ASCAP Announces Top 25 Holiday Songs "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting)" Tops List
As the year 2005 draws to a close and seasonal music fills the air, ASCAP (The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers), the world's largest performing rights organization, today announced its Top 25 most-performed Holiday songs for the first five years of the 21st Century based on their most recent performance data. Recorded over and over, and revived by each decade's most popular artists, these Holiday favorites remain timeless classics appealing to young and old alike.
The most performed ASCAP Holiday Song of the 21st Century is "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" written by Robert Wells and the singing great, Mel Tormé. The song, written when Tormé was 19 and Wells was 22, became a seasonal classic with the release of Nat "King" Cole's 1946 recording. Cole's version remains the most popular on radio today. Other popular recordings include versions by Celine Dion, Luther Vandross and Natalie Cole.
"Santa Claus is Coming to Town," written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie, was a close second. This perennial, originally written in 1934, was recorded the same year by orchestra leader George Hall, and is frequently heard today in versions by Bruce Springsteen, and the Crystals.
"Santa Baby," written by Joan Javits, Philip Springer and Tony Springer and Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime" have established themselves as seasonal favorites. Originally a hit for Eartha Kitt in 1953, "Santa Baby" was given new interest via the popular recording by Madonna. McCartney's Holiday classic is of comparatively recent vintage, first recorded back in 1979.
A song on the move is "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year," by Edward Pola and George Wyle, written in 1963 and first recorded by Andy Williams. Other popular recordings include versions by Amy Grant, Garth Brooks, and Peabo Bryson.
Marilyn Bergman, ASCAP President and Chairman of the Board said: "More than anything else, music sets the mood for the Holidays, evoking the magic of the season and memories of Holidays past. These timeless classics have been recorded by artists in every genre, yet each song retains the original stamp of its creators."
Visit ASCAP on the web: www.ascap.com
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ASCAP's Top 25 Holiday Songs: