If anything about Mariah Carey含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社淎ll I Want for Christmas is You含羞草研究社� annoys you, best to avoid shopping malls now. Or the radio. Maybe music altogether, for that matter.
Her 1994 carol dominates holiday music like nothing else.
The Christmas colossus has reached No. 1 on Billboard含羞草研究社檚 Hot 100 chart the past four years in a row 含羞草研究社� measuring the most popular songs each week by airplay, sales and streaming, not just the holiday-themed 含羞草研究社� and it含羞草研究社檚 reasonable to assume 2023 will be no different. One expert predicts it will soon exceed $100 million in earnings. Even its ringtone has sold millions.
含羞草研究社淭hat song is just embedded in history now,含羞草研究社� says , the 16-time Grammy-winning composer and producer. 含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 embedded in Christmas. When you think of Christmas right now, you think of that song.含羞草研究社�
Yet the story behind 含羞草研究社淎ll I Want for Christmas is You含羞草研究社� is not all holly and mistletoe.
The song含羞草研究社檚 co-authors, Carey and Walter Afanasieff, are in a mystifying feud. The authors of a different song with the same title have sued seeking $20 million in damages. While Carey calls herself the Queen of Christmas, her bid to trademark that title failed.
Every year on Nov. 1, the song含羞草研究社檚 hibernation ends when Carey posts on social media that 含羞草研究社渋t含羞草研究社檚 time含羞草研究社� to play it again. This year含羞草研究社檚 message depicted her being freed from a block of ice to make the declaration.
In both music and lyrics, the song was perfectly engineered for success, says , musicologist and professor at the Berklee College of Music. And it came from an artist who was at the top of her game at the time.
含羞草研究社淎ll I Want for Christmas is You含羞草研究社� works as a love and holiday song. Carey sets it up: She doesn含羞草研究社檛 care about all the holiday trappings, she has one thing 含羞草研究社� one person 含羞草研究社� on her mind. She sprinkles in specific holiday references, from Santa Claus to mistletoe.
The instruments and brisk arrangement recall Phil Spector含羞草研究社檚 1965 album, 含羞草研究社淎 Christmas Gift for You,含羞草研究社� itself a holiday classic. To top it off, part of the melody slyly references 含羞草研究社淲hite Christmas,含羞草研究社� Bennett says.
含羞草研究社淭hat was my goal, to do something timeless,含羞草研究社� Carey explained in a recent 含羞草研究社淕ood Morning America含羞草研究社� interview.
Billboard has produced lists of top seasonal hits since 2010, and 含羞草研究社淎ll I Want for Christmas is You含羞草研究社� has been No. 1 for 57 of the 62 weeks it has run, said Gary Trust, chart director. Will Page, Spotify含羞草研究社檚 former chief economist and author of the book 含羞草研究社淧ivot,含羞草研究社� estimates the song will exceed $100 million in earnings this holiday season.
含羞草研究社淏y most objective measures,含羞草研究社� Bennett says, 含羞草研究社渋t含羞草研究社檚 the most successful Christmas song of all time.含羞草研究社�
As Afanasieff has told it, much of the work on 含羞草研究社淎ll I Want for Christmas is You含羞草研究社� was done by him and Carey working in a rented house in the summer of 1994. The team had a history, working on Carey含羞草研究社檚 albums 含羞草研究社淓motions含羞草研究社� and 含羞草研究社淢usic Box.含羞草研究社�
He started with a boogie-woogie piano, tossing out melodic ideas that Carey would respond to with lyrics, he said on , 含羞草研究社淗ot Takes & Deep Dives with Jess Rothschild含羞草研究社� (Afanasieff did not return messages from The Associated Press). Later, Carey completed the lyrics herself and Afanasieff recorded all the instruments, he said.
Then things became complicated. Carey was married at the time to Tommy Mottola, head of Sony Music. They broke up in 1997 and her relationship with Afanasieff, who kept working for Mottola, became a casualty of that fractured marriage. Afanasieff said they含羞草研究社檝e spoken once in more than 20 years, and it his contributions have been written out of Carey含羞草研究社檚 telling of the song含羞草研究社檚 creation.
On 含羞草研究社淕ood Morning America含羞草研究社� last month, she said, 含羞草研究社淚 was working on it by myself so I was writing on this little Casio keyboard, writing down words and thinking about, 含羞草研究社橶hat do I think about Christmas? What do I love? What do I want? What do I dream of?含羞草研究社� she says. 含羞草研究社淎nd that含羞草研究社檚 what started it.含羞草研究社�
Afanasieff sounds almost bewildered by the turn of events. He that every holiday season he has to defend himself against people who don含羞草研究社檛 believe he co-wrote the song.
含羞草研究社淢ariah has been very wonderful, positive and a force of nature,含羞草研究社� he told Variety. 含羞草研究社淪he含羞草研究社檚 the one that made the song a hit and she含羞草研究社檚 awesome. But she definitely does not share credit where credit is due.含羞草研究社�
Last month, songwriters Andy Stone and Troy Powers in federal court in California, seeking $20 million in copyright infringement and citing their own 1989 country song, 含羞草研究社淎ll I Want for Christmas is You.含羞草研究社�
Their song has a similar theme, with a narrator desiring a love interest before Christmas comforts. The writers cite an 含羞草研究社渙verwhelming likelihood含羞草研究社� the Carey and Afanasieff had heard their song.
The two songs have no musical similarities, Berklee含羞草研究社檚 Bennett says, and the theme is hardly unique. He pointed out Bing Crosby含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社淵ou含羞草研究社檙e All I Want for Christmas,含羞草研究社� Carla Thomas含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社淎ll I Want for Christmas is You含羞草研究社� and Buck Owens含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社淎ll I Want for Christmas, Dear, is You.含羞草研究社�
Says the musicologist: 含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 nonsense.含羞草研究社�
In his podcast appearance, Afanasieff noted how Foster once told him that 含羞草研究社淎ll I Want for Christmas is You含羞草研究社� was the last song to enter the Christmas canon and 含羞草研究社渢hat vault is sealed.含羞草研究社�
Foster told AP he exaggerated a little, but not a lot. Writing a new holiday song is brutally hard, since you含羞草研究社檙e competing with not just current hits but hundreds of years of songs and memories. The old classics never go away.
含羞草研究社淚 just stay away from them, because they scare me,含羞草研究社� Foster says. 含羞草研究社淟yrically, it含羞草研究社檚 sort of all been done before 含羞草研究社� better than I can ever do.含羞草研究社�
While he appreciates Foster含羞草研究社檚 compliment, Afanasieff told Rothschild that he hoped others don含羞草研究社檛 take it to heart.
含羞草研究社淚 urge songwriters every year,含羞草研究社� he says. 含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 time to write the next 含羞草研究社楢ll I Want for Christmas is You.含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐫
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David Bauder writes about media, music and entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow him at
David Bauder, The Associated Press
