The Christmas Song Is Top Christmas Song

Festive standard THE CHRISTMAS SONG (CHESTNUTS ROASTING ON AN OPEN FIRE) has topped a new list of the most-performed holiday tunes of the new century.

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) has compiled the new list, made up of the most-performed tunes of the first five years of the 21st Century.

Recorded over and over, and revived by each decade's most popular artists, the list rarely features new entries, but some old classics return to the top as crooners choose to cover them on festive compilations.

The Christmas Song, which was written by ROBERT WELLS and MEL TORME, became a seasonal classic when it was recorded by Nat King Cole in 1946 and 60 years later it's still going strong, beating J FRED COOTS and HAVEN GILLESPIE's SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN on the first festive list of the new century.

The top 10 is:

2. SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN

3. HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS

4. WINTER WONDERLAND

5. White Christmas

6. LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW!

7. RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER

8. JINGLE BELL ROCK

9. I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

10. LITTLE DRUMMER BOY