Taxes, death, and the inevitability of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” every December are the three things that are now guaranteed in life. When you hear the first notes of Carey’s iconic song, whether you’re at a shopping mall or an office party, listening to the radio or a holiday streaming playlist, you know the Christmas season has arrived. Alongside Blue Christmas, Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, and It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, All I Want for Christmas is You, which was released thirty years ago, has made a triumphant entrance into the canon of Yuletide staples.
When the song debuted in 1994, it was a small hit, peaking at number 12 on Billboard’s all-genre chart.Japan and the United States, and second in the UK (blocked by East 17’s Stay Another Day). The tale ought to have ended there. However, all I want for Christmas is that you continue to return each year, stronger and more well-liked. The song has now reached the top of the charts in more than 25 countries, including the US and the UK. In 2023, Billboard declared it the greatest holiday song of all time based on its commercial performance. All I Want for Christmas is You has had an incredible amount of success and cultural enduring impact. This begs the question: How (and why) did Carey’s well-loved song come to represent Christmas as much as Santa Claus?
