Why Is There No New Christmas
Music?
By: Collin Giuliani
HIGH POINT, N.C.
-- When the holiday season hits, it marks the time of the year where everything
begins to shift.
The grass on the
ground is replaced by the deep, white snow. The clouds that bring raindrops now
bring down a unique collection of snowflakes.
Facades of
buildings display Christmas lights to welcome in the holiday season, and
regular hallways and lobbies display Christmas trees full of ornaments and
lights to enhance this festive mood.
And some radio
stations change from pop music to Christmas music. The likes of Bruno Mars,
Rihanna, and The Weeknd are replaced by the likes of Michael Buble, Gene Autry,
and Andy Williams.
Much like it was
hard to avoid “Uptown Funk!” during its 14-week run atop the Billboard charts,
it is hard to avoid songs like “Last Christmas” and “Frosty the Snowman” during
the Christmas season which seems to start earlier every year.
Think of any
Christmas song that you would hear on the radio during this time. A plethora of
options likely come to mind, ranging from traditional hymns and carols to the
pop-oriented holiday works of Paul McCartney and The Beach Boys.
Now think of any
Christmas song released in the past 25 years not named “All I Want for
Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey, which was released in 1994. Does anything
noteworthy come to mind?
When it comes to
Christmas music, nothing has changed. In the past 25 years, with the exception
of Mariah Carey’s hit song, the Christmas canon has remained stagnant.
For over a
generation, no new Christmas music has been able to become a holiday staple the
same way that songs like “White Christmas” and “Jingle Bell Rock” have. If
Christmas is happening every year, then why is nothing changing?
Above: Stephen Wilson, a freshman at High Point University, gives his thoughts in an audio slideshow on why newer Christmas music has not been able to catch on.
Do Any New Songs Exist?
High
school seniors and college students between the ages of 18-20 were asked to
name their favorite Christmas song, on three conditions.
Condition
number one: The song had to be an original song. It could not be a cover.
Condition
number two: The song had to be released in the past 25 years.
Condition
number three: You cannot say “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
When
posed with this question, only 20 percent of people surveyed were able to name
a Christmas song that fit these criteria. For the other 80 percent, they were
unable to name any holiday song released in their generation.
“I
honestly have no idea,” said Lee Parham, a sophomore at High Point University.
That sentiment was felt by many others who took the survey.
“I’m
stumped,” said Aidan Jensen, a sophomore at HPU. “I know the names of Christmas
songs but I’m not familiar with the year.” After rattling off close to a dozen
songs, none of them met the criteria.
The
only correct answers given during this survey were “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo
12/24” by Trans-Siberian Orchestra and “Don’t Be a Jerk (It’s Christmas)” by
SpongeBob Squarepants.
Of
the participants that gave a correct answer initially, when asked to name other
Christmas songs that met the criteria, none of them could name more than one
additional song.
“That’s
a tough one, as in, none exist,” said Stephen Wilson, a freshman at HPU. “I’m
not sure that I can think of any right now.”
There
was a plethora of right answers available for that question, from “Believe” by
Josh Groban to “Where Are You Christmas?” by Faith Hill to “Mistletoe” by
Justin Bieber.
But
none of those songs, or any other songs released in this time period, achieved
the holiday success that artists like Wham, Band Aid, Elton John, and Bryan
Adams did in the previous generation.
Why
is it that since Mariah Carey’s hit in 1994, no new Christmas song has been
able to become a holiday staple? Why has nothing released recently been able to
make it big?
Above: The top 10 Christmas songs played on the radio during the 2014 holiday season, according to fivethirtyeight.com
New Year, Same Songs on the Radio
Despite
the fact that nothing new has made it big, the market for Christmas music is
still there, and may be stronger than ever. With the holiday season seemingly
starting earlier every year, radio stations are taking note.
SiriusXM offers eight different holiday radio channels, including SiriusXM Holly, a
year-round Christmas channel, SiriusXM Country Christmas, SiriusXM Holiday
Soul, and even SiriusXM Radio Hanukkah.
Research
by RadioInfo showed that in 2011, four times as many radio stations reached
double-digit listening figures in December compared to November and January.
If
people are still listening to Christmas music, and are now listening to it
earlier than ever, then why has nothing caught on since 1994? It hasn’t been
for a lack of trying.
In
1998, the boy band NSYNC released “Merry Christmas, Happy
Holidays,” the leading single off of their album “Home for Christmas,”
which contained eleven original songs. None of these songs besides the lead
single caught much traction.
In
2004, Josh Groban released “Believe,”
which was the centerpiece for the soundtrack of “The Polar Express”. While the
song was nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards in 2005, it did
not chart on the Billboard Hot 100.
And
in 2013, Kelly Clarkson released “Underneath the Tree,” a
song with a similar formula to that of Mariah Carey’s hit almost 20 years
prior. But unlike Carey’s song, Clarkson’s only managed to hit #78 on the
Billboard Hot 100.
Many
new Christmas songs follow the same formula from songs of the past. Like songs
of the past, the three aforementioned tracks speak positively of the holiday
season and the spirit of Christmas.
Like
songs of the past, the three aforementioned tracks are distinctly Christmas
songs. With mentions of the holiday season and with sleigh bells in the
background, these songs could not be mistaken for any other time of year.
If
there is a formula to making Christmas music and these songs fit the formula,
then why, unlike those songs of the past, have none of them been able to catch
any traction whatsoever?
History of Christmas Music (1995-present) timeline.
History of Christmas Music (1995-present), a timeline made with Timetoast's free interactive timeline making software.
Above: Even though there hasn't been a true Christmas hit since 1994, some artists have come close. Take a look at some of the most popular Christmas songs released since 1995
A Season of Timelessness and Tradition
While there is a
market for Christmas music, there may not be a market for new Christmas music.
“The old music is
great that there’s no need to make new music,” said Wilson. Other students
interviewed echoed similar sentiments.
“All
of the original Christmas music is so good,” said Parham. “They’re classics.
People listen to them over and over again. They don’t really need that much new
music.”
And
for many, the Christmas songs of the past are timeless. This aura of
timelessness is something that is not seen for the other 10 or 11 months of the
year, where pop radio stations rarely play old songs.
In
pop music, songs released last year are outdated and are rarely played on the
radio. With Christmas music, however, radio stations regularly play songs from
the 1950s and 1970s.
“When
I’m in my 60s, I’m still going to be listening to those Christmas songs on the
radio when I’m decorating my Christmas tree,” said Jensen. “I think we’ll still
be listening to these songs 40 years down the road.”
Most
of the others interviewed agreed with Jensen’s sentiments when asked about the
timelessness of Christmas music, including Parham.
“With
classic hymns and classic songs like ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,’” said
Parham, “I definitely think those songs will remain timeless.”
That
feeling of timelessness and the distinct sounds of the past that have made up
the soundtracks of Christmastime for previous generations still live on today.
And during every interview conducted, the word “tradition” or the phrase
“tradition-based” was mentioned at least once.
Perhaps
that is the reason why nothing new has been able to break into the Christmas
canon. Maybe the soundtracks of Christmases past perfectly captured the spirit
of the season so there’s no reason to come up with anything new.
For
a holiday that is tradition-based, the same applies to the music played during
the season. New music or not, for many, as Andy Williams would say, “it’s the
most wonderful time of the year.”
Washington Post: Where
are the new Christmas classics?
