Adele‘s “Easy on Me” remains the biggest song in the world, as it tallies a sixth week at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Dec. 11).
Meanwhile, three songs surge to the top 10 on both surveys, including two holiday classics: Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and Wham!‘s “Last Christmas.”
GAYLE also blasts to the top tier on both charts with her breakthrough hit, “abcdefu.”
Billboard‘s two global charts, which began in September 2020 and recently marked their first year, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by MRC Data. The Billboard Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the U.S.
Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.
Carey’s ‘Christmas’ Jingles to No. 2 on Global 200
Adele’s “Easy on Me” adds a sixth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200. The ballad drew 87.2 million streams and sold 24,000 downloads (down 21% in each metric) worldwide in the Nov. 26-Dec. 2 tracking week.
Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” dashes 17-2 on the Global 200, with 61.2 million streams (up 66%) and 10,900 sold (up 74%) globally. The 1994 modern holiday standard topped the chart for four weeks last holiday season.
The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” rebounds 4-3 on the Global 200, after a record 11 weeks at No. 1.
Dallas-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter GAYLE vaults 14-4 on the Global 200 with her breakout single “abcdefu” (53.1 million streams, up 47%; 15,400 sold, up 46%, worldwide). Contributing to the song’s success are multiple versions, including “angrier,” “chill” and “nicer” (i.e., no expletives) mixes; a demo; and a remix with Royal & the Serpent. The song has also gone viral on TikTok, having been featured in over 860,000 clips on the platform.
Rounding out the Global 200’s top five, Elton John and Dua Lipa’s “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)” holds at its No. 5 high.
Elsewhere in the Global 200’s top 10, Wham!’s 1984 chestnut “Last Christmas” flies 32-8 (44.5 million streams; 5,500 sold, up 80% in each measurement). It rose to No. 2 in the 2020 holiday season.
Adele Still Leads Global Excl. U.S, ‘abcdefu’ Up to No. 4
Adele’s “Easy on Me” likewise logs a sixth week atop the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, with 65.4 million streams (down 14%) and 12,100 sold (down 23%) in territories outside the U.S. in the Nov. 26-Dec. 2 tracking week.
The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “Stay” holds at No. 2, after nine weeks atop the Global Excl. U.S. chart, and Elton John and Dua Lipa’s “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)” repeats at its No. 3 high.
GAYLE’s “abcdefu” charges 13-4 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart (38.7 million streams, up 49%; 4,800 sold, up 98%, outside the U.S.) and Ed Sheeran’s “Shivers” holds at No. 5, after hitting No. 3.
Plus, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” leaps 27-7 on the Global Excl. U.S. list (37 million streams, up 83%; 5,000 sold, up 110%) and Wham!’s “Last Christmas” soars 45-10 (29.8 million streams, up 98%; 3,000 sold, up 112%). The former led for a week and the latter hit No. 2 last holiday season.
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Dec. 11) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Dec. 7). For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard‘s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.