Every Monday, Billboard unveils the top 10 songs on the latest Hot 100 chart. The most recent rankings, for the chart dated December 9, are out now, so let’s run down who had this week’s biggest hits.
10. Andy Williams — “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year”
A couple Christmas songs made it onto last week’s Hot 100, but now that Thanksgiving is behind us, they’re out in force. Six of this week’s top 10 songs are vintage holiday tunes, including this Andy Williams classic from 1963.
9. SZA — “Snooze”
After peaking at No. 2 previously, “Snooze” is just barely hanging around the top 10, but it’s still No. 1 on the Hot R&B Songs chart for an 18th week.
8. Doja Cat — “Paint The Town Red”
While Doja’s hit fell down from No. 3 last week, it’s No. 1 on the latest Radio Songs chart for the first time this week.
7. Taylor Swift — “Cruel Summer”
We’re heading into winter and a summer song is still sticking around, although it’s down significantly from last week’s rank at No. 2.
6. Burl Ives — “A Holly Jolly Christmas”
The ’50s and ’60s appear to be the golden age for Christmas music, as this 1964 Burl Ives tune is routinely an end-of-year favorite and rose from No. 16 to enter the top 10 this week.
5. Wham! — “Last Christmas”
Some newer (not “new,” but “newer”) holiday tunes have some gas this week, too, as Wham’s 1984 classic “Last Christmas” is in the middle of the pack of this week’s top 10.
4. Bobby Helms — “Jingle Bell Rock”
Presenting the oldest song in this week’s top 10: Helms’ recording of “Jingle Bell Rock” was originally released all the way back in 1957.
3. Jack Harlow — “Lovin On Me”
“Lovin On Me” became Harlow’s third No. 1 single last week, but it couldn’t hold off two titanic holiday tracks as it slides down to No. 3.
2. Mariah Carey — “All I Want For Christmas Is You”
Carey’s iconic Christmas tune is usually the one leading the post-Thanksgiving charge, but there’s a new sheriff in town this week.
1. Brenda Lee — “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree”
When Brenda Lee released “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” in November 1958, she probably never imagined that it would be the No. 1 song in the country a whopping 65 years later. Now, though, a song that’s nearly as old as the Hot 100 chart itself (the chart launched in August 1958) has gone No. 1 here in 2023.
The song was previously a regular “All I Want For Christmas Is You” sidekick in the holiday music resurgence: It spent nine weeks at No. 2 on the Hot 100 between December 2019 and the 2022-2023 holiday season. In fact, now that the track has risen to No. 1, it has tied the record for most weeks at No. 2 before ascending to No. 1, a record it shares with Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy.” (Also like Eilish, Lee started her music career as a child star: She recorded “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” when she was only 13 years old.)
“Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” is now just the third holiday song to ever go No. 1, after Carey’s hit and “The Chipmunk Song” by The Chipmunks with David Seville. The song is also Lee’s third career chart-topper, following “I’m Sorry” and “I Want To Be Wanted,” both in 1960. Furthermore, at 78 years old, Lee is now the senior-most artist with a No. 1 single of all time, beating the record previously held by Louis Armstrong, who was 62 when “Hello, Dolly!” topped the chart in 1964.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.