If Mariah Carey had to chose one song to perform for the rest of her life and still make bank, that song would probably be “All I Want For Christmas is You”. The holiday hit is in constant rotation every year, letting us know the holidays have arrived. Unfortunately for Carey, the chart topper is now the subject of a copyright lawsuit.
A hit since its release in 1994, “All I Want for Christmas” has been certified Diamond by RIAA and, according to Second Hand Songs, has been covered more than 177 times. All of which begs the question: Who is suing Carey and why now?
Vince Vance and the Vailiants dropped their song, also called “All I Want for Christmas”, in 1989, but it didn’t become a hit until 1993. A year later, in 1994, Carey and Walter Afanasieff co-wrote their song.
While the songs have major differences in melody and lyrics, according to the lawsuit, Vance claims that he owns the copyright on the title, “All I Want For Christmas is You”. The suits also claims that neither Carey, her co-writer nor Sony asked for permission to use, reproduce or distribute Vances’ song.
The star’s legal team has yet to weigh in on the battle over the title.
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