Mariah Carey’s festive classic, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” jingles its way back to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, jumping nine spots to reclaim the No. 1 position for a record-breaking 15th total week. The beloved holiday anthem continues its reign as the definitive Christmas hit, marking its sixth holiday season at the summit.
Originally released in November 1994 on Carey’s Merry Christmas album, the track has only grown in prominence, especially with the rise of streaming and curated holiday playlists. It first entered the Hot 100’s top 10 in December 2017 and cracked the top five during the 2018 holiday season. The song reached No. 1 for the first time during the holidays in 2019 and has returned to the peak every year since, topping the charts for three weeks in 2019, two in 2020, three in 2021, four in 2022, two in 2023, and now again in 2024.
Reflecting on the song’s enduring success, Carey shared in 2021, “When I wrote [it], I had absolutely no idea the impact the song would eventually have worldwide. I’m so full of gratitude that so many people enjoy it with me every year.”
Record-Breaking Achievements
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” remains a historic milestone in Carey’s career. It became her 19th No. 1 on the Hot 100, the most by any solo artist and just one shy of The Beatles’ all-time record of 20. Additionally, Carey is the first artist to achieve No. 1 hits in four distinct decades (1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s).
Holiday Classics Dominate the Charts
This week’s Hot 100 is filled with festive cheer, with Christmas songs making up half of the top 10, including the entire top three:
- Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” vaults 15-2. The song topped the chart for the first time last holiday season, a staggering 65 years after its original release.
- Wham!’s “Last Christmas” climbs 18-3, reaching a new peak since its debut in 1984.
- Other returning holiday favorites in the top 10 include Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” (up 19-5) and Burl Ives’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas” (rising 33-10).
How the Hot 100 Is Calculated
The Billboard Hot 100 ranks songs based on a mix of U.S. streaming (official audio and video), radio airplay, and sales data. Sales metrics include physical and digital track purchases from full-service digital retailers, though direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales are excluded.
The updated charts, dated Dec. 14, 2024, will be available on Billboard.com starting Dec. 10. Stay tuned to @billboard and @billboardcharts on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) for the latest updates.
