All I Want for Christmas Is You

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” is a holiday classic and an uptempo love song. The narrator declares she doesn’t care about Christmas presents or lights; the best holiday present she can have is to be with the one she loves.

Released in 1994 as the lead single from Mariah Carey’s first holiday album and fourth studio album, Merry Christmas, the song has since become the Christmas standard. It has achieved Diamond status in the US with more than 16 million copies sold. It has sold upwards of 40 million copies worldwide with the inclusion of digital sales and streams since its debut, making it one of the best-selling singles ever.

Over time, countless artists have covered the song, including Miley Cyrus, John Mayer, Shania Twain, Ariana Grande, Fifth Harmony, Demi Lovato, Cee Lo Green, Lady A; even Kylie Minogue featuring Mumford and Sons.

Perhaps the most famous cover artist of the song is…Mariah herself. In 2011, Carey re-recorded the song as a duet with Justin Bieber. A year later, in 2012, Carey recorded a fun version with classroom instruments and children for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In 2019, she even uploaded a new “Make My Wish Come True” version of the track to her YouTube channel.

The song’s influence has extended beyond music, too. In 2015, Carey released a book with the same title as her holiday staple, acknowledging the song’s longevity:

When I wrote ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You,’ it was my dream for it to become a classic Christmas song. I am so proud of the song’s impact as it continues to create memories for fans each year. I am thrilled to be able to bring the story of the song to new generations of families with the picture book.

She also released a movie called Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You in 2017.

The song’s legacy remains unparalleled. It charts every holiday season since its original release, and is estimated to have earned Carey $60 million in royalties. The song is also referred to as “the biggest Christmas song of all time”, and was named the #1 holiday song of all time by Billboard. The song’s immense popularity has earned Mariah the title ‘Queen of Christmas.’ In 2017, this was a title she wasn’t exactly sure about:

I don’t accept that name because I feel like it’s [too much]. I humbly thank them and I do have an extraordinary love for the holiday season, and it is the best time of the year.

However, in 2022, she tried to trademark the title, but was unsuccessful in doing so.

After 25 years, the track finally reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2019, becoming Mariah’s 19th song to do so and making the singer the solo artist with the most Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers. It also sets a new record of the longest run to No. 1 on the chart, surpassing Elton John’s re-recording of “Candle in the Wind.” It has since returned to the top of the charts in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025, making Mariah the first artist to ever have a number one song in four different decades.