Friends for Christmas

Last updated

Friends for Christmas
Friends for Christmas by Farnham and Newton Jonn.jpg
Studio album by
Released11 November 2016
Recorded2016
StudioPlayback Recording Studio, Santa Barbara, California
Length38:50
Label Universal
Producer Chong Lim
John Farnham chronology
Two Strong Hearts Live
(2015)
Friends for Christmas
(2016)
Olivia Newton-John chronology
Liv On
(2016)
Friends for Christmas
(2016)
Hopelessly Devoted: The Hits
(2018)

Friends for Christmas is a collaborative Christmas album by John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John. It was recorded at Playback Recording Studio in Santa Barbara, California, produced by Farnham's long-time music director Chong Lim, and released through Sony Music Australia on 11 November 2016 on CD and digital download. The album features well-known traditional holiday standards, by mostly American composers. It was re-released in 2017 with three additional tracks. Friends for Christmas was the final studio album released during Olivia Newton-John's lifetime.

Contents

Synopsis

Friends for Christmas is Farnham's first Christmas album in 46 years; when billed as "Johnny" he released the album Christmas Is Johnny Farnham in 1970. It is Newton-John's fourth, the most recent being This Christmas (2012) recorded with her Grease co-star, John Travolta. Farnham and Newton-John promoted the album in Australia in November. [1]

Artists' press statements

Farnham said: "I have always loved working with Olivia. To record a Christmas album seemed like the right, almost inevitable thing to do. I hope everyone enjoys listening to it as much as we loved recording it together." Newton-John said: "It was such a joy singing these beautiful holiday songs with my favourite singer and good mate John Farnham. The holidays are about family and friends and having this chance to sing these classics with John was pure fun from beginning to end!" [2]

Farnham and [Newton-John performed together in concert numerous times, and released two ARIA number-one albums: Highlights from The Main Event in 1998, [3] from The Main Event Tour, also featuring Anthony Warlow and Two Strong Hearts Live in 2015. [4]

Critical reception

Cameron Adams and Mikey Cahill from news.com.au gave the album three-and-a-half stars out of five and said: "In a sea of corporate Christmas albums, this has a welcome quality missing from most: authenticity. First, they're actual friends and Farnsey insisted on them recording together, eye-to-eye." They added: "Everything here is turned into a duet (and) producer Chong Lim hasn't done much except capture the voices and add choirs and orchestration to make it as lush as you'd expect." [5]

Samantha Jonscher from The Music gave the album two-and-a-half out of five, writing: "If you are the music programmer for David Jones this Christmas season then this is the Yuletide album for you. The Broadway smiles one imagines plastered across their faces may not be contagious, but the "cheer" will certainly be heard over even the most frantic Christmas eve shopper's pounding, desperate heartbeat." [6]

Chart performance

Friends for Christmas debuted at number 3 on the Australian Albums Chart and reached number 1 in its fifth week of charting on 19 December 2016. [7] It became the tenth chart topper for Farnham and the fifth for Newton-John. [8] The album came in sixth on the 2016 year-end albums chart, and 22nd on the 2017 year-end chart published by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). [9] [10] Also in 2017, Friends for Christmas was certified double platinum in Australia. [11] The album returned to the Australian top 10 in December 2017 and again in 2018. [7]

Track listing

All tracks produced by Chong Lim.

Friends for Christmas track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"2:35
2."It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" Meredith Willson 2:49
3."Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"4:10
4."Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"2:40
5."The Christmas Song"3:27
6."Winter Wonderland"2:54
7."Baby, It's Cold Outside" Frank Loesser 3:18
8."Silent Night"3:11
9."White Christmas" Irving Berlin 3:34
10."The Little Drummer Boy" Katherine Kennicott Davis 4:33
11."Silver Bells"2:58
12."Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"Traditional2:35
2017 Deluxe edition – bonus tracks [12]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."The First Noel"Traditional5:01
14."Here Comes Santa Claus"3:08
15."One Little Christmas Tree"
3:19

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Friends for Christmas
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [11] 2× Platinum140,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history for Friends for Christmas
RegionDateLabelEditionFormatCatalogueRef(s)
Australia11 November 2016 Sony Music Australia Standard edition
  • CD
  • digital download
88985387172 [14]
17 November 2017Deluxe edition88985498012 [12]
1 December 2023Standard edition
  • LP
19658861521 [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivia Newton-John</span> British and Australian singer and actress (1948–2022)

