Mariah Carey has frequently claimed that she composed “All I Want for Christmas Is You” on her Casio keyboard as a child, however her former co-producer and co-writer disputes this.
In fact, he has publicly asserted that she “does not comprehend music.”
During the “Hot Takes & Deep Dives” podcast, Walter Afanasieff disclosed that he and Carey, 52, co-wrote the song shortly after working together on her 1993 album “Music Box.”
Afanasieff, 64, stated that the two were initially on the same page regarding the song; nevertheless, around ten years ago, a “other story” began to circulate.
“As she began to imply, ‘Oh, I created that song when I was a child!’ But why hadn’t you been saying this for the last 12 or 13 or 15 years? Therefore, it evolved in her imagination,” he explained.
Carey revealed to Billboard in 2017 that she composed the song as a child.
“I am proud of this song that I wrote on my Casio keyboard as a child,” she stated at the time.
Walter Afanasieff stated that he and Mariah Carey were always on the same page regarding the song, but there was a “other story” approximately a decade ago.
However, Afanasieff has now brazenly asserted that the Grammy-winning, chart-topping singer-songwriter is truly musically handicapped.
She does not play anything, neither the keyboard nor the piano. She does not comprehend music, nor is she familiar with chord progressions, music theory, or anything like. Afanasieff asserted that she does not know a decreased chord from a minor seventh chord to a major seventh chord.
The Post has contacted Carey’s representatives for comment on Afanasieff’s allegations.
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” was released in 1994 and remains a holiday season chart-topper.
“Therefore, the notion that she composed a highly complex chord-structured tune with her finger on a Casio keyboard as a child is a bit of a tall tale,” he noted on the show. “I’ve studied music and hold music degrees. I am a proficient orchestrator and arranger. I instruct music. I’m not a schlump. I do not improvise.”
Afanasieff stated that he and Carey came up with the tune while working on three songs for her “Merry Christmas” album.
“We were ensconced in a wonderful mansion that they rented, and it was summer, and there was a piano. “I began creating ‘All I Want For Christmas’ by playing a boogie-woogie, which is a type of rock,” he explained while making the sound of a bassline.
When Carey began singing “I don’t want much for Christmas,” the producer said he was playing the piano.
“The situation resembled a game of pingpong. “I would hit the ball to her, and she would return it to me,” he added.
On December 13, 2022, Mariah Carey performs onstage during her “Merry Christmas To All!” concert in Madison Square Garden.
MC images by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Afanasieff stated that the singers were in control of the melodies and lyrics, while he was responsible for the music and chords.
In her documentary “Mariah Carey is Christmas: The Story of ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You,’” Carey presented an alternative account of the events.
Walter Afanasieff stated that he and Mariah Carey co-wrote the song while working on three tracks for her “Merry Christmas” album.
Photograph by Tibrina Hobson/WireImage
She suggested that she began the song on her own before joining Afanasieff “in the studio.”
The hit Christmas song is credited equally to Afanasieff and Carey, with no other writers or producers.
They collaborated on several of her studio albums, such as “Emotions” and “Music Box.”
This is not the first time the artist has received criticism for her successful song.
Andy Stone, who co-wrote the country song “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Vince Vance & the Valiants, filed a $20 million copyright infringement complaint against Carey and Afanasieff, claiming they never sought or got permission to use the title.
The 1994 release of Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” remains at the top of the charts every holiday season.
»Mariah Carey’s co-writer criticizes her: ‘She doesn’t understand music.’«