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She’s the Christmas queen, even performing holiday concerts across the United States. Mariah Carey first premiered “All I Want for Christmas Is You” in 1994 and since then, it’s become synonymous with December and this festive holiday. Does this artist still make money from her Christmas classic? Here’s our look into the song of the holiday season, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”

Santa Claus and Mariah Carey perform during a pre-tape performance for NBC's Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center
Santa Claus and Mariah Carey perform during a pre-taped performance for NBC’s Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center | Photo by James Devaney/WireImage

‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ is one of Mariah Carey’s Christmas songs

It’s not officially Christmas until Mariah Carey says so. This year, the artist shared a video to social media the day after Halloween, featuring a phone call from Santa Claus and her best-selling song,  “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Mariah Carey first premiered this song in 1994, along with her album Merry Christmas. Since then, it became a holiday staple, playing daily on some holiday radio stations.

“I just sat down, decorated a little tree and put on It’s A Wonderful Life and tried to get into that mood,” Mariah Carey said of her hit song, according to Cosmopolitan. “Then I sat in this small room with a keyboard and started doing little melodies and stuff. I was going over all the things I think about at Christmas time that make me happy and how to turn it around and make it into a love song.”

Mariah Carey performs at the 81st Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting
Mariah Carey performs at the 81st Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Photo by James Devaney/WireImage

How much money does Mariah Carey make from ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’?

Because of the popularity of this song during the holiday season, Mariah Carey continues to earn money from “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” even over 20 years later. Reportedly, Mariah Carey earned over almost $520 million to date from this song alone.

According to Business Insider, this song still earns this artist millions on an annual basis. Their article reads, “Since its release in 1994, the Christmas hit has earned the US singer over $60 million according to The Economist — and that’s not all. In the UK alone, the song earns her over $500,000 in royalties every year, according to The Independent. If you include the royalties she receives from other countries in the world, she’s earning millions every year.”

Is ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ Mariah Carey’s most popular song?

This pop diva has a few award-winning songs under her belt. Carey won the Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “We Belong Together.” Additionally, she won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female for “Vision Of Love.” Her album, Merry Christmas, however, did not earn the artist any major awards.

That’s not to say other songs off of Merry Christmas aren’t popular. “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home” earned over 70 million plays on Spotify. Her version of “O Holy Night” has over 40 million plays on the streaming platform. Of course, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is the most popular song on this album, based on the number of plays on Spotify.

Music by Mariah Carey, including “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” is available on Spotify, Apple Music, and most major streaming platforms. 

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