Holiday Reign Continues: Mariah Carey & Wham! Dominate Global Charts!

Mariah Carey's iconic holiday anthem, "All I Want for Christmas Is You," has achieved an unprecedented milestone, extending its record to a 20th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart. The 1994 modern classic solidified its dominance by rebounding to the summit, widening its lead over competitors like HUNTR/X’s “Golden” and Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile,” both of which have held the top spot for 18 weeks. This achievement marks the longest command on the chart since its inception in September 2020.
Meanwhile, another beloved holiday track, Wham!’s “Last Christmas,” originally released in 1984, ascended to No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart for the very first time. This makes it only the second holiday hit to reign on this tally, following "All I Want for Christmas Is You," which accumulated 14 weeks at the top between the 2020-24 holiday seasons. Just a week prior, "Last Christmas" had also reached the No. 1 position on the Global 200 chart.
The Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts are meticulously compiled by Luminate, ranking songs based on comprehensive streaming and sales activity from over 200 territories worldwide. The Global 200 encompasses all global data, while the Global Excl. U.S. chart specifically excludes data from the United States. Chart positions are determined using a weighted formula that incorporates official-only streams from both subscription and ad-supported audio and video music services, alongside download sales from full-service digital music retailers globally. Notably, sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are not included in these calculations.
In the week concluding Dec. 18, "All I Want for Christmas Is You" secured its Global 200 top spot with an impressive 101.6 million streams, marking an 8% week-over-week increase, and 7,000 units sold worldwide, up 2%. On the Global 200, "Last Christmas" descended to No. 2, while Brenda Lee’s "Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree" climbed from 5-3, having previously peaked at No. 2 in 2022. Taylor Swift’s "The Fate of Ophelia" maintained its No. 4 position after spending three weeks at No. 1 starting in October, and Bobby Helms’ "Jingle Bell Rock" moved from 6-5, reaching No. 4 during the 2020 holidays. Dean Martin’s "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" also made a significant jump, rising 11-9 on the Global 200, having previously hit No. 6 in the 2023 holiday season.
On the Global Excl. U.S. chart, Wham!’s "Last Christmas" achieved its first No. 1 with 64.7 million streams (up 5%) and 3,000 units sold (up 22%) outside the U.S. "The Fate of Ophelia" held steady at No. 2, following its three weeks at No. 1 in October. "All I Want for Christmas Is You" moved from 4-3, while HUNTR/X’s “Golden” dropped to No. 4 after a record-tying 19 weeks at the top. A notable surge was seen from El Bogueto and Yung Beef’s “Cuando No Era Cantante,” which blasted 23-5 on Global Excl. U.S., marking the first top 10 entry for these Mexican and Spanish artists. The collaboration saw a 77% increase to 47.7 million streams outside the U.S. and reigned on Billboard’s Mexico Songs chart for an eighth consecutive week. Sia’s “Snowman” also re-entered the Global Excl. U.S. top 10, heating up from 11-9, having reached No. 4 in 2023.
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, dated Dec. 27, will be updated on Billboard.com on Tuesday, Dec. 23. While the top 100 titles are accessible to all readers on Billboard.com, the full 200-title rankings are exclusively available through Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription service. For ongoing chart news and updates, followers can check @billboard and @billboardcharts on X and Instagram. Luminate, as the independent data provider, rigorously reviews and authenticates all data submissions for chart compilation, removing any suspicious or unverifiable data according to established criteria before final calculations are published.
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