‘She Doesn’t Understand Music’: Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas’ Co-Writer Slams The Star’s Musical Skills

Daily Caller ^ | December 26, 2022 7:26 PM ET | LEENA NASIR ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER

[Dr. Sivana]

She doesn’t play anything, she doesn’t play keyboard or piano.

Good grief. She doesn't present herself as a Julliard graduate. There are immortal singer and musicians who never learned those things. Although George Martin helped the Beatles, they intuited a lot of their musical touches without knowing the terminology. Mostly hard work and learning from what they grew up hearing without formal training.

Fats Domino didn't read music either, but he was a fine piano player.

And this bit that you aren't talented if you just sing and don't play instruments or compose is '60s gobbledy-gook. Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Enrico Caruso didn't play instruments or write much material, but their talent is unquestioned.

I don't even LIKE Mariah Caray, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have vocal chops. Ditto Barbra Streisand, whom I hate listening to.

Walter Afanasieff should go to the bank with his fat checks and keep his mouth shut. She is responsible for him being a very wealthy man.

[SMARTY]

If you have to undress for attention, then there is something seriously missing for you in the ‘talent’ department! (Unless you are working on a street corner.) 😉

[rexthecat]

Afanasieff is a whiner. Sour grapes.

[Albion Wilde]

“She doesn’t play anything, she doesn’t play keyboard or piano. She doesn’t understand music, she doesn’t know chord changes and music theory or anything like that,”

An acquaintance of mine is an extraordinary a capella harmony singer, by ear—he never received any formal musical training. Instead, he was raised in a generations-strong Bluegrass music tradition, and has sung in churches and regional theater for 60 years, including arranging harmony parts and directing small combos, to considerable acclaim.

Recently he got a group together to sing a simple, three-part harmony version of a classic piece of music that was originally scored for orchestra and chorus. At the last minute, one of the three singers had to drop out; and he hastily added a new tenor who also happened to be musically literate.

The new person totally took over and began lecturing the two a capella singers, the stage hands, microphone people and the director of the musical, because the other two "didn't know music." But during the performance, he sang flat and missed several of his entrances. I was sad for my very skilled friend to have been embarrassed by that egotist.

Mariah Carey has a great voice. I don't like that piece of Christmas music, but the gal can sing. Great vocal performance doesn't originate with those who score music or instrumentalize it.

[EliRoom8]

>>that sounds more like sour grapes than a fair charge.<<

Not a fan of hers but appreciate your prudence.

[dfwgator]

Mariah is crying all the way to the bank.

[V_TWIN]

I never said it didn’t take work.....my point is many people have a gift that doesn’t require formal training.....and I bet Mariah Carey falls into that category.

[dfwgator]

[real saxophonist]

EXACTLY. If she sang the same songs, with the same voice, and the same backup, but looked like a young Helen Thomas, would anyone be talking about how talented she is?

[dfwgator]

About 30 years and 50 pounds ago.

[Boogieman]

“I wonder if Walter earns that much, as well.”

Probably less, because he just has the writing credit, where she gets royalties from the recordings as well.

[Tired of Taxes]

Why would this guy want anyone to know he wrote this overplayed song?

[SMARTY]

This was ths the corected link for some actual singing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPpD0tUVBO0

[Lazamataz]

I hate music.

[joethedrummer]

Exactly.

[Albion Wilde]

I read that she earns at least $3M, every Christmas, on royalties for that ONE song.

This 2022 article says she earns 400,00 British pounds ($482,000) per year on it. Still, nice piece of change.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Walter’s extreme sour grapes are not very becoming, are they? What a grouch. In music, there have always been winners and losers. The stars make all the big money and the studio musicians, producers, sound engineers, and song writers are quietly laboring in the background, grinding things out day-to-day, and making a living.

I often groused about no-talent execs in the companies I worked at, but somehow they rose to the top and made the big bucks.

That’s the way of the world.

[DoodleBob]

Well, if you mean the dominant, that'd be G.

The dominant/V chord in C is G_maj,or G,B, and D.

I may be missing something. But I'd never tell someone I aced harmony or theory.

[Larry Lucido]

Yep. Not a huge fan, but she can hit those notes. And she was a bit of a looker, for what that’s worth.

She can take his critique all the way to the bank.

[Cecily]

According to Wiki, Mariah received vocal training from her mother, who was a classically trained opera singer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariah_Carey