‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’: Mariah Carey’s 1994 song tops Billboard chart, nears 1B streams

Global icon Mariah Carey announces Mariah Carey Christmas Factory during the grand opening Of Sugar Factory American Brasserie on September 6, 2017 in Bellevue, Washington. (Photo by Mat Hayward/Getty Images for Sugar Factory American Brasserie)

Singer Mariah Carey doesn’t want a lot for Christmas, but her 1994 holiday hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is the gift that keeps on giving.

Carey’s ubiquitous seasonal song snagged the top spot on the Billboard chart Monday more than two decades after its release.
 

Billboard tweeted that Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” rose to the No. 1 spot on its Global 200 chart, nearing 1 billion streams, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Carey tweeted about her accomplishment, writing, “WOW! I truly wasn't expecting this at all!! Eternally grateful for the enduring success of this song.”

Carey first released the song in 1994 as part of her holiday album, but the record didn’t become a number-one hit in the U.S. until 2019. The song details how Carey longs to be with her loved one for the holiday.

“It was kind of an accident,” Carey told the L.A. Times about writing the song. “When I did that first Christmas album, ‘Merry Christmas,‘ it was pretty early in my career.“
 

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“But in this case, I was just sitting there, coming up with this melody, in a dark house with a Christmas tree,” Carey said. She collaborated with record producer Walter Afanasieff to add the vocals and instruments. 

Carey said the song is a testament to how much she truly cherishes Christmas. 

“No matter what’s happening in the world, Christmas will never be canceled at my house,” she said.

This story was reported from Los Angeles.