Christmas has been back for a while in pop music. It starts getting radio time earlier and earlier even year, and two themed albums have now spent a month in the top 10 of the Billboard 200: Duck Dynasty's Duck The Halls and Kelly Clarkson's Wrapped in Red. Clarkson topped the Adult Contemporary charts last week with her Christmas single "Underneath the Tree," marking the 15th time a Christmas song has accomplished the feat. Surprisingly, every occurrence has been during this millennium. To mark the occasion, Music Times lists our three favorite tracks from that list:
3. "Jingle Bells" by Kimberly Locke (December 23, 2006)
Locke has been one of the less famous alumni of American Idol, but she's made her mark when Christmas rolls around. She placed third during the show's second season (behind Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken), but she topped the Adult Contemporary chart in 2005, 2006 and 2007 for a Christmas standard. "Jingle Bells" might be her most straightforward holiday interpretation on the charts, but it's all the better for that. She's got the voice to make a mark.
2. "A Baby Changes Everything" by Faith Hill (December 20, 2008)
Hill gets double points for introducing a track with original lyrics to the Christmas classics list. Sure, for the first 3/4 of the song, it's a moving track about a pregnant teenager. When the kicker comes through that it's Mary, pregnant with Jesus Christ, it ties a powerful message about motherhood into the Christmas season. Hill, a mother herself, delivers a powerful performance that even the guys can understand.
1. "O Holy Night" by Josh Groban (December 28, 2002)
Groban can turn just about any Christmas song into a headlining affair, but "O Holy Night" takes the cake. First of all, the song is more than just a "chestnut," like "Jingle Bells" and "Let It Snow." It's derived from praiseworthy 19th Century poem of praise, so when you add a vocal talent such as Groban's, game over. All you have to do is watch our mother tear up whenever this song comes on the radio, and you know it's a classic.
