There is no denying Mariah Carey is, hands down, the Queen of Christmas, and has been for the past three decades.
Every winter season, fans of the Grammy-winning singer wait for her to finally "defrost," and to non-stop play her reigning 29-year-old hit "All I Want for Christmas Is You," which was first released in 1994.
Since its release, the single has sold 16 million copies worldwide and clocked almost 1.5 billion streams on Spotify, and she's reportedly earned over $7 million in streaming royalties. However, it's not been without its fair share of backlash – particularly on the legal front – and with another Christmas season around the corner, so is another lawsuit.
Mariah has been sued by singer Andy Stone for a whopping $20 million over "All I Want For Christmas Is You," and not for the first time.
The singer, who performs as Vince Vance and the Valiants, has for several years claimed that Mariah and her co-writer Walter Afanasieff ripped off their iconic hit after his own "All I Want For Christmas Is You" from 1989.
Last June, he filed a similar lawsuit in Louisiana, and though it was dropped five months later, on Tuesday, he filed another civil lawsuit in California against Mariah, her co-writer, and Sony Music Entertainment, alleging "copyright infringement and unjust enrichment."
Court documents obtained by People claim Mariah copied the "compositional structure" of his 1989 song, and that she and her collaborators "undoubtedly had access" to it, though they do maintain Andy did not coin the now-ubiquitous phrase "all I want for Christmas is you."
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The documents further declare that Mariah and her collaborators "knew or should have known," that his version of "All I Want for Christmas is You" could not be used in the subsequent 1994 hit "without a license and/or songwriting credit, as is customary practice in the music industry."
© GettyThrough the lawsuit, Andy along with co-writer and fellow plaintiff Troy Powers are requesting a jury trial to settle their claim, as well as the aforementioned $20 million in damages.
They claim the 1989 version garnered radio play in 1993, and note it became a hit on Billboard's Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in 1994, when Mariah's version was released.
Andy's lyrics, in part, read: "I don't need sleigh rides in the snow. Don't want a Christmas that's blue. Take back the tinsel, stockings, and bows. 'Cause all I want for Christmas is you… You are the angel on top of my tree. You are my dream come true. Santa can't bring me what I need. 'Cause all I want for Christmas is you."
Meanwhile, Mariah's read: "I don't want a lot for Christmas. There is just one thing I need. I don't care about the presents… Underneath the Christmas tree. I just want you for my own. More than you could ever know. Make my wish come true. All I want for Christmas is you."
© GettyThe older song's success on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart floundered through 2000, though it did get renewed attention thanks to Kelly Clarkson in 2021, who included a cover of it in her Christmas album When Christmas Comes Around…
Mariah's, in turn, has received radio play every year since its 1994 release, has topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart time and time again (as recently as 2023) decades after its release, and, having sold more than 10 million copies, has been certified Diamond by the RIAA, the only Christmas song to have done so.
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