After a period of annual "hibernation", the song "All I Want For Christmas Is You" by American singer Mariah Carey "awakened" and dominated prestigious charts.
The song, recorded nearly 30 years ago, still retains its special appeal during the holiday season. It is heard in shopping malls, on radio stations and on social media.
This Christmas icon has topped Billboard's Hot 100 chart for four consecutive years, a prestigious ranking of the most popular songs each week based on airplay, sales and streaming.
“That song is historic now,” explains 16-time Grammy-winning composer and producer David Foster. “It’s synonymous with Christmas. When you think of Christmas, you think of that song.”
Every year on November 1, the “hibernation” period of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” ends. On this day, singer Carey announces on social media that “it’s time” to play the song.
At the time of its release in 1994, most of the holiday music was from artists who were past their prime and looking for new markets. However, Carey led the race that year.
Musicologist Joe Bennett at Berklee College of Music believes the song possesses an undeniable formula for success: both melody and lyrics are perfect.
“All I Want For Christmas Is You” is a song about love and the holidays. The girl doesn’t care about the fun of the holidays. Instead, she only has one person on her mind. To this day, it’s unclear whether it’s her lover or the person she’s longing to be with.
“All I Want For Christmas Is You” has topped the seasonal hits list for 57 of 62 weeks since 2010, said Gary Trust, director of Billboard charts. In 2019, on the occasion of its 25th anniversary, the song reached a record 387 million streams.
It's hard to pin down exact numbers, but former Spotify economist Will Page estimates the song will generate more than $100 million in revenue this holiday season.
By the most objective measures, Mr. Bennett is confident that this is the most successful Christmas song of all time.
Following the success of “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” a number of contemporary songs are also asserting their “brand” during Christmas. Typically, Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” released in 2014, Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath the Tree” in 2013, Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton’s “You Make it Feel Like Christmas” in 2017, and Taylor Swift’s “Christmas Tree Farm” in 2019.
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