Christmas Number 1 2023 contenders: Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You

There is not much to say that hasn't already been said about Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You. 

It's that rare song (along with Wham!'s current UK Number 1 single Last Christmas - but more on that later this week...) to enter the canon of classic Christmas hits, perhaps becoming the modern standard. So many of our favourite modern Christmas songs - like Ariana Grande's Santa Tell Me, Kelly Clarkson's Underneath The Tree and Leona Lewis's One More Sleep - have all tried to pay tribute to or emulate what Mariah achieved on All I Want For Christmas Is You. But no-one has managed to better her yet. Maybe they never will. 

Along with Last Christmas, All I Want For Christmas Is You has enjoyed a massive renaissaince over the last half a decade. While it's true that it's been a Christmas staple of the chart for some time (turning up reliably in the Top 40 every year since 2007), the advent of streaming on the Official Singles Chart has pushed Mariah's 1994 original composition into mega-hit status - and it's actually appearing earlier than ever on the chart, each and every year. 

All I Want For Christmas Is You has, of course, already reached the top of the Official Singles Chart - three times, in fact; for two consecutive weeks in 2020 and for a third time last year. But one crown has evaded the Christmas Queen so far...that of the Official Christmas Number 1.

MORE: See the full list of contenders for #XmasNo1 2023 here

She has come close before, however - Mariah was famously pipped to the post in 1994 by East-17's equally classic Stay Another Day, while in 2020, it was LadBaby who denied Mariah #XmasNo1 with Don't Stop Me Eatin'. 

This year, however, among Mariah's biggest current competition for the most important Number 1 of the year are her perennial festive rivals Wham!, who are looking to be among the early favourites for Christmas Number 1, thanks to Last Christmas returning to Number 1 for a fourth time last week. 

There is, however, no denying the commercial power of All I Want For Christmas Is You. According to Official Charts Company data, the song's total UK chart units stand at a mighty 4.6 million, including 327,000 physical sales and 939,000 downloads. A pure million seller, it's part of the One Million Sellers Club, making it one of the best-selling singles in the history of the UK chart.

The song's streaming numbers are equally impressive; with a combined total of 737 million audio and video streams, also making it one of the most-streamed songs of all time on the Official Singles Chart too.

Whether Mariah can muster the strength to displace Wham! or fight off competition from The Pogues or a gaggle of UK TikTok superstars (Creator Universe) remain to be seen, but Christmas Number 1 has been within her grasp for the last few years.

All I Want For Christmas Is You had previously been counted out of Number 1 before breaking records when it finally reached the top of the charts in 2020 (although this record was then broken again by Kate Bush) so it's only a matter of time before the self-appointed Queen of Christmas adds the biggest jewel to her crown. It may not be this year, it might be next year, but one thing has always been clear...

...you can never underestimate Mariah Carey. 

Follow the Official Christmas Number 1 race

The Official Christmas Number 1 race 2023 kicks off Friday December 15 with sales and streams counting up until midnight (11.59pm) on Thursday, December 21.

Tune in to The Official Chart on BBC Radio 1 on Friday December 22 from 4pm to hear the Christmas Top 40 countdown and the exclusive reveal of the Official Christmas Number 1 2023.

The full Top 100 Official Christmas Singles Chart and Albums Chart will be published on OfficialCharts.com from 5.45pm.

Join the conversation now using the hashtag #XmasNo1. Follow @OfficialCharts on TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.  To be the first to hear who's leading the race to Christmas Number 1, join the Official Charts mailing list and opt in to Breaking News alerts. And keep up with all our Christmas Number 1 news and features here.