7 Best Pop Christmas Song Covers

• 7. Blue Christmas -- Kelly Clarkson

  Clarkson’s jazzy 2015 cover of the 1957 Elvis Presley original is both sad and cheery. She can sing any genre, as she’s proved time and again during her “Kellyoke” segments on her talk show. But this genre of blues and jazz suits her voice so beautifully.

• 6. Run Rudolph Run -- Cher

  Cher’s first-ever Christmas album is such a joyous way to ring in the holiday cheer. Her strong voice is an instant mood-booster as the Goddess of Pop belts a rock and roll rendition of the 1958 Chuck Berry original. Cher’s entire Christmas album is filled with a little something for everyone and a holly jolly addition to any Christmas playlist.

• 5. Santa Baby -- Kylie Minogue

  In 2010, the Australian singer-songwriter dropped a hot rendition of “Santa Baby.” Originally sung by Eartha Kitt in 1953, this song is the only Christmas song of its kind that can be described as sexy, and Minogue’s version is the best cover out there, staying true to the seduction of the original.

• 4. Silent Night -- Mariah Carey

  The self-proclaimed “Queen of Christmas” has  a lot of other Christmas songs, other than “All I Want For Christmas.” This is a re-recording of a cover of “Silent Night” that she did in the ’90s, which was done for her first Christmas album in 1994. Her soulful rendition might make you tear up.

• 3. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) -- Miley Cyrus, Mark Ronson feat. Sean Ono Lennon

  In December 2018, Cyrus had an explosive collaboration with British producer Mark Ronson. The two connected for Ronson’s song “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart.” In this amazing live updated performance of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s 1971 original, Miley and Mark included Sean Ono Lennon on guitar and backup vocals.

• 2. This Christmas -- John Legend

  As part of the deluxe version of Legend’s holiday album, A Legendary Christmas, the talented musician offered his cover of Donny Hathaway’s 1970 version. We love how Legend’s soulful singing goes toe-to-toe with the soul star. The song has since become a modern Christmas standard, with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers reporting that it was the 30th most-performed holiday song of all time..

• 1. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas -- Christina Aguilera and Brian McKnight

  You can’t have a best-of pop covers list with one of the biggest powerhouse pop singers, Christina Aguilera! It was a hard choice narrowing down X-Tina’s best cover, but we decided on her rendition of the 1943 original. She was joined by R&B legend Brian McKnight for a breathtaking performance that is sure to give you chills.

Workamajig analyzed the list of the most played holiday music according to Spotify’s Christmas Classics playlist and  Billboards’  Top Holiday Albums to cover a range of well-known holiday music and albums. The beats per minute (BPM) of each song were then recorded, with songs being ranked from the highest BPM to the lowest alongside the average BPM of each holiday album. The basis of the study used findings from Spotify and Dr. Emma Gray of The British CBT and Counseling Service in London who discovered that songs with a BPM of 50-80 are linked to productivity and concentration.