What is the oldest Christmas song?

Reportedly, one of the first known Christmas hymns is "Jesus Refulsit Omnium" ("Jesus, Light of All the Nations"), written by St. Hilary of Poitier in the fourth century.

What is the first Christmas song ever?

Regardless, the oldest Christmas songs we know about are religious. St. Hilary of Poitiers composed the Latin carol “Jesus refulsit omnium” (“Jesus illuminates all”) in the fourth century, presumably after the first recorded Christmas celebration (336 A.D.).

What is the oldest Christmas song still sung today?

The early Christmas songs were more like religious hymns. So, what is the oldest popular Christmas carol that we are still singing today? The strongest contender is “The Friendly Beast,” a song created back more than 900 years ago.

What's the number one Christmas song of all time?

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby is not only the best-selling Christmas/holiday single in the United States, but also the best-selling single of all time since the advent of recorded music, with estimated sales in excess of 50 million copies worldwide.

Who sang the Christmas song first?

In 1946, Nat King Cole became the first recording artist to wrap his lush vocals around what would become a standard of the holiday season, "The Christmas Song." But that song was written by a different crooner: Mel Tormé.

What is the oldest Christmas song?

What was the first live Christmas song played on the radio?

At 9 p.m. that night 107 years ago, the Canadian inventor Reginald Fessenden set up his violin before the microphone at a studio in Brant Rock, Mass., and proceeded to play "O Holy Night," a live performance that was heard, by some accounts, up to 12 miles away.

Who is the biggest selling Christmas artist of all time?

And the best-selling Christmas album of all time? Well, it turns out that the King of Rock 'n' Roll is also the King of Christmas. None other than Elvis Presley tops the charts with his 1957 release Elvis' Christmas Album.

What is the most played song of all time?

There's even a dispute over the exact title. Yet “It's a Small World,” also known as “It's a Small, Small World” and “It's a Small World (After All),” is very likely the most played song in music history — nearly 50 million times.

What is the biggest selling Christmas song not to reach number 1?

- Last Christmas (1984) Despite Wham!'s status as one of the most popular bands of the early 80s, they couldn't beat Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas? to the top of the chart. According to the Official Charts Company, Last Christmas is the biggest selling single of all time not to not make Christmas number one.

What year was the first Christmas?

The celebration of Christmas started in Rome about 336, but it did not become a major Christian festival until the 9th century.

How old is Jingle Bells?

"Jingle Bells" is one of the most commonly sung songs in the world. It was written in 1850 by James Lord Pierpont at Simpson Tavern in Medford, Massachusetts. It was published under the title "The One Horse Open Sleigh" in September 1857.

When did Christmas start?

When did Christmas begin? Officially, Christmas as a holiday most likely began sometime around the 4th century. But let's back up a bit. According to the History Channel, winter has always been a time of celebration—even before the arrival of Jesus.

Who created Christmas?

The origins of Christmas stem from both the pagan and Roman cultures. The Romans actually celebrated two holidays in the month of December. The first was Saturnalia, which was a two-week festival honoring their god of agriculture Saturn. On December 25th, they celebrated the birth of Mithra, their sun god.

How old is Deck the Halls?

"Deck the Halls” is a traditional Christmas carol. The melody is Welsh, dating back to the sixteenth century, and belongs to a winter carol, "Nos Galan", while the English lyrics, written by the Scottish musician Thomas Oliphant, date to 1862.

How many Christmas songs exist?

9,274. Yep, almost ten thousand songs just on the subject of Christmas. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Remember, it doesn't include seasonal tunes with titles like Jingle Bells or Frosty The Snowman.

Who has the longest number 1 song ever?

1 hits have managed to rule the Billboard Hot 100 for double-digit weeks. Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" holds the all-time record with 19 weeks atop the chart. Mariah Carey, Drake, and Boyz II Men have the most songs on this list with three apiece.

What is the most played song ever in the UK?

Having been streamed over 562 million times, "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi is the UK's most-streamed song ever.

Who has the most number 1 songs ever?

The Beatles, unsurprisingly, lead the way with a record 20 No. 1s, all earned between 1964 and 1970.

Who gets the most royalties for Christmas song?

What is the best selling Christmas single of all time in the UK?

The original version of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" is the second-bestselling single in UK history (behind "Candle in the Wind 1997" by Elton John), while "Bohemian Rhapsody" is third.

What is the number 1 Christmas song 2023?

Last Christmas by Eighties boyband Wham has finally made it to Christmas Number One. The winner is decided by a combination of downloads, sales and streams and the result was announced on 22 December. UK fans streamed the song 13.3 million times, making it the most-played song ever during Christmas week.

Who is the king of Christmas music?

But while many contest the crown, the reigning Queen and King of Christmas tunes are undoubtedly Mariah Carey and Michael Buble – an r&b virtuoso and a modern-day crooner who have made yuletide their own.

What was the first Christmas album?

Bing Crosby: Merry Christmas

Mr. Crosby began the genre of the modern Christmas album back in 1942 by releasing a holiday themed booklet of eight songs on four 78's entitled Merry Christmas on Decca Records. In 1955, the first 12” vinyl LP version of Merry Christmas was released with the addition of four more songs.

What is the first song ever played on the radio?

The program included Fessenden playing the song O Holy Night on the violin and reading a passage, Luke Chapter 2, from the Bible. The main audience for this transmission was an unknown number of shipboard radio operators along the Atlantic Coast.