Mariah Carey is without a doubt one of the most influential pop stars out there, thanks to her tremendous vocal range and her introduction of elements of rhythm-and-blues and hip hop to pop music. While she was at it, she didn’t neglect to make a hugely successful Christmas album!
Most of the tracks on Carey’s 1994 holiday album “Merry Christmas” are classic carols. As she said, “I’m a very festive person and I love the holidays. I’ve sung Christmas songs since I was a little girl. I used to go Christmas caroling. When it came to the album, we had to have a nice balance between standard Christian hymns and fun songs. It was definitely a priority for me to write at least a few new songs, but for the most part people really want to hear the standards at Christmas time, no matter how good a new song is.”
However, it was one of those new songs that became a huge hit: “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Written with Walter Afanasieff, it’s a jaunty, high-energy, uptempo love song, complete with bell chimes. Carey has called the song “fun,” and describes it as “very traditional, old-fashioned Christmas. It’s very retro, kind of ’60s.” MTV gave the song a rave review, calling it “a majestic anthem full of chimes, sleigh bells, doo-wop flourishes, sweeping strings and one of the most dynamic and clean vocal performances of Carey’s career.” The original music video , rich in Christmastime imagery, was shot in a grainy, home-movie style and directed by Carey herself.
To get some of that high-energy Christmas spirit from Mariah Carey, check out the video we’ve posted below. It’s got “All I Want for Christmas Is You” playing over scenes from the John Cusack / Kate Beckinsale romantic comedy movie “Serendipity.” The lyrics appear as subtitles, so you can sing along, too!
Are you a Mariah Carey fan? What did you think of “All I Want for Christmas Is You”? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments at Facebook. Don’t forget to like and share!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFaB6b70v0A
