"Joy to the World" is an English Christmas carol. Mariah Carey covered the song for her fourth studio album and first Christmas album, Merry Christmas. "Joy to the World" was first released as a promotional single in the US in November 1994 through Columbia Records. A year later, on November 27, 1995, it was released as a commercial single in Australia.
Composition[]
Carey's version, done in a dance-pop style with elements from gospel, combined the chorus (with slightly altered lyrics) of the Hoyt Axton song, "Joy to the World" (made popular by Three Dog Night) with the traditional Christmas carol.
Live performances[]
"Joy to the World" was first performed live on Argentinian TV show Fer Play via satellite from New York. The performance was taped on December 7, 1994 and aired three days later. Carey also performed "Joy to the World" at the Fresh Air Fund benefit concert held at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on December 8, 1994. The footage of the performance was used as the song's official music video.
Carey also performed the song on BET's Christmas Remembrances Special on December 18, 2001. The special aired on Christmas Day 2001. "Joy to the World" was included on the set list of the second North American leg of the Charmbracelet World Tour. The song, as well as "All I Want for Christmas Is You," were performed at Walt Disney World on December 5, 2004. The performances were aired on Christmas Day as part of the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade.
Carey didn't perform "Joy to the World" again until the taping of Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to You, Carey's second Christmas special, on November 6, 2010 (aired on December 13, 2010). The song was also performed on Christmas in Rockefeller Center on December 3, 2013.
The song was also part of the setlist for Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You concerts, from 2014 to 2019.
A live performance of the song, taped at Beacher's Madhouse in Los Angeles on November 23, 2015, was included on Mariah Carey's Merriest Christmas, aired on December 19, 2015.
A piano medley of David Bowie's "Heroes," "Hero" and "Joy to the World" was performed from home on Robin Hood's Heroes of New York TV special, broadcast on December 1, 2020.
Carey also performed a new arrangement of the song, featuring elements from the "Celebration Mix," on the Merry Christmas to All!, Merry Christmas One and All! and Mariah Carey's Christmas Time tours in 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively. The 2022 NYC performances were included on Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to All!, aired on December 20, 2022.
Track listings and formats[]
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