All I Want For Christmas Is You (Mariah Carey Song)

All I Want For Christmas Is You (Mariah Carey Song)

"All I Want for Christmas Is You" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff, and recorded by Carey. It was released by Columbia Records on November 1, 1994 as the lead single from her fourth studio album, Merry Christmas. The song's writers were also the producers. An uptempo love song, the instrumentation includes bell chimes and heavy back-up vocals, as well as use of synthesizers. The song's lyrics declare that the protagonist does not care about Christmas presents or lights; all she wants for Christmas is to be united with her lover for the holidays.

Two music videos were commissioned for the song, both being filmed during the month of December 1993. The song's primary music video features grainy home footage of Carey, her dogs and family during the holiday season, as well as Carey dressed in a Santa suit frolicking on a snowy mountainside. Then husband Tommy Mottola makes a cameo appearance as Santa Claus, bringing Carey a gift and leaving on a red sleigh. The second video was filmed in black and white format, and features Carey dressed in 1960s style, while paying homage to The Ronettes, alongside back up singers and male dancers.

Carey performed "All I Want for Christmas is You" during a slew of live television appearances and tours throughout her career. She first sang it live during the Japanese leg of her Daydream World Tour (1996), Butterfly World Tour (1998) and Charmbracelet World Tour (2002–03), as well as the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade in 2004 and 2010, both of which aired on ABC. A So So Def remix version was released in 2000, and a dance mix in 2009. In 2010, Carey re-recorded the song for her second holiday album, Merry Christmas II You, titled "All I Want for Christmas Is You (Extra Festive)".

Critically, "All I Want for Christmas Is You" has been lauded, with The New Yorker calling it "one of the few worthy modern additions to the holiday canon". The song was commercially successful, reaching the number two position on the single charts of Australia, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom, and the top ten in several other countries. The song became the nineteenth-best-selling digital single of the 20th century, the highest-charting entry by a female or holiday song on the list. The Daily Telegraph hailed "All I Want for Christmas Is You" as the most popular and most played Christmas song of the decade in the United Kingdom. Rolling Stone ranked it fourth on its Greatest Rock and Roll Christmas Songs list, calling it a "holiday standard." With global sales of over 12 million copies, the song remains one of the best-selling singles of all time.