Merry Christmas (Mariah Carey album)

Merry Christmas
Studio album by Mariah Carey
Released	November 1, 1994
Recorded	December 1993 – August 1994, at Sony Studios and The Hit Factory (New York City, NY)[1]
Genre	Christmas, pop, R&B, Gospel
Length	39:29
Label	Columbia CK-64222
Producer	Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff, Robert Clivillés, David Cole, Loris Holland
Mariah Carey chronology
Music Box (1993) Merry Christmas (1994) Daydream (1995)
Singles from Merry Christmas
"All I Want for Christmas Is You" Released: November 1, 1994[2] "Joy to the World" Released: November, 1994[1]

Merry Christmas is a holiday album and fourth studio album by American singer Mariah Carey. Released by Columbia Records on November 1, 1994, the album features both cover versions of popular Christmas tunes, including some original material. On the album, Carey worked with Walter Afanasieff, with whom she wrote all of the original tracks, as well as producing Carey's interpretations of many holiday classics. With the release of Merry Christmas, Carey proved herself to be an entertainer, not just a pop singer, as many began to speculate. The album contained a contemporary holiday theme, and featured "authentic, gospel flavored background vocals."

The album features instrumentation from keyboards, bass guitars, drums, percussion and heavy backing vocals. The main reason for the album's use of these instruments was to capture a "real and authentic church vibe," giving most of the songs a real Christmas and holiday sound. After its release, the album received generally positive reviews and became a worldwide success. Critics praised Carey's uplifting and flavored vocals, as well as her skilled songwriting alongside Afanasieff. Many singles were released from the album, being sent to different radio stations for promotional purposes.

Merry Christmas was released at the peak of the initial stretch of Carey's career, between Music Box (1993) and Daydream (1995). The album produced the worldwide classic single, "All I Want for Christmas Is You", which became the best-selling holiday ringtone in the U.S. The album has sold 5,120,000 copies in the United States as of October 16, 2011 according to Nielsen SoundScan,^[3] and has been certified five-times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of five million copies in the United States.^[4] In Japan, Merry Christmas has sold over 2,500,000 copies and is the second best-selling album of all time by a non-Asian artist, behind only Carey's other release Number 1's. Merry Christmas has sold over 15 million copies worldwide and is the best-selling Christmas album of all time.

Background

Since her rise to fame in 1990, Carey has always claimed herself to be a religious and spiritual person. She always expressed her belief in God and her connection between music and spirituality, and felt the album was finally a way to portray her mysticism into music.^[1] After the success of Carey's previous effort, Music Box, there was speculation of a new project in the works; however it wasn't until October 1994, only one month before the album's release, that Billboard announced Carey would be releasing a holiday album for the Christmas season.^[5] Initially, critics were shocked; they didn't know how Carey would fare as an entertainer, as she had previously only been viewed as a pop star.^[1] Nevertheless, Carey, unaffected by the speculation, continued working on, and promoting the album in high spirits, confident in her work.^[1] The idea proved to be wise, earning Carey recognition in various markets including Christian radio and contemporary R&B stations, as well as extended her fame in Japan, where the album experienced much of its success.^[1]

Writing and development

Throughout the album's development, Carey worked extensively with Walter Afanasieff, with whom she collaborated extensively on Emotions (1991) and Music Box (1993).^[1] Together, they wrote all three of the album's original songs, as well as producing most of the traditional tracks.^[1] "All I Want for Christmas Is You", the album's debut single, was written by Carey and Afanasieff, which was sent to top-forty and adult contemporary stations, with the video having been filmed the year before.^[1] Another track they wrote, "Miss You Most (at Christmas Time)", was sent to R&B stations, with "Jesus Born on This Day", another original song, being sent to Christian and gospel radio stations around the world.^[1]

Additionally, Carey recorded a cover of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" by Darlene Love, as well as classics such as "Silent Night", "O Holy Night" and "Joy to the World".^[5] The latter song, which was used as a promotional single, was remixed several times and sent to various clubs; adding to the album's range of listeners.^[5] Record producer and composer, Loris Holland, co-produced some of the albums gospel flavored tracks, including "Silent Night", where he arranged the backing vocals and synthesizes.^[5] Carey's rendition of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town", was deemed as "one of the more playful tracks on the album," alongside "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)".^[5]

