers is a membership association of more than 950,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers. Founded and governed by songwriters, composers and publishers, it is the only U.S. performing rights organization that operates on a not-for-profit basis. ASCAP licenses more than 18 million musical works to hundreds of thousands of businesses that use music, including streaming services, cable television, radio and satellite radio and businesses such as retail stores, hotels, clubs, restaurants and bars.
