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\n\tAhead of the Christmas<\/a> holiday, Charlie Puth<\/strong> guested on Billboard\u2019s <\/em>new video podcast On the Record w\/ Kristin Robinson <\/em>to answer one burning question: Why does Christmas music<\/a> sound so Christmas-y?<\/p>\n \n\tOver the last few years, Puth has become the industry\u2019s de facto music teacher. Often calling himself \u201cProfessor Puth,\u201d he makes videos on social media to explain various trends and attributes of popular music today. In keeping with his short-form explainers, Puth joined the podcast to talk through the music theory behind hit holiday tunes, including the current Hot 100 number 1 track \u201cAll I Want for Christmas Is You\u201d by Mariah Carey.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of chromaticism in Christmas music,\u201d Puth tells Billboard<\/em>, demonstrating on a keyboard how holiday songs tend to have similar chord progressions. <\/p>\n \n\tPuth also notes that \u201c[Christmas music] is the only \u2018genre\u2019 of music where people reach for the really old stuff,\u201d explaining that the 1960s are a common era to reference in contemporary holiday songs, particularly pop<\/a>, early rock and doo-wop styles. He plays Kelly Clarkson\u2019s \u201cUnderneath the Tree,\u201d adding \u201cthat [song] came out in 2011, but if you took out the modern production that sounds like \u2018Rockin\u2019 Around the Christmas Tree\u2019 \u2014 that might\u2019ve even been a reference.\u201d He also notes that Carey\u2019s mega-hit \u201cAll I Want For Christmas Is You\u201d is another modern hit with \u201960s touch points.<\/p>\n \n\tBeyond his breakdown of the holiday music<\/a> sound, Puth shares some of his personal favorites, including Justin Bieber\u2019s Mistletoe<\/em>, which he remembers listening to when he was in college, and the How the Grinch Stole Christmas Soundtrack <\/em>(2000). \u201cA subgenre of Christmas music that is severely under appreciated is the R&B [side] of Christmas music,\u201d Puth adds, pointing out that holiday songs by Luther Vandross and Boyz II Men as also architecting some of his favorite seasonal songs. <\/p>\n \n\tTo watch the full episode of On the Record<\/em> on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube, click here<\/a> or watch it below.<\/p>\n