Digital Age Gives Old Holiday Favorites First Week on Chart ...and Other Phenomenons

The digital age continues to change the face of the music chart landscape with new phenomenons.

The January 7, 2017 issue of Billboard's Hot 100 (released December 27, 2016) saw debuts of the holiday favorites of Jose Feliciano's "Feliz Navidad" (at #44), Burl Ives' "A Holly Jolly Christmas" (#46), Andy Williams' "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" (#48), and Wham!'s "Last Christmas" (#50). Bobby Helms' "Jingle Bell Rock" even received its new peak at #29. How can this be when all the songs are over--and well over--30 years old?

For starters, the original chart was weighted heavily by commercial singles sales. Several of the above holiday recordings were not originally released as commercial singles, rendering them incapable of charting according to chart rules at the time.

Modern chart rules consider commercial sales (physical and digital download), radio airplay, and streams (even from YouTube, Spotify, Facebook, etc.) of singles and tracks, which has allowed those songs of the past to receive a place on the chart--even their first placing--during the peak of the holiday season.

Overall, we see the following formula:
Digital downloads and streams  +  modern chart rules  =  the opportunity to potentially claim a charting position for songs that were previously incapable of appearing on the chart.

Under these circumstances, it is not uncommon to now see non-single album tracks nab a chart position upon a popular album's release. This grants modern artists opportunity to rank up more chart entries than artists even 15 years ago. For example, according to Billboard's website, 17 of the 18 tracks from the deluxe edition of Justin Bieber's Purpose (2015) have claimed a position on the Hot 100. However, only 7 of the 14 tracks from Michael Jackson's Dangerous (1991) charted on the Hot 100--all 7, of which, were singles. Understanding this makes modern chart success and former chart success incomparable, particularly when considering the number of tallies an artist has had on the chart.

In fact, the modern chart rules give artists the opportunity to nearly monopolize the Hot 100. Bieber's 17 simultaneously charting tracks from Purpose claimed spots that could have offered songs from other artists a chance to perform that week on the chart. Still, the Hot 100 measures popularity of songs, so whether those popular songs are from the same artist or not, they have earned their position, even if they snag the opportunity of other artists' work possibly ever laying a claim on the chart.

These aren't the only chart phenomenons the digital age has produced. In 2014, Idina Menzel's child fan favorite "Let It Go," from Disney's motion picture Frozen, peaked at #5. Not only was the song well-sold, but it is probable that technologically savvy 4 year olds had something to do with it, since the chart recognizes every YouTube and Spotify play. In other words, every iPad toting child that knows how to access YouTube has power to influence the modern music chart. Amazing! Personally, I've termed this the Let It Go Effect.

The effects on the chart this holiday season is another reminder of how the digital age is a new era with new possibilities. As for those newly-charted old holiday favorites, each fell off the chart the following week, except for "Last Christmas," which received its current new peak at #41--most likely helped by George Michael's passing.


***Other George Michael hits to reenter the Hot 100 this week include "Faith" (#47) and Wham!'s "Careless Whisper" (#33), while the Billboard 200 saw a reemergence of his albums TwentyFive (#12), Faith (#18), and Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael (#84), as well as Wham!'s Make It Big (#168).

Albums that Have Defined My Life, By Years

In conjunction with just posting the album that defined my 2016, here are other albums that have defined my years, with brief explanations. I started with 2008, since that seemed like the most adult-ly year to start with. Though I wrote their descriptions in chronological order, I started the list with the most recent. Interesting how life plays out when you count the steps backward.

What music defined your life at the same time these defined mine?

2015 -- White Light by The Corrs

Equipped with the tools from The Artist's Way, I continued to heal, reading several more books that supported my spiritual awakening and emotional/mental renewal. Grief was subsiding as I approached acceptance. I felt very akin to The Corrs' latest outing, which was greatly influenced by the passing of the sibling group's father. Their healing and life-affirmation spoke to my journey.
How old was I this year? "27 years/Not long enough to learn from your tears.../You gotta live long enough to learn how to live" ('White Light').

2014 -- Seventh Tree and Tales of Us by Goldfrapp; Under the Tuscan Sun Original Soundtrack by Christophe Beck

Delving into the creative recovery home course The Artist's Way while house-sitting in California for my parents gave the self-exploring alone time I needed. It was my own spiritual retreat. I finally started to heal and put my demons to rest. I blogged for six months about my creative recovery in Am I Grown Up, Yet? Goldfrapp was the peaceful reflection I needed. And Christophe Beck's soundtrack gave me a romantic bounce to pick me up.

   

2013 -- This Delicate Thing We've Made by Darren Hayes; Impossible Princess by Kylie Minogue

Frantic aftermath of the tragedy of the previous year. Looking for footing. My friend's death was a catalyst for evaluating my life and the world. In what ways was I standing in my way? What is this society, this world that we've organized -- and disorganized? Why did we make it that way -- what was the point of any of it? How did I fit into the narrative? How had I fit into the narrative? I was awakening and illusions were shedding. Not too different an inward journey than explored in Darren's and Kylie's albums. I listened to them. I sang their songs. I knew their experience.

