All I want for Christmas is Oxford’s Out of The Blue

The World
Oxford's Out of the Blue a cappella group.

If you're as tone-deaf as I am, you're doing a lot more listening to Christmas carols than you are singing. And one of my favorites is the modern classic "All I Want for Christmas is You". 

Mariah Carey and her writing partner, Walter Afanasieff, penned this musical Christmas confection in 1994, and it's been covered by hundreds of artists since.

The latest comes from Oxford University's all-male a cappella group, Out of The Blue. The men have not only put a great spin on the song, they've also made a video for it that's become an Internet sensation.

The video features the 13 guys singing and dancing in front of famous Oxford landmarks, including Bodleian Library. They start out wearing conservative blue suits, but quickly swap them out for ugly Christmas sweaters. The video has has gone viral, with 2 million YouTube views so far.

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The hilarious video was produced as a fundraising effort for the group's favorite charity. Proceeds from the downloads of the single go to Helen and Douglas House, an Oxford-based children’s hospice.

“It’s just a really special place," says OOTB member Huw Braithwaite. "We get together quite a lot and sing for the children there."

It's not the first time "Out of the Blue" has been an Internet sensation. They made a splash earlier this year with this medley of Shakira songs.

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It even caught the attention of the Colombian singer herself, who gave the group a Twitter shout-out.

It's fair to say that the OOTB videos are more than just a bit camp, but Braithwaite says that's part of the fun.

“We all subscribe to the fact that it’s sort of in line with the a cappella scene," he says. "We try to make it a little bit of fun. We try not to take ourselves too seriously when we do it."

If you're are a traditionalist and you want some classic Mariah, here's the original version. I'm a fan of both. 

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