ASCAP Members Reign Over the Top Ten Most-Played Holiday Songs List

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Dec 12, 2012) - It's that time of year again when holiday music takes over the airwaves and fills our homes, shops and cars with that extra bit of cheer, raising peoples' spirits and inspiring shoppers' zeal for finding that perfect gift. This year, as with many years in the past, the top ten most-played holiday songs were all written or co-written by members of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). And for the fourth year in a row, "Sleigh Ride," written by Leroy Anderson and Mitchell Parish, and recently covered by ASCAP GRAMMY-nominated indie rock trio fun., tops this list of popular holiday classics. Like "Sleigh Ride," many of these perennial favorites continue to be re-recorded by contemporary artists year after year, proving their timelessness and boosting already impressive airplay.

"Music is one of the most important and defining aspects of the holiday season. Favorites like 'Sleigh Ride' and 'Winter Wonderland' help to set the mood and brighten spirits each and every year," commented ASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams. "It's no surprise that these beloved tunes have all been written by ASCAP members, America's greatest songwriters and composers. These works serve as a cornerstone of the ASCAP repertory."

Since October 1, 2012, "Sleigh Ride" has aired more times than any other holiday song this season. Though the lyrical version we know today depicts a wondrous winter scene, "Sleigh Ride" was originally composed by Leroy Anderson as an instrumental piece on a hot summer day in 1946. Mitchell Parish added lyrics to the song in 1949, and since then, it has been recorded by countless performers -- perhaps a more diverse group of musical artists than any other piece in the history of western music. To this day, Leroy Anderson's recording remains the most popular instrumental version, while Johnny Mathis' recording has become the most popular vocal version. As is the case with many holiday standards, "Sleigh Ride" continues to be covered by current acts, and was just released by ASCAP members and recent GRAMMY nominees fun. for the compilation album Holidays Rule. ASCAP's Zooey Deschanel-fronted indie duo She & Him also recorded the carol for their 2011 holiday album A Very She & Him Christmas.

For the first time since 2008, "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" finds its way onto the top ten list. Both this holiday classic and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," #5 and #4 on the list, respectively, have noticeably different rankings this season. Performances of each were bolstered by recordings recently re-released by famed ASCAP singer-songwriter James Taylor on his 2012 Christmas album James Taylor at Christmas. Strengthening airplay even more, ASCAP's Justin Bieber also released a version of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" last holiday season on his album Under the Mistletoe. It is ASCAP member Bruce Springsteen's version of the song, however, that receives the most airplay, having become a staple of rock radio since it was first released in 1985.

The top ten most-played holiday songs so far this holiday season are listed below, all written or co-written by ASCAP songwriters and composers. Each song includes songwriter credits, and cites the most popular artist version played on radio to date.

1. "Sleigh Ride"
Written by Leroy Anderson, Mitchell Parish
Most popular version performed by Leroy Anderson

2. "Winter Wonderland"
Written by Felix Bernard, Richard B. Smith
Most popular version performed by Eurythmics

3. "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"
Written by Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne
Most popular version performed by Harry Connick Jr.

4. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
Written by Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin
Most popular version performed by The Carpenters

5. "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"
Written by Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie
Most popular version performed by Bruce Springsteen

6. "Do You Hear What I Hear?"
Written by Gloria Shayne Baker, Noël Regney
Most popular version performed by Whitney Houston

7. "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)"
Written by Mel Tormé, Robert Wells
Most popular version performed by Nat King Cole

8. "Jingle Bell Rock"
Written by Joseph Carleton Beal, James Ross Boothe
Most popular version performed by Bobby Helms

9. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"
Written by Johnny Marks
Most popular version performed by Brenda Lee

10. "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"
Written by Meredith Willson
Most popular version performed by Bing Crosby

Note: The list represents an aggregation of all different artist versions of each cited holiday song played on radio from 10/1/12 through 12/3/12. The holiday song data was tracked by radio airplay monitoring service, Media Monitors.

To listen to these quintessential tracks, visit ASCAP's Top 10 Most-Played Holiday Songs of 2012 playlist on Spotify at http://spoti.fi/ST8tkg.

About ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a professional membership organization of songwriters, composers and music publishers of every kind of music. ASCAP's mission is to license and promote the music of its members and foreign affiliates, obtain fair compensation for the public performance of their works and to distribute the royalties that it collects based upon those performances. ASCAP members write the world's best-loved music and ASCAP has pioneered the efficient licensing of that music to hundreds of thousands of enterprises who use it to add value to their business -- from bars, restaurants and retail, to radio, TV and cable, to Internet, mobile services and more. The ASCAP license offers an efficient solution for businesses to legally perform ASCAP music while respecting the right of songwriters and composers to be paid fairly. With 450,000 members representing more than 8.5 million copyrighted works, ASCAP is the worldwide leader in performance royalties, service and advocacy for songwriters and composers, and the only American performing rights organization (PRO) owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. www.ascap.com