Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without a blast of songs from the likes Mariah Carey, Paul McCartney and Slade and, while we are streaming their classic tracks in our droves, they are counting the pennies. As, while each act has plenty of others in their back catalogue, it is their festive compositions that really pull in big money year after year.
While not quite as prevalent as they used to be, when the battle for the Christmas number 1 was a huge deal, many of us love nothing more than having Christmas songs on the repeat to get fully into the festive spirit, in the run up to December 25. Mariah released her famous track All I Want For Christmas Is You in 1994, before it finally made number 1 in the UK at the height of Covid lockdown in 2020.
Beatles legend Paul hit the festive top spot with Wings in 1977, but its his solo festive hit Wonderful Christmastime which is still played millions of times every year, with his performance of it on his recent UK arena tour delighting the many fans who flocked to see him.
!970s rockers Slade are also famous for their hits Come On Feel The Noize and Cos’ I Love You, but it’s Merry Xmas Everybody that is the song played on a loop over the festive period. And we reveal just how much each act and others make from their Christmas songs on an annual basis.
Mariah Carey
In the year it was first released, 1994, it was reported that All I Want For Christmas is You, which earlier this month became the first Christmas song to reach 2 billion streams, netted Mariah £60m.
Now, according to Forbes, the song pulls in well over £2 million for Mariah every year, with it landing at number 3 in the UK top 40 this week, as Wham’s Last Christmas, grabbed the number 1 spot for the second year in a row.
All I Want for Christmas is taken from Mariah’s Merry Christmas album, which was rereleased as a deluxe edition to mark its 25th anniversary in 2019, with the singer’s many other hits including Hero, Without You, Fantasy and Always Be My Baby.
Paul McCartney
It is estimated that Paul, the man who is a member of one of the biggest groups of all time,. The Beatles, pulls in £310,000 per year from Wonderful Christmastime; the song he wrote back in 1979.
While many people assume that Wonderful Christmastime was a festive chart-topper, it actually wasn’t, but Paul did achieve the feat with Wings in 1977, when Mull of Kintyre saw off all other competition to claim the number 1 position.
Slade
Most famous for lead singer Noddy Holder’s loud shout of “IT’S CHRISTMASSSSSS!” as the start, it was estimated last year that the Brummy rockers’ track Merry Xmas Everybody brings in a very fruitful £520,000 every single Christmas.
Wham
(Image: Sony Music)
Famously beaten to the Christmas number 1 in 1984 by Band Aid, with singer George Michael also appearing on Do They Know It’s Christmas, Wham’s song Last Christmas is regarded my many people as THE best Christmas song of all time.
And, as it grabs the UK Christmas number 1 for the second year in a row, it’s reported that the song, complete with its iconic ski trip music video, earns £480,000 a year. Music legend George sadly passed away at Christmas in 2016, with his Wham bandmate Andrew RIdgeley and backing singers Pepsi and Shirley recently going back to the music video location for a BBC special.
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/showbiz-news/mariah-carey-christmas-paul-mccartney-30656160
