Beloved Mariah Carey Song Added to National Recording Registry

A chart-topping hit song by Greenlawn native Mariah Carey made it to a recent list of classics added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry.

Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” was among 25 world-famous songs that were announced as additions to the registry on Wednesday.

“I’m honored beyond belief!” Carey wrote on Twitter. “I definitely did not even imagine this would happen when writing and recording this song! Thank you so much.”

The full list of #NatRecRegistry 2023 inductees.

Did you know you can nominate recordings for the registry? Here's how: https://t.co/IrF9swt9Ep pic.twitter.com/RVfQdBopsx

— Library of Congress (@librarycongress) April 12, 2023

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” has become the quintessential Christmas song and given Carey the unofficial “Queen of Christmas” title; it’s hard to escape hearing the song every time the holidays roll around. Carey released the Christmas tune in 1994, but it wasn’t until 2019 that it topped the Billboard charts. Since then it has hit No. 1 for four years in a row.

The top holiday hit joins a group of only a few Christmas songs on the National Recording Registry, including “White Christmas.”

In a statement, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said that the institution received more than 1,100 public nominations for recordings to add to the registry this year.

.@MariahCarey wasn’t sure about doing a Christmas album so early in her career, but when writing “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” she channeled all the happy holiday feelings she didn't always get as a kid. Now the song stands alone among modern Christmas tunes. #NatRecRegistry pic.twitter.com/cQScvZq94M

— Library of Congress (@librarycongress) April 12, 2023

“The National Recording Registry preserves our history through recorded sound and reflects our nation’s diverse culture,” she said. “The national library is proud to help ensure these recordings are preserved for generations to come, and we welcome the public’s input on what songs, speeches, podcasts or recorded sounds we should preserve next.”

Other famous songs added to the list this year include “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin, “Gasolina” by Daddy Yankee, “Imagine” by John Lennon, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by Eurythmics, and “Like A Virgin” by Madonna.