Christmas hit makers have aged but are still making money

Even though the pop stars that wrote them have aged, the Christmas songs we hear each and every year have not.

Still fresh as ever, many of these timeless anthems have earned their creators a pretty penny.

Some stars earn enough from a single song to keep them comfortable into old age. 

And many crooners have done exactly that – using the plentiful royalties from their seasonal successes to pay for a retirement. 

Here the Daily Mail looks at the aging hit makers still raking in the royalties from their decades old songs.

The Rocket Man hit maker is still an international star at the age of 70 and tours semi-regularly

SIR ELTON JOHN

STEP INTO CHRISTMAS

PEAKED: No 19 in 1973 — a bumper year for Christmas hits. Currently No 18.

SONG’S EARNINGS: Sold around 200,000 copies. Elton is worth £200 million.

SINCE THEN: Elton, who was 26 in 1973, is still a global megastar at 70. When not touring, he lives with his husband David Furnish and their two children.

Now 73, Brenda Lee shows no sign up slowing down. Just this week the Atlanta-born songstress played a show in Louisiana to a packed out crowd

Now 73, Brenda Lee shows no sign up slowing down. Just this week the Atlanta-born songstress played a show in Louisiana to a packed out crowd

BRENDA LEE

ROCKIN’ AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE

PEAKED: No 6 when released in 1962 (four years after its initial U.S. release — 59 years ago in 1958). Currently No 14 in the UK.

SONG’S EARNINGS: Lee’s version has sold more than 25 million copies and is the fourth most-downloaded Christmas single. She is worth £15 million.

SINCE THEN: Nicknamed Little Miss Dynamite, Lee — 13 in 1958 and now 73 — played a show in Louisiana last night.

Noddy Holder left Slade but still receives royalties for co-writing Merry Xmas Everybody with bass player Jimmy Lea

Noddy Holder left Slade but still receives royalties for co-writing Merry Xmas Everybody with bass player Jimmy Lea

SLADE

MERRY XMAS EVERYBODY

PEAKED: The Black Country rockers beat Midlands rivals Wizzard to the 1973 Christmas No 1 and were there for five weeks.

SONG’S EARNINGS: £512,000 a year. The top-selling Christmas song sold a million in the UK. It’s estimated that about three billion people across the globe have heard it. Singer Noddy Holder (pictured), who co-wrote Merry Xmas Everybody with bass player Jimmy Lea, is worth about £20 million.

SINCE THEN: Holder — then aged 27, now 71 — left Slade, but remains a TV regular. A fanatical Wolverhampton Wanderers fan, he still lives in the Midlands.

The Welsh Rocker's popularity is enduring. He just finished a 33-date UK tours spanning almost a year

The Welsh Rocker’s popularity is enduring. He just finished a 33-date UK tours spanning almost a year

SHAKIN’ STEVENS

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

PEAKED: Was No 1 in 1985 for two weeks. Is currently No 15.

SONG’S EARNINGS: £130,000, but the majority goes to writer Bob Heatlie, while Shakey (real name Michael Barrett) earns around £5,000-£10,000. His estimated worth is £15 million.

SINCE THEN: The Welsh rocker — then 37, now 69 — did a 33-date UK tour this year.

A true tear jerker: Shane MacGowan is worth £19million. Most of that cash comes from his band's hit Christmas track Fairytale of New York

A true tear jerker: Shane MacGowan is worth £19million. Most of that cash comes from his band’s hit Christmas track Fairytale of New York

THE POGUES 

FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK

PEAKED: It was No 2 in 1987 and has been in the top 20 every year since 2005. Currently No 7.

SONG’S EARNINGS: £400,000 a year. Co-writer and Pogues front man Shane MacGowan (pictured) is worth £19 million.

SINCE THEN: MacGowan, 60 on Christmas Day, lives in Dublin. In 2015, he broke his pelvis and is still in a wheelchair.

Originally written for a musical, Sir Cliff Richard's Mistletoe and Wine makes about £100,000 a year for the aging pop star

Originally written for a musical, Sir Cliff Richard’s Mistletoe and Wine makes about £100,000 a year for the aging pop star

SIR CLIFF RICHARDS

MISTLETOE AND WINE

PEAKED: In 1988, it was No 1 for four weeks.

SONG’S EARNINGS: Originally written for a musical, it makes about £100,000 a year. Cliff Richard has been a consistent visitor to the UK Christmas charts over the years.

SINCE THEN: Now 77, the musical knight has sold 250 million records worldwide. To mark his 75th birthday in 2015, he played shows in seven UK cities. He is worth around £58 million.

This anti-war anthem has earned Jona Lewie about £120,000 every year singe 1980 when it was released 

This anti-war anthem has earned Jona Lewie about £120,000 every year singe 1980 when it was released 

JONA LEWIE

STOP THE CAVALRY

PEAKED: No 3 in 1980. Written by Lewie as an anti-war song, it includes the seasonally appropriate line: ‘Wish I was at home for Christmas.’

SONG’S EARNINGS: £120,000 a year. Lewie (John G. Lewis) is worth about £2 million.

SINCE THEN: Lewie — then aged 33, now 70 — occasionally plays one-off gigs.

