Mariah has a new Christmas single

With over 16 million copies sold and 180 million streams of the single, All I Want for Christmas is You, Mariah Carey is definitely the Queen of Christmas. So, it is big news when she comes up with a new Christmas song.

Titled Fall in Love at Christmas, the single is an R&B jam that features singers Khalid and Kirk Franklin. It was released together with a video that Mariah directed herself. The film is filled with Christmas cheer and includes appearances by Mariah’s beautiful twins Monroe and Moroccan. The song has a sweet, easy vibe. Mariah’s singing is at its best and I must say Khalid has the pipes too.

Given the way she sells records, whatever she comes out with has the makings of another hit that will sell by the millions. But this new single is extra important. It is about Christmas and Mariah makes the Yuletide Holidays very special.

This all started when the album Merry Christmas was released late in October in 1994. It was Mariah’s first Yuletide set and really a regular move for an artist who has made a mark as a hitmaker. They must do a Christmas album to cap the year when they first peaked. Mariah did and much was made of Merry Christmas because she was then at the top of the charts, thanks to the album Music Box with the songs Hero and Dreamlover.

Merry Christmas had the usual stuff, made special, of course, by Mariah’s ultra-wide vocal range, think five octaves, and her trademark use of her incredible whistle register. The line-up included traditional carols, Joy to the World; Hark the Herald Angels Sing; O Holy Night, Silent Night; a gospel classic Jesus, Oh What a Wonderful Child; pop carols like Santa Claus is Coming to Town and Christmas Baby (Please Come Home).

Then there were the new originals, all co-written by Mariah. These were the beautiful melancholy ballad, Miss You Most at Christmastime, a soaring inspirational, Jesus Born on this Day and the up-tempo love song, All I Want for Christmas is You that she composed with her favorite producer Walter Afanasieff and which became the carrier single of the album.

That was an easy choice. The song had all the makings of a big hit from the onset. It had an infectious beat with a simple melody that was easily danceable. It had a theme to match that everybody could instantly relate to.  All you, guys, out there, there was surely a time when that somebody you love was the present you wanted for Christmas.

Best of all, although it is difficult or even impossible to sing like Mariah, All I Want for Christmas is You was surprisingly easy to sing. Everybody, even kids can sing the song. No wonder it became so popular. Just think, was there ever a Christmas party during these past 25 years or more where this song was not played?

The biggest selling Holiday song of all time is White Christmas, which dates back to 1942 when the great Iving Berlin composed it for the movie Holiday Inn, where it was sung by Bing Crosby in the movie Holiday Inn. It won the Academy Award for Best Song in 1942. It is also the most recorded Christmas song has since then been covered by other singers, 500 times.

Who would have thought that after all those years at the top, All I Want for Christmas is You is now a big threat to White Christmas to become the new No. 1 Christmas song of all time? And that there will come along a Queen of Christmas in the person of Mariah Carey.

Well, the queen has a new Christmas song that will surely make the charts. It is not as infectious as All I Want for Christmas is You but it is a lovely tune everybody should add to their Holiday playlists.