Dame Olivia Newton-John was a British and Australian singer and actress. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included fifteen top-ten singles, including five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and two number-one albums on the Billboard 200: If You Love Me, Let Me Know (1974) and Have You Never Been Mellow (1975). Eleven of her singles and fourteen of her albums have been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Farnham</span> Australian singer (born 1949)

John Peter Farnham is a British-born Australian singer. Farnham was a teen pop idol from 1967 until 1979, billed until then as Johnny Farnham. He has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist, although he replaced Glenn Shorrock as lead singer of Little River Band from 1982 to 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Kernaghan</span> Musical artist

Lee Kernaghan OAM is an Australian country music singer, songwriter and guitarist. Kernaghan has won four ARIA Awards and three APRA Awards, and has sold over two million albums, and as of 2021, has won 38 Golden Guitars at the Country Music Awards of Australia.

<i>I Remember When I Was Young</i> 2005 studio album by John Farnham

I Remember When I Was Young is an album by Australian vocalist John Farnham, released on 6 November 2005. It consists of cover versions of songs written or recorded by prominent Australian artists and bands from the 1970s through to the 1990s, including Daddy Cool, Mondo Rock, Cold Chisel, Men At Work, Renee Geyer, Australian Crawl, Richard Clapton, The Badloves, Leonardo's Bride and The Whitlams. The album's title track was written and performed by blues musician Matt Taylor of the band Chain.

<i>So Fresh</i> Australian compilation album series

So Fresh is an Australian compilation album series. It began in 2000, as a joint venture from Sony, BMG and Universal, replacing the prior Hit Machine series, which ran from 1993 to 2000. From 2000 until 2023, So Fresh albums were released four times per year, named after each season, consisting of current hit songs from artists signed to Sony, BMG or Universal. In March 2024, So Fresh announced that the series would change to a single annual edition; So Fresh: Best of 2024 was released in November 2024.

<i>2</i> (Olivia Newton-John album) 2002 studio album by Olivia Newton-John

(2) is the eighteenth studio album by British-Australian pop singer Olivia Newton-John, released on 12 November 2002 in Australia. A duets album, the majority of tracks are with Australian artists, along with two American performers. The Peter Allen and Johnny O'Keefe duets are built around archive recordings, with new vocals added by Newton-John.

Chong Voon Lim is a Malaysian-born Australian-based musical director, keyboardist, producer, and session musician. Lim attended St. Michael's Institution for secondary education. He relocated to Melbourne, Australia in 1977, where he attended Geelong College, and then completed a mechanical engineering course at the University of Melbourne from 1978 to 1981. Lim has toured with Jermaine Jackson and John Farnham, after Farnham's long-time collaborator David Hirschfelder left to concentrate on film scores. He has toured and been music director and producer for Olivia Newton-John since 1998 and is patron of the Olivia Newton-John Foundation.

Lisa Anne Edwards is an Australian solo and session singer and musician. In July 1992 she had a top 5 hit on the ARIA Singles Chart with her cover version of Godley and Creme's "Cry". Edwards is primarily a backing vocalist and has worked for fellow Australian and international artists, including John Farnham and Kylie Minogue.

<i>Soul Deep</i> (Jimmy Barnes album) 1991 studio album by Jimmy Barnes

Soul Deep is the fifth studio album by Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes. It was his sixth consecutive Australian No. 1 album. The album is a collection of soul covers and featured duets with John Farnham and Diesel. A special edition was later released in a black fold-out cover with embossed gold lettering and included five bonus live tracks and a set of collector cards.

<i>Highlights from The Main Event</i> 1998 live album by Olivia Newton-John, John Farnham, Anthony Warlow

Highlights from The Main Event is an Australian live album released in 1998, which consists of performances from the collaborative The Main Event Tour by John Farnham, Olivia Newton-John, and Anthony Warlow. The album peaked at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart for two weeks in December that year. It was re-released in 2001 with three additional tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivia Newton-John albums discography</span>

The albums discography of British-Australian recording artist Olivia Newton-John consists of twenty-six studio albums, six live albums, fourteen compilations and six soundtracks. According to Billboard, Newton-John is the 44th most successful artist of all time. She is also listed as the 36th top female artist on the Billboard 200 all-time female list. To date, she has sold an estimated 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling artists of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Veronicas discography</span> Band discography

