Copyright Violation Claims Against Carey Mariah “”All I Want for Christmas Is You”
Mariah Carey, the well-known divas of Christmas music, is embroiled in a second lawsuit in a bizarre legal development. Songwriter Andy Stone has filed a fresh lawsuit against Carey, claiming that she violated her copyright in relation to her timeless holiday hit song “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Stone originally filed and later withdrew a claim in 2022.
The History
In 1989, Andy Stone—then known as Vince Vance—and his group Vince Vance & the Valiants recorded a song of the same name. Thanks in large part to widespread radio play over Christmas 1993, this song gained popularity and peaked at No. 52 on the US country songs chart in 1994. The classic rendition by Mariah Carey was recorded and made available in 1994.
Stone’s Complaints
In his case, Stone claims that Carey’s song is more than a 50% copy of Stone’s original composition, including the exact chord sequence and hook. He also claims that the lyric “all I want for Christmas is you” was unique in 1988. His attorney, Gerard P. Fox, is well-known for his work on a lawsuit involving Taylor Swift and copyright infringement that ended in an undisclosed settlement in 2022.
How Mariah Carey Reacted
The Guardian contacted Mariah Carey’s management organization to request remarks, but as of right now, they have not replied to the lawsuit.
The Arguable Sources
There has been discussion regarding the song “All I Want For Christmas Is You”‘s beginnings. Carey stated in 2021 that she wrote the song early in her career while thinking back on her early years and the joyous sentiments she wished to express. She told of writing it in upstate New York on a Casio keyboard.
In an interview from 2022, Walter Afanasieff—who co-wrote the song with Carey—provided a another viewpoint. He rejected the idea that Carey, a small child, wrote the intricately chorded song all by herself, even if Carey never stated as much. According to Afanasieff, the collaboration process started in the summer of 1993 and involved a back-and-forth creative interchange.
Charges Against Stone
Stone’s lawsuit draws attention to the purported contradictions in Carey’s account, charging her with misrepresenting the works as her own by providing a “incredulous origin story.” He continues by saying that not even Afanasieff, who shares credit as her co-songwriter, buys into the story Carey has been telling. The lyrics of Stone’s song, which is performed by Lisa Burgess Stewart, express a similar idea to Carey’s popular song.
The Song of Carey’s Effect
Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is a beloved holiday classic because of its intense sense of yearning and sleigh-ride speed. With the introduction of digital downloads and streaming in 2007, the song made a comeback to the charts, having peaked at No. 2 in the UK in 1994. Since then, it has made yearly appearances; in 2020, it finally secured the top rank, and in 2022, it repeated the achievement.
The song has also achieved repeated No. 1 rankings in the US, where it has dominated the holiday season. Due to its enormous appeal on streaming services and radio, it had an incredible 12-week run at the top during the 2022–2023 holiday season.
A Brand-New Video Brings Back the Holiday Classic
Carey recently released a new video on November 1st, which signifies the change from Halloween to the Christmas season, in honor of another year of achievement
