"The Little Drummer Boy" is a popular Christmas song written by American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941. First recorded in 1951 by the Austrian Trapp Family, the song was further popularized by a 1958 recording by the Harry Simeone Chorale; the Simeone version was re-released successfully for several years, and the song has been recorded many times since. In the lyrics, the singer relates how, as a poor young boy, he was summoned by the Magi to the Nativity of Jesus. Without a gift for the Infant, the little drummer boy played his drum with approval from Jesus's mother, Mary, recalling, "I played my best for him" and "He smiled at me". Despite the song's popularity, the story of the drummer boy is not biblically accurate.
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.
"Carol of the Bells" is a popular Christmas carol, which is based on the Ukrainian New Year's song "Shchedryk." The music for the carol comes from the song written by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych in 1914; the English-language lyrics were written in 1936 by Peter Wilhousky.
"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 classic Christmas song written in 1945 by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé.
"Mary, Did You Know?" is a Christmas song addressing Mary, mother of Jesus, with lyrics written by Mark Lowry in 1984, 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.
"Bye Bye Bye" is a song by American boy band NSYNC from their third studio album, No Strings Attached. It was released on January 11, 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.
"Tearin' Up My Heart" is a song by American boy band NSYNC, from their eponymous debut studio album, 'N Sync (1997). The song was written by Max Martin and the producer Kristian Lundin. It was released by BMG Ariola in Germany on February 10, 1997, and by RCA Records in the United States on June 30, 1998, as the second single from the album. A dance-pop and teen pop song, it contains a pop-sounding melody, a strong beat, and a funk-styled pre-verse breakdown, with vocal harmonies performed during the refrain. The lyrics depict the ambiguous future of a romantic relationship.
NSYNC is an American vocal group and boy band 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".
Christmas from the Heart is the second studio album and first Christmas album by American singer David Archuleta. It was released on October 13, 2009, via Jive Records. "Melodies of Christmas", which was written by Archuleta, is the lone original song on the album.
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 formed its YouTube channel, distributing its music through Madison Gate Records, a label owned by Sony Pictures.
That's Christmas to Me is the third studio album by a cappella group Pentatonix. It is their sixth release overall and their second holiday release following their 2012 EP PTXmas. It only features previously unreleased material. It was released on October 21, 2014 through RCA Records, peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200, and has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
American a cappella group Pentatonix (PTX) has released 11 studio albums, six compilation albums, six extended plays (EPs), 34 singles and 58 music videos. The group won the third season of The Sing-Off in 2011, and subsequently received a recording contract with Sony. In June 2012, Pentatonix released their first extended play, PTX, Volume 1 through Sony-owned independent record label Madison Gate Records. The EP debuted at number 14 on the US Billboard 200, selling 18,401 copies in its first week of sales. A Christmas EP, PTXmas, was released in November 2012. It was re-released in November 2013 with one of its new tracks, "Little Drummer Boy", debuting at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and charting in other countries such as Austria, Canada and New Zealand. The EP became the sixth highest-selling Christmas album of 2013, selling over 168,000 copies. In November 2013, Pentatonix released their third EP, PTX, Vol. II which debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200, selling 31,000 copies in its first week of sales.
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.
Winter in the Air is the seventh studio album and second Christmas album by David Archuleta, released on November 2, 2018. A deluxe edition was released on November 14, 2019, which included three bonus tracks "The Christmas Song", "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays", and "Still, Still, Still "
Christmas Is Here! is the seventh studio album by American a cappella group Pentatonix. It is also their third full-length holiday album following A Pentatonix Christmas in 2016.
A Tori Kelly Christmas is the first Christmas album and the fourth studio album, by American singer Tori Kelly. It was released on October 30, 2020, through Schoolboy and Capitol Records. It is Kelly's first Christmas album, and was executively produced by Kelly, Babyface, and Scooter Braun. The album contains cover versions of Christmas standards such as "All I Want for Christmas is You" and "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" alongside original songs which incorporate R&B elements.
Billboard magazine only charted Christmas singles and albums along with the other popular non-holiday records until the 1958 holiday season when they published their first section that surveys only Christmas music.
