Why There Are No Big Christmas Hits Anymore

Since Mariah Carey, modern music artists have struggled to enter the Christmas canon. Here’s why.

Christmas has always been about nostalgia. The 1942 classic “White Christmas” (possibly the best-selling single ever) was already reminiscing about older, better times:

“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas Just like the ones I used to know.”

I will hopefully shock nobody by pointing out that Christmas music is pretty repetitive. Every year we listen to the same classics, the ones that comfort us and usher in the cosy holiday vibes.

But in recent years, something has changed: the doors of the Christmas song pantheon have shut.

For the decades following World War II, a steady trickle of new songs became Christmas classics every few years:

Jingle Bell Rock (1957) — Bobby Helms

Rocking Around The Christmas Tree (1958) — Brenda Lee

It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year (1963) — Andy Williams

Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (1971) — John Lennon & Yoko Ono

Merry Xmas Everybody (1973) — Slade

Wonderful Christmastime (1979) — Paul McCartney

Last Christmas (1984) — Wham

Do They Know It’s Christmas? (1984) — Band Aid

Fairytale Of New York (1987) — The Pogues

But Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” in 1994 is the last song that truly became a Christmas essential, a tune guaranteed to be played at bars, shopping centres and television commercials for decades to come. Since it came out 29 years ago, no other artist has managed to break the tinsel wall.

Many artists still try very hard to do so; from Justin Bieber’s Mistletoe to Ed Sheeran and Elton John’s recent collaboration Merry Christmas, many of today’s biggest pop stars long for a Christmas mega-hit. When you consider that Carey has apparently earned well over $60 million in royalties for “All I Want For Christmas Is You”, it becomes obvious why.

But the pop industry, usually so good at manufacturing earworms, hasn’t managed to produce any new Christmas greats for decades. Instead, we’ve had to settle for Michael Bublé remakes of old standards.

Curious as to why the Christmas mega-hit conveyor belt has stopped? Here are a couple of possible reasons why:

Our tastes have changed

Prospect Magazine makes the interesting observation that society’s music taste in general is becoming “sadder, slower and generally more miserable than it was 50 years ago”, and points out that songs written in minor keys (often associated with sadder and more melancholic music) are becoming hits more than ever before. Some examples of modern pop hits written in minor keys are:

Someone Like You (Adele)

Stay With Me (Sam Smith)

All Of Me (John Legend)

Christmas music, however, is overwhelmingly cheerful and upbeat. About 95% of popular Christmas songs in the UK are in a major key. Even relatively dark and sombre Christmas songs like Stop The Cavalry or Do They Know It’s Christmas? still soundly fairly upbeat if you don’t pay attention to the lyrics.

Then there’s the fact that new genres have emerged which don’t mesh well with the easy-listening music we associate with Christmas. Perhaps there will be a rap, EDM or metal Christmas megahit in the next few years, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Christmas music has always been different from the music we listen to during the rest of the year — more sleigh bells, more nostalgia, and more snowmen and mistletoe in the lyrics. However, it might be that tastes have evolved so much in recent decades that we can only stomach the Christmas songs that we grew up with in childhood — the ones that we are psychologically attached to and don’t really evaluate on their musical merits.

Charts don’t mean anything anymore

In the 20th Century, the music industry was dominated by physical singles, albums, and the charts that measured their sales. In the 21st Century, however, websites like YouTube and streaming services like Spotify have bulldozed their way to the front of the music industry, with profound impacts on how music is consumed.

Instead of playing the radio or a greatest hits compilation album, the sound of the holidays is now determined by Spotify playlists: Cozy Christmas Jazz, Christmas Carols, Christmas Peaceful Piano, Disney Christmas, A Merry Lofi Christmas, Country Christmas, Christmas Dance Party …

The emergence of such tailored playlists makes it easier than ever to choose Christmas music that evokes a certain mood or atmosphere, and makes it harder for individual songs to stand out.

Also, since everyone is listening to different genre-based playlists, it’s incredibly difficult for a single song to become universally beloved. Justin Bieber’s Mistletoe might become a mainstay on “Acoustic Romantic Christmas Pop” playlists, but without DJs or sales charts to choose a defining song of the holiday season, it’s hard to see a modern song going much further than those unimpressive heights.

Will we ever see a new Christmas standard?

It’s certainly harder than ever to score a Christmas mega-hit, and it’s tempting to suggest that our society is now too divided for us to come together and choose a new one.

But I don’t actually think that’s true. Humans love to share experiences with each other, to be caught up in the latest craze. That was true when Gangnam Style and Call Me Maybe were becoming viral hits thanks to the internet a decade ago, and I think it’ll be true forever. In time, we’re sure to see another Christmas anthem like those of decades past.

It could be that such a song has already been released. Christmas mega-hits are often slow-burners, only becoming standards years later. Could there be a song playing on radio stations and playlists today that might become a Christmas standard in years to come?

For what it’s worth, I think there’s a very good chance that Ariana Grande’s Santa Tell Me might join the pantheon. An infectious track by a talented and popular singer, it has been steadily improving its chart performance over the years. It’s also one of the 10 most-streamed Christmas songs of all time on Spotify, and was one of Billboard’s 20 greatest-ever holiday songs in a recent list.

There’s also Underneath The Tree by Kelly Clarkson, which is definitely one of the more recognizable holiday hits of the new millennium. Some friends have even suggested Sia’s Snowman as a classic in the making.

If you have a favorite modern Christmas anthem, please let me know — and most importantly of all, Merry Christmas!