All I Want For Christmas Is You was pipped to number one in 1994 but remains an all time favourite, earning the diva £376,000 a year

All I Want For Christmas Is You was pipped to number one in 1994 but remains an all time favourite, earning the diva £376,000 a year

MARIAH CAREY

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU

REACHED: No 2 in 1994. Is also currently No 4.

SONG’S EARNINGS: £376,000 a year. Co-written by Mariah Carey, it has sold more than a million copies.

SINCE THEN: Carey — then aged 24, now 47 — is said to be worth £395 million. Recently split with billionaire fiance James Packer, who is reported to have given her ‘millions’ in a separation settlement. Lives in LA. 

Born in Middlesbrough, Rea has had 33 UK hits. However, Driving Home For Christmas was not one - the seasonal classic debuted at No 53

Born in Middlesbrough, Rea has had 33 UK hits. However, Driving Home For Christmas was not one – the seasonal classic debuted at No 53

CHRIS REA

DRIVING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

PEAKED: Only reached No 53 in 1988. Currently No 20.

SONG’S EARNINGS: Little at the time, but it has slowly grown in popularity. Rea is worth £6 million.

SINCE THEN: The singer-songwriter — then aged 37, now 66 — began a tour in October, but collapsed during a show in Oxford. Has suffered years of health issues, but fortunately his condition is said to be stable. Born in Middlesbrough, Rea has had 33 UK hits.

Frosty the Snowman was never released as a Ronettes single. It came as part of Phil Spector's A Christmas Gift For You

Frosty the Snowman was never released as a Ronettes single. It came as part of Phil Spector’s A Christmas Gift For You

THE RONETTES

FROSTY THE SNOWMAN

PEAKED: Never released as a Ronettes single, the old Gene Autry hit was on a 1963 album by producer Phil Spector called A Christmas Gift For You.

SONG’S EARNINGS: Very little until they won a £1.94 million legal case against Spector in 2000, after claiming he robbed them of their royalties.

SINCE THEN: Ronnie, 74 (left), was Spector’s wife from 1968 to 1974. Estelle (centre) died in 2009 aged 67. Nedra, 71 (right), is a businesswomen working in property.

Mathis, then 41 and now 82, received five Grammy nominations — most recently in 2014 for Sending You A Little Christmas

Mathis, then 41 and now 82, received five Grammy nominations — most recently in 2014 for Sending You A Little Christmas

JOHNNY MATHIS

WHEN A CHILD IS BORN

PEAKED: A UK No 1 for three weeks in 1976.

SONG’S EARNINGS: £16 million. Mathis, who didn’t write the hit, has an estimated worth of £350 million.

SINCE THEN: Mathis, then 41 and now 82, received five Grammy nominations — most recently in 2014 for Sending You A Little Christmas. He plans a 62nd Anniversary Concert Tour next year. Came out as gay in 1982 and received death threats.

Boney M claim they got ‘maybe a seventh of one per cent’ of the single’s 1.89 million sales

Boney M claim they got ‘maybe a seventh of one per cent’ of the single’s 1.89 million sales

BONEY M 

MARY’S BOY CHILD

PEAKED: UK No 1 for four weeks in 1978.

SONG’S EARNINGS: An old Harry Belafonte hit, it allegedly made little money for Boney M. They claim they got ‘maybe a seventh of one per cent’ of the single’s 1.89 million sales.

SINCE THEN: The quartet split up in 1986. Lead singer Liz Mitchell (pictured) — then aged 26, now 65 — became a born-again Christian. She still tours as ‘Boney M featuring Liz Mitchell’.

The Brummie bandleader —then aged 27, now 71 — is currently winding up his annual UK winter tour

The Brummie bandleader —then aged 27, now 71 — is currently winding up his annual UK winter tour

ROY WOOD’S WIZZARD

I WISH IT COULD BE CHRISTMAS EVERYDAY

PEAKEDNo 4 in 1973. Currently No 23.

SONG’S EARNINGS: Not clear, but in 2014 songwriter Wood said ‘there are too many ways to get [the song] free’.

SINCE THEN: The Brummie bandleader —then aged 27, now 71 — is winding up his annual UK winter tour. Lives in Derbyshire.

Macca's energetic live shows continue to impress. He splits his time between London and New York with third wife Nancy, 58

Macca’s energetic live shows continue to impress. He splits his time between London and New York with third wife Nancy, 58

WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME

PEAKEDNo 6 when released in 1979. Is currently No 38 in the UK charts.

SONG’S EARNINGS: £300,000 a year.

SINCE THEN: Macca — then aged 37, now 75 — still tours the world, releasing his most recent album, New, in 2013. He splits his time between London and New York with third wife Nancy, 58. He has five children. Said to be worth £897 million.

'The Boss' as he is known to his fans is worth a whopping £350 million. Now 69, his 2018 Broadway show, running until June, is sold out

‘The Boss’ as he is known to his fans is worth a whopping £350 million. Now 69, his 2018 Broadway show, running until June, is sold out

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN 

SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN’ TO TOWN

PEAKED: No 9 in 1985 as B-side to My Hometown, but the 84-year-old song has been sung by many artists — from Perry Como to the Jackson 5.

SONG’S EARNINGS: Unknown, but ‘the Boss’ has a net worth of about £350 million.

SINCE THEN: Now 69, his 2018 Broadway show, running until June, is sold out.



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