Philadelphia Eagles legend Jason Kelce, known for his Hall of Fame resume on the football field, has achieved a surprising off-field triumph: surpassing the “Queen of Christmas,” Mariah Carey, on the Christmas music charts.
For decades, Carey’s 1994 classic “All I Want for Christmas Is You” has dominated the season, earning her a seemingly permanent spot atop Christmas playlists.
But this year, Kelce’s Christmas anthem claimed the number one spot, a feat as improbable as it is impressive.
How did a former NFL center manage to outshine one of the most enduring pop divas of all time? Kelce credits a little help from a musical legend.
On a recent episode of his New Heights podcast, which he co-hosts with his brother and fellow NFL star Travis Kelce, Jason revealed his secret weapon: Stevie Nicks.
The Fleetwood Mac icon joined him for a duet of “Maybe This Christmas,” the lead single from Kelce’s latest charity album, A Philly Special Christmas Party.
“It was incredible to work with Stevie Nicks. I mean, obviously, I’m still in awe of the fact that that actually happened,” Kelce said.
“There’s no percent chance that any song that I am in should be streaming No. 1 on any service, in any genre. But that’s the power of having the front woman for Fleetwood Mac in the recording studio with you.”
The collaboration came to fruition thanks to Taylor Swift, a friend of Nicks and the Kelce family.
Nicks’ haunting vocals and star power undoubtedly elevated the song to unexpected new heights (pun intended).
Needless to say, Kelce couldn’t resist poking fun at the idea of dethroning Mariah Carey.
“You know, I’ve fought my whole life to be the queen of Christmas, and the fact that we’re finally there is just really special,” he said.
The timing of the release may have also played a role in its early success.
“Maybe This Christmas” debuted on November 8, just as Christmas music was beginning to pick up steam.
“I know we caught it in early November. We’ll see if it holds up throughout the rest of Christmas,” Kelce said. “We kind of caught it on the Christmas downslide, like, not too many people are listening to Christmas music so we jumped up in there.”
The full album, featuring Kelce’s Eagles-themed music group “The Philly Specials,” dropped last week.
Proceeds from the album will benefit local charities, continuing the tradition Kelce started in 2021.
The title of this story may be a bit harsh. After all, Jason Kelce certainly doesn’t have the power to ruin Christmas for anybody.
Having said that, many people have grown sick and tired of the Kelce brothers. Even so, you have to admit it’s pretty impressive that Jason passed Mariah on the Christmas charts – even if just temporarily.
All of this begs the question: What is YOUR favorite Christmas song of all-time???
