by While Mariah Carey’s unmistakable original of All I Want For Christmas Is You is the interpretation everyone knows and loves, it turns out that quite a few stars have given us their unique spin since its release, including several artists top notch.
In 2021, Mariah is celebrating 27 years of (royalty to) All I Want For Christmas Is You and to mark the occasion, we’ve rounded up some of the standout covers from the Yuletide hit, plus our verdict on how they all measure up to the original …
10. Michael Buble
Michael Bublé ride-or-die fans aside (and make no mistake, there are plenty out there), we really can’t imagine anyone we’d recommend this release to.
Michael’s version strips away all the energy and pretty much all the partying that is synonymous with Mariah’s original, making it sound more like a piano-driven X Factor winner single than a festive toe-tapper.
And considering all he can do with his voice, the crooner’s voice is surprisingly restrained in this rendition…which isn’t quite what you want when someone is channeling a Mariah Carey track, is it?
9. Mumford and sons with Kylie Minogue
In all fairness to Mumford & Sons and Kylie Minogue, this isn’t a full-blown cover, but a minute of what we’re guessing was a rather put-together live rendition of Mariah’s hit during a TFI Friday holiday special.
We have to be honest, though. We’re not exactly clamoring for a full-length version of this cover, which captures Mumford And Sons’ signature sound extremely well, but we have to give Kylie some support for hitting that high note at the end – impressive stuff from an artist whose skills vowels can often be unfairly overlooked.
But please, Kylie. No more banjos.
8. Her and him
If you’re not familiar with the work of She & Him, they are a musical duo consisting of singer-songwriter M. Ward and actor Zooey Deschanel. And that alone should let you know what awaits you with this cover.
There are virtually no surprises here (except for an unexpected sax solo that reminds us of Shakin’ Stevens’ holiday hit). It’s a stripped-down version driven by Zooey’s typically detached and whimsical vocals, layered over strummed guitars and handclaps. You can literally see the quirky Christmas rom-com playing in your head as you listen to this one.
If Zooey Deschanel cranking 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 inspired they were by Mariah Carey, so it’s no surprise they continued to record their own version of the famed diva’s Christmas classic.
The Fifth Harmony version opens with an a capella section that allows all the girls to show off their vocal skills, but from there it’s a pretty plain copy. Nice enough if you’re a Fifth Harmony fan, of course, but for everyone else, there’s no real reason to hear this over the original – which is a shame because that opening section promises a lot.
Can we also hint at the disparity of gifts the band members receive in the accompanying music video? Three of them fight over a cup of tea while Ally gets a brand new phone? Shocking.
6. Miley Ciro
This live cover was recorded at Disneyland in 2007, when then 15-year-old Miley Cyrus was still riding the Hannah Montana wave, so it’s understandable that this very Disney-inspired version was a bit cheesy.
However, one thing that no one can ever take away from Miley is her incredible vocal skills, and there are some country sounds thrown into the mix here, which help make the song her own. What we’d be really intrigued to hear would be how she’d approach All I Want For Christmas Is You as the modern her character of hers.
6. Go after Holfelder
While All I Want For Christmas Is You is a joyous-sounding Christmas ditty, Mariah Carey once said she thinks it’s so impactful because the lyrics are actually quite sad, which is an idea Chase Holfelder bought into. definitely backed with his take on the track.
Chase has made a name for himself on YouTube with his unique take on songs like Girls Just Want To Have Fun, Every Breath You Take, and Amazing Grace, which completely transform the sound of a song by remaking them in a minor key.
The results of this on All I Want For Christmas Is You are actually quite sinister, particularly when he stripped away the festive instrumentation and replaced it with intense piano chords. She also traded some of the more upbeat lyrics—”none of the lights shine so brightly anywhere, and the sound of children crying fills the air”—as one example.
It won’t be to everyone’s taste, but hats off to Chase for completely reinventing a song we’ve heard a thousand times.
4. PJ Morton
You may not be particularly familiar with the work of two-time Grammy nominee PJ Morton, but trust us when we say her cover of All I Want For Christmas Is You is definitely worth a listen.
His version – a collaboration with fellow R&B singer Stokley – reimagines the tune as a slow festive jam, complete with a horn section, some ’90s keyboards, and a relaxed vocal delivery.
It’s certainly a unique twist on All I Want For Christmas Is You, but it’s also one that we can picture Ms. Carey giving her manicured thumbs up to.
3. My chemical novel
As you might expect, emo rockers swap out the 60s-inspired instrumentation of the original for the pop punk sound that made them so popular in the 2000s.
It begins, like 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… lots of electric guitars and heavy drums.
We have to hand it to MCR, though—this coverage is a lot less racket than you might expect. If rock music isn’t your thing, then you’ll probably want to steer clear of this, but for anyone else, we’d actually recommend this unique tribute to a Christmas classic, which never seems to sneer or disparage the original despite being worlds distance from it.
2. Arianna Grande
This live performance took place in 2012, a year before Grande released her debut album and two years before she topped the UK singles chart with her breakthrough hit Problem.
But even at this annual stage, the singer is truly the Ariana we know and love when speaking to audiences.
And there’s no discussion 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 justice to one of her most iconic tracks, although our only gripe is that aside from the vocals, of course, there’s no that’s a lot that sets it apart from the original. .
Years later, Grande would go on to release her collection of holiday music and even collaborate with Mariah on a reworking of her holiday tune Oh Santa! (which, by the way, is 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 grabbed the headlines for his uncherubic demeanor, he and Mariah trade banter over an arrangement that is more or less identical to the original, with a few more ad-libs and harmonies.
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 smile to even the most miserable of Scrooges.
And after all that, let’s hear how it should sound, shall we?
