3 Rock Covers of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” That Should Be Holiday Staples

Do you like Mariah Carey’s Christmas classic “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” but are tired of the same old covers? Searching for that holiday magic with a little hardcore screaming thrown in for good measure? Here are three of the best rock, metal, and hardcore covers of Carey’s holiday staple.

My Chemical Romance Use Gerard Way’s Signature Wailing to Their Advantage

My Chemical Romance took this upbeat pop classic and turned it a little bit sinister with their signature emo sound and Gerard Way’s distinctive wailing. Arguably this is one of the best covers of “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” as it transforms it almost completely while still leaving it feeling festive. The cover starts out gentle and slow before exploding into pure, unfiltered rock and roll. There’s a moment near the end of the song where Gerard slips into an ominous hiss when he sings “I just want to see my baby / Standing right outside my door,” giving the tune that recognizable theatricality that My Chemical Romance is so fond of. Emo kids deserve a happy holiday too, after all.

August Burns Red Create an Instrumental Metalcore Masterpiece Out of a Pop Song

Metal band August Burns Red covered “All I Want For Christmas Is You” in 2020, and while it’s strictly instrumental, it doesn’t need vocals to get the festive spirit across. This cover relies on expert guitar handling and metalcore drums to convey the tune, successfully doing it with flair. It’s light and festive despite also being metal, so it’ll go over well at a holiday party. If you’re big into metal and are tired of the same old covers, try this one on for size.

From Ashes to New Turn “All I Want For Christmas Is You” into a Sinister Delight

Here’s another metal cover of “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” but a little more on the hardcore side. From Ashes to New took this Mariah Carey classic and changed keys, putting an even more sinister spin on it than My Chemical Romance. It’s darker, but also fun, in a way that doesn’t seem like it would work but ultimately does. Hardcore screaming and Mariah Carey lyrics weren’t on the top of the Christmas list before now. However, From Ashes to New took this song and turned it on its head, providing us with an acute sense of dread and paranoia as if we’re about to be kidnapped, wrapped up, and dropped under someone’s Christmas tree. In short, it’s perfect.

Featured Image by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic