Mariah Carey ignites the holiday season with her almost 30 year old single “All I Want for Christmas is You,” enduring through year after year of streaming. The song celebrates the joyful season, and the Christmas holiday, but how does the song compare to the countless festive jams adored by society? And what makes Mariah the #1?
It first debuted as a single from Carey’s very first Christmas album in 1994. Production began after her label decided to plan a holiday album, even without wanting to even record such a thing, as it was more common for older artists who had nothing else to do with their career. In August of the same year, the song had only taken 15 minutes to write and be composed. The co-producer of the song, Jack Antonoff shares that he was unsure on what direction she was trying to take on the song, with the countless layers of vocals and instrumentals, but it seems like things worked out anyways .
Even after the digression occurring before release, a whistle note and two words “It’s time” haunts the world every December. Over the years, the song has slowly climbed the charts for the number 1 spot every December, first taking in 2017 and holding it to this day during the festive month. The singer herself participates in the joke of her defrosting annually to spread Christmas cheer, creating a creative and visually impressive video for the past five years in a row.
While the song may hit a peak on charts, most times data simply can’t always represent everyone. At Briar Woods, the school seems split on how to feel about the Christmas classic. Kaitlin Tan, a freshman at Briar says “It’s super iconic and like such a symbol of winter.” and expresses her love for Carey’s classic. On the other hand, Lily Mundon, another Briar student says “The song is overplayed and annoying at this point.” It is safe to say that Carey is the queen of Christmas, whether famous or infamous
Mariah Carey, or better known as the queen of Christmas, reigns supreme over the charts with her absolute holiday bop, surpassing previous levels “All I Want For Christmas is You” reaches as more time passes, and will likely continue that path for future holidays to come.
