To all those people who cringe when they hear Mariah Carey blasting through department stores from November through January each year, rejoice.
To those who revel in her oft-played Christmas tunes, apologies.
New streaming data analyzed by gambling site CSGOLuck finds that Wham!'s 1986 hit "Last Christmas" is the highest-earning and most streamed Christmas song of the past half century.
The catchy tune has earned an estimated $15 million from Spotify alone. It's been streamed 1.9 billion times on the popular music streaming app, and that number is expected to grow even higher as the holiday season continues.
Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" landed in second place. The 1994 hit has been played more than 1.4 billion times and counting on Spotify and has earned nearly $12 million as a result. While the song trailed Wham! in revenue and streams, it actually has a broader reach, with a playlist reach of 178 million compared to just 39 million for Wham!'s hit.
Side bar: Carey's top Christmas hit has landed her in potential hot water as the pop icon faces a $20 billion lawsuit over alleged copyright infringement.
Ariana Grande's 2013 song, "Santa Tell Me," is in the No. 3 spot with 849 million streams and nearly $7 million in revenue.
No. 4 goes to Michael Bublé for his rendition of "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas," which was streamed more than 820 million times on Spotify for more than $6.5 million in earnings. The song is a modern take on Bing Crosby's original version released 70 years ago.
Rounding out the top 5 is Sia's "Snowman," released in 2017. It has amassed 724 million steams on Spotify with nearly $5.8 million in earnings. The song saw a surge in 2020 after trending on TikTok.
"Christmas music provides a sense of nostalgia, tradition and memories, becoming a fundamental part of the holiday season," a CSGOLuck spokesperson said in a prepared statement.
"Social media once again has revealed its power, as you would expect more classic Christmas songs to rank within the top 10. Most of the songs in the ranking have been, to some extent, trending on TikTok or Instagram, resulting in a surge of streams. Despite that, seeing an even blend of modern-day and classic songs on everyone's holiday playlist is great this year."
Here are songs in the 6-10 spots:
— "Mistletoe" by Justin Bieber: 639 streams with more than $5 million in revenue.
— "Feliz Navidad" by José Feliciano: 526 million streams with more than $4.2 million in revenue.
— "Underneath the Christmas Tree" by Kelly Clarkson: 494 million streams.
— "Holly Jolly Christmas" by Bublé: 483 million streams.
— "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" by John Lennon: 467 million streams.
CSGOLuck compiled data from TikTok, Spotify and SongStats.
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