Celebrities | Music | Pop Culture | 90s

"All I Want For Christmas" Is Like 1% Of The Royalties Mariah Earns On That Stupid Song

The four chimes on the bells at the beginning of All I Want For Christmas stir up some pretty wild emotions. You either love it or you hate it. There's no in between.

Mariah Carey's hit song was released in 1994, meaning we've had 23 years of Christmas bliss. The song went platinum and gold in 11 countries, and it topped the US Billboard charts. It was one of Mariah's biggest hits, and was the lead off single for her first ever Christmas album.

All I Want For Christmas Is You is one of the most played Christmas songs every year, which makes you wonder how much money Carey is still making off of it. I mean, it's not like she really needs it. She's worth $520 million, and she's still making appearances. And when you think of it, how much money can someone be making off a song that's over 20 years old?

The answer is a lot.

The advantage to having a popular Christmas song is that people are hit with a big wave of nostalgia every single year. After 11 months abstaining from a favorite, they'll want to hear your song as much as possible. They don't get tiresome as often as regular songs, because you have time to miss them.

As for Mariah's classic, any normal person would be thrilled to rake in what she's making off of royalties. According to The Daily Mail, the pop star is raking in just over $500,000USD every year for his festive hit. Now, I say normal person, because we all know that Mariah probably spends $500,000 on glitter each year alone (no judgement though, if you've got the money then you do you).

And if you're thinking Mimi is getting the most royalties for a Christmas song, you'd be wrong. These are the top earners.

Merry Xmas Everybody by Slade: $674,000

Fairytale of New York by The Pogues: $539,000

All I Want For Christmas by Mariah Carey: $500,000

White Christmas by Bing Crosby: $442,000