Mariah Carey’s 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' sets record as longest-charting female hit on Billboard Hot 100
Mariah Carey proves once again that Christmas is not complete without her iconic hit, making history on the Hot 100 chart.
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You know it’s the most wonderful time of the year when you hear “All I Want for Christmas Is You” blasting at malls, on the radio and seemingly everywhere you go.
This year, Mariah Carey’s classic hit has done more than just set the holiday mood.
On December 22, Carey became the first artist ever to spend a cumulative 100 weeks at No 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, a record no one has come close to in the chart’s 67-year history.
The 1994 hit continues to dominate, now holding the No 1 spot for a record-extending 21 total weeks. That makes it the longest-running No 1 track by a female artist ever.
Carey’s career is full of chart-toppers, 19 in total, starting with her debut “Vision of Love” in 1990, but this holiday favourite has taken on a life of its own.
The Hot 100 is reportedly currently a Christmas wonderland, with Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” reaching No 2 after 67 weeks on the chart. Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” sits at No 3, 70 weeks in.
Wham!’s “Last Christmas” and Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” round out the top five. Classics from Nat King Cole, Kelly Clarkson, Dean Martin and Andy Williams appear throughout, turning the top 10 into a festive playlist.
Even with this seasonal competition, Carey’s song still stands apart.
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” has returned to No 1 for its seventh consecutive holiday season and now holds the record as the longest-charting song by a female artist in Hot 100 history with 78 weeks in total.
According to data gathered by “Billboard”, the numbers back up the historic moment. For the tracking week ending December 18, the song pulled in 43.6 million American streams, 28 million radio audience impressions and 3 000 downloads.
It also holds the No 1 spot on the “Streaming Songs” chart for a record-extending 25th week and remains in the top five for Digital Song Sales.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) recently certified the single 18 times platinum, marking 18 million units sold or streamed.
That makes it the most certified single by a female artist in American history.