Best Christmas Songs of all time ¡Merry Xmas 21-22 ☃️!

• Kelly Clarkson rose to fame in 2002 after winning the first season of the TV show American Idol.
• With her Christmas album, “Wrapped in Red”, she became the first female artist to achieve the best-selling holiday album of the year in 2013.
• Kelly said:
  

  The thing about Christmas is that it almost doesn’t matter what mood you’re in or what kind of a year you’ve had—it’s a fresh start.

• Clarkson did all backup vocals for the record, being her own choir.

• After 11 studio albums Robbie Williams thought it was the right time for a Christmas album. And as always with him, it is a great record. It includes several collaborations such as: Rod Stewart, Jamie Cullum, Bryan Adams…
• Williams joked that he was going to call the album ‘Achtung Bublé‘, a play on words of the U2 album ‘Achtung Baby‘, and about Michael Bublé’s monopoly on the Christmas music market, which he said “must end now” 😄
• Robbie composed 50 songs for the album. He did feel Christmassy!

• Gwen Stefani was going on a nature walk near the Oklahoma ranch house belonging to boyfriend Blake Shelton and felt inspired to record a Christmas album. She got down to work and the result is “You Make It Feel Like Christmas”.
• Gwen explained:

I really wanted to write Christmas music, like, my whole life. To be part of the joy of Christmas.

• Stefani aimed for the album to have a classic vibe, so she took influence from the “Wall of Sound” technique which the producer Phil Spector invented in the 60s. We will tell you more about it in our Technical Note.

• Former One Direction member Liam Payne released in 2019 his first album called “LP1” which includes a fantastic Christmas tune, “All I Want For Christmas”.
• The song tells the story of a romance that is rekindled in holidays 💌
• Liam sings accompanied only on piano and strings, very intimate!

• “Christmas, with Love” is the fourth album of UK ‘Factor X’ winner in 2006, Leona Lewis, an astonishing voice.
• Her song “One More Sleep” is inspired in the Motown sound and takes us on a countdown to the beginning of Christmas.
• Leona holds a record for being the British female artist with the most Top 5 singles 🥇 in the entire history of the English chart. She has a total of 8 and surpasses Olivia Newton-John’s 7.

• Luis Miguel owns one of the best voices in history, so it was easy for us to decide to include him among the best Christmas songs in Spanish with his album “Navidades (Christmas)”.
• The song we like best is “Mi Humilde Oración (My Humble Prayer)” one of the singles on the album, along with the best-known version of “Santa Claus is coming to town (Santa Clause llegó a la ciudad)”.
• Our song is a Spanish adaptation by the great composer Juan Carlos Calderón of a Xmas carol called “My Grown Up Christmas List”.

• India Martínez is a Spanish singer with a meteoric career and voice.
• In 2014 she released a duet album with 2 special Christmas songs, among which is our “Mi mejor regalo eres tú (My best gift is you)”, together with Maldita Nerea (a popular Spanish band).
• ‘De mi barco vela … de mi norte, sur … mi mayor regalo esta noche eres tú (Sail of my ship … south of my north … my greatest gift tonight is you)’. The holiday season spirit turned into words.

• Gloria Estefan is a singer who at just 1 year of age had to flee her native Cuba to the United States. Years later she would start a career that has led her to sell more than 120 million records and win 7 Grammys, having her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame ⭐
• She released “Más Allá (Beyond)” in 1995. It is our favourite Spanish Christmas song ever.
• Gloria sang the song in front of Pope John Paul II, being the first pop artist to be invited to sing at a religious commemoration event.

• Tito El Bambino decided that Christmas music should also be used to dance and composed “Feliz Navidad (Merry Christmas)”, you’ll see that you can’t stay sitting.
• Tito is a Latin music and reggaeton artist who has reaped multiple hits and continues to be at the top of the charts in Latin America.
• ‘El Bambino’, who is also called ‘El Patrón’, has been the spokesperson for several campaigns against the use of drugs, weapons, and violence in his native Puerto Rico.

• I’ve had so many parties with Melendi‘s first album “Sin Noticias de Holanda (Without news from Holland)” that I had to share his “Trae Pa ‘K Esa Yerba Güena (Bring here that good weed)” with you. It just transmits good vibes!

• Melendi is a Spanish singer who has 10 albums under his belt and who has moved between rumba and pop his entire career. He stands out for his careful and vindictive lyrics.
• Without a doubt, this is the funniest Christmas carol ever (if you want the English translation, just ask me on the Comments section) 🎊

• Let’s get off to a good start with the most played Christmas song in the world. It generates Mariah Carey nearly $500,000 per year and in total more than $60 million.
• It is not surprising when we consider that on December 24, 2018, the song hit 10 million streams in one day on Spotify. The record on the platform so far.
• Did you know that Mariah Carey composed “All I Want for Christmas Is You” in summer? She decorated the house for Christmas 🎄 and it’s said that she was so inspired that she had the song ready in 15 minutes.
• The meaning of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is simple, it explains Carey’s loving feelings towards her husband Tommy Mottola.
• Mariah Carey is the first singer to reach No. 1 on the charts in four different decades: 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020. Furthermore, she holds 3 Guinness World Records for being one of the most successful and popular Christmas songs of all time.

• While “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” is a protest song against the Vietnam War, it has become a Christmas anthem.
• The song begins with a low whisper in which John and Yoko congratulate their children, Julian and Kyoko, on Christmas.
• Lennon commented on the success of the song:

Now I understand what you have to do: Put your political message across with a little honey.

• The song was produced by Christmas music master Phil Spector and includes the voices of the Harlem Community Choir.
• I don’t know if you’ve ever heard the folk song ‘Stewball‘, but the resemblance will surprise you 😱

• This song is an Irish folk ballad that took almost 2 years to be developed.
• The original concept for the tune involved a sailor in New York looking out over the ocean and reminiscing about being back home in Ireland. The wife of one of The Pogues founders didn’t like it and suggested new lyrics regarding a conversation between a couple at Christmas.
• Finally, they combined both ideas to create the duet between The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl.
• The fact is that “Fairytale of New York” is the most-played Christmas songs of the 21st century.

• The Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams also joined the Christmas song craze with “Christmas Time” in 1985. He covered the tune again in 2019 because it is his most popular Xmas song.
• In 2001 Adams performed the song before Pope Juan Pablo II at the Vatican.
• The lyrics talk about the joy of Christmas, peace, freedom, equality…

• Did you know that Chris Rea was actually driving home when he wrote his Christmas hit “Driving home for Christmas”?
• He got stuck in a traffic jam 🚗🚙🚕 on his way to his Middlesbrough (UK) house, it began to snow, and Rea started looking at the other drivers. They were as bored as him, and eager to get home to celebrate Christmas with their families.
• Who could have thought that those lyrics would become one of the best English Xmas songs.

• 🎁 A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector is the best Christmas album of all time.
• Phil invented a new sound, ‘The Wall of Sound’ that made songs sound much louder on radio at the time (yes, we tell you about it in our Technical Note).
• The album is made up of 4 major bands: The Ronettes, The Crystals, Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans and Darlene Love.
• “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” is our favourite song from the album. Nobody can match Darlene Love‘s emotion and sheer vocal power.
• Phil Spector thought the track was strong enough to warrant a non-seasonal version, and cut a version titled “Johnny (Baby Please Come Home)”.

• “Merry Xmas Everybody” is a 1973 song by British rock band Slade, which is also their latest No. 1.
• After an evening of drinking, something very typical at Christmas parties 🍾, band member Noddy Holder, worked all night at his mother’s house and wrote the lyrics for this Christmas hit.
• A few weeks before the song was recorded, Slade’s drummer Don Powell was in a serious car accident in which his girlfriend died, and he was left in a coma for 1 week. Luckily, he recovered and was able to record with his companions.
• An estimated 42% of the world had heard this Xmas song, What is the 58% left waiting for!

