Talk about a down-to-the-wire Christmas present: Mariah Careyhas unwrapped a brand-new Billboard Hot 100 record.
Her song “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is spending another week at #1 on the Hot 100, bringing its collective run on top of that tally to 17 weeks. That’s longer than Mariah’s previous longest-running #1 hit, “One Sweet Day,” her collab with Boyz II Men, which spent 16 weeks on top from 1995 to 1996.
Released in 1994, Mariah’s song first topped the chart in 2019 thanks to streaming. It was #1 for three weeks in 2019, two in 2020, three in 2021, four in 2022, two in 2023 and now three, and counting, this year.
Mariah now holds the record for the second-longest run at #1 of all time. The record of 19 weeks is shared by Shaboozey‘s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus.
And Mariah is now the sole owner of the record for the longest-running #1 on Billboard‘s Streaming Songs chart. It’s been on top of that tally for 21 weeks, breaking “Old Town Road’s record of 20 weeks.
And in non-Mariah Christmas chart news, Ariana Grande‘s “Santa Tell Me” and Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath the Tree” have both hit the top 10 for the first time this year. Ariana’s at #9 and Kelly’s at #10. Ariana now sets the record as the most recently released holiday song to make the top 10 — it came out in 2014.
Looks like we may be getting some new music from Paul McCartney next year.
The legendary Beatle, who recently wrapped the 2024 leg of his Got Back tour, answered some questions from fans on his website, and revealed he’s planning to get back in the studio.
When asked if he has any resolutions for 2025, McCartney shared, “Here’s one: finish an album!”
“I’ve been working on a lot of songs, and have had to put it to the side because of the tour,” he explained. “So, I’m hoping to get back into that and finish up a lot of these songs. So, how’s about that? ‘My New Year’s resolution is to finish a new album!’”
McCartney released his last album of new material, McCartney III, in 2020.
But for now, McCartney says his main plan to enjoy some down time.
Asked about his plans for the holiday season, McCartney shared that he’s looking forward to “a well-deserved rest.”
“It’s Christmas, so it’s family time for me. We’ve got the decorations up already actually,” he said. “And I’m one of those guys that loves to overdo decorations, so I need a minute to sit back, relax and enjoy them. So, that’s what I’ve got to look forward to…”
Phil Collins landed at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Another Day in Paradise,” from his #1 album …But Seriously.
The song, which spent four weeks on top of the chart, highlighted the problem of homelessness, and the video featured Collins singing, cut with images of the homeless, refugees and children living in poverty.
The track, Collins’ seventh and final solo #1 single, was nominated for four Grammy Awards and picked up the trophy for Record of the Year.
David Crosby sang backup on the tune and performed the song with Collins at the 1991 Grammy Awards. That performance was included on the 1994 album Grammy’s Greatest Moments Volume I.
Christmas came early for Koe Wetzel and Jessie Murph.
The genre-bending newcomersscored their first#1 on the country charts with “High Road.”
“#1 on Country Radio.. [rock on emoji] @jessiemurphhh,” Koe shares with fans on Instagram.
George Birge, who earned his second #1 with “Cowboy Songs” earlier this month, commented, “TX boys on top, congrats bubba.”
Jessie also shared an Instagram carousel to celebrate her latest achievement. One of the slides featured a screenshot of a Billboard story, which underscored that “Murph is the first woman in a lead role to top the list with a rookie entry since Gabby Barrett with ‘I Hope in 2020.”
You can find “High Road” on Koe’s latest album, 9 Lives, out now.
If you’re looking to expand your Christmas playlist, check out Koe’s recently released seven-track holiday project, Koe Wetzel Presents…Wetzel’s Wonderland Chapter 2.
Travis Barker is keeping up with the Kardashians with his latest collaboration.
The blink-182 drummer has produced a cover of Eartha Kitt‘s holiday staple “Santa Baby,” recorded by his sister-in-law, Kim Kardashian. According to the Apple Music credits, Barker also played drums on the recording.
The cover is accompanied by a truly strange video featuring Kardashian crawling across the floor of a house, while what feels like a deleted scene from a David Lynch movie unfolds around her. The end features a cameo from Macaulay Culkin as Santa.
You can listen to Kardashian’s “Santa Baby” now via digital outlets, and watch its video streaming now on YouTube.
Barker, who’s married to Kim’s sister Kourtney Kardashian, spent much of the year touring with blink in support of their 2023 album, ONE MORE TIME… He also recently teased some upcoming musical projects, writing in a November Instagram post, “Recorded two albums over October/November with some great people.”
Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation
Meghan Trainor and her husband Daryl Sabara celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary on Sunday, which was also Meghan’s 31st birthday. She commemorated the events with a sweet Instagram post.
“8 years of love, 6 years of magic, 4 years of making perfect, beautiful babies,” Meghan captioned a carousel of photos and video. “This life we’ve built together is truly unbelievable. And we’ve only just begun. You were made for me and I know it when I look at our boys Riley and Barry.”
“You make me laugh harder than I’ve ever laughed. You take care of me. You give me all of your love and energy and light,” she continued. “You are so special and rare in this world and I can’t believe I GET TO LIVE LIFE WITH YOU AS MY SOULMATE/PARTNER/BESTIE. IT IS AN ABSOLUTE HONOR AND A PRIVILEGE LIVING LIFE WITH MY HAND IN YOURS.”
“I love you @darylsabara too much it’s aggressive,” she concluded. “Happy 6 year anniversary my love.”
In the post, there was also a “Happy Birthday” video for Meghan along with footage of the couple having fun in a “rage room,” where you can smash and destroy things to your heart’s content. Also included was footage of Daryl crying as he read an article about Meghan. “You’ve worked so hard for this,” he sobbed.
Kevin Winter/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
Just call her Swiftie Claus. Ahead of Christmas, Taylor Swift distributed some generous gifts to some very deserving people.
First up was Naya, a young patient who Taylor spent time with when she visited Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, on Dec. 12. In a TikTok video, Taylor was seen signing a copy of her Eras Tour book for Naya and thanking her for saying her outfit was “tea” — which is a compliment, by the way. “You made my day with that,” said Taylor.
And then Taylor made Naya’s day in a big way. On Dec. 22, Naya posted a TikTok revealing that Taylor had sent her the same outfit that she’d complimented: A plaid ensemble by Miu Miu that costs around $4500. She also showed that Taylor had written her a note that said, “when you asked where I got it, I purposely didn’t tell you because I had a plan 🙂 Picked you up a few things I hope you’ll think are tea. Ha.…Merry Christmas! Love, Taylor.”
Naya captioned the video, “She is soo amazing im soo blessed, i love you Tay Swizzle you’re literally the Best.”
Meanwhile, on Dec. 21, Operation Breakthrough, an education center for children in need, announced on social media platform X that Taylor had given them $250,000.
“Thank you, @taylorswift13, for making our holiday season shine even brighter! Your kindness and thoughtful 250K donation means the world to our children and families,” read the message. There was also a video featuring some of the center’s children personally thanking Taylor for her support.
The video ends with an adorable little girl saying, “Thank you Taylor for making our wildest dreams come true!”
It was a monumental year for The Beatles, as they celebrated the 60th anniversary of the first time they arrived in the U.S.
In February 1964 The Beatles — Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr — made their first visit to the U.S. to play The Ed Sullivan Show, which was seen by a then-record 73 million viewers, a moment that launched Beatlemania in America.
The moment in history was highlighted in 2024 with the documentary Beatles ’64, directed by David Tedeschi and produced by Martin Scorsese, which debuted on Disney+ in November. It featured never-before-seen footage of the legendary group and their fans during the height of Beatlemania.
The anniversary was one of many Beatles-related highlights of 2024. Among the others:
Sam Mendes announced he’ll be directing four movies about The Beatles, each one told from the point of view of a different band member. So far no casting has officially been announced, but Ringo let it slip that Saltburn’s Barry Keoghan would be playing him.
McCartney’s original backing track for “Blackbird” was used for Beyoncé‘s interpretation of the song, retitled “Blackbiird,” which appeared on her album Cowboy Carter. He called it a “killer version” of the song.
Ringo dropped the EP Crooked Boy, produced by Linda Perry,and announced he’ll release the country album Look Up, co-written and produced by T Bone Burnett, on Jan. 10.
The Beatles’ 1970 documentary Let It Be debuted on Disney+ in May, marking the first time it had been available in over 50 years. The film was restored from the original 16mm negative by Peter Jackson’s Park Road Post Production.
Lennon’s 1973 solo album, Mind Games, was reissued, including an Ultimate Collection that featured unreleased outtakes, stripped down mixes, instrumentals, demos, rehearsals and even what was described as “studio chatter.” It earned a Grammy nomination for Best Boxed or Limited Edition Package.
Paul McCartney and Wings’often bootlegged album One Hand Clapping got an official release in June, 50 years after it was recorded. The album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in August 1974 as a video documentary and possible live album, although it didn’t officially come out until now.
Harrison’s first sitar, used during the recording sessions for the song “Norwegian Wood,” sold at auction for $66,993, while one of Lennon’s 12-string guitars, used to record several Beatles classics, sold for $2.9 million, making it the most expensive Beatles guitar ever to sell at auction. Harrison’s Resonet Futurama, a Czechoslovakian-made electric guitar, sold for $1.27 million, a world record for a Harrison guitar sold at auction.
The 50th anniversary of Harrison’s solo album Living in the Material World was celebrated with a series of new reissues, including a super deluxe edition featuring 12 previously unreleased recordings.
Two new Lennon documentaries debuted: One to One: John & Yoko, which focused on Lennon and wife Yoko Ono’s 1972 One to One concerts in New York City, and Daytime Revolution, about the time in February 1972 when John and Yoko co-hosted The Mike Douglas Show for a week.
In October, McCartney launched a new leg of his Got Back tour in Montevideo, Uruguay, and added the band’s 2023 song “Now and Then,” which was billed as the final Beatles single, to the set list.
“Now and Then” went on to receive a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year.
The massive vinyl box set The Beatles: 1964 U.S. Albums In Mono was released featuring seven albums the band released in the U.S. from January 1964 and March 1965. It marked the first time these albums have been available on vinyl since 1995.
And to close out the year, there was a Beatles reunion at McCartney’s final night at the O2 in London on Dec. 19, with Ringo coming out to join his former bandmate on two songs, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” and “Helter Skelter.”
It may be Cole Swindell‘s first Christmas as a married man, but he’s not feeling the pressure of coming up with plans and traditions.
After all, this isn’t his first holiday with his wife Courtney.
“[I] have spent every one of them with her since we started dating. I mean, from, we were pretty newly dating when I went to Thanksgiving and Christmas the first year. So that was a little uncomfortable,” Cole tells ABC Audio. “But her family’s so great.”
“I mean, that’s part of it all for me,” he says. “Just to have another side of the family almost, it’s just amazing, you know? And to see who raised her and her siblings. I mean, everybody’s so cool, so [I’m] looking forward to that.”
Since Cole’s already familiar with the family gatherings and traditions, he’s not planning to shake things up.
“Probably not a whole lot of change,” the “Forever to Me” singer says. “We’ll probably have some first-year married ornament or something on the tree. Other than that, I don’t know. I’m here to see where it takes us.”
“Forever to Me” is currently in the top 20 and ascending the country charts. It’s the lead single from Cole’s forthcoming as-yet-untitled new album.
for KING + COUNTRY‘s Christmas single this year is “Silent Night (Rewrapped),” a version of the classic carol with some percussion and other instrumentation added to give what is normally a very sleepy song some energy. The duo’s Luke Smallbone says they were looking for a way to make the super-traditional religious song sound fresh.
“That was one of the things that we talked about … is there a way to give it a little bit more life?” Luke tells ABC Audio. “You know, when I think of the most Christmassy Christmas songs, you probably think of ‘Silent Night,’ ‘O Holy Night’… so for us to figure out a way to have a little bit of tempo, a little bit of rhythm on it, was actually one of the goals.”
Like many Christmas carols, “Silent Night” was written in the 1800s — 1818, to be exact. Since then, it’s been covered hundreds of times, but no matter what you do to it, Luke notes, it still holds up.
“C.S. Lewis used to say, the only books really worth reading are the ones that are 50 years old,” says Luke, referring to the author of The Chronicles of Narnia. “And obviously he’s saying that about classic books: if they’ve been around and are still in print, you know they’re good.”
“Well, [with] music, it’s probably around 30 years old,” he adds. “But with Christmas, some of these songs are 150 years old. Some of these songs are 250 years old! These are old songs! And I think that tells you how wonderful they really are.”
for KING + COUNTRY wrapped up their holiday tour Dec. 20 in their hometown of Nashville. As previously reported, early next year, the duo will release their cover of the U2 song “40,” in connection with a new Prime Video series called House of David.
