Survey Reveals White Christmas As Most Memorable Christmas Song

With Christmas just over a week away, PRS for Music today reveals the top ten most memorable and played Christmas songs amongst the UK Public.

Topping the chart is jazz sensation, Louis Armstrong’s cover of White Christmas, despite only being the sixth most played Christmas song. Leading the played list is Mariah Carey’s chart-topping All I Want for Christmas is You, which ranks number 10 in terms of memorability.

Top ten most memorable Christmas Songs

1. White Christmas - Louis Armstrong
2. Do They Know it’s Christmas? – Band Aid
3. Last Christmas – Wham!
4. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday - Wizzard
5. Merry Christmas Everybody - Slade
6. Fairytale of New York – Kirsty MacColl, The Pogues
7. White Christmas – Bing Crosby
8. Walking In The Air – Aled Jones
9. Let It Snow – Dean Martin
10. All I Want for Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey

Top ten most played Christmas Songs

1. All I Want for Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey 
2. Last Christmas – Wham!
3. Fairytale of New York – Kirsty MacColl, The Pogues
4. Do They Know It’s Christmas? – Band Aid
5. Merry Xmas Everybody - Slade
6. White Christmas - Louis Armstrong
7. Driving Home for Christmas – Chris Rea
8. Merry Christmas Everyone - Slade
9. Mistletoe and Wine – Cliff Richard
10. Walking in the Air - Aled Jones

Source: PRS for Music

The results are based on a survey of over 1,750 people, conducted by PRS for Music, the organisation that collects and pays royalties to its 75,000 song-writing and composing members. And, data from PRS for Music which records how often a song is publicly broadcast.

Commenting on the results, Ellis Rich, chairman of PRS for Music, said: “The Christmas song is a genre in its own right, a guilty pleasure yule enjoy again this year – don’t deny it! More than any other type of music, it spans and links generations with disparate musical taste buds. Comparing the most memorable with the most played provides an interesting contrast and shows that like all music broadcasting there are important tensions between supply and demand – that is why the UK’s music industry is so dynamic. Roll on 2011.”