• Long live Glam Rock! Long live Wizzard!
• Wizzard recorded ‘I wish it could be Christmas everyday‘ in August. To create a wintry feeling, they decorated the studio with Christmas stuff and turned the air conditioning down to its coldest setting. Just like Mariah Carey did, it seems like a tactic that works very well ⛄
• The children choir you hear on the track were recorded later in the fall. They were students from the Midlands (UK).

• “What Child Is This?” is a Christmas carol whose lyrics were written by William Chatterton Dix in 1865.
• Dix had been struck by a severe illness. While recovering, he underwent a spiritual renewal that led him to write the lyrics.
• Andrea Bocelli chose this song for this 13th album, “My Christmas”. On the tour for the record he achieved the historic maximum audience of the O2 Arena in London, 16,500 people.
• The emotion that this music conveys is unmatched, even more with Andrea Bocelli and Mary J. Blige voices. Without a doubt, one of the best Xmas songs.

• “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” is a traditional Christian worship Christmas carol.
• Although the title speaks of ‘gentlemen’, the song is aimed at small owners, who were charged money by the city guards during the Christmas season to protect their establishments.
• The song has been covered many times, but this one by Annie Lennox is special, don’t you think?
• It is part of “A Christmas Cornucopia” alubm in which Lennox sings her favourite Christmas carols.

• “Mary did you know?” is a recent Christmas classic. It was written by Mark Lowry in 1984 and first recorded by Michael English in 1991.
• Despite its short life, the song has become a must in holiday music. It has specifically become a classic country Christmas song and many country artists have covered it over the years, like our No. 48, Kenny Rogers & Wynonna Judd. Another version to highlight is the one from Pentatonix.
• We’ve chosen Tommee Profitt’s cover as it is part of the best 2020 Christmas album, and because it is sung by Jordan Smith, who did a legendary performance of the song in The Voice USA, winning the contest.
• By the way, if you have wondered what the song is about, its writer, Mark Lowry explained it:

I just tried to put into words the unfathomable. I started thinking of the questions I would have for her if I were to sit down & have coffee with Mary. You know, “What was it like raising God?” “What did you know?” “What didn’t you know?

• “The Little Swallow” is actually the famous Christmas song “Carol of the Bells”, whose story and version deserve being told separately.
• Katie Melua, Georgian by birth, sings the tune in its original language (Ukrainian) and with a choir, for which it was composed.
• I get excited every time I listen to the song. It has kind of a magical power that surrounds and thrills you, can you feel it?

• Hillsong Worship is an Australian band funded by the Hillsong Church. They are the most famous and influential Christian band in the world.
• They have released several Christmas albums, among them “The Peace Project”, where you’ll find what for us is their best Christmas carol, “O Holy Night”.
• It’s a classic carol composed in 1847 by Adolphe Adam, based on a French poem that reflects on the birth of Jesus as humanity’s redemption. 🕊

• This Christmas anthem against the war by John Lennon (No. 23) has been covered on multiple occasions, but for us, without a doubt, the best is Celine Dion’s.
• Celine’s eighth album “These Are Special Times” includes many classic Christmas songs sung with her unmistakable voice.
• She counted on 2 amazing producers for the album, R. Kelly and Bryan Adams.

• Did you like Annie Lennox’s version of “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” (No. 39)? If so, you are going to love Erasure’s instrumental arrangement. It’s different from any other cover you’ve ever heard.
• The lyrics were used in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” . When the protagonist, Scrooge, hears someone singing the song, he grabs him tightly, scares him and makes him flee.
• In case you didn’t know Erasure, they’re a British synthpop duo, one of the most popular in the history of techno pop music, only surpassed by Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode.