These top ten Christmas songs are there for really getting you into the spirit of Christmas and we have laid out the best of the yuletide jingles everybody loves to listen to. We have a bit of Michael Bublé – because it isn’t Christmas without him and then of course we have the legendary White Christmas by Doris Day, which many covers have been made of now. We want to get you feeling Christmassy and reaching for the mulled wine – you know you want to. You may even have a glass handy whilst reading this article. Will you agree with our top picks? Read on to find out and raise that glass at the same time.
It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas – Michael Bublé version
Shall we start with a classic, sung by a man with the most velvety of voices and every year when you hear it, you instantaneously feel Christmassy. Maybe that’s just me, but here it is, on our list of the top ten Christmas songs and it is here to stay.
Michael Bublé, if you don’t already know, is a Canadian singer, a four-time Grammy Award winner and has released eleven studio albums, three live albums, nine EPs, eighteen singles, and fourteen music videos. He has also recorded for Warner Bros. So you know, just a small career then.
Merry Xmas Everybody – Slade
In terms of the Christmas songs top ten, this belter by Slade ticks all the boxes and it even starts in a cheery way asking if you’re hanging up your stocking on the wall? I don’t think you can get any more christmassy than that. And the chorus is so well known now, that it must be played at every Christmas party up and down the country now surely?
I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday – Wizzard
Wizzard’s song I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday may be like marmite for some people. You may either love it or hate it, but you can’t deny it is certainly a catchy tune and one that is constantly played around Christmas time. People it seems, can’t get enough of it. It has made our top ten best Christmas songs, so I will leave it up to your discretion if you agree with us.
Winter Wonderland – Doris Day
If this song doesn’t make you think of Christmas, then I don’t know what will. Her 1964 version could be seen to be too over-emotional now, but I think it makes me think of curling up by the fire, with snow falling outside and a good book. It has been covered by many an artist; such as Perry Como, Aretha Franklin, Eurythmics, Harry Connick, Jr., Selena Gomez & The Scene, Michael Bublé. It must be said that before Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald sang this song in 1960 and it may even top Doris’s version. A complete delight to listen to her embellishment of the melody with so much authenticity.
Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt
This pick is more of a tongue-in-cheek song by the singer Eartha Kitt with Henri René and His Orchestra that caused controversy when it was released back in 1953. The song was written by Joan Javits and Philip Springer, who also used the pseudonym Tony Springer in an attempt to speed up the song’s publishing process. Apparently, it was too suggestive for a christmas song and it was temporarily banned in southern states. As of 2014, Kitt’s version had sold more than 620,000 copies. In terms of Christmas music, I don’t think it is Christmas without it, but yes it is no Nat King Cole or Bing Crosby.
Do They Know It’s Christmas? – Band Aid
It is the holiday season, and everybody’s singing christmas carols, but Band aid decided to take a different route back in 1984. It was a charity song written in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. At a time of year when you are having a great time celebrating, this song reminds you that this is not the case for everybody around the world. And at a time when there is war raging in Europe and with countless people displaced, this christmas song maybe rings true now more than ever.
Last Christmas – Wham!
George Michael knew how to write a Christmas song and this is one that will go down in history as one of the top Christmas songs. Yes it is cheesy and the music video is a trip down memory lane in terms of hairstyle and clothing, but also the use of the synth, George’s smooth vocals and the catchy chorus gets us all going. It’s unforgettable, quite like the leading man himself and quite right that this song made it onto our list.
Fairytale Of New York – The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl
When you think of Christmas, you think of Father Christmas, carols, lyrics pure at heart, but this song doesn’t really have the same ring to it. For that reason, it is a massive hit and why we have chosen it to be on our top ten christmas songs of all time. It was written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan and recorded by their London-based band the Pogues. It was briefly banned in 2007, by the BBC, on Radio 1 but then they reinstated it. Back in 2020, Radio 1 said that young listeners were particularly sensitive to derogatory terms for gender and sexuality, so it instead played an edited version with different lyrics sung by MacColl. Radio 2 still played the original 1987 version.
All I Want For Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey
What a classic! A cheery, bright rendition of a Christmas song that many will know and love.
Mariah first released this song back in 1994, but then in 2019, she revisited her track and re-recorded ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ by Mariah Carey (Make My Wish Come True Edition) with a new music video, which went down a treat. Is it a Christmas classic? Well, in 2021, it reached a whopping 1 billion streams on Spotify. If that isn’t proof that it should be part of the top ten christmas songs of all time, then I don’t know what is.
Closing Thoughts
Have these been the top ten most popular Christmas songs and how many have you heard so far over the last week or so? If you haven’t felt Christmassy just yet, give one of these a listen and that will change. Which ones have been missed off the list and can you think of some other ultimate Christmas songs to get you in the festive mood? Wishing you all a very happy Christmas from us all at Music Gateway.
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