All I Want for Christmas Is You (Vince Vance & the Valiants song)

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"All I Want for Christmas Is You"
Single by Vince Vance & the Valiants
from the album All I Want for Christmas Is You
B-side"Exceptional Man"
Released1989 (1989)
StudioMasterphonics Studio 6; Nashville, Tennessee
Genre
Length3:47
LabelValiant 92689
Songwriter(s)
  • Troy Powers
  • Andy Stone
Producer(s)
Vince Vance & the Valiants singles chronology
"Bomb Iran"
(1980)
"All I Want for Christmas Is You"
(1989)
"All I Want for Christmas Is You (re-issue)"
(1993)

"All I Want for Christmas Is You" is a Christmas song recorded by American novelty act Vince Vance & the Valiants. Initially released as a single in 1989, Vince Vance's version of the song has charted several times on the Billboard country singles charts. It is one of two records to chart for Vince Vance & the Valiants, the other being "Bomb Iran".

Content[edit]

"All I Want for Christmas Is You" is a mid-tempo in compound duple meter, featuring lead vocals from Lisa Burgess Stewart, who now records under the name Lisa Layne.[1][2] In it, the singer explains that she does not want Christmas decorations nor gifts from Santa Claus. Instead, all she wants for Christmas is her lover. The melody used in the song is based on Bobby Vinton's number 9 pop hit single from early 1964, "My Heart Belongs to Only You", with a few minor alterations.[3]

Reception[edit]

In his review of the album All I Want for Christmas Is You, AllMusic reviewer Jason Birchmeier referred to the song as a "holiday favorite within the country community during the '90s" but noted that the rest of the album was not "remotely worth bothering with."[4]

Having received frequent rotation on country radio and adult contemporary radio during the Christmas season since its 1993 re-release, "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is also the most-played country music Christmas song.[5]

The song was also made into a music video directed by Steve Dunning for Aries Productions, located in Arlington, Texas.[6]

Lawsuit[edit]

On June 3, 2022, Andy Stone, who portrayed Vince Vance, filed a copyright lawsuit against Mariah Carey, alleging that she "exploited" and made "undeserved profits" off his song with her "All I Want for Christmas Is You", which was published five years after his. Despite sharing the same title, the two songs were musically different.[7] On November 2, of the same year, the lawsuit was dropped without prejudice;[8] Stone re-filed the lawsuit in November 2023.[9]

Chart performance[edit]

The song first charted in early 1994 based on airplay from the 1993 Christmas season, peaking at number 55 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts on the chart week of January 8, 1994.[10] It re-entered in December 1994, reaching a new peak of number 52 on the chart week of January 7, 1995.[10] The song re-entered the country charts again every January afterward, each time peaking higher than the last; it did not appear in the 1998-1999 holiday season but again charted for the final time in January 2000, reaching its peak on that chart of 31. Although it never charted on the country charts again, it peaked at number 23 on the Hot 100 Recurrent Airplay chart in 2002 (despite having never entered or bubbled under the Billboard Hot 100 or Hot 100 Airplay charts), and has re-appeared on the Hot Country Recurrents chart every Christmas since late 2000/early 2001.

Chart performance for "All I Want for Christmas Is You"
Chart (1994–2002) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks[9] 31
US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay[9] 23

Kelly Clarkson version[edit]

"All I Want for Christmas Is You"
Single by Kelly Clarkson
ReleasedNovember 14, 2020 (2020-11-14)
Genre
Length3:46
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jesse Shatkin
Kelly Clarkson singles chronology
"Under the Mistletoe"
(2020)
"All I Want for Christmas Is You"
(2020)
"Christmas Isn't Canceled (Just You)"
(2021)

In 2020, Kelly Clarkson released a version of the song as a standalone single.[11][12] She also later included it on her 2021 album, When Christmas Comes Around...[13]

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for "All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Kelly Clarkson
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Canada AC (Billboard)[14] 30

Release history[edit]

Release dates and formats for "All I Want for Christmas Is You"
Region Date Format Label Ref
Various November 14, 2020 Atlantic [15]

References[edit]

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  1. ^ Shannon, Gary. "Lisa Layne—The Voice Behind 'All I Want for Christmas is You' Vince Vance and the Valiants", KHLA, December 4, 2012
  2. ^ Vance, Vince. All I Want for Christmas is You Archived 2017-12-25 at the Wayback Machine, http://www.icompositions.com/, December 26, 2016
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Christmas in the Charts (1920–2004). Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 63. ISBN 0-89820-161-6.
  4. ^ Birchmeier, Jason. "All I Want for Christmas Is You review". Allmusic. Retrieved December 23, 2008.
  5. ^ "Most-Played Christmas Songs On Country Radio Listed". KWTX. 2 December 2008. Archived from the original on 9 January 2009. Retrieved 23 December 2008.
  6. ^ "Vince Vance & the Valiants: All I Want for Christmas Is You". CMT. Archived from the original on December 27, 2008. Retrieved December 23, 2008.
  7. ^ "Mariah Carey sued for copyright over 'All I want for Christmas is You'". BBC News. June 4, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  8. ^ "Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas is You copyright case dropped". BBC News. November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c Donahue, Bill (November 1, 2023). "Mariah Carey Sued Again Over 'All I Want for Christmas is You' — By The Same Guy". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 244. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  11. ^ "Kelly Clarkson is releasing new cover of 'All I Want for Christmas is You' -- and no, it's not the Mariah Carey song". Good Morning America. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  12. ^ "Kelly Clarkson Covers 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' (No, Not That One)". Billboard. November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  13. ^ Zemler, Emily (September 23, 2021). "Kelly Clarkson Welcomes the Holidays With 'Christmas Isn't Canceled (Just You)'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  14. ^ "Kelly Clarkson Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  15. ^ "All I Want for Christmas Is You". Spotify. Retrieved November 29, 2022.