Critical reception
What was Shona Craven's review of "All I Want for Christmas Is You"?
All I Want for Christmas Is You
Critical reception. "All I Want for Christmas Is You" was very well received by music critics. Parisien called the song "well-crafted", complimenting its instrumentation and melody. Steve Morse, editor of "The Boston Globe", wrote that Carey sang with a lot of soul. According to Barry Schwarz from Stylus Magazine, "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." Schwartz praised the song's lyrics as well, describing them as "beautifully phrased," and calling Carey's voice "gorgeous" and "sincere." Bill Lamb from About.com called it a "contemporary classic." Kyle Anderson from MTV labeled the track "a majestic anthem full of chimes, sleigh bells, doo-wop flourishes, sweeping strings and one of the most dynamic and clean vocal performances of Carey's career". While reviewing the 2009 remix version, Becky Bain from Idolator called the song a "timeless classic" and wrote, "We love the original song to pieces—we blast it while decorating our Christmas tree and lighting our Menorah." In his review for Carey's "Merry Christmas II You", Thomas Connor from the "Chicago Sun-Times" called the song "a simple, well-crafted chestnut and one of the last great additions to the Christmas pop canon". Shona Craven of Scotland's "The Herald", said, "[it's] a song of optimism and joy that maybe, just maybe, hints at the real meaning of Christmas." Additionally, she felt the main reason it was so successful is the subject "you" in the lyrics, explaining, "Perhaps what makes the song such a huge hit is the fact that it's for absolutely everyone." Craven opened her review with a bold statement: "Bing Crosby may well be turning in his grave, but no child of the 1980s will be surprised to see Mariah Carey's sublime All I Want For Christmas Is You bounding up the charts after being named the nation's top festive song." In a 2006 retrospective look at Carey's career, Sasha Frere-Jones of "The New Yorker" said, the "charming" song was one of Carey's biggest accomplishments, calling it "one of the few worthy modern additions to the holiday canon". Dan Hancox, editor of "The National", quoted and agreed with Jones' statement, calling the song "perfection". In 2010, "Rolling Stone" ranked "All I Want for Christmas Is You" fourth on its Greatest Rock and Roll Christmas Songs list, calling it a "holiday standard."