Mariah Carey Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Theft of Christmas Classic 'All I Want for Christmas Is You'

Mariah Carey. Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images

Mariah Carey is facing another lawsuit regarding her popular holiday song "All I Want for Christmas Is You." A complaint was filed on November 1 in a federal court in Los Angeles, claiming that the 1994 chart-topping song infringed on the copyright of a 1989 song with the same name.

Vince Vance, whose real name is Andy Stone, has once again accused Carey of plagiarism with her song "All I Want for Christmas Is You." He claims that Carey's song has the same title, lyrics, and composition as his track, which was released by his country pop group Vince Vance & the Valiants. Notably, this is the second time Vance has taken legal action against Carey for this song. He previously filed a similar complaint in the summer of 2022 but decided to drop the case in November of that year.

Vance collaborated with lawyer Gerard P. Fox, who had previously represented songwriters who accused Taylor Swift of plagiarizing the lyrics to "Shake It Off." According to Vance's claim, although the phrase "all I want for Christmas is you" may be commonly used now, it had a distinctive meaning in 1988. Furthermore, the combination of the unique chord progression in the melody and the exact hook closely resembled Vance's original work, with over 50 percent similarity in both lyric choice and chord expressions.

As with the prior complaint, Vance alleged that his initial song received "substantial radio rotation" in 1993, a year ahead of Carey's release, and described it as a "successful country music track" that made it onto the Billboard and Hot 100 Airplay charts.

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Vance's new filing includes fresh allegations against Carey, stating that she fabricated the narrative surrounding the creation of the song. He further asserts that her collaborator, Walter Afanasieff, doubts the veracity of her account. Furthermore, Vance highlights the popularity of the 2003 Christmas movie Love Actually, in which Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is prominently performed during a crucial scene in the highly successful film.

Carey's hit holiday song remains a cultural phenomenon and has remained popular for almost three decades since its release. As of 2021, it has achieved 10 million unit sales, earning the distinguished diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. It holds the distinction of being the first holiday song to receive this honor. Additionally, it has topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart during the past four holiday seasons. Reported by Sarah Jones.