Many music fans might tell themselves they don't want the Christmas season to start too soon. Once we hit a certain point in November, you know what will be blaring from speakers in public places. It is unavoidable, and terrible and wonderful, and we hate/love it.
This is especially true of Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You." The song has somehow elevated itself above every other holiday song every Christmas season. "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby? It's time has passed. We live in Mariah's world now.
The tune does have some reasons for its success, of course. It sounds timeless. The track feels like something you might have heard in the 1950s, and certainly something we will be hearing in the 2050s. Plus, Carey doesn't just sing it in her magical style; she co-wrote the song, too. Bing cannot say that about his all-time hit (it was written by Irving Berlin).
Mariah Carey is back on the Billboard charts with her massive Christmas hit
But never before 2025 had Carey's song hit the Billboard charts as early as it is now. On the November 15 Hot 100 list, "All I Want for Christmas Is You" appears at No. 31. This reflects the amount of streams and audience airplay beginning October 31, so the numbers are a bit earlier than in previous years, too.
Oddly, while the song was released in 1994, it didn't reach the Billboard top 10 until December of 2017. In 2019, it reached No. 1 for the first time. Now, of course, it is a yearly charter, and would not be surprising to see it reach the top 10 yet again this year.
Is the song a bit fluffy and sappy? Sure, but that is basically the point. We need that kind of overzealous happiness in today's current climate. The world can be a bad place at times, and for four minutes and one second, we get the joy that Mariah Carey delivers.
That should be noted as four minutes and one second at one time. The truth is, you will probably hear the song multiple times a day before the beginning of November through December 25. Those four minutes could stretch into 30 minutes or more of your day easily.