Oh Santa!

Last updated

"Oh Santa!"
Oh Santa Mariah Carey.png
Single by Mariah Carey
from the album Merry Christmas II You
ReleasedOctober 1, 2010
Recorded2010
Studio
Genre
Length3:31
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Carey
  • Cox
  • Dupri
Mariah Carey singles chronology
"Angels Cry"
(2010)		"Oh Santa!"
(2010)		"Auld Lang Syne (The New Year's Anthem)"
(2010)
Music video
"Oh Santa!" on YouTube

"Oh Santa!" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey from her second Christmas album and thirteenth studio album, Merry Christmas II You (2010). Carey wrote and produced the song in collaboration with Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox. It was released as the lead single from the album on October 1, 2010 by Island Def Jam Records. It is an up-tempo R&B song about Carey making a plea for Santa Claus to bring back her partner in time for the Christmas holidays. It received a positive response from music critics, with many praising its composition and style.

Contents

The track set a record on the United States Billboard Adult Contemporary songs chart, debuting at number twelve and peaking at number one the following week for four weeks. It became the first song to reach the summit in two weeks. It further became Carey's seventh number-one song on the chart. Carey filmed a 1960s-style music video to accompany the song's release as a single, and performed it on various programs in the lead up to Christmas, including her own TV special called Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to You.

It was later adapted to be the finale of A Christmas Melody , a 2015 Hallmark Channel Christmas movie, with its lyrics tweaked to be relevant for Broadway child performer Fina Strazza's character singing about her single mother finding love. On December 4, 2020, a new version was released featuring singers Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson, as a single from the soundtrack to Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special for Apple TV+.

Background and composition

Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg
"Oh Santa!"
A 21 second sample of the song's chorus, featuring jingles and handclaps.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Oh Santa!" was written and produced by Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox for Carey's second Christmas/thirteenth studio album, Merry Christmas II You (2010); Rye Songs administered by Songs of Universal (BMI)/Shaniah Cymone Music|EMI April Music Inc. (ASCAP)/WBM Music Corp Inc./Pamela & Lorrence's Publishing LLC (SESAC). Her vocals were recorded by Brian Garten, Marcus Johnson and Thomas Kanarek, Martin Cooke, Nicholas Essif and Peter Mack, and the music by John Horesco at Guardian Angel Studios, Westlake Recording Studios, Henson Studios and Capitol Recording Studios. It was mixed by Phil Tan and Damien Lewis at The Ninja Beat Club. Dupri played the drums and Randy Jackson performed bass. Cox plated the keyboard and percussion. The background vocals were sung by Angie Fisher, Melonie Daniels, Maryann Tatum, Sharlotte Gibson and Toni Scruggs. [1]

"Oh Santa!" was one of four original compositions by Carey to be included on the album. [2] [3] It premiered on October 1, 2010, in the United States. [3] An EP consisting of six remixes by Jump Smokers and Low Sunday were released on December 7, [4] while a mix of "Oh Santa! and one of Carey's previous Christmas songs "All I Want for Christmas Is You", titled "Oh Santa! All I Want for Christmas Is You (Holiday Mashup)", was released on December 17. [5] "Oh Santa!" is an up-tempo and festive R&B song, [2] [6] which lasts for a duration of three minutes, thirty-one seconds. [7] It has a 1960s girl-group swing feel. [8] The song, in the key of C♯ major, has a tempo of 80  beats per minute. [9] Carey's voice spans more than three octaves, from B♭2 to the high note of F♯6. [9] Instrumentation consists of sleigh bells, jingle bells, hand claps and a piano melody, backed by a "school-yard chant beat". [2] [3] [8] [10] Lyrically, Carey makes a plea to Santa Claus asking him to bring back her "baby" in time for Christmas, singing "Santa's gon' come and make him mine this Christmas." [2] [3]