Composition

Merry Christmas boasted a variety of musical arrangements, sounds and genres. Carey's goal was to provide an album that would have a "Christmas feel," providing a mixture of soulful tracks, as well as fun and joyous holiday treats.^[1] The song "Jesus, Oh What a Wonderful Child", was described as an original track that "really took flight." The song was recorded in a church, with many live back-up singers and children playing tambourines and other melodious instruments.^[5] The goal was to produce a "real church flavored song," in which Afanasieff played the keyboards and allowed Carey's voice to "cut loose".^[5] According to Chris Nickson, Carey's love of gospel music came through on the track, writing, "[she] led the band without pushing herself forward, letting the song develop and work out, trading lines with the chorus until, after the crescendo, the musicians moved into a fast double time to the end."^[5]

"You have to have a nice balance between standard Christian hymns and fun songs. It was definitely a priority for me to write at least a few new songs, but for the most part people really want to hear the standards at Christmas, no matter how good a new song is."

—Carey, describing Merry Christmas during an interview with CD Review^[5]

The album's lead track, "All Want for Christmas Is You", was described as an "up-tempo love song, one that could have easily been written for Tommy Mottola."^[5] Another one of the album's original tracks was, "Miss You Most (At Christmas Time)", which was very different from its whimsical predecessor. The song was described as a "sad ballad," in line with many of Carey's previous hit singles.^[5] The song featured a synthesized orchestra, including keyboard notes courtesy of Afanasieff, during which Carey would sing to her "long-gone lover, crystallizing the way that Christmas brought memories of the past into focus."^[5] According to Nickson, it was "Jesus Born on This Day", that was the most impressive original track on the album. It was described as a "full-blown production number", which again featured synthesized orchestra, as well as a live children's choir.^[5] The song's tune was described as "solemn and hymn-like, but the arrangement, oddly, made it less religious and rather more glitzy, behind the lyrics that overtly praised Jesus."^[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[6]
The Baltimore Sun	(favorable)[7]
The Boston Globe	(favorable)[8]
The New York Times	(mixed)[9]
Stylus Magazine	(favorable)[10]

The album garnered generally positive reviews from music critics. Barry Schwartz, editor of Stylus Magazine, gave the album a very positive review, praising Carey's vocals, the album's authenticity and songwriting.^[10] Schwartz wrote, "Dr. Seuss was mad Jewish, but he wrote in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, “Welcome Christmas while we stand, heart to heart and hand in hand.” That's pretty nice. He figured that shit out. There's no guilt. No guilt in being a Jew who envies Christmas, or being a Jew who enjoys Christmas music, or being a badass (as I am) and still liking Mariah Carey, because, all this stuff is freaking awesome."^[10] Aside from the album, Schwartz lauded "All I Want for Christmas Is You", calling it, "To say this song is an instant classic somehow doesn't capture its amazingicity; it's a modern standard: joyous, exhilarating, loud, with even a hint of longing (ooh longing!). She sings, “I don't want a lot for Christmas / I won't even wish for snow,” such a beautiful phrase delivered with full sincerity over rolling pianos, spine-squashing tympanis, philharmonic strings, and a quasi-wall of sound—and Mariah's gorgeous voice bursts through it all. Fuck, why haven't I been celebrating Christmas?!"^[10] J.D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun said that the album "may look like just another attempt to cash in on Christmas cheer, but is actually the work of someone who genuinely loves this music. Granted, Carey's gospel inclinations come through a lot stronger than might be expected on traditional tunes like "Silent Night", but that hardly diminishes the effect of her performance; in fact, her soulful ornamentation adds oomph to the reading of "O Holy Night". But the album's real strength is the conviction she brings to otherwise corny fare like "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town", while the way she augments "Joy to the World" with a bit of the Three Dog Night hit is pure genius."^[7]

