New Orleans songwriter Andy Stone’s lawsuit is centered on a song with the same title that his band Vince Vance & the Valiants released five years prior to Carey’s holiday hit
Mariah Carey is being sued for upwards of $20 million in damages over her massive holiday hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” as NBC News and TMZ report. According to the complaint, New Orleans songwriter Andy Stone alleged that he co-wrote a song with the same title five years prior to Carey’s release. Stone’s song was recorded by his country-pop band Vince Vance & the Valiants and released in 1989. Carey’s single was issued on her 1994 Merry Christmas LP.
Carey is being sued for copyright infringement and misappropriation; she’s named alongside her co-writer Walter Afanasieff and Sony Music Entertainment. Pitchfork has reached out to Carey’s representatives for comment.