Merry Christmas, Baby (album)

Last updated

Merry Christmas, Baby
Cover of Rod Stewart's 2012 album 'Merry Christmas, Baby'.jpg
Studio album by
Rod Stewart
Released30 October 2012
Genre Christmas, soul, jazz
Length46:04
Label Verve
Producer David Foster, Rod Stewart, Kevin Savigar
Rod Stewart chronology
Fly Me to the Moon... The Great American Songbook Volume V
(2010)		Merry Christmas, Baby
(2012)		 Time
(2013)

Merry Christmas, Baby, is the first Christmas album by Rod Stewart and his 27th studio album overall, released on 30 October 2012. [1] The album has proved to be a top 10 success in many countries including the UK, US, Canada and Australia. It was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in November 2012 with over 1,000,000 copies sold in the US. [2]

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 53/100 [3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
BBC Music (positive) [5]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
NME 3/10 [8]
Slant Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]

Merry Christmas, Baby received mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 53, which indicates "mixed or average reviews", based on 6 reviews.

Commercial performance

Merry Christmas, Baby debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 album sales chart, with first week sales of 117,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan, [10] and spent a total of eight weeks in the top 10. [11] With total U.S. sales of 858,000 copies in 2012 according to SoundScan, Merry Christmas, Baby was the best-selling Christmas/holiday album of the year. [12] The album was also the year's fifteenth best-selling album in the U.S. according to Billboard and the ninth best-selling physical album in the U.S. according to the Nielsen Company's 2012 Music Industry Report. [13] [14]

In the UK, the album debuted at No. 2 on the Official Albums Chart and has so far spent six weeks in the top 10. [15] It sold 421,000 copies in the UK in 2012 [16] and its current UK sales stand at 636,000. [17]

In Canada, the album spent eight weeks in the top ten of the Canadian Albums Chart, with three consecutive weeks at the No. 1 spot. It was the ninth best-selling album in Canada in 2012 according to year-end sales data from Nielsen SoundScan Canada with sales of 135,000. [18]

Worldwide, the album achieved total 2012 sales of 2.6 million according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, making it the seventh best-selling album of the year. [19]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane 4:31
2."Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie 2:48
3."Winter Wonderland" (featuring Michael Bublé) Felix Bernard, Richard B. Smith 2:26
4."White Christmas" Irving Berlin 3:49
5."Merry Christmas, Baby" (featuring CeeLo Green & Trombone Shorty) Johnny Moore, Lou Baxter3:53
6."Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" (featuring Dave Koz) Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne 2:51
7."What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" (featuring Ella Fitzgerald & Chris Botti) Frank Loesser 3:43
8."Blue Christmas"Billy Hayes, Jay W. Johnson3:30
9."Red-Suited Super Man" (featuring Trombone Shorty)Rod Stewart, David Foster, Amy Foster3:11
10."When You Wish upon a Star" Leigh Harline, Ned Washington 3:47
11."We Three Kings" (featuring Mary J. Blige) John Henry Hopkins Jr. 3:27
12."Silent Night" Franz Xaver Gruber, Joseph Mohr 4:24
13."Auld Lang Syne"Traditional, Robert Burns 3:45
Total length:46:04
Deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."What Child Is This?"Traditional, William Chatterton Dix 4:17
15."The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" Mel Tormé, Robert Wells 3:39
16."Silver Bells" Jay Livingston, Ray Evans 3:25
Total length:57:25
Note

Personnel

Main

Guest Musicians

Additional Vocalists

Additional Instrumentalists

Production

Charts

\

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [51] 2× Platinum140,000^
Canada (Music Canada) [52] 3× Platinum240,000^
Ireland (IRMA) [53] Platinum15,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) [54] 2× Platinum30,000^
Poland (ZPAV) [55] Gold10,000*
United Kingdom (BPI) [56] 2× Platinum636,000 [17]
United States (RIAA) [2] Platinum1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Awards and recognition

In February 2013, the album was nominated for a Canadian Juno Award in the International Album of the Year category. [57]

Related Research Articles

<i>A Night on the Town</i> (Rod Stewart album) 1976 studio album by Rod Stewart

A Night on the Town is Rod Stewart's seventh album, released in 1976. The cover art is based on Pierre-Auguste Renoir's painting Bal du moulin de la Galette, with Stewart inserted in the centre in period costume. On 30 June 2009, Rhino reissued the album as a two-disc CD with bonus tracks. A Night on the Town was Stewart's last UK number-one studio album until Time in 2013.

