Merry Christmas (Andy Williams album)

Last updated
Merry Christmas
Album Andy Williams - Merry Christmas cover.jpg
Studio album by
Andy Williams
ReleasedOctober 18, 1965
Recorded1965
Genre
Length35:37
Label Columbia
Producer Robert Mersey [2]
Andy Williams chronology
Canadian Sunset
(1965)		Merry Christmas
(1965)		 Andy Williams' Newest Hits
(1966)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
Billboard Spotlight Pick [3]

Merry Christmas is the second Christmas album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released by Columbia Records in 1965, and his seventeenth studio album overall. This seasonal LP is focused exclusively on 20th century compositions, unlike 1963's The Andy Williams Christmas Album , which, of its 12 tracks, had six with origins predating the turn of the century.

Andy Williams American recording artist; singer, songwriter, actor and record producer

Howard Andrew Williams was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold-certified and three platinum-certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a television variety show, from 1962 to 1971, and numerous TV specials. The Andy Williams Show won three Emmy awards. The Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri is named after the song for which he is best known—Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini's "Moon River". He sold more than 100 million records worldwide, including more than 10 million certified units in the United States.

Columbia Records American record label; currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment

Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded in 1887, evolving from the American Graphophone Company, the successor to the Volta Graphophone Company. Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in the recorded sound business, and the second major company to produce records. From 1961 to 1990, Columbia recordings were released outside North America under the name CBS Records to avoid confusion with EMI's Columbia Graphophone Company. Columbia is one of Sony Music's four flagship record labels, alongside former longtime rival RCA Records, as well as Arista Records and Epic Records.

Album collection of recorded music, words, sounds

An album is a collection of audio recordings issued as a collection on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium. Albums of recorded music were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78-rpm records collected in a bound book resembling a photograph album; this format evolved after 1948 into single vinyl LP records played at ​33 1⁄3 rpm. Vinyl LPs are still issued, though album sales in the 21st-century have mostly focused on CD and MP3 formats. The audio cassette was a format widely used alongside vinyl from the 1970s into the first decade of the 2000s.

Contents

For the six consecutive holiday seasons from 1965 through 1970, Merry Christmas charted on Billboard magazine's special year-end weekly Christmas Albums sales chart. [4] The album spent two weeks as the number one selling Christmas album during the holiday season of 1966 and one week atop that same chart in 1969. [4] The single from the album, "Do You Hear What I Hear?", reached number 18 on the Christmas Singles chart in 1965. [5]

<i>Billboard</i> (magazine) American music magazine

Billboard is an American entertainment media brand owned by the Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group, a division of Eldridge Industries. It publishes pieces involving news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style, and is also known for its music charts, including the Hot 100 and Billboard 200, tracking the most popular songs and albums in different genres. It also hosts events, owns a publishing firm, and operates several TV shows.

On May 23, 1968, Merry Christmas was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of 500,000 copies in the United States. [6] Platinum certification for sales of one million copies followed on November 10, 1989. [6]

In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards. Certification is not automatic; for an award to be made, the record label must request certification. The audit is conducted against net shipments after returns, which includes albums sold directly to retailers and one-stops, direct-to-consumer sales and other outlets.

Recording Industry Association of America Trade organization representing the recording industry in the U.S.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors, which the RIAA says "create, manufacture and/or distribute approximately 85% of all legally sold recorded music in the United States." The RIAA headquarters is in Washington, D.C.

Reception

Allmusic's Aaron Latham described this holiday outing as "another well-rounded set of traditional favorites that became a perfect companion to The Andy Williams Christmas Album." [1] He found much to praise about this LP. " Williams's dark reading of 'My Favorite Things' from The Sound of Music helped to turn the non-holiday oriented song into a Christmas standard while a delicate 'Some Children See Him' and the joyous 'The Bells of St. Mary's' round out an album that is sung to perfection. Williams would go on to release other holiday collections, but none of them would capture the magical memories created by Merry Christmas and its predecessor. Thanks to good timing, excellent selections, and a voice that makes one feel warm and at home, Andy Williams recorded not just one, but two perennial classics that will be heard for generations to come." [1]

"My Favorite Things" is a show tune from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music.

<i>The Sound of Music</i> 1959 musical

The Sound of Music is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. Set in Austria on the eve of the Anschluss in 1938, the musical tells the story of Maria, who takes a job as governess to a large family while she decides whether to become a nun. She falls in love with the children, and eventually their widowed father, Captain von Trapp. He is ordered to accept a commission in the German navy, but he opposes the Nazis. He and Maria decide on a plan to flee Austria with the children. Many songs from the musical have become standards, such as "Edelweiss", "My Favorite Things", "Climb Ev'ry Mountain", "Do-Re-Mi", and the title song "The Sound of Music".

"The Bells of St. Mary's" is a 1917 popular song. The music was written by A. Emmett Adams, the lyrics by Douglas Furber, following a visit to St. Mary's Church, Southampton, England.

Billboard magazine also appreciated the finished product. "Williams's warmth and style bring freshness to a group of holiday chestnuts." [3] They had their own favorites: "'Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow' is given a fine, easy go ballad reading, while the new 'Christmas Holiday' is a bright jazz waltz winner." [3]

"Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!", also known as "Let It Snow", is a song written by lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Jule Styne in July 1945. It was written in Hollywood, California during a heat wave as Cahn and Styne imagined cooler conditions.

