Mariah Carey is the undisputed queen of Christmas. It has been reported that her song “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is the most-streamed holiday single of all time, beating out other hits like “This Christmas” by Donny Hathaway and “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” by the Jackson 5.
After two decades since the release of the holiday classic, the single has also shot to the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for the second year in a row. Since Carey debuted the cheery song in 1996, it has since become a staple on spirited playlists across the globe.
It was also the first song in history to go number #1 in four different decades. Carey gets extra kudos for co-writing and co-producing the song, only working with frequent collaborator and superstar, Walter Afanasieff. Cosmopolitan reports the duo wrote the song in just 15 minutes.
“WOW! I truly wasn’t expecting this at all,” Carey said on Twitter in response to the news of hitting the top of the Billboard chart. “Eternally grateful for the enduring success of this song. ‘I don’t want a lot for Christmas…’ just wishing for a bit more JOY and some holiday spirit for all, especially this year.”
The song first appeared on Carey’s 1994 Christmas album, Merry Christmas. The project primarily contained covers of Christmas cuts, but also included three original songs: “Miss You Most (At Christmas Time),” “Jesus Born On This Day” and of course, “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” It is the best-selling Christmas album of all time.
Most recently, Carey worked closely with Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson for Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas, a holiday special that also featured Snoop Dogg, 2021 Grammy nominee Tiffany Haddish, Misty Copeland and more. It’s streaming now on Apple TV.
Warm up a cup of cocoa and listen to “All I Want For Christmas Is You” below.