How Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" Was Really Made — Co-writer Walter Afanasieff

Jess is joined by WALTER AFANASIEFF , the Grammy-winning songwriter and producer behind MARIAH CAREY's biggest '90s hits — including "Hero," "My All," "One Sweet Day," and "All I Want for Christmas Is You." Topics — how the modern Christmas classic was written, his professional fallout with Mariah Carey , and how the songwriting biz has radically changed since the '90s. Plus — producing CELINE DION's "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic , writing with BEYONCÉ and BARBRA STREISAND, and the story of how a record label sabotaged a future American Idol winner. ⭐ IG: @jessxnyc ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the rise & fall of SoulCycle — Cult of Body & Soul ⭐ Jess' docu-series on the history, mystique & lore of Fire Island — Finding Fire Island

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How Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" Was Really Made — Co-writer Walter Afanasieff is an episode from Hot Takes & Deep Dives by Jess Rothschild.

This episode is 01:01:44 long.

This episode was published on Dec 29, 2025.

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