All I want for Christmas is Mariah

 

Back in 1994, Mariah Carey was already a pretty major pop star. “Hero”, one of her first bona fine classics, had been released the year prior. The tidal wave that would be Daydream was still to come, but all the signs were already there that the young lady would soon become a diva on par with the likes of Aretha (Franklin) and Cher (just Cher). But, in-between those two releases came another kind of project, one that not everyone expected from a rising pop star: a Christmas album…

While it seems perfectly fitting in retrospect, the idea of a 24-year old Carey singing Christmas carols as if on a Bing Crosby special (albeit of a sexier kind) was not entirely obvious. At the time, the tradition had not quite been revived in the way it is now and felt somehow old fashioned for young and rising musical stars to be involved with. Thus, when the singer announced her new project in October, many were quick to criticize the idea — before having heard any of it, obviously. But she insisted, claiming this was a way for her to express her spirituality and faith. Then Merry Christmas hit the shelves. And, in it, “All I want for christmas is you” started playing on the radio. And never ever stopped.

In December 2019, the song hit #1 on the Billboard 100 again, what some might call a wonderful 25-year anniversary nod. This year, this week even, the song hit #2, sitting right behind Taylor Swift. Not too shabby. Over the years, the song hit #1 in several other countries, sold 16 million copies, became the best-selling Christmas single of all time — and reportedly earned Carey (and team) $60 million in royalties. Not too shabby indeed.

While this year’s Christmas celebration may feel a little strange, with everybody (hopefully) wearing masks and people being cautious not to infect their grandmas with the Covid virus, one thing is for sure: “All I want for Christmas is you” will be playing on the radio, and everyone will feel better for it.