The album received a less enthusiastic review from Roch Parisien of Allmusic, who praised "All I Want for Christmas Is You", writing, "On the positive side, her co-penned (one of three) "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is a well-crafted Phil Spector tribute, with Beach Boys-style harmonies, jangling bells, and a sleigh-ride pace, injecting one of the few bits of exuberant fun in this otherwise vanilla set." However, he was more critical of Carey's take on "O Holy Night" and "Joy to the World," writing, "Pretensions to high opera on "O Holy Night" and a horrid dance club take on "Joy to the World."^[6] Steve Morse from The Boston Globe commented "Her early albums were often polished to a fault, but she cuts loose with unbridled soul on the new Christmas disc. Oddly enough, it may be her best album. She blends original songs (such as "All I Want for Christmas Is You", which debuted in video form on MTV this week) with traditional carols ("Silent Night" and "Joy to the World") and even Phil Spector's Yuletide classic, "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"."^[8] Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote "There are gospelly versions of familiar carols like "Silent Night", dramatic ballads like her own "Miss You Most (At Christmas Time)", and uptempo imitations, with chimes, of Phil Spector's 1963 Christmas album, like "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town". Regardless of backup, Ms. Carey oversings, glutting songs with her vocal tics—like sliding down from the note above the melody note—and turning expressions of devotion into narcissistic displays."^[9]

Chart performance

Merry Christmas debuted at number thirty on the U.S. Billboard 200 with 45,000 copies sold in its first week.^[1] In its fifth week, the album peaked at number three, with sales of 208,000 copies, but experienced its highest sales in its sixth week (when it was at number six), with another 500,000 copies sold. The album was the second best-selling holiday album that year with a total of 1,859,000 copies sold.^[11] It remained in the top twenty for eight weeks and on the Billboard 200 for just thirteen weeks, re-entering the chart three times; peaking at number 149 the first time, 115 the second and at 61 the third (it has spent a total of twenty-seven weeks on the chart). On January 30, 2003, Merry Christmas was certified five-times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of five million copies in the U.S.^[4] In Europe, Merry Christmas experienced success, being certified gold in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and United Kingdom. In Australia, the album was certified four-times platinum, denoting shipments of over 280,000 copies and finishing 11th on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) 1994 End of Year Chart.^[12]

Aside from its success in the United States, the album experienced its highest sales in Japan, where the album sold over 2.5 million copies and became the second best-selling album by a non-Asian artist.^{[13] [14]} Additionally, the album's lead single "All I Want for Christmas Is You", was the best-selling single of 1994 in Japan, where it was certified the "Million award."^[14][15] The single achieved similar success around the world, where it reached the top-five position in most countries, as well as re-entering many times throughout the years. In the US, "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is one of the few songs in recent years to be considered a classic and is the only holiday song and ringtone to reach multi-platinum status in the U.S.^[16]

Merry Christmas has sold over 15 million copies worldwide, and is the best-selling Christmas album of all time.^{[16][17][18][19][20][21][22]}

Film adaptation

Carey is currently developing a musical film based on Merry Christmas. The plot revolves around a small town—perhaps not unlike Carey's hometown of Huntington, New York—where a ruthless developer wants to turn the land into a large shopping plaza. "Mariah doesn't want to let that happen," says her producing partner Benny Medina. "Her character uses song and love to keep the Christmas spirit alive."

According to Carey, the script will be written by High School Musical writer Peter Barsocchini, but is still in its early stages of production. However, Carey gave Daily News a few more details regarding the project, saying, "Since I recorded the Christmas album, I've always wanted to make a movie to go with it, something that people could watch and hear and enjoy every year. I'm into it. I'm all about the holiday season."^[23]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Silent Night"	Fr. Josef Mohr, Franz X. Gruber	Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff	3:41
2.	"All I Want for Christmas Is You"	Carey, Afanasieff	Carey, Afanasieff	4:01
3.	"O Holy Night"	Adolphe Adam	Carey, Loris Holland	4:27
4.	"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"	Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector	Carey, Afanasieff	2:35
5.	"Miss You Most (At Christmas Time)"	Carey, Afanasieff	Carey, Afanasieff	4:32
6.	"Joy to the World"	George Frideric Handel, Lowell Mason, Isaac Watts	Carey, Afanasieff	4:21
7.	"Jesus Born on This Day"	Carey, Afanasieff	Carey, Holland	3:43
8.	"Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town"	John Frederick Coots, Haven Gillespie	Carey, Afanasieff	3:24
9.	"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" / "Gloria in Excelsis Deo"	Charles Wesley, Felix Mendelssohn	Carey, Holland	3:01
10.	"Jesus Oh What a Wonderful Child"	Traditional	Carey, Afanasieff	4:26
11.	"God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" ( Only on certain editions )	Traditional	Carey, Afanasieff	1:18

