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Watch the first time Mariah Carey ever performed 'All I Want for Christmas is You'
It’s the best Christmas song. Ever.
Talking about Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You,” of course.
If you doubt it — let’s just agree to disagree. (Read: You’re wrong.)
Certainly, you’ve heard it quite a few times. But have you ever seen Carey perform it for the very first time?
No, you haven’t. Until now, it’s not been seen.
But for the song’s 25th anniversary, a video has been released of Carey at age 24 debuting the song. She performed it in front of an audience at Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City on Dec. 8, 1994.
All I Want For Christmas Is You (Live from St. John The Divine) is now available on my YouTube channel! This was the very first time I ever performed the song ??#AllIWantForChristmasIsYou https://t.co/rZFndCuNB9 pic.twitter.com/1bFpWJUOcd— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) November 20, 2019
The song, written by Carey and Walter Afanasieff, was released in late October 1994 as the lead single from Carey’s holiday album “Merry Christmas.”
A couple of things are notable about Carey’s first-ever performance of the song. First, she’s singing — for real. No safety net backing track. It’s all Carey. And it’s amazing. Also, the audience’s reaction is quite tepid. Of course, they had never heard the magic before. So, perhaps they were just stunned.
The video was posted to Carey’s YouTube channel on Wednesday morning.
The description on the video says the event was a “historic fundraising event that notably benefited The Fresh Air Fund and Camp Mariah.”
Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” has it all: gentle intro; a jolly, bouncy beat; lyrics full of Christmas references; and Carey’s top-of-her-game vocals. Heck, there’s even jingle bells and a glockenspiel.
Why is the song so amazing? Musicologist Nate Sloan gave Quartzy a few reasons.
For instance, it uses the old-school song structure AABA, popular in the 1940s and 1950s. “AABA songs have no chorus, but rather three ‘A’ verses that have the same melody but different lyrics, and a ‘B’ verse that has its own melody and lyrics,” the site points out. Other Christmas songs that use this style? Oh, just “White Christmas,” “Frosty the Snowman” and “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
Sloan also mentions that the song’s lyrics and harmonic structure create “suspense.”
The song has been rereleased in a special limited edition for $2.98. It comes with the original studio version, the live St. John the Divine version, a So So Def remix, a 2009 “New Dance Mix Extended” and Carey performing “Hero” at St. John the Divine.
Enjoy! And Merry Christmas, every one.
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