‘The Christmas Song’ Is Number One, ASCAP Finds

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers announced its Top 25 list of most performed holiday songs for the past five years, based on performance data tracked by radio airplay monitoring service Mediaguide.
And the most performed ASCAP holiday song is … “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire).”
Written by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé, it became a classic with the release of Nat King Cole’s 1946 recording. Numerous artists have covered it since, including Celine Dion, Luther Vandross and James Taylor; Cole’s version remains the most played on radio.
The rest of the list follows starting with number two, and cites the most popular artist version on radio:
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” The Pretenders
“Winter Wonderland,” Eurythmics
“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” Bruce Springsteen
“White Christmas,” Bing Crosby
“Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!,” Andy Williams
“Jingle Bell Rock,” Bobby Helms
“Little Drummer Boy,” The Harry Simeone Chorale and Orchestra
“Sleigh Ride,” The Ronettes
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” Gene Autry
“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” Andy Williams
“I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” Vanessa Williams
“Silver Bells,” Kenny G
“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” Brenda Lee
“Feliz Navidad,” José Feliciano
“Blue Christmas,” Elvis Presley
“Frosty the Snowman,” The Ronettes
“A Holly Jolly Christmas,” Burl Ives
“It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” Johnny Mathis
“I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” John Mellencamp
“Here Comes Santa Claus,” Elvis Presley
“Carol of the Bells,” John Tesh and the Christmas Symphony Orchestra
“Do They Know It’s Christmas?,” Band Aid
“There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays,” The Carpenters
“Santa Baby,” Madonna