<i>Blondes Have More Fun</i> 1978 studio album by Rod Stewart

Blondes Have More Fun is British musician Rod Stewart's ninth album, released in November 1978. As was the popular musical trend at the time, it is Stewart's foray into disco music. The album was commercially successful, reaching number 3 in the UK and number 1 in the US, but was critically divisive. The lead single "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" became one of Stewart's biggest hits, peaking at No.1 in both the UK and US.

<i>Merry Christmas</i> (Mariah Carey album) 1994 studio album by Mariah Carey

Merry Christmas is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, and her first Christmas album. Released by Columbia Records on October 28, 1994, at the peak of the initial stretch of Carey's career, between Music Box (1993) and Daydream (1995), the album features cover versions of popular Christmas songs in addition to original material. Carey worked with Walter Afanasieff, with whom she wrote all of the original tracks, as well as producing Carey's interpretations of the covered material. Three singles were released from the album, of which "All I Want for Christmas Is You" went on to become one of the best-selling singles of all time and the best-selling Christmas ringtone in the United States.

<i>These Are Special Times</i> 1998 studio album by Celine Dion

These Are Special Times is the seventeenth studio album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, and her first English-language Christmas album. It was first released in Europe on 30 October 1998, by Columbia Records. In the United States, it was released on 3 November 1998 through Epic Records. The album features cover versions of popular Christmas songs and original material, including "I'm Your Angel" and "The Prayer". Dion worked with David Foster and Ric Wake, who produced most of the album. These Are Special Times was released after two of Dion's most successful albums, Falling into You (1996) and Let's Talk About Love (1997).

<i>Amore</i> (Andrea Bocelli album)

Amore is the eleventh studio album by Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, released on 31 January 2006, for the Valentine's Day season. This album features a remake of Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love"; "Because We Believe", the closing song of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, which Bocelli wrote and performed; "Somos Novios, a duet with American pop singer Christina Aguilera; and his first recording of Bésame Mucho, which eventually became one of his signature songs.

<i>It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook</i> 2002 studio album by Rod Stewart

It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook is the first album of American pop standards recorded by British musician Rod Stewart, and his 20th album overall. It was released on 22 October 2002, and became the first in a five-volume series.

<i>Stardust: The Great American Songbook, Volume III</i> 2004 studio album by Rod Stewart

Stardust... the Great American Songbook, Volume III is the third studio album of pop standards by British musician Rod Stewart, released on 19 October 2004 by J Records, and his 22nd album overall. The album was dedicated to the Tartan Army.

<i>Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time</i> 2006 studio album by Rod Stewart

Still the Same... Great Rock Classics of Our Time is the 24th album by Rod Stewart, released on 10 October 2006. After four years of success singing pop standards from the Great American Songbook, Still the Same was composed of classic rock covers.

<i>Call Me Irresponsible</i> (album) 2007 studio album by Michael Bublé

Call Me Irresponsible is the fifth studio album by Canadian singer Michael Bublé. Released on May 1, 2007 via 143 and Reprise Records, it was produced by David Foster, Humberto Gatica, and Bob Rock. The album features renditions of classic traditional pop songs, including the title track "Call Me Irresponsible", "'Always on My Mind", and "Comin' Home Baby" featuring Boyz II Men. Two original tracks were written for the album, "Everything" and "Lost", both of which were co-written by Bublé.

<i>Vagabond Heart</i> 1991 studio album by Rod Stewart

Vagabond Heart is the sixteenth studio album by British recording artist Rod Stewart, released on 25 March 1991 by Warner Bros. Records. The album reached No. 10 in the US, and reached No. 2 in the UK. The album features five singles, among them a cover of Robbie Robertson's song "Broken Arrow" and Van Morrison's song "Have I Told You Lately", which would become a hit two years later, and is Stewart's most recent top five solo hit in the US and the UK. The two biggest hits from the album were "Rhythm of My Heart" and "The Motown Song". The latter song features with Steve Lukather, David Paich, Steve Porcaro and Jeff Porcaro nearly the whole band of Toto.

<i>Camouflage</i> (Rod Stewart album) 1984 studio album by Rod Stewart

Camouflage is the thirteenth studio album by Rod Stewart released in 1984 by Warner Bros. Records. The four singles from the album were "Infatuation", "Trouble", a cover of the The Persuaders hit "Some Guys Have All the Luck", and a cover of the Free hit, "All Right Now". The album marked a reunion of sorts between Stewart and Jeff Beck, who plays guitar on several tracks, as the two had been members of the influential 1960s group The Jeff Beck Group.

