“This Christmas” - Donny Hathaway (1970) #11 (1972 Christmas chart re-issue)

The late Hathaway co-wrote the song (it is credited to Nadine McKinnor and “Donny Pitts,” the stage name Hathaway used as a young gospel singer.) Since Hathaway’s original version, it has become something of a modern holiday standard, covered by a wide range of artists, most notably by Chris Brown, who performed it in the movie he starred in last year…also called This Christmas. In 1991, Atco/Atlantic Records re-released the 1968 Christmas R&B compilation album Soul Christmas, and they included eleven more tracks on it…including “This Christmas” (which was originally released in 1970.) (more…)

“All I Want for Christmas is You” - Carla Thomas (1963) #11 (1966 Christmas chart re-issue)

Written by Stax Records session writer A.C. Williams, the song was originally released as the B-side of Thomas’ 1963 holiday hit, “Gee Whiz, It’s Christmas,” which itself peaked at #23. A new version recorded by her hit the Billboard Christmas Singles chart in 1966 and peaked at #11. This song should not be confused with the Mariah Carey, Vince Vance and the Valiants, or Foghat songs of the same name. (more…)

“Mary’s Boy Child” - Harry Belafonte (1956) #12 (1957 Pop Singles re-issue)

Julliard-trained songwriter and actor Jester Hairston wrote this song in 1956 for Belafonte, who took it to #1 on the UK chart for seven weeks (in the US, it only peaked at #12.) Belafonte first recorded it in 1956, for his album An Evening with Belafonte. He became the first black male to have a #1 in the UK. It was the first ever song to sell 1 million copies in the UK, and the first ever British #1 record to have a playing time of more than four minutes (4:19.) It’s the only song to drop from #1 straight out of top 10 the following week, because after Christmas, it fell from #1 to #12. (more…)

Christmas is right around the corner, so in honor of the holiday season, I am bringing you the 40 Blogs of Christmas! From November 15 to December 24, I will count down the 40 biggest Christmas-themed hits of the Billboard Pop Singles/Hot 100 and/or the Christmas charts (beginning in 1963, Billboard relegated seasonal re-releases to a separate Christmas chart, ending their strings of appearances on the Hot 100. A Christmas song can only appear on the Hot 100 once; if it is re-released the following year, it charts on the Christmas chart.) Keep in mind…several favorites didn’t make the list because they only appeared on other charts (R&B, Country, Adult Contemporary, etc.), or they were ineligible for the Hot 100 because they didn’t have a commercially available single (the most infamous of this was Mariah Carey’s 1994 song “All I Want for Christmas is You,” which would have been a top 10 hit if it had a commercially available single.) I also want to pull the Band-Aid (pun unintended, referring to the #40 song) off quickly and tell you songs #41-#60 (based on my research) so you won’t be disappointed later (I will give you their highest original chart position and which chart it appeared on):

41. “The Little Drummer Boy (Carol of the Drum)” - Harry Simeone Chorale (1958) #13 (1959 Hot 100 re-issue)

42. “A Holly Jolly Christmas” - Burl Ives (1964) #13 (Christmas chart)

43. “Pretty Paper” - Roy Orbison (1964) #15 (Hot 100)

44. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” - Brenda Lee (1958) #16 (1960 Hot 100 re-issue)

45. “Silent Night” - Bing Crosby (1935) #16 (1941 Pop Singles re-issue)

46. “Christmas Blues” - Canned Heat (1968) #18 (Christmas chart)

47. “Sleigh Ride” - Boston Pops Orchestra (1949) #24 (Hot 100)

48. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” - The Brothers Four (1966) #26 (Christmas chart)

49. “If We Make it Through December” - Merle Haggard (1973) #28 (1974 Hot 100 re-issue)

50. “Better Days” - Goo Goo Dolls (2005) #36 (Hot 100)

51. “Green Chri$tma$” - Stan Freberg (1958) #44 (Hot 100)

52. “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)” - Nat “King” Cole (1946) #65 (1962 stereo Hot 100 re-issue)

53. “Where Are You, Christmas?” - Faith Hill (2000) #65 (Hot 100)

54. “This Time of the Year” - Brook Benton (1959) #66 (Hot 100)

55. “Run Rudolph Run” - Chuck Berry (1958) #69 (Hot 100)

56. “Please Come Home for Christmas” - Charles Brown (1960) #76 (1961 Hot 100 re-issue)

57. “White Christmas” - The Drifters (1954) #80 (Pop Singles)

58. “All Alone on Christmas” - Darlene Love (1992) #83 (Hot 100)

59. “Christmas Dream” - Perry Como (1974) #92 (Hot 100)

60. “I Believe in Father Christmas” - Greg Lake (1975) #95 (Hot 100) (more…)

