Mariah Carey may have graciously accepted defeat earlier this week when her perennially chart-topping classic, ‘All I Want for Christmas,’ was bested by Brenda Lee‘s ‘Rockin Around the Christmas Tree’ for the Hot 100’s top spot, but – as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) recently evidenced – the Songbird Supreme is still soaring to major wins overall.
Taking to press Friday (December 8), the RIAA announced multiple Mariah yuletide titles had their certifications upgraded.
14x Platinum– ‘All I Want for Christmas’ (Single)
9x Platinum– ‘Merry Christmas’ (Album)
1x Platinum (for sales equivalence of 1 million in the United States)– ‘O Holy Night’ (Single)– ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’ (Single)
While her 1994-released ‘Merry Christmas’ album etches closer to becoming her third LP crowned with Diamond status (in recognition of 10 million units sold in the U.S.), its biggest single – ‘All I Want’ – is continuing its trek toward double Diamond.
Already the highest-certified holiday single in American history, the tune now sits at 14x Platinum for sales equivalence of 14 million. The update means she’s tied Lorde‘s signature 2013 smash, ‘Royals,’ for overall highest-certified female-led song of all-time.
When all songs are considered, the only hits certified higher than ‘All I Want’ are Post Malone & Swae Lee‘s ‘Sunflower‘ (18x Platinum), Lil Nas X‘s ‘Old Town Road‘ (17x Platinum), Imagine Dragons’ ‘Radioactive’ and Ed Sheeran‘s ‘Thinking Out Loud‘ (16x Platinum), Drake‘s ‘God’s Plan’ (16x Platinum), The Chainsmokers’ ‘Closer’ (15x Platinum), and Chris Stapleton‘s ‘Tennessee Whiskey,’ Foster the People‘s ‘Pumped Up Kicks,’ Florida Georgia Line‘s ‘Cruise,’ Wiz Khalifa‘s ‘See You Again,’ Gotye‘s ‘Somebody That I Used to Know,’ John Legend’s ‘All of Me,’ and Post’s ‘Congratulations‘ (14x Platinum each).
Bringing her cumulative digital singles sales to 69 million Stateside, Mariah has pushed past King of Pop Michael Jackson‘s longstanding record for most digital singles sold among artists whose debuts predate the digital era. His career-wide count currently sits at 68.5 million in the U.S.
Among all acts, technically Maroon 5 – with 87.5 million digital records sold to date – own the “pre-digital era” sales title as their debut album as a collective, ‘The Fourth World,’ arrived in 1997.
However, because that project is credited to their band’s original moniker, Kara’s Flowers, they are excluded from this tally.