<i>Soul</i> (Seal album) 2008 studio album by Seal

Soul is the sixth studio album by British singer Seal, which was released on 10 November 2008. The album was produced by David Foster, and co-produced, engineered and mixed by Jochem van der Saag. It is made up of cover versions of eleven soul music classics.

<i>Crazy Love</i> (Michael Bublé album) 2009 studio album by Michael Bublé

Crazy Love is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer, Michael Bublé. It was released by 143 Records and Reprise Records on October 9, 2009. After only three days of sales, it opened atop the Billboard 200 chart with 132,000 copies, making it Bublé's second No. 1 album. Spending the first full week at the top, the album increased in sales to 203,000 copies, staying again at the No. 1 spot on its second week. In Australia, the album debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart and spent six non-consecutive weeks as No. 1. It has since been certified five times Platinum. In the United Kingdom, Crazy Love topped the album charts.

<i>Soulbook</i> 2009 studio album by Rod Stewart

Soulbook is the 25th studio album by Rod Stewart. Like his previous five albums, Soulbook features Stewart singing old material; for this album he sings classic material from Motown and the soul genre. It was released on 17 October 2009 and was produced by Steve Tyrell, Steven Jordan and Chuck Kentis.

<i>A Christmas Cornucopia</i> 2010 studio album by Annie Lennox

A Christmas Cornucopia is the fifth solo studio album, and the first Christmas album, by Scottish singer-songwriter Annie Lennox, released in November 2010. It was Lennox's first album after signing to the Universal Music Group following her departure from Sony BMG, which had been her label for almost 30 years.

<i>Christmas</i> (Michael Bublé album) 2011 studio album by Michael Bublé

Christmas is the seventh studio album and first Christmas album released by Canadian singer Michael Bublé. The album was released on October 21, 2011, in Ireland, on October 24, 2011, in the United Kingdom, and on October 25, 2011, in the United States. On the week ending December 10, 2011, Christmas rose to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album sales chart, becoming Bublé's third chart-topper following 2007's Call Me Irresponsible and 2009's Crazy Love, and spent five weeks at No. 1.

<i>Soul 2</i> 2011 studio album by Seal

Soul 2 is the eighth studio album by British soul/R&B singer Seal. The album was released on 4 November 2011. Like its predecessor, Soul (2008) the album consists of soul classics, and it was produced by David Foster, Jochem van der Saag, and long-time collaborator Trevor Horn. It was preceded by the lead single, "Let's Stay Together" on 30 September 2011.

<i>Kisses on the Bottom</i> 2012 studio album by Paul McCartney

Kisses on the Bottom is the fifteenth solo studio album by Paul McCartney, consisting primarily of covers of traditional pop music and jazz. Released in February 2012 on Starbucks' Hear Music label, it was McCartney's first studio album since Memory Almost Full in 2007. The album was produced by Tommy LiPuma and includes just two original compositions by McCartney: "My Valentine" and "Only Our Hearts". The former features jazz drummer Karriem Riggins. Kisses on the Bottom peaked at number 3 on the UK Albums Chart and number 5 on the US Billboard 200, while also topping Billboard magazine's Jazz Albums chart.

<i>Time</i> (Rod Stewart album) 2013 studio album by Rod Stewart

Time is the twenty-eighth studio album by Rod Stewart, it was released on 3 May 2013 in the UK, on 7 May in the US and Canada, and on 8 May in Japan under the title "Time: Toki no Tabibito" (タイム~時の旅人~). In May 2013, Stewart released Time, a rock album of his own original material. It marked a return to songwriting after what Stewart termed "a dark period of twenty years"; he said that writing his autobiography gave him the impetus to write music again. The album entered the top 10 in the US and entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 1, setting a new British record for the longest gap between chart-topping albums by an artist, as his last studio album to reach the top spot was A Night on the Town in 1976. The album was certified platinum in the UK on 16 August 2013 and double-platinum on 29 December 2017. Overall, the album was the No. 7 best-selling album of 2013 in the UK. In the United States, the album has sold 141,000 copies as of September 2015.

<i>Wallflower</i> (Diana Krall album) 2015 studio album by Diana Krall

Wallflower is the twelfth studio album by Canadian singer Diana Krall, released on February 3, 2015, by Verve Records. The album was produced by David Foster. The album's supporting tour, Wallflower World Tour, began in Boston on February 25, 2015.

