If anything about Mariah Carey香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播淎ll I Want for Christmas is You香蕉视频直播� annoys you, best to avoid shopping malls now. Or the radio. Maybe music altogether, for that matter.
Her 1994 carol dominates holiday music like nothing else.
The Christmas colossus has reached No. 1 on Billboard香蕉视频直播檚 Hot 100 chart the past four years in a row 香蕉视频直播� measuring the most popular songs each week by airplay, sales and streaming, not just the holiday-themed 香蕉视频直播� and it香蕉视频直播檚 reasonable to assume 2023 will be no different. One expert predicts it will soon exceed $100 million in earnings. Even its ringtone has sold millions.
香蕉视频直播淭hat song is just embedded in history now,香蕉视频直播� says , the 16-time Grammy-winning composer and producer. 香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 embedded in Christmas. When you think of Christmas right now, you think of that song.香蕉视频直播�
Yet the story behind 香蕉视频直播淎ll I Want for Christmas is You香蕉视频直播� is not all holly and mistletoe.
The song香蕉视频直播檚 co-authors, Carey and Walter Afanasieff, are in a mystifying feud. The authors of a different song with the same title have sued seeking $20 million in damages. While Carey calls herself the Queen of Christmas, her bid to trademark that title failed.
Every year on Nov. 1, the song香蕉视频直播檚 hibernation ends when Carey posts on social media that 香蕉视频直播渋t香蕉视频直播檚 time香蕉视频直播� to play it again. This year香蕉视频直播檚 message depicted her being freed from a block of ice to make the declaration.
In both music and lyrics, the song was perfectly engineered for success, says , musicologist and professor at the Berklee College of Music. And it came from an artist who was at the top of her game at the time.
香蕉视频直播淎ll I Want for Christmas is You香蕉视频直播� works as a love and holiday song. Carey sets it up: She doesn香蕉视频直播檛 care about all the holiday trappings, she has one thing 香蕉视频直播� one person 香蕉视频直播� on her mind. She sprinkles in specific holiday references, from Santa Claus to mistletoe.
The instruments and brisk arrangement recall Phil Spector香蕉视频直播檚 1965 album, 香蕉视频直播淎 Christmas Gift for You,香蕉视频直播� itself a holiday classic. To top it off, part of the melody slyly references 香蕉视频直播淲hite Christmas,香蕉视频直播� Bennett says.
香蕉视频直播淭hat was my goal, to do something timeless,香蕉视频直播� Carey explained in a recent 香蕉视频直播淕ood Morning America香蕉视频直播� interview.
Billboard has produced lists of top seasonal hits since 2010, and 香蕉视频直播淎ll I Want for Christmas is You香蕉视频直播� has been No. 1 for 57 of the 62 weeks it has run, said Gary Trust, chart director. Will Page, Spotify香蕉视频直播檚 former chief economist and author of the book 香蕉视频直播淧ivot,香蕉视频直播� estimates the song will exceed $100 million in earnings this holiday season.
香蕉视频直播淏y most objective measures,香蕉视频直播� Bennett says, 香蕉视频直播渋t香蕉视频直播檚 the most successful Christmas song of all time.香蕉视频直播�
As Afanasieff has told it, much of the work on 香蕉视频直播淎ll I Want for Christmas is You香蕉视频直播� was done by him and Carey working in a rented house in the summer of 1994. The team had a history, working on Carey香蕉视频直播檚 albums 香蕉视频直播淓motions香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播淢usic Box.香蕉视频直播�
He started with a boogie-woogie piano, tossing out melodic ideas that Carey would respond to with lyrics, he said on , 香蕉视频直播淗ot Takes & Deep Dives with Jess Rothschild香蕉视频直播� (Afanasieff did not return messages from The Associated Press). Later, Carey completed the lyrics herself and Afanasieff recorded all the instruments, he said.
Then things became complicated. Carey was married at the time to Tommy Mottola, head of Sony Music. They broke up in 1997 and her relationship with Afanasieff, who kept working for Mottola, became a casualty of that fractured marriage. Afanasieff said they香蕉视频直播檝e spoken once in more than 20 years, and it his contributions have been written out of Carey香蕉视频直播檚 telling of the song香蕉视频直播檚 creation.
On 香蕉视频直播淕ood Morning America香蕉视频直播� last month, she said, 香蕉视频直播淚 was working on it by myself so I was writing on this little Casio keyboard, writing down words and thinking about, 香蕉视频直播橶hat do I think about Christmas? What do I love? What do I want? What do I dream of?香蕉视频直播� she says. 香蕉视频直播淎nd that香蕉视频直播檚 what started it.香蕉视频直播�
Afanasieff sounds almost bewildered by the turn of events. He that every holiday season he has to defend himself against people who don香蕉视频直播檛 believe he co-wrote the song.
香蕉视频直播淢ariah has been very wonderful, positive and a force of nature,香蕉视频直播� he told Variety. 香蕉视频直播淪he香蕉视频直播檚 the one that made the song a hit and she香蕉视频直播檚 awesome. But she definitely does not share credit where credit is due.香蕉视频直播�
Last month, songwriters Andy Stone and Troy Powers in federal court in California, seeking $20 million in copyright infringement and citing their own 1989 country song, 香蕉视频直播淎ll I Want for Christmas is You.香蕉视频直播�
Their song has a similar theme, with a narrator desiring a love interest before Christmas comforts. The writers cite an 香蕉视频直播渙verwhelming likelihood香蕉视频直播� the Carey and Afanasieff had heard their song.
The two songs have no musical similarities, Berklee香蕉视频直播檚 Bennett says, and the theme is hardly unique. He pointed out Bing Crosby香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播淵ou香蕉视频直播檙e All I Want for Christmas,香蕉视频直播� Carla Thomas香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淎ll I Want for Christmas is You香蕉视频直播� and Buck Owens香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淎ll I Want for Christmas, Dear, is You.香蕉视频直播�
Says the musicologist: 香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 nonsense.香蕉视频直播�
In his podcast appearance, Afanasieff noted how Foster once told him that 香蕉视频直播淎ll I Want for Christmas is You香蕉视频直播� was the last song to enter the Christmas canon and 香蕉视频直播渢hat vault is sealed.香蕉视频直播�
Foster told AP he exaggerated a little, but not a lot. Writing a new holiday song is brutally hard, since you香蕉视频直播檙e competing with not just current hits but hundreds of years of songs and memories. The old classics never go away.
香蕉视频直播淚 just stay away from them, because they scare me,香蕉视频直播� Foster says. 香蕉视频直播淟yrically, it香蕉视频直播檚 sort of all been done before 香蕉视频直播� better than I can ever do.香蕉视频直播�
While he appreciates Foster香蕉视频直播檚 compliment, Afanasieff told Rothschild that he hoped others don香蕉视频直播檛 take it to heart.
香蕉视频直播淚 urge songwriters every year,香蕉视频直播� he says. 香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 time to write the next 香蕉视频直播楢ll I Want for Christmas is You.香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈
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David Bauder writes about media, music and entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow him at
David Bauder, The Associated Press
