Music News

It appears we may have passed peak Mariah Carey with “All I Want for Christmas is You”

Mariah Carey has made tens and tens of millions of dollars from “All I Want for Christmas is You” since it was released in 1994. The bloody song has become (a) one of the most popular Christmas tunes of all time, (b) a cultural phenomenon, and (c) the source of endless memes. This is one of my favourites.

I spoke to the program director at an AC station that flips to all-Christmas every year. She told me that “All I Want” is in super-heavy rotation, playing at least eight times a day. Ugh. Imagine being an announcer having to hear that song over and over and over and over again for weeks.

But after all the hype and hate, have we passed the time of Peak Mariah Carey? It appears that Christmas 2022 may turn out to be some kind of tipping point. If we check the charts, “All I Want for Christmas” seems to have stalled. As of this writing, it’s:

  • sitting at #10 or #11 on both Spotify and Apple Music, a full ten slots lower than usual.
  • on the iTunes album chart, it’s stuck at #35

Has the Queen of Christmas peaked? Damn, I hope so.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 39676 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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