'All I want for Christmas' - the classic that never goes out of style

An integral part of Christmas celebrations has always been music; from old and timeless classics such as ‘Jingle Bells’, to newer and more modern takes such as Lil Nas X’s recent ‘Holiday’. What stands out about Mariah Carey’s famed ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ however, is its unprecedented popularity and longevity, despite the sea of change that pop music has undergone since its release - something that has not yet been achieved by any of Carey’s contemporaries in the mainstream pop genre, despite many efforts. The song’s staggering rise to success comes as even more of a surprise when considering that most other Christmas classics come from the 60s or earlier - a long while before this 1994 release.

The song has received many achievements including: Guinness World Records for one of the best-selling and most recognizable Christmas songs, most streamed song on Spotify in 24 hours (female) and most weeks in the UK singles Top 10 chart for a Christmas song (20) titles. It also topped the Billboard holiday-specific charts for 41 weeks out of the Chart’s total 46 weeks - only 4 other songs have ever taken the top spot from Carey.

What is it about this accomplished record that prompts us to continually return to it whenever the time comes to put up a Christmas tree?

Musically, the reason why the track has outlasted other modern attempts is simple - nostalgia. From the Tchaikovsky-inspired and instantly recognisable opening celesta melody, to the powerful Motown style backup vocals (to which she credits the song’s success), ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ is a catchy and cleverly constructed amalgamation of a variety of musical traditions, despite the era of 90s R&B it was born out of. In addition to the lush and proficient layering of instrumentation and vocals, the replacement of basic modern combinations of major and minor chords with extremely Jazz-inspired, rich and varied harmonic content is also notable in the construction of the song’s distinct ‘Christmassy’ feel.

Furthermore, Carey and her team’s continuous and clever promotion of the song has aided in its ability to maintain its place in the scene of Christmas music. In the years following the release of the track, she released a few remixes that ultimately failed to outshine the original. This may have led her, in the 2000s, to direct her focus more towards the promotion of the original rather than to re-releases, as despite having never played the song live in the 90s, she performed it 15 times in the 2000s. Additionally, in recent years Mariah Carey has put aside her evasive and reserved online presence, in favour of a more interactive and relaxed attitude. The pop singer eventually found herself immersed in internet meme culture, which resulted in the transformation of the song and its relentless seasonal return into a meme itself, wherein the singer declares ‘its time’ every year on November 1st, and even teases fans in the days leading up to the special day saying ‘not yet’. With the help of streaming, this has all allowed for the song to truly become a viral hit.

Mariah Carey has spoken on her ‘ruined’ childhood experiences with Christmas, and how, in turn, she wishes to spread a positive Christmas spirit for others. This love for the holiday may be behind the curation of this spectacular and forever epochal song, and it is safe to say that the iconic record has earned its title as the only modern-day Christmas classic.

Rose Salib, 12F