- All I Want For Christmas Is You is the first Christmas song to surpass 2 billion plays on Spotify
- Mariah Carey’s hit is Spotify’s most-streamed Christmas song everywhere
- The song’s global streams have surged 120% in five years
It seems all we want for Christmas is Mariah Carey because the singer’s thirty-year-old hit just broke a huge streaming record. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” became the first Christmas song to reach over 2 billion Spotify streams.
The holiday hit continues to be one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time, online, in retail, and in our homes.
But why and how did Carey’s Christmas corker achieve such heights? We’ll break it down.
When was the song released?
This year, All I Want For Christmas Is You turns thirty. The song was released in October 1994 as part of Carey’s fourth studio album, Merry Christmas. The album was her first-holiday album. Instantly the song became a hit and inspired countless covers.
However, nothing could replicate Carey’s chart success with the song reaching number one in thirty countries and resurging in popularity every December.
What records did the song break?
Aside from being the only holiday song to surpass 2 billion Spotify streams, the Christmas jingle has had other notable achievements. All I Want For Christmas Is You is Spotify’s most streamed Christmas song ever in the US and worldwide.
Michael Bublé’s “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” ranks second on Spotify’s most globally streamed Christmas songs playlist, followed by Coldplay’s “Christmas Lights” in third. Of course with December in full swing, these rankings can change daily!
But even after thirty years, All I Want For Christmas Is You maintains relevancy and Sotify streams. Year around, its Spotify streams continue to grow, and in the last five years, its streaming numbers on the music app have grown by 120 percent globally. Wow, that is quite a jump for a seasonal song!
Spotify has also revealed the song has gained a new lease of life and is resonating with new audiences, particularly Gen Z. This year it is in Gen Z’s top three most streamed holiday tracks.
The Gen Z appreciation could be due to the song’s popularity on Tiktok and the inevitable surge of Christmas content that floods the app every December. Alternatively, it could have something to do with the viral ‘It’s time ’ sound in which Carey sings the intro line to her song in a gorgeous whistle tone.
The queen of Christmas has already opened this year’s festive season in a hilarious video recreating her viral TikTok sound.
However, throughout the year All I Want For Christmas is You builds the hype for the Christmas season. The ban on playing Christmas songs until December can’t apply to Carey. Since November 1, the song has seen an 860 percent increase in global streams. In the USA that number is even higher with a 1,100 percent increase.
What about in previous years?
Each year, Carey outdoes herself with the heights her Christmas hit reaches. Unsurprisingly on December 25 last year, the song had its biggest streaming day.
All I Want For Christmas Is You reached number one on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs Chart in twenty-one countries. Some of the countries included Belgium, Cyprus, and France.
Every Christmas Day, the song reaches the number one most-streamed song globally. We must play it on a loop while opening presents, eating Christmas dinner, and binging Christmas specials. Since 2016 the hit has reached the number one song spot every year on December 25. That is almost eight years in a row!
Regardless if she gets another record, we look forward to streaming All I Want For Christmas Is You every year. But with that being said, we have the utmost faith that the Queen of Christmas will continue her Spotify streams Christmas streak!
