Not everyone has a taste for the festive season melodies that flood public spaces and family homes alike during the month of December. Yet, even if you fall into that category, there’s very little chance that you’ve never heard Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” in your vicinity at some point in your life.
With over 16 million copies sold, “All I Want For Christmas” is Carey’s best-selling international hit , and the tune has claimed a position as the 11th best-selling single of all time.
Originally released on November 1, 1994, as part of her fourth studio album recording, “All I Want For Christmas” soared to the top of the festive season charts and has since become one of the most recognized seasonal songs in the world. Twenty-three years later, demand for the uptempo pop song has not wained, as it smashed its way onto the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 top 10 this week.
And, as we all know, impressive sales and music industry accolades are usually accompanied by remarkable bank balances. According to a study conducted by the Economist , the Grammy-winning singer has raked in over $60 million in royalties since the song’s initial release in 1994. Not bad, especially for a song that allegedly took 15 minutes to compose.
According to Walter Afanasieff, Carey’s co-composer for the song, the duo “carved out the chords, structure, and melody for the song in just a quarter of an hour.” Moreover, Afanasieff claims he wasn’t crazy about the tune to begin with.
“At the time, I thought it was overly simple, and I really didn’t like it,” he once remarked during an interview. “The oversimplified melody, I guess, that made it so easily palatable for the whole world to go ‘Oh, I can’t get that out of my head.’”
And boy was he right. Which means, dear reader, that the song will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day. So why not get to know a little bit more about it? Check out Mariah Carey being interviewed on Good Morning America on December 8, 1994.
Meanwhile, following a blunderous New Year’s Eve performance last year (or was it this year?), Mariah Carey has confirmed that she will be returning to the scene of the incident to sing at this year’s (or is next year’s?) Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest event in New York City’s Times Square.
Despite having to deal with public vilification since the disastrous event, Ms. Carey has undoubtedly dusted herself off and is more than ready to try again. With her once-in-a-lifetime vocal powerhouse and those killer acrobatic riffs, it’s a great thing that she’s a good sport too.
Take 2. #RockinEve #NYE ?? https://t.co/Zdo8ngYNFx pic.twitter.com/qkgmJhVLlU
— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) December 22, 2017
Be sure to tune in to America’s biggest New Year’s Eve party on Sunday, December 31, from 8 p.m. EST on the ABC Television Network.