References

  1. ↑ "Rod Stewart - Merry Christmas, Baby CD Album". Cduniverse.com. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Rod Stewart and the Monkees Get RIAA Certificates in November". vintagevinylnews.com. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  3. ↑ "Critic Reviews for Merry Christmas, Baby". Metacritic. CBS Interactive . Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  4. ↑ "Rod Stewart - Merry Christmas, Baby". AllMusic . All Media Network. 16 October 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  5. ↑ Diver, Mike. "BBC - Music - Review of Rod Stewart - Merry Christmas, Baby".
  6. ↑ Simpson, Dave (13 December 2012). "Rod Stewart: Merry Christmas, Baby – review". The Guardian . Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  7. ↑ Montgomery, Hugh (22 December 2012). "Album: Rod Stewart, Merry Christmas, Baby (Decca)" . The Independent . Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  8. ↑ Montgomery, Hugh (13 December 2012). "Rod Stewart - 'Merry Christmas, Baby'". NME . Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  9. ↑ Scheiman, Ted (30 October 2012). "Rod Stewart Merry Christmas, Baby". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  10. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (29 November 2012). "Alicia Keys, Rod Stewart Aiming for No. 1 on Next Week's Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  11. ↑ "Music Albums, Top 200 Albums & Music Album Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  12. ↑ Grein, Paul (3 January 2013). "Chart Watch Extra: Top Albums of 2012". Yahoo! Music . Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  13. ↑ Caulfield, Keith. "Adele's '21' 2012's Best Selling Album; Gotye Has Top Song". Billboard.
  14. ↑ "The Nielsen Company & Billboard's 2012 Music Industry Report". MarketWatch .
  15. ↑ "Official UK Albums Top 100 - 15th December 2012 | Official Albums Chart". Official Charts Company . Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  16. 1 2 Lane, Dan (2 January 2013). "The Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Albums of 2012 Revealed!". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  17. 1 2 Copsey, Rob (14 December 2018). "The Official Top 20 biggest Christmas albums of the century". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  18. ↑ Bliss, Karen. "Adele, Gotye Top SoundScan Year-End Charts in Canada". Billboard. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
  19. ↑ "Record Industry in Numbers: The recorded music market in 2012" (PDF). 9 April 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 April 2013.
  20. ↑ Merry Christmas, Baby (booklet). Rod Stewart. Verve Records. 2012. 0602537103683.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ↑ Idelson, Karen (10 January 2013). "Audionamix mixes Old, New with Tech Wizardry". Variety.
  22. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Rod Stewart – Merry Christmas, Baby". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  23. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Rod Stewart – Merry Christmas, Baby" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  24. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Rod Stewart – Merry Christmas, Baby" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  25. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Rod Stewart – Merry Christmas, Baby" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  26. ↑ "Canadian Albums: 15 December 2012 | Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard . Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  27. ↑ "Top Stranih [Top Foreign]" (in Croatian). Top Foreign Albums. Hrvatska diskografska udruga. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  28. ↑ "Danishcharts.dk – Rod Stewart – Merry Christmas, Baby". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  29. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Rod Stewart – Merry Christmas, Baby" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  30. ↑ "Officialcharts.de – Rod Stewart – Merry Christmas, Baby". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  31. ↑ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2012. 51. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  32. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 50, 2012". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  33. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Rod Stewart – Merry Christmas, Baby". Hung Medien.
  34. ↑ "Charts.nz – Rod Stewart – Merry Christmas, Baby". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  35. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Rod Stewart – Merry Christmas, Baby". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  36. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  37. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Rod Stewart – Merry Christmas, Baby". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  38. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  39. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Rod Stewart – Merry Christmas, Baby". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  40. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Rod Stewart – Merry Christmas, Baby". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  41. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Rod Stewart – Merry Christmas, Baby". Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  42. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  43. ↑ "Merry Christmas, Baby – Rod Stewart: Awards". AllMusic . Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  44. ↑ "ARIA Top 100 Albums 2012". Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  45. ↑ "Year-end Charts – Albums 2012". GfK Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  46. ↑ "Årslista Album - År 2012" (in Swedish). Hitlistan.se. Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
  47. ↑ "Billboard 200 Albums - 2012 Year End Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  48. ↑ "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  49. ↑ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2013". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  50. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  51. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2015 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  52. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Rod Stewart – Merry Christmas, Baby". Music Canada . Retrieved 18 February 2014.
  53. ↑ "The Irish Charts - 2012 Certification Awards - Platinum". Irish Recorded Music Association . Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  54. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Rod Stewart – Merry Christmas, Baby". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  55. ↑ "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2013 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  56. ↑ "British album certifications – Rod Stewart – Merry Christmas, Baby". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 18 February 2013.
  57. ↑ "2013 Juno Award Nominees". CARAS. Archived from the original on 21 February 2013. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.