Mariah Carey Breaks Billboard Record as Holiday Songs Dominate Charts

Mariah Carey’s 1994 classic, All I Want for Christmas Is You, has made history by claiming the all-time record for the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching 20 weeks. The song had previously tied with Lil Nas X’s Old Town Road (feat. Billy Ray Cyrus) and Shaboozey’s A Bar Song (Tipsy), each with 19 weeks at the top. The milestone underscores how the streaming era has enabled long chart runs, giving iconic tracks like Carey’s enduring prominence each holiday season.

The album charts reflect the usual December slowdown, with no new releases breaking into the top 40. Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl continues its reign at No. 1 for a ninth nonconsecutive week, followed by Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem and the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack. Meanwhile, holiday albums surge, with Michael Bublé, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, and the Vince Guaraldi Trio (A Charlie Brown Christmas) all entering the top 10. Phil Spector’s A Christmas Gift for You also makes a notable appearance, pushing Wicked: For Good slightly down the chart.

Ariana Grande continues her chart dominance as well, placing eight albums in the Billboard 200 this week — including Eternal Sunshine, Sweetener, Thank U, Next, Positions, Dangerous Woman, My Everything, and two Wicked soundtracks — a feat approaching Taylor Swift-level chart saturation.

On the Hot 100, Brenda Lee’s Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree retakes the No. 2 spot from Wham!’s 1984 hit Last Christmas, setting up a likely seasonal shuffle in the weeks ahead. Bobby Helms’ Jingle Bell Rock sits just off the podium, maintaining its holiday presence, according to npr.

A notable chart debut appears at No. 99: She & Him, the duo of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, charts for the first time on the Hot 100 with I Thought I Saw Your Face Today, a track from their 2008 debut Volume One. While they’ve charted on the Billboard 200 previously, this is their first Hot 100 entry. The song’s resurgence is driven entirely by TikTok, where clips featuring the song have gone viral, demonstrating the platform’s continued influence in bringing older tracks to new audiences. Its presence is especially remarkable given the 41 holiday songs crowding this week’s Hot 100, making it harder for other tracks to break through. How the song performs after January, when most holiday hits fade, will be closely watched.