Songs That Sleigh! 10 Christmas Bestsellers to Learn and Play
Christmas is almost upon us, and with it, the unmistakable sounds of the season. Explore 10 of the most-searched Christmas songs on Sheet Music Direct this holiday season.
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All I Want for Christmas Is You, Mariah Carey
One of, if not Mariah Carey's biggest hit single, you'd struggle to find a more iconic Christmas bop than "All I Want for Christmas Is You." Taken from the album Merry Christmas which mixed original material with traditional seasonal songs, the song has been featured in countless films and even inspired an animated movie starring Mariah herself.
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Frank Sinatra
Written for the musical Meet Me in St. Louis, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" was originally performed by Judy Garland in the 1944 film. Frank Sinatra later recorded his own version with modified lyrics after asking Martin to lighten up some of the words to fit the tone of his festive 1957 album, A Jolly Christmas, and it has become a veritable Christmas staple.
Last Christmas, Wham!
A chart hit alongside Band Aid's charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?", Wham!'s single also put its proceeds towards Ethiopian famine relief. The song has since been covered by all sorts of artists ranging from The Three Degrees to The Smurfs!
White Christmas, Irving Berlin
Written by Irving Berlin for the film Holiday Inn and used again in the film White Christmas, both times sung by Bing Crosby, this song is said to be the best-selling single of all time according to the Guinness Book of World Records, with estimated sales in excess of 50 million copies worldwide!
Mary, Did You Know?, Mark Lowry
Vocalist Mark Lowry had been carrying around the lyrics to "Mary, Did You Know?" for seven years before asking musician and friend Buddy Greene to write music for them in 1991. Lowry then performed it with his singing group, the Gaither Vocal Band, founded by Bill Gaither, which also featured popular vocalists Guy Penrod and David Phelps. The song has inspired many different versions over the years, by artists including Kenny Rogers & Wynonna Judd in 1996, Pentatonix in 2014, and both Carrie Underwood and Dolly Parton in 2020.
Feliz Navidad, José Feliciano
This song was written by bilingual singer-songwriter José Feliciano in 1970. Blind since birth, Feliciano became skilled at interpreting instruments through touch and sound, imitating popular records this way. The track is divided into both English and Spanish lyrics, tactfully devised by Feliciano so that the English radio stations wouldn't block the song from being played on the air.
Silent Night, Franz X. Gruber
Composed over 200 years ago by Franz X. Gruber and set to lyrics by Joseph Mohr, it is believed that "Silent Night" has been translated into over 300 languages. Now one of the best-known Christmas carols, it was sung simultaneously by British and German troops during the Christmas truce of 1914.
Jingle Bells, J. Pierpont
Originally published under the title "The One Horse Open Sleigh" in September 1857, James Lord Pierpont's "Jingle Bells" has become one of the most popular Christmas songs. In a Christmas-themed joke in December 1965, two of the astronauts aboard Gemini 6 offered the following unlikely observance to NASA mission control: "We have an object, looks like a satellite, going from north to south, probably in polar orbit...I see a command module and eight smaller modules in front. The pilot of the module is wearing a red suit...". Their rendition of "Jingle Bells" that followed became one of the first songs ever to be broadcast from space!
Jingle Bell Rock, Bobby Helms
First released in 1957 by Bobby Helms, and later covered as a duet by Philadelphia-based 60s popstars Chubby Checker ("The Twist") and Bobby Rydell ("Wild One"), "Jingle Bell Rock" combines festive cheer with a 1950s rock-and-roll vibe to great effect!
We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Traditional English Folksong
It is supposed that the carol singers in this song are asking for rewards for their efforts! In their politeness, they make one of the only references to the New Year celebrations in any carol. "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" dates back at least as far as the 16th century, and it remains a popular festive number to this day!
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