For years, the song All I want for Christmas is You by the diva Mariah Carey has been played over and over again, especially during the Christmas season, to the point that we all know it by heart and sometimes end up overdosing on it.
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And yet, there are plenty of good songs for the festive season, like Last Christmas by Wham!, Feliz Navidad by Jools Holland & José Feliciano, or It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas by Michael Bublé. But no, it's Mariah Carey's hit that stays on top and is played over and over again, and the least we can say is that the singer makes a lot of money thanks to her song!
A Christmas classic that makes Mariah Carey a lot of money
All I Want for Christmas is You was released in 1994 and has sold 16 million copies worldwide. It quickly became the iconic Christmas song, and in fact, entered the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 in 2017.
As it comes out every year without Mariah Carey even having to lift a finger, the song has broken all records. In 2018, it was the most listened-to song on Spotify and, more importantly, the best-selling Christmas song of all time. On the music streaming platform, the must-have holiday track even surpassed one billion plays in 2021.
With such success, Mariah Carey is making steady money from the hit and royalties. We hope you're sitting down because the number is just mind-blowing. Get ready! The Economist reported that in 2017, the diva had already earned over $62 million from her song since its release! That's more than $2.6 million a year, and that's just for the period 1994-2017. Not bad for a song written in 15 minutes.
Christmas songs and films, the guilty pleasure
In the United States, it's a real tradition! Choirs sing well-known songs in the streets announcing the imminent arrival of Father Christmas, but they also go door-to-door to sing for you.
On the radio, in the street, at home, as soon as the end of the year approaches, we are invaded by these Christmas songs, because they put us in a good mood and a festive atmosphere!
We have to admit it, it's not only Americans who like to listen to Christmas songs a few days before the fateful date. Just like Christmas movies, it's a guilty pleasure that we like to consume in the warmth of our homes, which allows us to get in the mood and reminds us of good times with the family or even our childhood.
This article was translated from Oh!MyMag FR.
Sources used:
-The Economist: The music industry should be dreaming of a white Christmas
