Every Christmas, it’s the same story. So much so that we wonder if we love it or hate it. And the more the years go by, the sooner it arrives on our screens and in our ears. It’s the Christmas song: “All I want for Christmas is you”, performed by Mariah Carey, on deck from November 1st, determined to make the end of year celebrations profitable with this global hit.
It must be said that the figures linked to this Christmas hit are dizzying, even before having drunk the slightest glass of champagne on New Year’s Eve: more than 500 million views on YouTube, more than a billion streams on Spotify, a annuity of several million euros annually for the American diva.
And above all, an undisputed number 1 spot on the Billboard chart… Until this year, and the advent of Brenda Lee and her song “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” published in… 1958. From there to saying goodbye to Mariah? Not so sure according to Steven Jezo-Vannierspecialist in American music and author of Jingle Bells: the improbable history of Christmas songs (editions Le mot et le reste). “In 1994, when ‘All I want for Christmas is you’ was released, it was an immediate success, then it faded. For ten years, she seemed unbeatable. It’s also because the generation who loved this song when they were young became parents. And therefore returned to the title.”
“It comes back every year, it takes root and it becomes a standard”
In these times of celebration and excessive food for many of us, the recipe for success of “AIWFCIY” comes down to several ingredients: “The setting, the period, the theme of the lyrics, the specific instruments that we use that at Christmas like bells, explains our specialist. There is also a chord that we find in many Christmas songs, like the famous “ White Christmas by Bing Crosby “. And above all, repetition. It comes back every year, it becomes anchored and it becomes a standard.”
The relative “fall” of the title does not displease Alex, 40, an absolute fan of the diva, to the point of having waited seven hours to obtain a signing during a Mariah Carey signing session on the Champs Elysées. , two decades ago. “When the song comes on, everyone says to me, ‘that’s your song,’” he ruminates. I have the impression that she is being reduced to that, even though she is one of the greatest voices of the 1990s and 2000s.”
To be able to escape this timeless hit, all ideas are welcome. And the haters of Mariah Carey’s song that we are will be able to draw strong inspiration from other drunk listeners: those who cannot escape “Last Christmas” by Wham!, another classic of the period. They invented Whamageddon, a challenge which consists of not having heard the famous hit until December 25. An initiative born in Denmark two decades ago, and followed in 2022 by more than half a million people in 2022 according to the New York Times.
“The diva turned into a snow queen”
In the meantime, Mariah is working hard to get back on top. Fair play, the singer sent a bouquet of flowers and a message of congratulations to the new leader Brenda Lee, as recalled by CNN. But she is far from having given up, as proven by her tour in the legendary New York venue Madison Square Garden to sing her Christmas songs, notably accompanied by Ariana Grande.
Because, beyond the financial windfall, “All I Want for Christmas” is of particular importance for the fifty-year-old. Released in 1994 on the album Merry Christmas, the piece is the artist’s first creation. “Like many Christmas albums, the album was recorded in the middle of summer. Mariah Carey decorated her interior to get in the mood, says Steven Jezo-Vannier. His team is not convinced at first, but they insist.” We know the result.
With a lot of marketing, Mariah Carey maintains this flame, far from the image of the great vocal singer that she built in the 90s. To the point that this song swallows up her entire musical repertoire? It has a way of annoying Alex. The forty-year-old, who works in fashion, prefers to emphasize the singer’s pioneering side. “She bridged pop, R&B and rap. She also composes. In France, this is not the case, but in the United States, the younger generation pays tribute to him.”
“The diva has transformed into a snow queen”, image from Steven Jezo-Vannier. And she’s not ready to thaw out and end her reign as Mother Christmas. Especially since she comes from break the record for streams in 24 hours on Spotify. His song was streamed more than 23 million times on Christmas Day. Enough to spend the rest of the year warm… until the next holidays.