Track listing

Side one

  1. "Sleigh Ride" (Leroy Anderson, Mitchell Parish) – 2:11
  2. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" from Meet Me in St. Louis (Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin) – 3:27
  3. "Winter Wonderland" (Felix Bernard, Richard B. Smith) – 2:14
  4. "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music (Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers) – 2:29
  5. "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" (Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne) – 2:20
  6. "Christmas Holiday" (Craig Vincent Smith) – 1:56

Side two

  1. "Some Children See Him" (Alfred Burt, Wihla Hutson) – 3:26
  2. "Do You Hear What I Hear?" (Gloria Shayne Baker, Noël Regney) – 2:55
  3. "Little Altar Boy" (Howlett Peter Smith) – 4:59
  4. "Silver Bells" from The Lemon Drop Kid (Ray Evans, Jay Livingston) – 3:12
  5. "Mary's Little Boy Child" (Jester Hairston) – 3:57
  6. "The Bells of St. Mary's" (A. Emmett Adams, Douglas Furber) – 2:38

Song information

"The Bells of St. Mary's" first charted as a number seven hit for Frances Alda in 1920. [7] The Lombardo Trio provided vocals for Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians on their number two hit, "Winter Wonderland", in 1934. [8] Judy Garland reached number 27 with "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" upon the release of the 1944 film Meet Me in St. Louis , in which she performs it. [9] "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" by Vaughn Monroe & His Orchestra spent five weeks at number one that began in December 1945. [10] And Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra took "Sleigh Ride" to number 24 on the Best Selling Pop Singles chart in 1949. [11]

Frances Alda New Zealand-born Australian operatic soprano

Frances Davis Alda was a New Zealand-born, Australian-raised operatic soprano. She achieved fame during the first three decades of the 20th century due to her outstanding singing voice, fine technique and colourful personality, as well as her frequent onstage partnerships at the New York Metropolitan Opera with Enrico Caruso.

Guy Lombardo Canadian conductor

Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo was a Canadian-American bandleader and violinist.

"Winter Wonderland" is a song written in 1934 by Felix Bernard and lyricist Richard B. Smith. Due to its seasonal theme, it is often regarded as a Christmas song in the Northern Hemisphere. Since its original recording by Richard Himber, it has been covered by over 200 different artists, including Jo Stafford, Doris Day, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers, Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Amy Grant, Michael Bublé, The Eurythmics, Selena Gomez, Alan Jackson, and Radiohead.

The recording of "Silver Bells" by Bing Crosby and Carol Richards was first released in 1950 [12] but did not chart until 1952. [13] "Some Children See Him" was written in 1951, and its composer's website summarizes its message: "With the U.S. engaged in the Korean War--following so closely after the Second World War with Germany and Japan--the simple but moving lyric of this carol affirmed that children of any nationality could imagine Jesus to be like them, with the underlying message that love is more important than any claim of race or nationality." [14]

"Mary's Little Boy Child" was a number 12 hit for Harry Belafonte in 1956 under the title "Mary's Boy Child". [15] "My Favorite Things" was first performed by Mary Martin and other members of the original Broadway cast of the 1959 musical The Sound of Music . [16] Vic Dana first charted with "Little Altar Boy" in 1961 on the Billboard Hot 100, where he reached number 45, [17] and Bing Crosby reached number two on the Christmas Singles chart in 1963 with "Do You Hear What I Hear?". [13]

"Christmas Holiday" was composed by Craig Vincent Smith, a member of The Good Time Singers folk group that regularly appeared on The Andy Williams Show . Smith also composed "Salesman", recorded by The Monkees for their 1967 album Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.

Billboard Christmas Albums chart positions

Debut
date [4] 		Weeks
charted [4] 		Peak
position [4]
12/18/6525
12/3/6641 (2 weeks)
12/9/67420
12/7/6844
12/6/6941 (1 week)
12/19/70219

Personnel

From the liner notes for the original album: [2]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Merry Christmas - Andy Williams". allmusic.com. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  2. 1 2 (1965) Merry Christmas by Andy Williams [album jacket]. New York: Columbia Records CS 9220.
  3. 1 2 3 "Album Reviews". Billboard . 1965-11-13. p. 72.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Whitburn 2004 , p. 203.
  5. ↑ Whitburn 2004 , p. 65.
  6. 1 2 "Gold & Platinum". riaa.com. Retrieved 27 March 2017. Type Andy Williams in the Search box and press Enter.
  7. ↑ Whitburn 1986 , p. 21.
  8. ↑ Whitburn 2004 , p. 46.
  9. ↑ Whitburn 2004 , p. 37.
  10. ↑ Whitburn 2004 , p. 50.
  11. ↑ Whitburn 2004 , p. 22.
  12. ↑ "Record Reviews". Billboard . 1950-10-28. p. 40.
  13. 1 2 Whitburn 2004 , p. 31.
  14. ↑ "Wihla Hutson". A. Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Kansas State University. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  15. ↑ Whitburn 2004 , p. 20.
  16. ↑ "The Sound of Music". ibdb.com. The Broadway League. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  17. ↑ Whitburn 2004 , p. 32.

Bibliography

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