Top 10 Christmas songs of the decade

Top 10 Christmas songs of the decade

Christmas music boosts sales, it's been proven. Here are some seasonal favourites you'll be hearing on the high street


Christmas shopping

Love them or hate them, there's no chance high street stores are going to desist from the Christmas tunes. The likes of Mariah Carey and Slade singing about Christmas trees and Santa are good for business, making people much more likely to splash out on gifts, according to research from the music licensing organisations.

One in four people claim to be more generous when buying gifts if Christmas music is played, according to PPL and PRS for Music, the royalty collectors for songwriters and musicians.

Over the last decade they have seen a rise in Christmas-themed music played in stores and have analysed data from shops, radio airplay, television and live events to reveal Carey's All I want for Christmas is You as the most played from the last 10 years.

The Pogues' Fairytale of New York featuring Kirsty MacColl takes second place and Slade's Merry Xmas Everybody is third.

The licensing bodies have enjoyed rising revenues in recent years as they collect money from a wide range of businesses that use music from synchronised swimming teachers to internet video sharer YouTube. In an attempt to offer more support to a music industry battered by online piracy and changing consumer habits, PPL and PRS have been running a MusicWorks campaign to emphasise the financial benefits to retailers, pubs and others of playing music.

"Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without the music we all know and love. Not only does it make us feel good when we hear it, it also has a direct benefit for those businesses that use it to set an atmosphere and mood and so encourage us to purchase. There is no doubt from the extensive research we have done at MusicWorks that the power of music is such that its use by businesses in public can considerably affect consumer behaviour," says spokesman for the licensing organisations.

Their research, carried out with consultants Entertainment Media Research, claims 95% of people say they prefer shopping in stores that play music. But half of shoppers say Christmas music should only begin in stores in December.
The top 10 most played Christmas songs of the noughties:

1. ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU Mariah Carey (1994)

2. FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK The Pogues (1987)

3. MERRY XMAS EVERYBODY Slade (1973)

4. STOP THE CAVALRY Jona Lewie (1980)

5. DO THEY KNOW IT'S CHRISTMAS? Band Aid (1984)

6. DRIVING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS Chris Rea (1988)

7. LAST CHRISTMAS Wham (1984)

8. I BELIEVE IN FATHER CHRISTMAS Greg Lake (1975)

9. STEP INTO CHRISTMAS Elton John (1973)

10. WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS TIME Paul McCartney (1979)