Mariah Carey is a lot of things. She’s a lamb, she’s the owner of billion-dollar legs, she’s the goddaughter of Patti LaBelle. And honey, she’s Christmas. Or at least she is according to the title of a forthcoming documentary to be released on Amazon Music, called Mariah Carey is Christmas!.
The documentary, which is “coming soon,” promises to tell the behind the scenes, untold story of the ubiquitous and undisputed song of the holiday season, “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Apparently there’s more to it than: Mariah wrote it (with songwriter Walter Afanasieff) and then Mariah sang it, and to be honest I’m already on the edge of my seat.
The mini-doc will not only detail the song’s production but also the cultural impact the track has had since its release. “You almost think when you hear it,” says Randy Jackson in an interview, “I’ve heard this before.” It’s gonna be a duh from me, dog. Not only have you heard it, but you also can’t escape it.
Shirley Halperin (music editor for Variety), Gary Trust (Billboard’s Senior Director of Charts), and Mariah’s longtime backup singer and friend, Trey Lorenz, join Jackson to provide commentary throughout the doc, along with Mimi herself.
“It was an accomplishment for me that I was really proud of,” Carey says at the end of the trailer, undoubtedly talking about the song and its success. What I think most of us fail to remember is that “All I Want for Christmas Is You” isn’t a cover of a Christmas song, as so many well-known versions are, but an original track that’s not only joined other long-standing holiday classics but has surpassed them by every metric imaginable—even the metric of holiday cheer, which didn’t have an official barometer until just now when I said it did. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” made its way into the Billboard Hot 100 this year, earlier than it ever has, during the week ending November 14.
Should all go according to plan, this year will be Carey’s 19th No. 1 for the song, and I can’t think of anyone who deserves it more. To our festive queen, we salute you! Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll be streaming the song on loop while we wait for the doc to drop. And don’t forget to keep the Carey in Christmas!
