Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” makes its annual merry return to the Billboard Hot 100.
The song, at No. 31, is one of two carols ringing in the Yuletide season on the latest Hot 100 (dated Nov. 15), joined by Wham!’s “Last Christmas” at No. 43.
Mixing figgy pudding with pumpkin pie, also sweetening the chart are five Halloween hits, led by Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” drew 9.9 million official streams (dashing 252%) and 942,000 airplay audience impressions (up from almost none the week before, as radio stations begin playing holiday hits) and sold 1,000 (up 302%) in the United States in the Oct. 31-Nov. 6 tracking week, according to Luminate.
Notably, on Nov. 1, Carey made her yearly proclamation that it’s time for the holiday season once again.
“All I Want for Christmas Is You,” originally released in 1994, hit the Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time in December 2017. In December 2019, it ascended to the apex at last. Having reigned in each holiday season since, Carey’s soloist-record 19th leader has ruled for 18 weeks to date, the third-longest command in the chart’s history. It also ranks as the No. 1 hit on Billboard’s Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs retrospective.
“When I wrote [it], I had absolutely no idea the impact the song would eventually have worldwide,” Carey marveled of the song in 2021. “I’m so full of gratitude that so many people enjoy it with me every year.”
Below Carey’s chestnut, Wham!’s “Last Christmas” reenters the Hot 100 led by 8.2 million streams (up 217%). The song, released in 1984, hit a new No. 3 best last holiday season for the duo of Andrew Ridgeley and the late George Michael.
Meanwhile, the Hot 100 reflects a combination of holiday music consumption, with five Halloween-themed hits also haunting the chart.
As previously reported, “Thriller” lurches 32-10 on the Hot 100, making the late King of Pop the first artist ever with to rank in the top 10 in six distinct decades. With Halloween kicking off the Oct. 31-Nov. 6 tracking week, “Thriller” drew 14 million streams (up 57% week-over-week) and 9.3 million in radio airplay audience (up 124%), while selling 3,000 (up 1%).
Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers’ “Monster Mash” returns from beyond, reentering the Hot 100 at No. 21 powered by 10 million streams (up 49%), 4 million in airplay audience (up 216%) and 2,300 sold. The song first became a graveyard (and aboveground) smash in 1962, ruling for two weeks leading up to that Halloween.
Ray Parker Jr.’s “Ghostbusters” shoots back onto the Hot 100 at No. 22, with 10.1 million streams (up 48%), 4.9 million in radio reach (up 57%) and 1,600 sold. The theme to the blockbuster movie of the same name topped the chart for three weeks in 1984.
Rockwell’s “Somebody’s Watching Me” reenters the Hot 100 at No. 24 with 10.1 million streams (up 45%), 3.7 million in airplay audience (up 85%) and less than 1,000 in sales. The song, from 1984, reached No. 2 that year.
Plus, The Citizens of Halloween’s “This Is Halloween” jumps 47-26 for a new Hot 100 high, led by 10 million streams (up 34%). The track, written and produced by Danny Elfman, premiered in the 1993 film The Nightmare Before Christmas (foretelling the blend of Halloween and Christmas decorations on the latest chart).
