"Christmas Time Is Here" | ||||
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Single by Vince Guaraldi | ||||
from the album A Charlie Brown Christmas | ||||
B-side | "What Child Is This?" | |||
Released | December 1965 | |||
Recorded | September-October 1965 | |||
Genre | Jazz, Christmas music | |||
Length | 6:05 (instrumental version) 2:43 (vocal version) | |||
Label | Fantasy | |||
Composer(s) | Vince Guaraldi | |||
Lyricist(s) | Lee Mendelson | |||
Vince Guaraldi singles chronology | ||||
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"Christmas Time Is Here" is a popular Christmas standard written by Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson for the 1965 television special A Charlie Brown Christmas , [1] one of the first animated Christmas specials produced for network television in the United States.
Two versions were included on the album A Charlie Brown Christmas : an instrumental version by the Vince Guaraldi Trio and a vocal version by choristers from St. Paul's Episcopal Church in San Rafael, California, who had previously performed with Guaraldi on At Grace Cathedral (1965).
"Christmas Time Is Here" was composed by jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi to accompany the opening of the 1965 television special A Charlie Brown Christmas . It was originally written as an instrumental, but producer Lee Mendelson decided that the song needed lyrics. Mendelson recalled, "When we looked at the show about a month before it was to go on the air, I said, 'That's such a pretty melody; maybe we should try and find some people to put some lyrics to it.'" When he was unable to find someone available, he wrote the lyrics himself:
So I sat down with an envelope — I'll never forget this — at our kitchen table and wrote 'Christmas Time Is Here' in about ten minutes. It was a poem that just came to me — never changed the words to this day. It was only about a minute long. And Vince got a bunch of little kids together to sing it. [2]
The vocals for the song were provided by the children's choir at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in San Rafael. Guaraldi had previously performed with the ensemble at his May 1965 "jazz mass" performance at Grace Cathedral. [3]
The song has since become a perennial Christmas classic. Drummer Jerry Granelli of the Vince Guaraldi Trio commented, "It's amazing: Vince finally wrote a standard. 'Christmas Time Is Here' has been recorded as a standard, and Vince always wanted to write a standard. So he made it." [2]
The song is a waltz composed in F major with an AABA form. During the "B section", the song tonicizes into the key of D-flat major.
A section | |||
---|---|---|---|
FΔ7 | E♭7♯11 | FΔ7 | E♭7♯11 |
Bø7 B♭-7 | A-7 A♭-7 | G-7 C7 | FΔ7 |
B section | |||
D♭Δ7 | G♭7♯11 | D♭Δ7 | G♭7♯11 |
A-7 | D7♯9 | G-7 D♭9#5 | C13 |
"Christmas Time Is Here" remains a popular Christmas song long after its release; as Matt Thompson of The Atlantic writes, "If it wasn’t already a standard that first time it was played, it is now the very definition." [4] Erik Adams of The A.V. Club pointed to the song's juxtaposition of nostalgic lyrics and minor-key composition as a reason for its longevity: "As 'Christmastime Is Here' and the other songs from A Charlie Brown Christmas have been folded into the catalogue of enduring Christmas carols, they’ve continued to stand out by representing a particular strain of wintry melancholy." [5]
The song has also charted on the Holiday 100, reaching number 17 in 2017—over 50 years after its original release. [6]
Chart (2017–2024) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [7] | 35 |
Global 200 ( Billboard ) [8] | 78 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [9] | 39 |
US Holiday 100 (Billboard) [6] | 17 |
The first person to record a cover version of the song was jazz guitarist Ron Escheté on the album Christmas Impressions (1982). David Benoit followed him on the album Christmastime (1983). They were followed by Patti Austin and Debby Boone (both in 1989); Mel Tormé (1992), then Rosemary Clooney, R.E.M., Kenny Loggins, Stone Temple Pilots, and Grover Washington Jr. before the turn of the century. [10] Diana Krall covered the song on her 2005 album Christmas Songs. Pentatonix sang the song as a mash-up with "Pure Imagination" for their 2023 compilation album The Greatest Christmas Hits .
Vincent Anthony Guaraldi was an American jazz pianist best known for composing music for animated television adaptations of the Peanuts comic strip. His compositions for this series included their signature melody "Linus and Lucy" and the holiday standard "Christmas Time Is Here". He is also known for his performances on piano as a member of Cal Tjader's 1950s ensembles and for his own solo career. His 1962 composition "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" became a radio hit and won a Grammy Award in 1963 for Best Original Jazz Composition. He died of a sudden heart attack on February 6, 1976, at age 47, moments after concluding a nightclub performance in Menlo Park, California.
