"Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" | ||||
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Single by NSYNC | ||||
from the album The Winter Album and Home for Christmas | ||||
B-side | "All I Want Is You (This Christmas)" | |||
Released | November 24, 1998 | |||
Recorded | 1998 | |||
Genre | Christmas, pop, R&B | |||
Length | 4:12 | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Songwriter(s) | JC Chasez, Veit Renn, Justin Timberlake, Vincent Degiorgio | |||
Producer(s) | Veit Renn | |||
NSYNC singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" on YouTube |
"Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" is a song by American boy band NSYNC. It was released on November 29, 1998 as the first and only single from their second studio album, Home for Christmas and was also featured on the end credits of the 1998 Disney Christmas movie I'll Be Home For Christmas . The song charted at #37 on the Top 40 Mainstream chart. The single was also the second from NSYNC's European seasonal album, The Winter Album . A cappella group Pentatonix covered the song in their 2016 Christmas album, A Pentatonix Christmas . The song has also been covered by American singer David Archuleta for the deluxe version of his album Winter in the Air in 2019, and by singer-songwriter Betty Who for Spotify Singles in 2020. In 2021, popular Christian singer Tauren Wells covered "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" as a non album single.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine reviewed the song in the context of Home for Christmas, and gave the following review:
It's always a sign that a group is hot if they release a holiday album mere months after their debut. That's the case with *NSYNC. Their debut was released in America in late March, and in early December, Home for Christmas hit the shelves. Much of the album is devoted to newer material, such as the anthemic "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays", and only a handful of songs qualifying as standards: "The Christmas Song," "The First Noel," and "O Holy Night." All of it is given the familiar *NSYNC sheen, alternating between slickly produced adult contemporary ballads and lite dance-pop. [1]
The video was directed by Lionel C. Martin and filmed in a day. [2] All five members of NSYNC had creative input for the direction of the video, as they wanted it to "be pop, fun, and energetic." [2] This also included their request to include Gary Coleman as an elf in the video, which Martin described as "a little tricky" to secure on board. [2] The classic sitcom Diff'rent Strokes is referenced when NSYNC ask "Whatchu talkin' about, Gary?", based on Coleman's catchphrase; "Whatchu talkin' about, Willis?". Coleman's agent didn't approve of him saying the line, as it was owned by NBC. [2] The video debuted on TRL on December 14, 1998 and became the band’s third video to reach number one on the countdown at the time. [3]
Chart (1998) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Pop Airplay ( Billboard ) [4] | 37 |
Chart (2013–2024) | Peak position |
---|---|
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [5] | 74 |
Germany (GfK) [6] | 57 |
Global 200 ( Billboard ) [7] | 97 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [8] | 85 |
US Streaming Songs ( Billboard ) [9] | 47 |
US Holiday 100 ( Billboard ) [10] | 37 |
US Holiday Airplay ( Billboard ) [11] | 36 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [12] | Platinum | 80,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | November 24, 1998 | Jive | [13] |
In 2019, David Archuleta covered “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays” for the deluxe version of his Christmas album Winter in the Air . The accompanying music video features NSYNC members Chris Kirkpatrick and Lance Bass in cameos. [14] [15]
Home for Christmas is the first Christmas album and second studio album by American boy band NSYNC. The album was released, exclusively in the United States, on November 10, 1998, by RCA Records following the success of their self-titled debut album. On October 27, 1999, Home for Christmas was certified Double Platinum by the RIAA for shipment of two million copies in the United States. Home for Christmas was released on September 30, 2002 in the United Kingdom as The Meaning of Christmas on Ariola Express with an altered track listing.
"(There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays" is a 1954 song commonly associated with the Christmas and holiday season. The lyrics detail the joys of being in your home community during the holidays and give examples of how some people will travel long distances to be with their loved ones. The music was composed by Robert Allen, with the lyrics written by Al Stillman.
"What Christmas Means to Me" is the name of several different Christmas songs. The most-covered version was written by Allen Story, Anna Gordy Gaye, and George Gordy. It has been recorded by many artists, including:
"The Christmas Song" is a Christmas song written in 1945 by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé. The Nat King Cole Trio first recorded the song in June 1946.
"Mary, Did You Know?" is a Christmas song addressing Mary, mother of Jesus, with lyrics written by Mark Lowry in 1985, and music written by Buddy Greene in 1991. It was originally recorded by Christian recording artist Michael English on his self-titled debut solo album in 1991. At the time, English and Lowry were members of the Gaither Vocal Band, and Greene was touring with them. The song reached number six on CCM Magazine's Adult Contemporary Chart. In 1993, the second singer to record the song was Country singer Kathy Mattea on her album Good News, which won the Grammy Award for Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album. Lowry would record the song several times himself, most notably with the Gaither Vocal Band on their 1998 Christmas album, Still the Greatest Story Ever Told, that is.
These Are Special Times is the seventeenth studio album and sixth English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, and also 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 third and fourth English albums, Falling into You (1996) and Let's Talk About Love (1997).
"Bye Bye Bye" is a song by American boy band NSYNC from their third studio album, No Strings Attached. It was released on January 17, 2000, as the lead single from the album. The song was written and produced by Kristian Lundin and Jake Schulze, with additional writing by Andreas Carlsson. Its lyrics describe the end of a romantic relationship; it was reported to also reference the group's separation from their manager Lou Pearlman and their record label RCA Records. "Bye Bye Bye" is widely considered to be the group's signature song.
MTV: TRL Christmas is a Christmas compilation album released by the record labels Atlantic and Lava. Released on October 30, 2001, it features singers who were promoted on the music television series Total Request Live. The album consists of sixteen songs, including covers of Christmas standards and carols, as well as original music. Music critics identified several musical genres, such as pop punk and bubblegum pop, throughout the album. Several tracks from MTV: TRL Christmas had been featured on the artists' previous projects.
NSYNC is an American vocal group and boy band that was formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. The group consists of Kirkpatrick, Justin Timberlake, Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, and JC Chasez. Their self-titled debut album was successfully released to European countries in 1997, and later debuted in the U.S. market with the single "I Want You Back".
Pentatonix are an American a cappella group from Arlington, Texas, consisting of vocalists Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado, Matt Sallee, and Kevin Olusola. Characterized by their pop-style arrangements with vocal harmonies, scat singing, riffing, vocal percussion, and beatboxing, they produce cover versions of modern pop works or Christmas songs, sometimes in the form of medleys, along with original material. Pentatonix was formed in 2011 and subsequently won the third season of NBC's The Sing-Off, receiving $200,000 and a recording contract with Sony Music. When Sony's Epic Records dropped the group after The Sing-Off, the group launched its YouTube channel, distributing its music through Madison Gate Records, a label owned by Sony Pictures.
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Holiday Wishes, also titled Christmas Wishes in the UK and Snow Wishes in Japan, is a Christmas holiday album by American singer-songwriter and actress Idina Menzel. Produced by Walter Afanasieff, it was released by Warner Bros. Records on October 14, 2014, in the United States, and on November 3 in the United Kingdom. It is Menzel's fourth studio album to date, as well as her first in six years, and features a duet with Canadian singer Michael Bublé.
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