10 Things You Didn’t Know About Mariah Carey’s Iconic ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’

 

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I truly believe it isn’t Christmas until Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You is blared at top volume at least 22 times. It’s iconic, and really gets you into the festive mood. Although I’ll put my hands up and say that I really don’t know a whole lot about the song, other than the obvious fact it’s an absolute belter.

So, I did a little digging and here we are, ten things that you probably didn’t know about the Christmas Queen‘s hit.

1. It’s broken the record for most songs played on Spotify – twice

Yep, not once, but All I Want For Christmas Is You has broken Spotify’s record twice. On Christmas Day in 2018, it hit 10.82 million plays in 24 hours. Then, exactly one year later in 2019, it had 12 million streams. Can it be done a third time?

2. It’s been a number 1 hit in four separate decades

Even if you’re not a massive fan of the song, anyone would have to admit that this is pretty impressive. It’s the first-ever song to be a number one hit in four separate decades, each one since its release.

3. And it had 3 Guinness World Records behind it

As if that wasn’t enough, Mariah has also won three Guinness World Records for the hit. So what are they, I hear you cry? Well, highest-charting holiday (Christmas/New Year) song on the Billboard US Hot 100 by a solo artist, most streamed song on Spotify in 24 hours, and most weeks in the UK singles Top 10 chart for a Christmas song.

4. The original plan was that Mariah would sing a cover

Okay, thank the Christmas gods the original plan didn’t work out. The record label that Mariah was working with originally thought that Mariah’s Christmas album would be all covers, according to Amazon Music mini-documentary about the song. But Mariah got inspired by the Christmas spirit, and voilá!

 

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5. The song was written in about 15 minutes

Another wild fact, Mariah co-wrote the song in no more than 15 minutes with veteran songwriter Walter Afanasieff. According to Walter, he thinks because it’s so fun and simple is exactly why it’s so popular.

6. Its name isn’t so original

While the song itself is all original, the name isn’t so much. Vince Vance & The Valiants released a track back in 1989 called “All I Want for Christmas Is You”, which was the first of its name.

7. It wasn’t recorded at Christmas time at all

Nope, sadly all the Christmas vibes are just a slight fib. It was recorded in August, and they even brought some Christmas trees into the studio to give it a more festive feel.

8. It’s been adapted into a book and a film

Yep, the animated movie All I Want For Christmas Is You came out in 2017 and stars Mariah herself, while the book of the same title was released two years earlier in 2015.

 

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9. There are three music videos to go along with it

Of course, one would never be enough. The first is the one we all know and love, which Mariah directed and filmed herself back in 1993. The second is inspired by The Ronettes while the third is an animated version.

10. Mariah’s husband played Santa in the video 

Mariah’s husband at the time, Tommy Mottola, who was also her music executive, played the Santa Clause in the first music video.

Now that you know all of that, are you ready for a bop and to scream All I Want For Christmas Is Youuuuu at the top of your lungs? Of course you are, enjoy!

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• all i want for christmas
• Mariah Carey