London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Dec 25, 2025

For The First Time Ever, Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" Is Officially The No. 1 Song In The Country

This is the singer's 19th No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. In terms of chart-toppers, she's second only to the Beatles.

Singer Mariah Carey, aka the Queen of Christmas, has yet another reason to celebrate the holiday season this year.

Billboard announced on Monday that the legendary singer's holiday tune "All I Want for Christmas Is You" has reached No. 1 on the Hot 100. The song's previous record was hitting No. 3 on the chart.

This marks Carey's first time hitting the chart's peak since 2008's "Touch My Body."


This is a huge deal for a few reasons.

First, the song is 25 years old; it was released in 1994 on the star's Merry Christmas album. It's also only the second holiday song in history to reach No. 1, following "The Chipmunk Song" by the Chipmunks and David Seville in 1958–1959.

Second, this is now Carey's 19th No. 1 on the chart, extending her lead as the only solo act with the most No. 1 hits. She also holds the record for the most cumulative weeks spent in the chart's top spot, with 80 weeks overall throughout her career.

Third, Carey is now only one single away from tying with the Beatles, who had 20 No. 1 hits on the chart. The next closest singer is Rihanna with 14.

"All I Want for Christmas" is perhaps the most famous, or at least ubiquitous, Christmas song of the modern era. It's been featured in popular films, such as Love Actually, and is a standard for holiday parties the world over.

Beyond the song's resurgence in the 2000s as a go-to holiday hit, it's been been used as an official marker of the beginning of the Christmas season, all thanks to Carey. On Nov. 1, leaning into the sensation that the song has become, she released a video of herself transitioning from her Halloween costume into Christmas attire, giving fans the go-ahead to play the song to their hearts' content.


In addition to the beloved holiday films the song has been featured in, the number of well-known stars who have covered the tune only add to its cultural impact. Dozens upon dozens of artists added their own twist to it, from CeeLo Green and Ariana Grande to My Chemical Romance and actor-singer Amber Riley when she starred on Glee.

But Carey and her cowriter, Walter Afanasieff, didn't always think the song would become such a sensation.

Carey, who was 24 years old when the song was record, wasn't thrilled about making a Christmas album; she only did so after conceding to her then-husband and manager, record executive Tommy Mottola.

But once Carey and Afanasieff got started on the tune, it was written in about an hour and a half, she said on a recent segment of Billy on the Street.

“It’s definitely not ‘Swan Lake,’” said Afanasieff of the song once before. “But that’s why it’s so popular — because it’s so simple and palatable!”

For a song that seemingly required so little effort in bringing to fruition, it's certainly paid off in a big way for Carey. It sold its millionth copy in 2013 and, to date, the perennial tune has earned the singer more than $60 million in royalties.

Even now, Carey annually performs a concert in honor of the classic song and the album on which it debuted, a tradition she began in 2014. This moment began with intimate shows at New York City's Beacon Theatre.

In 2017, because of the show's growing popularity, Carey took the Christmas show internationally; she performed in some of Europe's biggest arenas, including the O2 in London and the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin. On Sunday night, the singer completed her final Christmas show of the season at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

"I wanted it to feel like a classic, but I didn't know that it was going to actually become a classic," Carey told USA Today in a recent interview.

