Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas is You’ Returns to Number 1 in The UK

The holiday season is here, and amidst the joyous celebrations, Mariah Carey’s ‘All I want for Christmas is You’ returns to the summit yet again. Carey released this holiday classic in 1994, and ever since it has reached the Number 1 slot on the UK Singles Chart only twice, in 2020 and 2022. ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You,’ with 10.8 million streams during the latest cycle, has managed to dethrone Taylor Swift’s ‘Anti-Hero’ after six weeks, the Official Charts Company reported.

Mariah Carey’s song is not the only Christmas song that made it to the chart; songs such as Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’, Ed Sheeran and Elton John’s ‘Merry Christmas’, Brenda Lee’s ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ and Michael Buble’s ‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas’ have made it to the top 10 too. 

Some noted names like that of Taylor Swift and Lewis Capaldi have been hit by the avalanche of these Christmas hits, and have fallen down on the list to the fifth, and the 20th place respectively. However, one artist has been able to survive this avalanche. Pop singer, Raye has peaked with her single ‘Escapism’, which is currently on number two. 

Raye has previously written hits for artists such as Charli XCX and Little Mix, and featured on tracks by Jax Jones and David Guetta. However, her independent career did not take off that well. Only now has she found chart success for ‘Escapism’, where her song has resonated with thousands of users on TikTok.

This year will mark the 70th year anniversary of the Official Singles Chart, and the 2022 Christmas Number 1 Single will be announced on 23rd December live on BBC Radio 1’s The Official Chart Show with Jack Saunders. Mariah Carey is on her way to take the throne away with her song that was released 28 years ago, with more Christmas melodies still in the race. 

–Riya Sohini