Critical reception

Mike Diver of the BBC wrote that "Oh Santa!" is a "boisterous" song which "makes perfect sense" as a lead single. He continued to write that although it fell substandard to "All I Want for Christmas Is You", it would still "warrant revisiting 12 months down the line". [6] Rolling Stone writer Caryn Ganz commented on the composition, writing "Mariah bops to a schoolyard-chant beat". [10] Joey Guerra of the Houston Chronicle described the song as "irresistible" and predicted that it would "dominate ringtones" in the run up to Christmas. [8] A reviewer for Idolator described the track as a "boppy" Christmas version of Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend". [11] Rich Juzwiak of The Village Voice was critical of the song, writing "Of the four Mariah-penned new tracks, the Jermaine Dupri/Bryan-Michael Cox collaboration 'Oh Santa!' tries the hardest, an antique kitchen-sink replica that manages to invoke a cheerleading squad, the Pointer Sisters, Mariah's own 'Loverboy', and Hey Ya!'. Full of mumbling and cattiness, it's difficult to sing along to, so its prospects of becoming a perennial favorite are dim." [12]

Chart performance

In the United States, "Oh Santa!" became a record-breaking entry on the Billboard Adult Contemporary songs chart. It debuted at number twelve for the issue dated December 11, 2010. [13] [14] The track soared to number one the following week, [15] marking the quickest ascent to the peak position since Nielsen BDS began tracking airplay in 1993, in just two weeks. [14] Previously, eight songs had reached number one within three weeks, four of which were Christmas entries due to adult contemporary radio stations playing an increased amount in the holiday season. [14] "Oh Santa!" became Carey's seventh number-one hit on the chart, and her first in fifteen years since "One Sweet Day" (1995–96), a duet with Boyz II Men. The singer also topped the chart with her debut single "Vision of Love" (her first) and "Love Takes Time" in 1990, "I Don't Wanna Cry" in 1991, and "Can't Let Go" and "I'll Be There" in 1992. [14] "Oh Santa!" remained atop the chart for four consecutive weeks altogether. [15] [16] [17] [18] It finished at number 42 on the 2011 Adult Contemporary year-end chart. [19] For the week ending October 30, 2010, Carey occupied the top two positions on the Holiday Digital Songs chart: "Oh Santa!" debuted at number one while "All I Want For Christmas Is You" charted at number two. [20] On January 1, 2011, the track debuted at number one-hundred on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, [21] and number forty on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs chart. [22]

Elsewhere, the track debuted at number thirty-six on the South Korean Gaon International Digital Singles Chart for the week ending November 20, 2010. [23] It later peaked at number thirty-two for the week ending December 25, 2010. [24] On the International Download Singles Chart, the track peaked at number thirty. [25] "On Santa!" peaked at number sixty-eight on the Japan Hot 100. [26] The song peaked at number seventy-three on January 1, 2011, for two consecutive weeks on the Canadian Hot 100 chart. [27]

Music video

Carey portrayed as a performer on the fictional Christmas television show in the music video. Oh Santa Screenshot.png
Carey portrayed as a performer on the fictional Christmas television show in the music video.

The music video for "Oh Santa!" was directed by Ethan Lader [28] and was shot in Los Angeles on October 6, 2010. [29] Reports surfaced online that Carey's then-husband Nick Cannon would be directing the video, however Cannon dispelled the rumors on Twitter, saying "I am NOT directing." [29] The video for "Oh Santa!" premiered on entertainment news program Access Hollywood on November 2, 2010. [30] Prior to its release, various media outlets speculated that the video was going incorporate the same on-set style as seen in Outkast's music video for their 2003 single "Hey Ya!", with the singer as the main feature in front of a large audience. [29] Carey's fan site MariahDaily posted a message on their website asking people within the Los Angeles area to appear for a casting call for a chance to be featured in the video. [29]

Synopsis

The video draws influence from the 1950s and 1960s variety shows and features Carey wearing a short, red "sexy Santa" ensemble, whilst on stage with a band, which featured gospel backup singers as well as a group of dancers, consisting of cheerleaders. The plotline is centered on Carey hosting a "Mariah Carey Christmas" television show. The announcer introduces Carey saying "here she is, the greatest singer of all time, Ms. Mariah Carey!". The video then shows Carey's backup singers belting out the chorus while the singer is seen performing in front of a cheering audience. Her collection of fragrances is also advertised in the opening. In the second half of the video, Santa Claus makes an appearance, waving to friends and sharing a hug with Carey. The video ends with the singer laughing while the audience cheers and claps for her performance. [28] [29]