Album credits

Personnel[24] Mariah Carey – lead vocals, background vocals Walter Afanasieff – keyboards, additional keyboards, synthesizers, Loris Holland – synthesizers, keyboards, rhythm programming Mark C. Rooney – background vocals Cindy Mizelle – background vocals Melonie Daniels – background vocals Kelly Price – background vocals Shanrae Price – background vocals

Production[24] Mariah Carey – arranger Dave Hall – arranger Walter Afanasieff – arranger Dana Jon Chappelle – engineer, vocal engineering Kent Matcke – 2nd engineer Mark Krieg – 2nd engineer Kirk Yano – additional tracking engineer Mick Guzauski – mixing Bob Ludwig – mastering, Gateway Master Studios

Charts and certifications

Charts Chart Peak position Australian Albums Chart[25] 2 Austrian Albums Chart[25] 4 Belgian Albums Chart[26] 5 Canadian Albums Chart[27] 21 Danish Albums Chart[28] 4 Dutch Albums Chart[25] 4 European Albums Chart[29] 9 German Albums Chart[30] 15 Greek Albums Chart[31] 37 Hungarian Albums Chart[32] 15 Italian Albums Chart[33] 3 Japanese Albums Chart[34] 1 New Zealand Albums Chart[25] 10 Norwegian Albums Chart[25] 11 Portuguese Albums Chart[28] 9 Spanish Albums Chart[35] 26 Swedish Albums Chart[25] 4 Swiss Albums Chart[25] 4 UK Albums Chart[36] 32 U.S. Billboard 200[37] 3 U.S. Billboard R&B/Hip hop Albums[37] 4 U.S. Billboard Holiday Albums[37] 1

Certifications Country (Provider) Certifications Australia (ARIA) 4× Platinum[38] Austria (IFPI) Gold[39] Canada (CRIA) Platinum[40] Europe (IFPI) Platinum[41] Germany (IFPI) Gold[42] Japan (RIAJ) 5× Platinum (1 Million)[43] Netherlands (NVPI) Platinum[44] New Zealand (RIANZ) 2× Platinum[45] Norway (IFPI) Platinum[46] Switzerland (IFPI) Gold[47] United Kingdom (BPI) Gold[48] United States (RIAA) 5× Platinum[4]

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions										Certifications (sales thresholds)
		US [49]	US R&B [50]	AUS [51]	CAN [52]	FRA [53]	GER [54]	NL [55]	NZ [56]	SWI [57]	UK [58]
1994	"All I Want for Christmas Is You"	83	—	2	—	—	18	5	4	18	2	DK: Gold[59] JP: Million[15] UK: Gold[48] US: 2× Platinum[60] JP sales: 1,100,000 (1995)[61] UK sales: 670,000[62] US sales: 1,582,000[63]
	"Joy to the World"	—	—	33	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"O Holy Night"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or was not released.

See also

• List of best-selling albums in Japan
• Best-selling Christmas/holiday albums in the United States