A Charlie Brown Christmas is a 1965 animated television special. It is the first TV special based on the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz, and features the voices of Peter Robbins, Christopher Shea, Kathy Steinberg, Tracy Stratford, and Bill Melendez. Produced by Lee Mendelson and directed by Melendez, the program made its debut on the CBS television network on December 9, 1965. In the special, Charlie Brown (Robbins) finds himself depressed despite the onset of the cheerful holiday season. After Lucy van Pelt (Stratford) suggests he direct a neighborhood Christmas play, his best efforts are ignored and mocked by his peers when he chooses a puny Christmas tree as a centerpiece.
"Linus and Lucy" is a popular instrumental jazz standard written by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi. It serves as the main theme tune for the many Peanuts animated specials and is named for the two fictional siblings, Linus and Lucy Van Pelt. The jazz standard was originally released on Guaraldi's album Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown in 1964, but it gained its greatest exposure as part of A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack the following year. It is one of the most recognizable pieces by Guaraldi and has gained status as the signature melody of the Peanuts franchise.
A Charlie Brown Christmas is the eighth studio album by the American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi. Coinciding with the television debut of the Christmas special of the same name, the album was released in the first week of December 1965 by Fantasy Records.
It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown is the 15th prime-time animated television special based on Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. The subject of the special is Arbor Day, a secular holiday devoted to planting trees. It's Arbor Day, Charlie Brown premiered on the CBS network on March 16, 1976, which is near the dates in which most U.S. states observe Arbor Day. This is the first special to feature the character Rerun van Pelt, who had debuted in the Peanuts comic strip in March 1973.
It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown is the 36th prime-time animated television special based on the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. It originally aired on CBS on November 27, 1992.
"Cast Your Fate to the Wind" is an American jazz instrumental selection by Vince Guaraldi; later, a lyric was written by Carel Werber. It won a Grammy Award for Best Original Jazz Composition in 1963.
One More Drifter in the Snow is the sixth album and first Christmas album by Aimee Mann, released by SuperEgo Records in the United States on October 31, 2006. It was produced by Paul Bryan and comprises covers of "standard great Christmas classics" and two original compositions: "Christmastime", written by Mann's husband Michael Penn, and "Calling on Mary". Grant-Lee Phillips sings with her on the track "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch".
Oh Blue Christmas is an EP by the American band A Fine Frenzy that was released in November 2009 in the United States by Virgin Records. It was initially released exclusively through Target two months after the release of the band's previous studio album Bomb in a Birdcage. The EP contains cover versions of three popular holiday songs—"Blue Christmas", "Winter Wonderland" and "Christmas Time Is Here" from A Charlie Brown Christmas—as well as three original tracks. According to Alison Sudol, A Fine Frenzy's leader, the collection of songs was recorded in five days at record producer David Bianco's studio in Los Angeles.
Oh Good Grief! is the 10th studio album by Vince Guaraldi, released in the U.S. in May 1968. The album was the artist's first release with Warner Bros.-Seven Arts after leaving Fantasy Records in 1966.
From All Sides is a collaboration between pianist Vince Guaraldi and guitarist Bola Sete released in February 1965 by Fantasy Records. It was Guaraldi's seventh studio album and the second of three collaborations with Sete.
Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown is the sixth studio album by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi, released in the U.S. by Fantasy Records in December 1964. It is the soundtrack to the unreleased television documentary film entitled A Boy Named Charlie Brown.
Vince Guaraldi and the Lost Cues from the Charlie Brown Television Specials is a compilation soundtrack album by Vince Guaraldi released by D & D Records in 2007. The album consists of select music cues featured on several Peanuts television specials produced between 1972 and 1975.
Vince Guaraldi and the Lost Cues from the Charlie Brown Television Specials, Volume 2 is a compilation album by Vince Guaraldi released by D & D Records in 2008. The album is a follow-up to the 2007 release, Vince Guaraldi and the Lost Cues from the Charlie Brown Television Specials, which consisted of previously unreleased music cues featured on several Peanuts television specials produced in the 1970s.
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown: Original Soundtrack Recording is a soundtrack album by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi released on October 12, 2018 in the U.S. by Craft Recordings/Concord. A reissue containing original recordings and alternate takes sourced from the master reels was released on August 26, 2022.
The Charlie Brown Suite & Other Favorites is a 2003 compilation album by jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi released by RCA/Bluebird Records. The album is a mix of previously released material, newly discovered studio recordings, plus an archived 1969 live concert recording entitled The Charlie Brown Suite.
Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits is a compilation album by jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi released by Fantasy Records in 1998. The album was the first of several posthumous releases containing a mix of previously released material in addition to nine previously unavailable songs featured in prime-time animated television specials based on the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz.
The 1969 animated film A Boy Named Charlie Brown, based on Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts, had two different soundtrack albums. These albums were released individually in 1970 and 2017.
40 Years: A Charlie Brown Christmas is a compilation album released in the U.S. by Peak Records in October 2005. The album is a tribute to the soundtrack album A Charlie Brown Christmas released by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi in December 1965.