‘All I Want for Christmas’ Co-Writer Criticizes Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey says she composed "All I Want for Christmas" as a kid on her little Casio keyboard. However, her former producer Walter Afanasieff, who co-wrote the song, is singing a very different tune. He says "she [Mariah Carey] doesn’t play anything; she doesn’t play keyboard or piano." Now, the Queen of Christmas is calling the claims "ridiculous.” She also posted a VH1 interview from 1994 where she said the lyrics and melody for the holiday hit came to her quickly.

[alonzoclarkston]

Lol Mariah literally credited Walter so many times and she even said she’s a terrible piano player 😂😂 she literally also said she came up with the melody and invite Walter to the studio to help her put together the song😂😂😂 this woman been writing her ish

[josephsuarez]

Regardless if she doesn’t know how to play the piano well, the melody is still part of the co-writing process.

[randombackgroundsingerfrom]

MARIAH been telling the same story since 1994 😭. Walter just can't accept the fact that All I want grew into a massive song that it is today and he can't gain anything out of it.

[focusx]

SHE WROTE THE SONG AND CAME UP WITH THE MELODY!
Walter helped construct and helped with the production of the song as a producer.

[Chelaxim]

The craziest thing here is the co-writer claiming that the melody was a complex cord structure.

[sarahosman]

The actual quote is, "This song that I wrote BASICALLY as a kid on my little Casio keyboard.” Walter has been twisting this singular quote for YEARS to create a falsehood about Mariah claiming to write the song in her childhood, which would leave him out of the picture. In actuality, the clip from VH1 shows that the "kid" or young woman Mariah was speaking of when she spoke to Billboard in 2017, has been telling the same story about writing the lyrics and melody with a keyboard since 1994. Nowhere does Mariah claim to be an outstanding pianist, but she did know enough to capture the melody that came to her, on her own. Her story has not changed. What has changed is the popularity of the song. This is what Walter had to say just a year before Mariah spoke to Billboard. "The thing about Mariah is that she’s such a master melodist, ” songwriter Walter Afanasieff told Billboard in 2016, reminiscing about working with Carey and Boyz II Men on “One Sweet Day.” “Today, that’s commonly referred to as a ‘top-line writer’…. someone who can start singing right off the bat. Mariah is such a gifted top-line writer that she can sing melodies and come up with lyric ideas on the spot.” That doesn't sound like someone that doesn't understand music. Rather, that sounds like a brilliant songwriter that is more than capable of writing a hit song and should not in any way minimize her genius to protect a man's bruised ego.

[plaguedoctork]

This women is a well known legendary writer. She wrote 18 of her 19 number ones and been doing so since early childhood. And been honored on the writers hall of fame. She has given a lot of credit to walter throughout the years, yet I still don't know why he had such a fall out with her. Sad to see so.

[gm.]

mariah is not just a vocalist, she’s also a songwriter and one of the best ones out there. she’s excellent with her lyrics and people need to realise that.

[Jeremy-wpyh]

If the song didn't go number 1 this guy would be quiet.

[sb]

When she says she bascially wrote it as a kid... she means because the song is 25 years old and she's not old enough to have written a song that old so she must have been a little baby when she wrote it. It's Mariah humor. Also, she has given Walter credit so many times on Xmas, Hero, and countless other songs.

[sheldoncampbell]

love the song, never gets old... this is going nowhere...

[davidwillis]

The jealousy is real she is the everlasting ⭐ OF ALL TIME!!!

[MistriiiMusic]

Walter A is so bitter because she went on to flourish WITHOUT HIM. She wrote the lyrics and melody. All he did was okay the keys based on HER MELODY

[keriXianne]

He got the credit, it’s on the label, this song and album got them both extremely rich he needs to stop crying now

[naturesbest]

It was 2017, I was a ups delivery driver for a big mall. This song played constantly. I lost my mind, my soul then… it just became the background of sound. I had no idea it was playing.
Left that job for management at another company. 2022, went shopping at that mall and had PTSD. It was was July…

[bubbastinker]

Nobody would’ve ever known who he is. a writer on the song, if Mariah Carey wooden not made it a hit which she has done, she has made that song, the most famous. Christmas song ever. He should be thanking his lucky stars. He was even a part of that song.

[eniolafolorunso]

He does this every year. Isn't he tired? It's her song. Without her, the song wouldn't exist or wouldn't be successful. He's written and produced multiple Christmas songs and albums outside of Mariah and none have been as successful as AIWFCIY or the album. Give it a rest.

[Internalharmony]

You don't have to know or really play an instrument to come up with a tune. Since Mariah has the ability to hear melodies and touch keys on piano, it sounds as if thats what she did. Then asked Walter for help. Again you don't have to be a pro or anything just to come up with a tune. All you have to do is go over to an instrument and press a key or pluck a string and hear a sound and mess with it to create a what's in ur head. That's what I do. Plus why is it all of the sudden that Walter chooses to have a war over this song once its become as big of a hit as it is?

[LazrCat]

If she has already given him credit for co-writing the song I don't see why he's complaining if they did work on it together.

[fanmev]

This woman gave him credits since the BEGINNING! She mentioned him so many times even after not working with him anymore but that man is bitter and jealous. He just want that bag fr 😂