Major music artists and seasonal genres have shaped today’s world immensely. Overall, both inside and outside the holiday season, there are musicians and groups that have impacted genres ranging from rock to classical.

Of all the music artists out there, according toThe Top Tens, the Beatles hold the number one position. When stating their reasons for the decision that the Beatles are the best, they say “The Beatles … experimented with several genres, ranging from pop ballads to psychedelia and hard rock, often incorporating classical elements in innovative ways.” With over 178 million units sold in the U.S., the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has them ranked as the best-selling music artists in the U.S.

Junior James Fawcett stated that “the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Nirvana” are his top three artists or bands. There are many different genres of music, of which holiday music is an undisputed category. Fawcett said that “Silent Night by Frank Sinatra” is his favorite holiday song of all the holiday songs out there.

Mariah Carey is certainly another major music artist, with 18 number one billboard hits. With “All I Want For Christmas Is You” kick-starting her career in 1994, she could only rise further. According to Billboard, Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas Is You” hit number one in 2020 as well making it “a journey that set a new chart record.”

Sophomore Lukas Farmer says, “Even though it is overplayed, ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ by Mariah Carey still sounds good.” With Thanksgiving already passed, Farmer also stated that “Thanksgiving music should be played minimally during Christmastime.” Even though Christmas music can be overplayed, Farmer enjoys listening to it as background music as he can “make memories off it, and decorate the [Christmas] tree with Christmas music,” as it is good music to listen to in the holiday season, no matter what you are doing, and which song you choose.

Mariah Carey’s career started when she was 18, when she went to a party hosted by CBS records. Biography states, “With 2008’s Touch My Body (from her 11th studio album, E=MC²), Carey surpassed Elvis Presly to become second only to the Beatles for the most No. 1 hit singles in the United States.” Biography also mentions that “In December 2019, Carey achieved another milestone when her enduring holiday song, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, “the 25 years between its release and arrival at the top spot setting a new Billboard record for longevity.”

While most holiday and Christmas music is rather modern and new, “Silent Night” was originally composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber, who was tasked to translate a poem into music so that a Catholic Church could have music on Christmas eve. In 1816, Mohr started work on his poem “Stille Nacht” to commemorate peace where the European Continent was still recovering from the Napoleonic wars. According to the Smithsonian Magazine, “The song might have remained a one-night wonder, but when the organ repairman Karl Mauracher arrived, he heard the song and took the sheet music home with him to Tyrol, an area known for its choirs.” These choirs worked on the song, making it compatible with a full choir, which was then toured and was taken to the New World where, around 1912, it would be traced back to Franz Xaver Gruber and Josef Mohr.

Overall, senior Misha Fay says that “if the holiday music is on I will listen to it and it will not bother me if it is background and sounds decent.” Fay also mentioned that “it is great in-season, but if it is played too much it could be a season ender.” This is something that could be the case for a lot of people. While Christmas and holiday music is wonderful, some songs are overplayed, and overplayed too much. But until then, holiday songs are wonderful to listen to. Fay also mentioned that holiday music is “fun to listen to” but otherwise hasn’t affected her much.

Freshman Zihang Fan is more angled towards classical music, but still thinks that Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is “pretty good, but not quite my style.” Sticking with classical music, Fan’s top three musical artists or bands are Mozart, Beethoven, and Michael Jackson. Fan’s favorite song is “Jingle Bells”, and his least favorite holiday song is “‘The Remix of Jingle Bells’ from 2021.”

In conclusion, the major music artists and major genres out there, have certainly shaped and impacted today’s world in ways that we are experiencing today. From Mariah Carey to Franz Xaver Gruber, there is a large variety of music artists and music genres that emerge during the holiday season especially.