We’re feeling Christmassy already here at CardsChat. It’s the season to be jolly, make eggnog, and eat gingerbread — what’s not to like? But it’s also time to turn on the radio and bet on the most popular holiday jams.
Nothing is more divisive in December than Christmas music. Love it or loathe it, you’ll have to listen. So, we decided to get festive and find out what the nation’s favorite Christmas songs are in the UK and the US, state-by-state.
Does Colorado prefer the classics? Do New Yorkers dig carols? Is there a clear winner across the board? Or a truly hated tune? Yule never guess …
Top 20 Spotify Christmas Songs
We had to start with Spotify, where most people compile their ultimate list of Christmas tracks. After slogging through thousands of carefully curated playlists, we found the top 20 Christmas Spotify songs, and the results were surprising.
US listeners revealed a soft heart by picking Mariah Carey and her iconic tune “All I Want for Christmas.” It’s a song that famously sends even FedEx delivery drivers into a frenzy, so it’s only fair it’s number one.
Brenda Lee bagged the second spot with the upbeat classic, “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.” Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” “Last Christmas,” by Wham!, and Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock,” made up the rest of the top five.
Not seeing your favorite here? Take a look at our ultimate Christmas Spotify playlist to find the likes of Bing Crosby, Michael Bublé, Nat King Cole, and … Ariana Grande.
US States 3 Favorite Christmas Songs
The US may be divided by politics at the moment, but one thing unites each area — a favorite Christmas song. Yep, you guessed it, Mariah’s “All I Want for Christmas” sweeps number one across all 50 states. The rest of the US’ favorite festive songs do differ by state overall, though. So, take a look to find out which other tunes are popular where you are.
Here you can see that Iowa, Maine, West Virginia, and Wyoming have all chosen Mariah, along with Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych’s “Carol of the Bells,” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” Nice.
Top 3 Holly-wood Christmas Hits
A California Christmas involves Mariah rubbing shoulders with fellow stars Wham!, and Eartha Kitt’s sultry smash “Santa Baby.” A Hollywood hit list if ever we saw one.
Top 3 La, La, La, La, Las Vegas Christmas Songs
All Nevada wants for Christmas is the Mariah smash, followed by “Jingle Bell Rock” and the haunting “Carol of the Bells.” For music composed in 1914, it’s aged well.
Top 3 Christmas Songs in New York, New York
They may be at opposite ends of the country, but New York shares its top three songs with New Mexico and Hawaii. Once again, “All I Want for Christmas,” “Last Christmas,” and “Carol of the Bells” make up the chosen trio.
Top 3 Christmas Songs from Montana to Texas
Half of the US, that’s a whopping 25 states, agree on their three favorite festive tunes. From Montana and Alaska to Texas and Kentucky, there is consensus. After Mariah, “Carol of the Bells” and “Santa Baby” take second and third.
Top 3 Christmas Songs in Colorado
If you head to Colorado for Christmas, you’re most likely to hear the locals play “All I Want for Christmas,” “Carol of the Bells,” and “Jingle Bell Rock.” Sensing a pattern here?
Top 3 Christmas Songs in Louisiana
In Louisiana, “Santa Baby” jumps to its highest position and beats “Carol of the Bells” to second place. Hurry down the chimney tonight …
Top 3 Christmas Songs from Oregon to Florida
Our remaining 15 states, stretching from Oregon on the West Coast to Massachusetts and Florida in the East, voted for “All I Want for Christmas,” “Carol of the Bells,” and “Last Christmas.”
A Festive Thumbs Down
While we have to congratulate Mariah Carey for her clean sweep, some holiday hits are considered Christmas turkeys.
Among the least searched for Spotify’s Top 20 Christmas songs in the US were: “Santa Tell Me,” “Silver Bells,” “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” “Let It Snow,” “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” and “Blue Christmas.” Bummer.
The UK — United Over Christmas Music?
Meanwhile, across the pond, the UK’s three favorite Christmas songs are a bit different. All four nations, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, agree on one thing — that “Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl is their number one.
Mariah only manages the second spot in the UK with “All I Want for Christmas,” while George Michael and Wham! take third place with “Last Christmas.” That’s a wrap!
Analysis of Spotify’s Top 20 Christmas Songs
- 55% of the Christmas songs are originals
- 90% of the Christmas songs are by solo artists
- There are significantly more male artists compared to females
- 70% of the artists are American
- Ariana Grande is the youngest artist
- Mariah Carey and Frank Sinatra both appear twice
Methodology
We analyzed 1,200 playlists on Spotify, containing more than 110,000 songs to work out the most popular Christmas songs. We then used Google trends to find the top three most popular Christmas songs by state in the US, by looking at what songs were searched for the most out of the top 20 songs above. We then looked at which three songs the states searched for the least out of the top 20.
We worked out the UK nations’ favorite three songs using the same method as above. However, it turned out that England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales all share their love for the same songs.
Sources:
https://www.spotify.com/
https://trends.google.com/trends/
