Surprise! It’s not Monday, but I’ve got a JAMM for you (in fact the last one until 2019). Tomorrow’s the first day of winter, and with Christmas around the corner, I am up to my Santa hat in holiday spirit (read: multiple plays per day of my favorite Christmas classic: Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”)
This song is, in my humble opinion, a perfect Christmas song. You’ve got energized sleigh bells shakin’, the fire of Carey’s romantic desire, a jazzy chorus, and oooooooooh those falsettos!
As it turns out, everybody’s in love with this mega hit (don’t be a Grinch – you know you love it, too!). “All I Want for Christmas” regularly tops the charts as the holiday song that is streamed, downloaded, and played more than any other. Since its debut back in 1994, it has earned Carey and co-writer Walter Afansieff a whopping $60 million-plus in royalties. Not only has the song been used in countless ways (see below), it has even been turned into a feature-length animated cartoon.
As Carey adorably puts it, she wrote the song “out of love for Christmas and really loving Christmas music.” Which may be one of the biggest understatements ever – there’s a lot of magic that went into this song.
In fact, music critics say it’s the only song written in the past 50 years worthy of inclusion in the Great American Songbook (a.k.a. the greatest hits ever).
And that’s not just because it’s catchy as all get out. The song taps into 13 distinct chords, including one found in another classic: Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas.” Chords work together in a particularly cozy-sounding way, thanks to progressions of bright, sweet major chords melting into dark, spicy minor chords. Add to that the unique mix of soul and R&B meets 90’s pop, and you’ve got yourself a Christmas classic.
Music critics can decode the song all they want. My theory? The song’s perfect for a much simpler reason: Carey’s deep love for the holiday. The spirit of Christmas was simply channeling itself through her and her co-writer. In fact, they wrote the song in just a couple of hours.
And then, as if that wasn’t enough, nine years later, the Christmas angels paired my favorite Christmas song with my favorite Christmas movie Love, Actually. The song ends the film on a high note (literally) in a gloriously romantic montage. Are you singing with me, yet?
I’ll get us started: I don’t want a lot for Christmas – there is just one thing I neeeeeeed! And that’s for you and yours to have a wonderful holiday season with all of the sugar cookies, eggnog, heartwarming Hallmark movies, and Christmas classics you love most.
On Behalf of the Entire Matchmaker Team:
Happy Holidays,
~Mary
