The 16 best pop Christmas songs

Christmas songs don't always have to sound contemplative, they can even be played at parties. Here are our tips for the soundtrack to the festive season.

Ariana Grande - Santa Tell Me

Ariana Grande even co-wrote this Christmas song herself. It was released in 2014, a year before her EP "Christmas and Chill" and a year after her EP "Christmas Kisses". Ariana Grande seems to like Christmas a lot!

ARIANA GRANDE
5.6.17 Hallenstadion Zurich
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Sarah Connor - The Best Side of Life

In 2006, this song by Sarah Connor became the official song for Coca-Cola's German-language Christmas campaign. Connor has also recorded an entire Christmas album to go with it: "Christmas in My Heart".

SARAH CONNOR
24.6.17 Liestal Open Air
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Wham! - Last Christmas

The most controversial of all Christmas classics was released in 1984 and has been played up and down in December ever since. Cool: The accompanying clip was recorded in Saas-Fee. Copycat: The song has been covered by various artists, including Cascada, Whigfield, Carly Rae Jepsen, Coldplay, the Preluders, Atomic Kitten, Helene Fischer with Ricky Martin, Ariana Grande and the Crazy Frog.

Justin Bieber - Mistletoe

Justin Bieber also dared to make a Christmas album in 2011. For "Under the Mistletoe", he re-recorded "All I Want For Christmas Is You" with Mariah Carey, among others. However, the title track was "Mistletoe".

JUSTIN BIEBER
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East 17 - Stay Another Day

Basically, this song is not a Christmas song at all. But thanks to its number 1 position in the British hit parade at Christmas 1994 and a special video clip version that is usually only shown around Christmas, this nineties hit also became a hit for the festive season.

Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You

This song from 1994 is Mariah Carey's greatest international success and not only that: it is one of the best-selling singles in history.

Coldplay - Christmas Lights

Coldplay also got on the Christmas bandwagon in 2010. The song was a one-off, so it was not immortalized on an album.

Leona Lewis - One More Sleep

In 2013, the winner of the third season of the British casting show X-Factor released a Christmas album entitled "Christmas, with Love". The title track is "One More Sleep" and made it to number three in the British singles charts.

John Lennon & Yoko Ono - Happy Xmas (War is Over)

Political: John Lennon and Yoko Ono recorded this track in 1971 as a protest song about the Vietnam War. In 1969, the two had already rented large billboards in major cities around the world and put up posters with the words "WAR IS OVER! If you want it. Happy Christmas from John & Yoko". Interesting fact: The song was released in the USA on December 1, 1971, but not until a year later in the UK.

Helene Fischer - Winter Wonderland

Helene Fischer recorded her Christmas album "Weihnachten" with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the legendary Abbey Road Studios. The result is 43 tracks which were presented at a concert in the Vienna Hofburg. Winter Wonderland is one of the songs.

HELENE FISCHER
24-29.10.17 Hallenstadion Zurich
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Band Aid - Do They Know It's Christmas?

Do They Know It's Christmas" has already been sung four times by a Band Aid panel: Band Aid, Band Aid II, Band Aid 20 and Band Aid 30.Bob Geldof and Midge Ure have been able to enlist a wide variety of musicians, including Bono from U2, One Direction, Sting, Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, Chris Martin from Coldplay, Sam Smith and Seal, for the charity single and the Band Aid project. A German version of the track was also released in 2014, featuring Silbermond, Wolfgang Niedecken, Die Toten Hosen, Peter Maffay and Andreas Bourani, among others.

Kylie Minogue - It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Last year, Kylie Minogue released her first Christmas album, "Kylie Christmas". After her "Santa Baby" had already achieved almost legendary status, further tracks followed. Minogue performed several times at the sold-out Royal Albert Hall in London and also presented "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" at the Royal Variety Show.

Lily Allen - Somewhere Only We Know

The Keane song from 2004 only became a Christmas hit because of an advertisement. In 2013, the track was re-recorded by Lily Allen and used for the Christmas advertisement for the British store chain John Lewis. Since then, the song can also be found in various Christmas playlists.

Melanie Thornton - Wonderful Dream (Holidays Are Coming)

Melanie Thornton's hit also comes from an advertisement, the Coca-Cola Christmas commercial from 2001. Since then, the track has managed to find its way back into the charts year after year and is also used from time to time for the Coca-Cola holiday campaign, most recently in 2013. The singer Melanie Thornton, who became famous through the 90s duo "La Bouche", died in 2001 at the age of 34 in a plane crash near Bassersdorf.

Britney Spears - My Only Wish (This Year)

Britney Spears recorded this song in 2000, almost at the beginning of her career, especially for a sampler of various Christmas songs ("Platinum Christmas"). In it, Britney Spears asks Santa Claus for a man, which is why the title has often been compared to Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You".

Jona Lewie -Stop the Cavalry

TheBriteJona Lewie (69) didn't actually want to write a Christmas hit: His song from 1980 is about a soldier in the First World War. In one line of the lyrics ("I wish I was home for Christmas", position 1:17 in the video), he wishes to spend Christmas with his family rather than at the front. This has been played up and down on the radio over the festive period ever since. And after 36 years, one-hit wonder Jona Lewie is still making a great living from the royalties his song brings in after every Christmas.