Throughout Mariah Carey’s 25-year-long career, the self-proclaimed Elusive Chanteuse has seen 18 singles hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Yet none of these hits reach the same level as her iconic and inescapable Christmas jam, “All I Want For Christmas is You.”
While my favorite Mimi bop is easily “Touch My Body,” “All I Want For Christmas Is You” somehow manages to dominate airwaves every year as Christmas inches closer.
It’s surprising the festive tune showed such longevity throughout its life, considering Carey’s vast discography.
The song provides Carey with the opportunity to do promotion on a yearly basis. Given the current state of Carey’s career — it’s a blessing.
Her last studio album “Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse” debuted with a meager 58,000 copies sold in 2014.
Carey spent the past few months performing in the deserts of Las Vegas at a residency, competing against many of pop music’s other relics — aside from the incomparable Britney Spears, obviously.
“All I Want For Christmas Is You” allows Carey to escape the eternal solitude of Nevada and remind pop culture fanatics she’s given us the biggest Christmas blessing we could ever wish for — a holiday bop that is truly timeless.
Carey attempted to strengthen the song’s legacy by releasing an “Extra Festive” rerecorded version for her second holiday album “Merry Christmas II You” in 2010. There was even a “SuperFestive!” duet version recorded for Justin Bieber’s holiday album “Under the Mistletoe.”
None of these imposters can rival the iconic original though. Especially the Biebs’ version. The music video features Biebs when he was rocking his awkward faux-hawk.
While Carey hasn’t had a legitimate hit since 2008’s “Touch My Body,” “All I Want Christmas Is You” ensures her place in pop culture’s food chain.
Since it debuted more than 20 years ago, no other contemporary artist released an original holiday song that captures the magic of Carey’s mainstay.
“All I want For Christmas Is You” makes it possible for Carey to do nothing but promote holiday-themed outings for eternity.
Considering Carey recently released a children’s book, which shares the name of the song, and is preparing for her directorial debut, “A Christmas Melody,” she may as well be the Queen of Christmas.
Carey fanatics can look out for “A Christmas Melody” on the Hallmark Channel and see Carey perform her Christmas classic at this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
John Gavin Harp is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from St. Francisville, Louisiana. You can reach him on Twitter @SirJohnGavin.