As I predicted, people want to “Live Your Life” again. The T.I. featuring Rihanna track spends a third non-consecutive week at #1 with a bullet on the Billboard Hot 100, and it remains the Airplay Gainer of the week. I’m making a bold prediction that it will stay at #1 next week. Katy Perry’s “Hot N Cold” is still a threat (having moved up one spot to #3), but they are also being threatened by Kanye West’s “Heartless,” which is the Hot Shot Debut for the week at #4 (his third top 10 Hot Shot debut in 2008, following “Swagga Like Us” with Jay-Z and T.I. featuring Lil Wayne, and “Love Lockdown.”) Pink’s “So What” is no longer in play, having dropped from #3 to #6 and having lost its bullet. (more…)

The #1 movie over the past weekend (10/24-10/26) was High School Musical 3, for a second week in a row, which brought in $15,316,072 ($62,034,083 overall.) Since I gave you my review of that movie last week, I figured I’d review the movie that came in second place in the box office…the controversial Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Writer/director/producer/Silent Bob-portrayer Kevin Smith’s latest flick brought in $10,065,630 in its first weekend. There is a theater in Utah that refuses to show the movie because of the title (oh…and the plotline.) Yet they will show Saw V…filled with people being tortured, sliced, and squished (go figure.) Smith’s core audience (of which I am a part of as a 33-year-old male) will love it, because it has almost everything a growing boy needs…filthy language and nudity (almost too much nudity…it’s disturbing to see the skinny Jason Mewes showing off his Full Monty.) Leads Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks (who is in six movies this year) have good chemistry as two platonic friends who decide to make a porno to pay their bills. It’s not my favorite Smith movie (his first flick…1994’s Clerks…is still my fav), but it’s extremely funny. (more…)

Yay! People want to “Live Your Life” instead of listening to “Whatever You Like.” For the second time this year, T.I.’s “Whatever You Like” has been knocked off the top spot by his other #1 song, “Live Your Life” (with Rihanna.) He is the only artist ever to replace himself twice on the Billboard Hot 100 with the same song. It retains its bullet and remains the Airplay Gainer for a second week in a row. I’ve stated before that I prefer “Life” over “Like,” and I think that it will remain #1 for a third non-consecutive week next week. Its only contenders are…surprisingly…two songs that were on a downward slide last week. Former #1 song “So What” by Pink moves up from #4 to #3 and gains a bullet, while Katy Perry’s “Hot N Cold” moves up from #6 to #4 and also gains a bullet after sliding back one place last week. Beyoncé Knowles’ “If I Were a Boy” apparently didn’t do jack, because it slides back from #3 to #5 and loses its bullet. I’ve been seeing the video on VH1 (a.k.a. the only major music channel that still plays some videos) more often, so it might stick around the top 10 for another couple of weeks. (more…)

The #1 movie over the past weekend (10/24-10/26) was the third chapter in the Disney Channel movie series, High School Musical 3, which brought in $42,030,184 in its first weekend. This one is the first one brought to the big screen…and obviously, it was a good idea to do so. I took my girlfriend’s niece to the screening, and she squealed in delight, which is what her demographic (7-14-year-old girls) would do…especially if they saw the first two movies. I’ve seen them (mainly because I’m a student of popular culture), and I thought that they were just okay. The singing and dancing was top notch, but the story was pedestrian and the acting was cheesy. This movie is more of the same. Basically…the only people who might like it are tween girls (or fans of musicals.) On a side note…HSM3 director Kenny Ortega has been given the greenlight by Paramount to move forward with his musical remake of the 1984 film Footloose with HSM3 star Zac Efron in the Kevin Bacon role, based on the box office results of this film. It’s proposed release date is in 2010. (more…)

Why does America want “Whatever You Like?” T.I.’s song is #1 yet again for a seventh non-consecutive week on the Billboard Hot 100…despite me giving you alternatives like T.I.’s other chart-topper with Rihanna, “Live Your Life” (currently #2 with a bullet, and is the Airplay Gainer for the week), or “Weird Al” Yankovic’s version of the song. Fortunately, it doesn’t have a bullet this week, so it will most likely be taken over by “Life” again next week. If not, then there is one other contender for next week…Beyoncé Knowles’ “If I Were a Boy” from her upcoming album I Am…Sasha Fierce (release date: 11/18/2008.) Thanks to digital downloads, the song jumps from #68 to #3 with a bullet on its third week on the chart. (more…)

The #1 movie over the past weekend (10/17-10/19) was the video game adaptation Max Payne, which brought in $17,639,849 in its first weekend. Mark Wahlberg plays a great Max Payne, but I couldn’t take Mila Kunis (FOX’s “That ‘70s Show,” Forgetting Sarah Marshall) seriously as an action star. I didn’t think that it even looked like a video game movie until the last third of it. It has the “bullet time” effect near the end, but overall, this summer’s shoot ‘em up comic book adaptation Wanted was much cooler and interesting than this one. (more…)