  

2012 -- Secret Codes and Battleships by Darren Hayes

My dearest friend committed suicide in March. I had planned to attend another year of college, but experiencing complicated grief, I cannot tell you how many times that fall semester I nearly packed up and didn't finish that 1.0 credits I needed to graduate. I wouldn't have made it through that semester without the bubblegum dance-pop of Carly Rae Jepsen's 'Call Me Maybe' and Kylie Minogue's 'Timebomb.' No joke.
My world had changed. My outlook changed. My perspective changed. Everything changed. It had to. Nothing I knew was safe. And I didn't know where to go. Darren Hayes' entire album summed up my emotional journey, but nothing expressed how I felt better than 'Black Out The Sun.'
Also, at the beginning of that fall semester, both of my grandmothers passed...

2011 -- Body Talk Pt. 2 by Robyn

A good friend died at the beginning of the year. I moved out of my sister's house and closer to campus -- first time living out of "home." I attended summer classes. I felt I was growing exponentially as an actor. I began a thirteen month run of constantly being involved with a play. An emotional, busy, trekking year. Robyn gave me comfort and grounding, yet courage to explore.

 
2010 -- Light Years by Kylie Minogue

Life was coming together. I had a readjusted, optimistic attitude. I even started my first blog: Adventures of a Flunking Honor Student. I was given reign to research my passions for school projects. Particularly, Kylie Minogue... There was a lot of Kylie going on, and her library probably has nothing more shamelessly cheerful as Light Years. Known as her comeback album, it was perfect for my "comeback" year, as campy as that sounds.

2009 -- Borrowed Heaven by The Corrs; The Chase by Marit Larsen

Confused by that love relationship and very much not coping well due to my youthfulness (*ANXIETY*), I ran away to Brigham Young University to start completely new. These folk-pop albums share that heartache, love, yearning, reflection, and empowerment. Though light in sound, they expressed deep, honest places for someone as light as myself.

  

2008 -- Talk On Corners by The Corrs

I fell in love, and not just with The Corrs (though I was obsessed!). Though my youthful foolishness and naivety was most of what complicated the relationship, what better way to express what I was feeling than with lovelorn ambient ballads by a hopeless romantic group.

The Word and the Album that Defined My 2016

2016. What a year it was.

Based on social media posts, it's a disaster many could not wait to let go of. I can't blame them.

Terrorist attacks. Riots. Protests. Brexit. Leagues of passed celebrities (George Michael, Carrie Fisher, and Debbie Reynolds in just the last week of the year; happy holidays, world...). A presidential election that was...constantly unpredictable, among other things.

But for me, though I saw these things happen and was affected by them, 2016 will leave as a year of value.

Value. My word of the year.

As of last year, I did away with New Year's resolutions (or wishful thinking, rather) upon reading a blog post about finding a word for the year and embodying it. (Sadly, I can no longer find that blog post). Both years now, I've searched for a word, seen one constantly pop up, and finalized that year's word by April.

Last year's word was power. I explored and understood my own self-power.

This year was value. And what better year to seek to add value to my life than as rough a year as 2016.

In fact, in my life journey, it just was the next step.

'It Took Me So Long To Get Here, But Here I Am'

• I took an improv acting class at comedy school The Second City in Hollywood. Now, I am deep into their performance program.
• I changed to a largely plant-based diet and continue to explore other means of healthfulness.
• I engaged in an online hypnotherapy course. (It works wonders! Thank you, Marisa Peer.)
• I finished up the five books I was reading at one time and now just am reading one, giving me greater sense of focus. (This may sound silly, but was a great feat for me.)
• I've delved into a writing project that I'd been procrastinating, but that has developed into full life and that I find great value in.

These and so much more have brought value into my life in 2016. Indeed, I feel I've adopted an attitude of value, much like I did last year with an attitude of power.

For me, 2016 will go down a s a year of value.
I look forward to the growth 2017 will bring and excitedly anticipate whatever word I may be led to that will define that growth.

This brings me to the album that has defined my year.

KIN by KT Tunstall.

Now years after her father's passing and her divorce, Tunstall has worked to disband social expectations and make her life the way she wants it. Released September 9, 2016, KIN is a celebration of her new arrival of self. The album explores themes of redefinition and of acceptance and gratitude for past challenges. From even the driving introduction of album opener 'Hard Girls,' the album's tunes lead listeners to burst through their barriers and to strongly stand on higher ground (to "pull it apart and put it back together" ('Everything Has Its Shape')).

The value I've added in 2016 gave me a greater sense of direction than I've had in recent years. It's helped me take greater stock in how I'd like my future to look and has given me a refreshed drive to achieve it -- it feels more at my fingertips than before. In seeking that value, I feel the sense to "pull it apart and put it back together how you want it," to dismantle all that I know--every tradition, habit, expectation, belief, dream--and to reshape my life in an entirely new direction so that what I want can show up.

It Took Me So Long To Get Here, But Here I Am.

'Everything Has Its Shape' is perhaps the song that
most defines where I am in life right now.

KIN speaks for my year of seeking value.

What album defined your year? What word did you embody in 2016?

  

For a bonus post on a quick rundown of past albums that defined my year, click here.