Australian pop duo the Veronicas have released six studio albums, two live albums, one compilation album, three extended plays, twenty-four singles, fifteen music videos and two video albums. Their debut studio album, The Secret Life Of..., was released in Australia in October 2005. Influenced by pop rock, pop punk and teen pop genres, the album was successful in Australia, where it reached number two and gained quadruple Platinum certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). The album's lead single, "4ever", peaked at number two on the Australian Singles Chart and became a top-twenty hit in countries such as Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Four additional singles were released from the album, including "Everything I'm Not" and "When It All Falls Apart", which reached the top ten in Australia and earned Gold certification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Farnham discography</span>

John Farnham, billed under stage name Johnny Farnham from 1964 until 1979, is a British-born Australian pop singer who has released 21 studio albums, 6 live albums, 3 soundtracks, 19 compilation albums, 13 video albums, 3 extended plays and 74 singles.

<i>Romeos Heart</i> 1996 studio album by John Farnham

Romeo's Heart is a studio album by British-Australian singer John Farnham. The album was released in Australia on 3 June 1996 and was Farnham's first studio album since the release of Then Again... in 1993.

The 13th Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 12 October 1999 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Hosted by Paul McDermott and Bob Downe, and presenters, including Melanie C of the Spice Girls, Tina Cousins, Fiona Horne and Molly Meldrum, distributed 33 awards. The big winner for the year was Powderfinger with four awards.

<i>33 <sup>1</sup>/<sub>3</sub></i> (album) 2000 studio album by John Farnham

33+13 is a studio album by Australian singer John Farnham. The album was released in Australia in August 2000, and is Farnham's first studio release since Romeo's Heart in 1996. This album debuted at No. 1 in the ARIA Charts.

<i>Two Strong Hearts Live</i> 2015 live album by John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John

Two Strong Hearts Live is a live album by John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John recorded in Melbourne with Philharmonia Australia in April 2015. The live album was released on 16 June 2015 with the live DVD being released on 21 August 2015.

<i>Back in the Swing</i> 2019 studio album by David Campbell

Back in the Swing is the tenth studio album by Australian theatre performer, singer and TV presenter David Campbell, released through Sony Music Australia on 26 April 2019.

<i>Only Santa Knows</i> 2020 studio album by Delta Goodrem

Only Santa Knows is the sixth studio album and the first full-length Christmas album by Australian singer-songwriter Delta Goodrem. It was released on 13 November 2020 through Sony Music Australia. It is Goodrem's second Christmas release, after 2012's Christmas EP. The album includes two original tracks and 11 covers, including "Silent Night" with Gurrumul, which was recorded in 2014 and included on The Spirit of Christmas 2014.

<i>Paul Kellys Christmas Train</i> 2021 studio album by Paul Kelly

Paul Kelly's Christmas Train is the twenty-eighth studio album and the first Christmas album by Paul Kelly, released on 19 November 2021. It was announced on 14 October 2021. The 22-track album traverses language and cultural significance, from a Latin hymn to a traditional Irish folk ballad, and a well-known carol sung in te reo Maori.

References

  1. "John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John are on song with new Christmas album". news.com.au. 16 October 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  2. "John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John are Friends for Christmas". auspOp. 17 October 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  3. "John Farnham / Olivia Newton-John / Anthony Warlow - Highlights from the Main Event (Album)". Australian charts. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  4. "John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John – Highlights from Two Strong Hearts Live (Album)". Australian charts. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  5. "Latest Xmas Album Reviews: John Farnham & Olivia Newton John, She & Him, Neil Diamond, R. Kelly, Kylie Minogue". news.com.au . 7 December 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  6. "Album Reviews – John Farnham & Olivia Newton-John – Friends For Christmas". The Music . 28 November 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 "Australiancharts.com – John Farnham & Olivia Newton-John – Friends for Christmas". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  8. "Australian Charts: FONJie Has The No 1 ARIA Album". Noise11. 19 December 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  9. 1 2 "ARIA Top 100 Albums 2016". Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  10. 1 2 "ARIA End of Year Albums 2017". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  11. 1 2 "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2017 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  12. 1 2 "Friends For Christmas (Deluxe Edition)". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  13. 1 2 "2019 ARIA End of Decade Albums Chart". January 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
  14. "Friends For Christmas". JB Hi-Fi . Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  15. "Friends For Christmas (Red Vinyl)". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved 18 November 2023.