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l} Nickson 1998, p. 133
2. ^ "All I Want For Christmas Is You". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/All-I-Want-Christmas-You/dp/B0017DHRJ6. Retrieved 2010-10-09. 
3. ^ "Ask Billboard: What Are The Best-Selling Holiday Albums?". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 2011-10-16. http://www.billboard.com/#/column/chartbeat/ask-billboard-what-are-the-best-selling-1005413232.story. Retrieved 2011-11-02. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} "RIAA – Gold & Platinum Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America. http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=3&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=Merry%20Christmas&artist=Mariah%20Carey&format=ALBUM&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=12&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25. Retrieved 2010-12-13. 
5. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n} Nickson 1998, p. 134
6. ^ ^{a b} Parisien, Roch. "Merry Christmas > Overview". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r206142. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
7. ^ ^{a b} Considine, J.D. (1994-12-11). "In the days before Christmas, seasonal CDs come into play". The Baltimore Sun (Tribune Company). http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/baltsun/access/111924823.html?dids=111924823:111924823&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+11%2C+1994&author=J.D.+Considine&pub=The+Sun&desc=In+the+days+before+Christmas%2C+seasonal+CDs+come+into+play&pqatl=google. Retrieved 2010-10-19. 
8. ^ ^{a b} Morse, Steve (1994-12-04). "Carey marks the season with music, good works". The Boston Globe (The New York Times Company). http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/62040881.html?dids=62040881:62040881&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Dec+04%2C+1994&author=Steve+Morse%2C+Globe+Staff&pub=Boston+Globe+%28pre-1997+Fulltext%29&desc=Carey+marks+the+season+with+music%2C+good+works&pqatl=google. Retrieved 2010-10-19. 
9. ^ ^{a b} Parales, Jon (1994-12-16). "Songs That Can Add a Merry Beat to Christmas". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B02E2D61438F935A25751C1A962958260. Retrieved 2010-10-19. 
10. ^ ^{a b c d} Schwartz, Barry (2006-12-21). "On Second Thought: Mariah Carey – Merry Christmas". Stylus Magazine. http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/on_second_thought/mariah-carey-merry-christmas.htm. Retrieved 2010-08-30. 
11. ^ http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/43185/chart-watch-extra-bring-on-christmas/
12. ^ "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 50 Albums 1994". Australian Recording Industry Association. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-50albums-1994.htm. Retrieved 2010-07-21. 
13. ^ Mariah Carey "#1's". Recording Industry Association of Japan. 1999-01-23. http://books.google.co.kr/books?id=yg0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA49&dq=bodyguard+top+foreign+album&lr=&as_brr=0&as_pt=MAGAZINES&cd=5#v=onepage&q=bodyguard%20top%20foreign%20album&f=false. Retrieved 2010-08-12. 
14. ^ ^{a b} Carey's Ubiquitous Japanese Success. Billboard. 1996-01-27. http://books.google.com/books?id=7g4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA68&dq=mariah+carey+japanese&hl=en&ei=GvtbTIz9MsH-8Aazw4XYAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-thumbnail&resnum=5&ved=0CDUQ6wEwBA#v=onepage&q=mariah%20carey%20japanese&f=false. Retrieved 2010-08-19. 
15. ^ ^{a b} "1994 million-seller lists by year". Recording Industry Association of Japan. http://www.riaj.or.jp/data/others/million_list/1994.html. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
16. ^ ^{a b} "Mariah Carey's 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' Is World's First Double Platinum Holiday Ringtone". PR Newswire. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mariah-careys-all-i-want-for-christmas-is-you-is-worlds-first-double-platinum-holiday-ringtone-79488972.html. Retrieved 2010-08-28. 
17. ^ Thompson, Tom (2008-04-19). "Let the Yuel Duel Begin". The Daily Telegraph (Telegraph Media Group). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandjazzmusic/3648757/Let-the-yule-duel-begin.html. Retrieved 2011-05-10. 
18. ^ Frere-Jones, Sasha (2006-04-03). "On Top: Mariah Carey's Record-Breaking Career". The New Yorker. Condé Nast Publications. http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/04/03/060403crmu_music. Retrieved 2010-12-10. 
19. ^ Hancox, Dan (2010-11-26). "Sounds of the Season". The National. Mubadala Development Company. http://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/music/sounds-of-the-season?pageCount=0. Retrieved 2010-12-10. 
20. ^ "Old chestnuts roasting: ghosts of Christmas music past". The Independent. Alexander Lebedev. 2007-12-11. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/old-chestnuts-roasting-ghosts-of-christmas-music-past-764334.html. Retrieved 2010-12-10. 
21. ^ "Mariah Carey Previews Christmas Album". Rap-Up. Devin Lazerine. http://www.rap-up.com/2010/10/20/mariah-carey-previews-christmas-album/. Retrieved 2010-12-10. 
22. ^ McCann, Bob (2010). Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. [[McFarland & Company ]]. p. 69. ISBN 9780786437900. 