Reception

Becky Bain of Idolator commented on the simple structure and themes of the video, writing "There’s not much to this simple vid, but it does feature Carey doing her usual hand-waving theatrics while hitting some absolutely killer high notes." [30] Bain also observed that the vast majority of the shots of Carey are either long shots, showing the singer from a distance, or close-up shots, showing Carey from the shoulders and above so that the viewer was not able to easily recognize that she was pregnant. [30] Nicole James of MTV Buzzworthy also praised the content of the video, writing "Of course, it wouldn't be a Mariah Carey video without some glitz and glam so the stage and backdrop are covered in (what else?) glitter. Mariah puts on a great show and sings her heart out with that famous eight-octave range ... scrooges need not apply, 'Oh Santa!' is fun and festive and has you longing for a sip of eggnog." [31]

Remixes

When the song was first released as a single in 2010, six dance remixes were commissioned and were later released as a digital EP on December 7, 2010. [4] A mashup of the song with 1994's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" produced by Jump Smokers titled "Oh Santa! All I Want for Christmas Is You (Holiday Mashup)" was also released on December 13, 2010. [32]

Track listings and formats

Charts

Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson version

  1. ↑ Carey, Mariah (2010). Merry Christmas II You (Liner Notes) (Compact Disc). Mariah Carey. New York City, New York: Def Jam.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "New Music: Mariah Carey – 'Oh Santa!'". Rap-Up . October 1, 2010. Archived from the original on June 25, 2013. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Mariah Carey, 'Oh Santa!' – Song Premiere". PopEater . October 1, 2010. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 "Oh Santa! (The Remixes)". iTunes Store . December 7, 2010. Archived from the original on December 10, 2010. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Oh Santa! All I Want for Christmas Is You (Holiday Mashup) – Single by Mariah Carey". iTunes Store. December 17, 2010. Archived from the original on September 22, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Diver, Mike. "Mariah Carey Merry Christmas II You Review". BBC . Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Merry Christmas II You by Mariah Carey". iTunes Store. November 2, 2010. Archived from the original on November 7, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 Guerra, Joey (November 2, 2010). "Mariah Carey makes spirits bright with new CD". Houston Chronicle . Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  9. 1 2 "dig Sheet Music, Mariah Carey 'Oh Santa!'". Musicnotes. Peer International Music Publishing . 2010. MN0088978. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  10. 1 2 Ganz, Caryn (November 3, 2010). "Merry Christmas II You". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Mariah Carey Unwraps 'Merry Christmas II You' Tracklisting". Idolator . October 9, 2010. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  12. ↑ Juzwiak, Rich (November 10, 2010). "On Mariah Carey's agreeably bizarre yuletide sequel Merry Christmas II You". The Village Voice . Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Adult Contemporary. The week of December 11, 2010". Billboard. December 11, 2010. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Trust, Gary (December 6, 2010). "Mariah Carey's 'Oh Santa!' Tops Adult Contemporary". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  15. 1 2 "Adult Contemporary. The week of December 18, 2010". Billboard. December 18, 2010. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Adult Contemporary. The week of December 25, 2010". Billboard. December 25, 2010. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Adult Contemporary. The week of January 1, 2011". Billboard. January 1, 2010. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Adult Contemporary. The week of January 8, 2011". Billboard. January 8, 2010. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  19. 1 2 "Adult Contemporary Songs. Year End 2011". Billboard. 2011. Archived from the original on May 23, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  20. 1 2 Trust, Gary (October 21, 2010). "Weekly Chart Notes: Far*East Movement, Lil Wayne, Suzanne Vega". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 25, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Mariah Carey Hot 100 Chart History". Billboard. January 1, 2011. Archived from the original on January 1, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  22. 1 2 "Mariah Carey Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs Chart History". Billboard. January 1, 2011. Archived from the original on August 12, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  23. ↑ "South Korea Gaon International Digital Chart (Week: 2010.11.14 to 2010.11.20)". Gaon Chart . November 20, 2010. Archived from the original on September 26, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  24. ↑ "South Korea Gaon International Digital Chart (Week: 2010.12.19 to 2010.12.25)". Gaon Chart. December 25, 2010. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  25. ↑ "South Korea Gaon International Download Chart (Week: 2010.11.114 to 2010.11.20)". Gaon Chart. December 25, 2010. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Mariah Carey Japan Hot 100 Chart History". Billboard. December 4, 2010. Archived from the original on August 12, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Mariah Carey Canadian Hot 100 Chart History". Billboard. January 1, 2011. Archived from the original on October 30, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  28. 1 2 "Video – Mariah Carey: 'Oh Santa!'". Rap-Up. November 2, 2010. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 "Mariah Carey readies retro 'Oh Santa!' video". Rap-Up. October 5, 2010. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  30. 1 2 3 Bain, Becky (November 2, 2010). "Mariah Carey Exclaims 'Oh Santa!' In Her Jolly New Video". Idolator. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  31. ↑ James, Nicole (November 3, 2011). "New Video: Mariah Carey, 'Oh Santa!'". MTV . Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  32. ↑ Mariah Carey – Oh Santa! All I Want for Christmas Is You (Holiday Mashup), archived from the original on October 19, 2021, retrieved November 21, 2020
