This year, Mariah Carey's classic "Merry Christmas" album celebrates its 30th anniversary, so let's take a look at why we adore her.
Christmas time is in the air again! Along with sparkling Christmas lights and beautiful ornaments, you’ll also hear Christmas music playing almost non-stop everywhere. And of course, there’s one artist that you can’t just escape during this season – Mariah Carey!
Mariah Carey wrote “All I Want…” in 15 minutes
Back in 1994, the 5-octave diva released her first holiday album, “Merry Christmas”. While most of the songs were covers of popular Christmas tunes, she had one original song. And it took her only 15 minutes to write the now-classic “All I Want for Christmas is You”.
In case you’re wondering, it’s reported that she makes around $3 million every year just from this song alone. All thanks to Mariah’s strong pen game, she and her kids are set for life.
It’s time!
It has now become a tradition, at least in the pop world, that Mariah Carey rings in the holiday season when she announces that “it’s time!”. This simply means that everyone is now allowed to play her Christmas songs (and others too). But believe it or not, some people start the countdown even before Halloween.
With her funny antics and effortless shade-throwing quotes like “I don’t know her” that are totally meme-able, Mariah is relevant all year round in my book. But there’s been a joke going around that she only defrosts during the Christmas season. While this diminishes her legacy, it didn’t stop Ms. Carey from riding on the joke and using this concept for one of her videos.
Her nineteenth #1 hit
Mariah Carey has not one, not two, not three, but nineteen #1 chart-toppers on the Billboard Hot 100 – the most of any solo artist. “All I Want for Christmas is You” became her 19th chart topper in 2019, and this highest-selling festive tune is constantly topping the chart every December since then. Legend!
It’s the 30th anniversary of “Merry Christmas”
Three decades later, this album has undeniably become a staple every Christmas season. To celebrate this milestone, Mariah has released a special edition, which includes live performances at The Cathedral of St. John The Divine. Listen to the album below…
Even without this festive album, she’d still be an icon with all her contributions to the music industry. But we can’t deny that she’s made herself well-acquainted with Santa Claus and the holidays, and that’s what makes Mariah Carey the Queen of Christmas!