23. ^ "Mariah Carey makes new 'Push' into acting". Daily News (New York). 2008-09-22. http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2008/09/22/2008-09-22_mariah_carey_makes_new_push_into_acting.html. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
24. ^ ^{a b} Carey, Mariah (1994). Album notes for Merry Christmas (Liner Notes) by Mariah Carey [Compact Disc]. New York City, New York: Columbia Records.
25. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} "Mariah Carey – Merry Christmas (album)". Ultratop & Hung Medien. http://www.ultratop.be/en/showitem.asp?interpret=Mariah+Carey&titel=Merry+Christmas&cat=a. Retrieved 2010-08-20. 
26. ^ "Hits of the World". Billboard 106 (49). 1994-12-03. ISSN 0006-2510. http://books.google.fr/books?id=ZwgEAAAAMBAJ&dq=billboard&q=Merry+Christmas#v=snippet&q=Merry%20Christmas&f=false. Retrieved 2011-07-03. 
27. ^ "Music SoundScan Charts". Canadian Online Explorer. http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Charts/ALBUMS.html. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
28. ^ ^{a b} "Hits of the World". Billboard 106 (52). 1194-12-24. ISSN 0006-2510. http://books.google.fr/books?id=ZAgEAAAAMBAJ&dq=billboard&q=Merry+Christmas#v=snippet&q=Merry%20Christmas&f=false. Retrieved 2011-07-03. 
29. ^ "European Albums". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts#/charts/european-albums. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
30. ^ "Musicline.de – Chartverfolgung – Carey, Mariah". Bundesverband Musikindustrie. http://www.musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/Carey,Mariah/?type=longplay. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
31. ^ "Mariah Carey – Merry Christmas (Album)". Ένωση Ελλήνων Παραγωγών Ηχογραφημάτων. http://greekcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Mariah+Carey&titel=Merry+Christmas&cat=a. Retrieved 2010-11-04. 
32. ^ "Album and Single Positions" (in Hungarian). Mahasz. http://www.mahasz.hu/m/?menu=slagerlistak&menu2=top_40_album_es_valogataslemez_lista. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
33. ^ "Hits of the World". Billboard 107 (2). 1995-01-14. ISSN 0006-2510. http://books.google.fr/books?id=ZAgEAAAAMBAJ&dq=billboard&q=Merry+Christmas#v=snippet&q=Merry%20Christmas&f=false. Retrieved 2011-07-03. 
34. ^ "ゴールドディスク大賞受賞者一覧" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. http://www.riaj.or.jp/data/others/gdlist/pdf/gd1-20_list.pdf. Retrieved 2010-08-19. 
35. ^ "Album Charts". Productores de Música de España. http://promusicae.es/english.html. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
36. ^ "TOP 40 Official UK Albums Archive". The Official Charts Company. 1993-09-11. http://www.theofficialcharts.com/archive-chart/_/3/1993-09-11/. Retrieved 2010-08-19. 
37. ^ ^{a b c} "Merry Christmas – Mariah Carey". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/album/mariah-carey/merry-christmas/157869. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
38. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2008 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.aupageshttpwww.aria.com.aupagesARIACharts-Accreditations-2008Albums.htm. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
39. ^ "Gold and Platinum". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry – Austria. http://www.ifpi.at/?section=goldplatin. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
40. ^ "Gold & Platinum Certification". Canadian Recording Industry Association. http://www.cria.ca/goldplat.php/. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
41. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 1996 Awards". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. http://www.ifpi.com/content/section_news/plat1996.html. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
42. ^ AT LEAST ONE OF artist or title MUST BE PROVIDED for GERMAN CERTIFICATION.
43. ^ "RIAJ: 1 Million Seller 1994" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. http://www.riaj.or.jp/data/others/million_list/1994.html. Retrieved 2010-08-15. 
44. ^ "Gold & Platinum Certifications". Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. http://www.nvpi.nl/nvpi/pagina.asp?pagkey=60461&formposted=no&pagenr=1. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
45. ^ Scapolo, Dean (2007). The Complete New Zealand Music Charts 1966–2006. RIANZ. ISBN 978-1-877443-00-8. 
46. ^ "Norway's certification database". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry – Norway. http://www.ifpi.no/sok/index_trofe.htm. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
47. ^ "Awards 1994". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry — Switzerland. http://www.swisscharts.com/awards.asp?year=1994. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
48. ^ ^{a b} "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx. Retrieved 2010-08-29. 
49. ^ "Billboard – Artists – Mariah Carey". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/mariah-carey/chart-history/48340. Retrieved 2010-08-14. 
50. ^ "Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/mariah-carey/chart-history/48340?f=367&g=Singles. Retrieved 2010-08-14. 
51. ^ "Australian Charts > Mariah Carey". Australian-charts.com Hung Medien. http://australian-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Mariah+Carey. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 
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References

• Nickson, Chris (1998). Mariah Carey revisited: her story. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0312195120.