In the words of Mariah Carey herself, it’s time. Halloween and Thanksgiving have both passed, and for both the Internet and retail chains, that means it’s now the Christmas season.
First released on Oct. 29, 1994 as one of the singles from Carey’s “Merry Christmas” album, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” has become the de facto modern theme song for the holiday season, to the wonder and terror of many.
“I was working on it by myself … on this little Casio keyboard and writing down words and thinking about, ‘What do I think of at Christmas? What do I love? What do I want? What do I dream of?’” Carey told Good Morning America in an interview this month. “And that’s what started it.
“My goal was to do something timeless, so it didn’t feel like the ‘90s, which is when I wrote it,” she added.
And Carey has certainly succeeded in that. Since its release, she has sung “All I Want for Christmas Is You” at Walt Disney World, on “The Tonight Show” and on numerous tours since the 90s. She also re-recorded the song for her 2020 Apple TV+ Christmas special.
Jokes about Mariah Carey defrosting as the Christmas season approaches have circulated on social media since at least 2017. On Oct. 30th, 2021, Twitter user @HoshizoraOW posted a now-iconic video featuring a still image of the artist overlaid by cracking ice.
On Nov. 1 this year, Carey released her own take on the meme on YouTube, with 8.2 million views as of the publication of this article. She subsequently began a holiday tour on Nov. 15,
According to a 2016 study by the Economist, Carey makes roughly $2.5 million annually off the song alone.
In April, the Library of Congress selected the song for entry into the National Recording Registry. Other members of the 2023 class include Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” and the Super Mario Bros. theme.