  33. ↑ "Mariah Carey – Oh Santa!" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  34. ↑ "Mariah Carey Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  35. ↑ "Mariah Carey Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  36. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  37. ↑ "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). January 3, 2011. Archived from the original on May 8, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  38. ↑ "2011년 01주차 Digital Chart - 국외". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 19, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  39. ↑ "Mariah Carey Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  40. ↑ "Mariah Carey Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  41. ↑ "Mariah Carey Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  42. ↑ "Mariah Carey Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales)". Billboard . Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  43. 1 2 "'Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special' debuts Friday, December 4 on Apple TV+, together with the full companion soundtrack exclusively on Apple Music" (Press release). Apple TV+. November 18, 2020. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
  44. 1 2 3 4 "Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande & Jennifer Hudson Have Blessed Us With 'Oh Santa!'". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  45. ↑ "The Holy Trinity, a.k.a. Mariah, J.Hud, and Ariana, Blesses Us With 'Oh Santa' Remix". Vulture. December 4, 2020. Archived from the original on December 9, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  46. ↑ Trust, Gary (December 14, 2020). "Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You" Jingles Back to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100" . Billboard . Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  47. ↑ Masterton, James (December 14, 2020). "Carey on up the charts: Mariah's festive banger finally hits singles peak". Music Week . p. 47. EBSCOhost   147613351.
  48. ↑ "Mariah Carey Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  49. ↑ "Mariah Carey Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  50. ↑ "Mariah Carey Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  51. ↑ "Mariah Carey Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  52. ↑ "Croatia ARC TOP 100". HRT. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  53. ↑ "Mariah Carey Chart History (Euro Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  54. ↑ "Mariah Carey Feat. Ariana Grande & Jennifer Hudson – Oh Santa!" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  55. ↑ "Mariah Carey Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  56. ↑ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on May 10, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  57. ↑ "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas". Billboard Japan. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  58. ↑ "EHR TOP 40 – 2020.12.18". European Hit Radio. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  59. ↑ "Tipparade-lijst van week 52, 2020" [Tip parade list from week 4, 2021] (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Archived from the original on January 30, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  60. ↑ "Dutch Single Tip 01/01/2022". MegaCharts. Archived from the original on December 31, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  61. ↑ "Nicaragua Anglo Top 20 – Del 21 al 27 de Diciembre, 2020". Monitor Latino. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  62. ↑ "Macedonia - Radio Airplay Chart - Week 53.2020 - from 25/12/2020 to 31/12/2020" (in Italian). Radiomonitor (provided by Radioairplay.fm). Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  63. ↑ "Mariah Carey feat. Ariana Grande & Jennifer Hudson – Oh Santa!". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  64. ↑ "2020년 52주차 Digital Chart" (in Korean). Gaon. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  65. ↑ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 52". Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  66. ↑ "Mariah Carey feat. Ariana Grande & Jennifer Hudson – Oh Santa!". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  67. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  68. ↑ "Mariah Carey Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  69. ↑ "Mariah Carey Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  70. ↑ "BDSRadio Charts". Billboard . Archived from the original on December 30, 2020. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  71. ↑ "Mariah Carey Chart History (Holiday 100)". Billboard . Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  72. ↑ "Mariah Carey Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2020.

"Oh Santa!"
Oh Santa!.png
Single by Mariah Carey featuring Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson
from the album Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special (Apple TV+ Original Soundtrack)
ReleasedDecember 4, 2020 (2020-12-04)
Recorded2020
Genre Christmas
Length3:20
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Mariah Carey
  • Daniel Moore II
  • Marc Shaiman
  • Scott M. Riesett
  • Tremaine "Six7" Williams
Mariah Carey singles chronology
"Out Here on My Own"
(2020)		"Oh Santa!"
(2020)		"Here We Go Around Again"
(2020)
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
Featured songs
Other songs
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