Mariah Carey gets a very early Christmas present when she learns that her 1994 Christmas classic All I Want For Christmas Is You is being added to the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress.
The beloved song is one of 25 songs added to the registry, which includes other hits such as Madonna’s Like a Virgin, Queen Latifah’s All Hail the Queen album, and Daddy Yankee’s 2004 hit Gasolina.
“The National Recording Registry preserves our history through recorded sound and reflects the diverse culture of our country,” said Congress Librarian Carla Hayden.
“The National Library takes pride in ensuring these recordings are preserved for future generations, and we welcome public input on what songs, speeches, podcasts or recorded sounds we should preserve next. We received over 1,100 public nominations this year for recordings to add to the registry,” Hayden added.
Carey, 54, – who was recently spotted performing at the premiere of Beau is Afraid – also shared the news with her millions of social media followers, including a video in which she discussed the song’s origins.
Early Christmas: Mariah Carey gets a very early Christmas present as she learns that her 1994 Christmas classic All I Want For Christmas Is You is being added to the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress
Videos: Carey, 54, – who was recently spotted performing at the premiere of Beau is Afraid – also shared the news with her millions of social media followers, including a video where she discussed the song’s origins
‘I am incredibly honoured! I definitely didn’t think this would happen while writing and recording this song! Thank you so much Mrs. Hayden and the @librarycongress,” Carey said in her tweet.
Her tweet also included a video of her videoconferencing with Roswell Encina, Chief Communications Officer of the Library of Congress.
“Thank you so much, this is incredible. I never thought this would happen when I first wrote All I Want For Christmas Is You,” Carey began.
“Everyone was always asking, ‘Did you know this was going to be a thing?’ and the answer is no. This is important and this is so satisfying for me as an artist, as a songwriter of course,” she added.
‘I had no idea. I just wrote from my heart. Thank you so much for including me in this incredible company,” she concluded.
The Library of Congress also shared another video as part of her conversation with Encina, explaining the origins of her holiday classic.
“I had a few people who would pretty much ruin any vacation, who were related to me, maybe, I don’t know,” Carey said.
So every year I waited for Christmas. I loved it as a little kid, and you know, certain people who were just around and sort of ruined it, you know?’ Carey worked out.
Tweet: “I’m incredibly honored! I definitely didn’t think this would happen while writing and recording this song! Thank you so much Mrs. Hayden and the @librarycongress,” Carey said in her tweet
Another tweet: The Library of Congress also shared another video as part of her conversation with Encina, explaining the origins of her holiday classic
Ruin: “I had some people who kind of ruin every vacation, who were related to me, maybe, I don’t know,” Carey said
“So every year I thought, ‘I just want to have the best time ever.’ So at one point the record company came to me and said, ‘How about doing a Christmas album?'” Carey added.
She thought it was “a little early” considering she was only 22 years old, adding, “Why are we doing Christmas already?”
“It just became something I did. It was the first Christmas song I ever wrote, and I kind of wanted it to embody all the things I didn’t have as a kid,” said Carey.
“I wanted it to be, you know, make people happy and make myself happy. It was more like, this is my healing, but it’s also fun,” Carey explains.
It doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s really just for the love of the holiday season and for that spirit that has always saved me in harder times,” Carey concluded.
For the first time ever, the National Recording Registry contains a recording of a video game.
Koji Kondo’s iconic theme from the classic NES video game Super Mario Bros. will be included in the register this year.
Other classics included in the registry this year include The Four Seasons’ 1962 song Sherry, Jackie DeShannon’s 1965 What the World Needs Now is Love, John Lennon’s 1971 Imagine, and Led Zeppelin and Eurythmics’ Stairway to Heaven Sweet Dreams from 1983.
Every year: “So every year I thought, “I just want to have the best time ever.” So at one point the record company came to me and said, ‘How about doing a Christmas album?'” Carey added.
Early: She thought it was “a little early,” considering she was only 22 years old, adding, “Why are we doing Christmas already?”