While Mariah Carey’s unmistakeable original of All I Want For Christmas Is You is the rendition everyone knows and loves, it turns out a fair few stars have put their unique spin on it since its release – including several A-list performers.
In 2021, Mariah is celebrating 27 years of (royalties for) All I Want For Christmas Is You and to mark the occasion, we’ve rounded up some of the most notable covers of the Yuletide hit, plus our verdict on how they all measure up to the original...
10. Michael Bublé
Aside from Michael Bublé’s ride or die fans (and make no mistake, there are a lot of them out there), we can’t really imagine anyone we’d recommend this version to.
Michael’s version strips away all the energy and pretty much all of the festivities that are synonymous with Mariah’s original, making it sound more like a piano-driven X Factor winner’s single than a festive toe-tapper.
And considering all that he can do with his voice, the crooner’s vocals are surprisingly restrained on this rendition… which is hardly what you want when someone’s supposed to be channelling Mariah Carey track, is it?
9. Mumford And Sons with Kylie Minogue
In fairness to Mumford & Sons and Kylie Minogue, this isn’t a full-blown cover, but a minute’s worth of what we’re guessing was a pretty thrown-together live rendition of Mariah’s hit during a Christmas special of TFI Friday.
We have to be honest, though. We’re not exactly crying out for a full-length version of this cover, which very much plays to Mumford And Sons’ signature sound, but we do have to give props to Kylie for hitting that high note at the end – impressive stuff from an artist whose vocal abilities can often be unfairly overlooked.
But please, Kylie. No more banjos.
8. She & Him
If you’re not familiar with the work of She & Him, they’re a musical duo made up of singer-songwriter M. Ward and actor Zooey Deschanel. And that alone should let you know what you’re in for with this cover.
There are pretty much no surprises here (save for an unexpected sax solo that puts us in mind of Shakin’ Stevens’ own festive hit). It’s a stripped-back version led by Zooey’s typically aloof and quirky vocals, which are laid over strumming guitars and hand claps. You can literally see the quirky Christmas rom-com playing in your head while you listen to this.
If Zooey Deschanel turning the Zooey Deschanel up to 100 doesn’t sound like your thing, maybe skip this one, but it’s otherwise inoffensive enough.
7. Fifth Harmony
During their time in the spotlight, Fifth Harmony made no secret of how much they were inspired by Mariah Carey, so it’s no surprise they went on to record their own version of the famous diva’s Christmas classic.
The Fifth Harmony version opens with an acapella section that allows all of the girls to show off their vocal abilities, but from there it’s a pretty straight-forward copy. Nice enough if you’re a Fifth Harmony fan, of course, but for everyone else there’s no real reason to listen to this rather than the original – which is a shame as that opening section promises a lot.
Can we also touch on the disparity of the presents the band members get in the accompanying music video? Three of them fighting over a teacup while Ally gets a brand new phone? Shocking.
6. Miley Cyrus
This live cover was recorded at Disneyland in 2007 when then-15-year-old Miley Cyrus was very much still riding the Hannah Montana wave, so it’s understandable that this very-much-Disney-fied version would be a little on the cheesy side.
Still, one thing no one can ever take away from Miley is her amazing vocal abilities, and there are a few country twangs thrown into the mix here, which help her make the song her own. What we’d really be intrigued to hear would be how would approach All I Want For Christmas Is You as her modern-day persona.
6. Chase Holfelder
While All I Want For Christmas Is You is a joyful-sounding Christmas ditty, Mariah Carey once said she thinks it’s so impactful because the lyrics are actually pretty sad, which is an idea that Chase Holfelder definitely leaned into with his take on the track.
Chase made a name for himself on YouTube with his unique version of songs like Girls Just Want To Have Fun, Every Breath You Take and Amazing Grace, which completely transform the sound of a song by redoing them in a minor key.
The results of doing this to All I Want For Christmas Is You are actually pretty sinister, particularly as he’s stripped away the festive instrumentation and replaced it with intense piano chords. He’s also swapped a few of the more cheerful lyrics - “none of the lights are shining so brightly anywhere, and the sound of children’s crying fills the air” - being one such example.
It’s not going to be to everyone’s tastes, but we take our hat off to Chase for totally reimagining a song we’ve heard thousands of times.
4. PJ Morton
You might not be especially familiar with the work of two-time Grammy nominee PJ Morton, but trust us when we say his cover of All I Want For Christmas Is You is definitely worth a listen.
His version – a collaboration with fellow R&B singer Stokley – reinvents the tune as a festive slow-jam, complete with a horn section, some 90s keyboards and a laid-back vocal delivery.
It’s certainly a unique spin on All I Want For Christmas Is You, but it’s also one we can imagine Ms Carey giving her manicured thumbs up to.
3. My Chemical Romance
As you might expect, the emo rockers switch out the 1960s-inspired instrumentation of the original for the pop punk sound that made them so popular in the 2000s.
It starts off, as do most versions of the track, with a gentle piano instrumental, but frontman Gerard Way’s delivery still hints at what’s to come, which is… a lot of electric guitars and heavy drums.
We have to hand it to MCR, though – this cover is a lot less of a racket than you might expect. If rock music isn’t your thing then you probably want to give this one a wide berth, but for anyone else, we’d actually recommend this unique tribute to a Christmas classic, which never feels like it’s sneering or looking down on the original despite being worlds away from it.
2. Ariana Grande
This live performance took place in 2012, a year before Ariana released her debut album and two years before she would top the UK singles chart with her breakthrough hit Problem.
But even at this yearly stage, the singer is very much the Ariana we know and love when she speaks to the audience.
And there’s no arguing with that voice, is there?
Ariana has been compared to Mariah Carey throughout her career, so it’s no surprise that she’s able to do one of her most iconic tracks justice, although our one complaint is that – vocals aside, obviously – there’s not much that sets this apart from the original.
Years later, Ariana would go on to release her own collection of Christmas music, and even collaborate with Mariah on a reworking of her festive tune Oh Santa! (which, by the way, is a total bop).
1. Justin Bieber and Mariah Carey
Then again, who can honestly do Mariah better than Mariah?
On this 2011 re-recording – dubbed the “Superfestive!” remix – released long before The Biebs would be dominating headlines for his less-than-cherubic behaviour, he and Mariah swap lines on an arrangement that’s more or less identical to the original, with a few extra ad libs and harmonies thrown in.
Considering the whole thing is essentially a cash-in, it’s still an effective cover, guaranteed to bring at least a hint of a festive smirk to even the most miserable of Scrooges.
And after all that, let’s hear how it’s supposed to sound, shall we?