"I say that humbly because Christmas music is something that's really special to me, so to see the song's popularity grow over the years has been something that's been kind of amazing," she said. "I couldn't have expected it."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Mortgage Rates Edge Lower as Bank of England Base Rate Cut Filters Through Lending Market
U.S. Supermarket Gives Customers Free Groceries for Christmas After Computer Glitch
Air India ‘Finds’ a Plane That Vanished 13 Years Ago
Caviar and Foie Gras? China Is Becoming a Luxury Food Powerhouse
Hong Kong Climbs to Second Globally in 2025 Tourism Rankings Behind Bangkok
From Sunniest Year on Record to Terror Plots and Sports Triumphs: The UK’s Defining Stories of 2025
Greta Thunberg Released on Bail After Arrest at London Pro-Palestinian Demonstration
Banksy Unveils New Winter Mural in London Amid Festive Season Excitement
UK Households Face Rising Financial Strain as Tax Increases Bite and Growth Loses Momentum
UK Government Approves Universal Studios Theme Park in Bedford Poised to Rival Disneyland Paris
UK Gambling Shares Slide as Traders Respond to Steep Tax Rises and Sector Uncertainty
Starmer and Trump Coordinate on Ukraine Peace Efforts in Latest Diplomatic Call
The Pilot Barricaded Himself in the Cockpit and Refused to Take Off: "We Are Not Leaving Until I Receive My Salary"
UK Fashion Label LK Bennett Pursues Accelerated Sale Amid Financial Struggles
U.S. Government Warns UK Over Free Speech in Pro-Life Campaigner Prosecution
Newly Released Files Shed Light on Jeffrey Epstein’s Extensive Links to the United Kingdom
Prince William and Prince George Volunteer Together at UK Homelessness Charity
UK Police Arrest Protesters Chanting ‘Globalise the Intifada’ as Authorities Recalibrate Free Speech Enforcement
Scambodia: The World Owes Thailand’s Military a Profound Debt of Gratitude
Women in Partial Nudity — and Bill Clinton in a Dress and Heels: The Images Revealed in the “Epstein Files”
US Envoy Witkoff to Convene Security Advisers from Ukraine, UK, France and Germany in Miami as Peace Efforts Intensify
UK Retailers Report Sharp Pre-Christmas Sales Decline and Weak Outlook, CBI Survey Shows
UK Government Rejects Use of Frozen Russian Assets to Fund Aid for Ukraine
UK Financial Conduct Authority Opens Formal Investigation into WH Smith After Accounting Errors
UK Issues Final Ultimatum to Roman Abramovich Over £2.5bn Chelsea Sale Funds for Ukraine
Rare Pink Fog Sweeps Across Parts of the UK as Met Office Warns of Poor Visibility
UK Police Pledge ‘More Assertive’ Enforcement to Tackle Antisemitism at Protests
UK Police Warn They Will Arrest Protesters Chanting ‘Globalise the Intifada’
Trump Files $10 Billion Defamation Lawsuit Against BBC as Broadcaster Pledges Legal Defence
UK Says U.S. Tech Deal Talks Still Active Despite Washington’s Suspension of Prosperity Pact
UK Mortgage Rules to Give Greater Flexibility to Borrowers With Irregular Incomes
UK Treasury Moves to Position Britain as Leading Global Hub for Crypto Firms
U.S. Freezes £31 Billion Tech Prosperity Deal With Britain Amid Trade Dispute
Prince Harry and Meghan’s Potential UK Return Gains New Momentum Amid Security Review and Royal Dialogue
Zelensky Opens High-Stakes Peace Talks in Berlin with Trump Envoy and European Leaders
Historical Reflections on Press Freedom Emerge Amid Debate Over Trump’s Media Policies
UK Boosts Protection for Jewish Communities After Sydney Hanukkah Attack
UK Government Declines to Comment After ICC Prosecutor Alleges Britain Threatened to Defund Court Over Israel Arrest Warrant
Apple Shutters All Retail Stores in the United Kingdom Under New National COVID-19 Lockdown
US–UK Technology Partnership Strains as Key Trade Disagreements Emerge
UK Police Confirm No Further Action Over Allegation That Andrew Asked Bodyguard to Investigate Virginia Giuffre
Giuffre Family Expresses Deep Disappointment as UK Police Decline New Inquiry Into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Claims
Transatlantic Trade Ambitions Hit a Snag as UK–US Deal Faces Emerging Challenges
Ex-ICC Prosecutor Alleges UK Threatened to Withdraw Funding Over Netanyahu Arrest Warrant Bid
UK Disciplinary Tribunal Clears Carter-Ruck Lawyer of Misconduct in OneCoin Case
‘Pink Ladies’ Emerge as Prominent Face of UK Anti-Immigration Protests
Nigel Farage Says Reform UK Has Become Britain’s Largest Party as Labour Membership Falls Sharply
Google DeepMind and UK Government Launch First Automated AI Lab to Accelerate Scientific Discovery
UK Economy Falters Ahead of Budget as Growth Contracts and Confidence Wanes
Australia Approves Increased Foreign Stake in Strategic Defence Shipbuilder
×