Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or, in the case of carols, may employ lyrics about the nativity of Jesus Christ, traditions such as gift-giving and merrymaking, cultural figures such as Santa Claus, or other topics. Many songs simply have a winter or seasonal theme, or have been adopted into the canon for other reasons.
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is a song written in 1943 by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane and introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical Meet Me in St. Louis. Frank Sinatra later recorded a version with modified lyrics. In 2007, ASCAP ranked it the third most performed Christmas song during the preceding five years that had been written by ASCAP members. In 2004 it finished at No. 76 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs rankings of the top tunes in North American cinema.
Sandra Faye "Sandi" Patty is an American Christian music singer, known for her wide soprano vocal range and expressive flexibility.
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.
"The Christmas Song" is a classic Christmas song written in 1945 by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé.
"Give Love on Christmas Day" is a Christmas song first recorded by Motown Records' family quintet the Jackson 5. Written by the label's songwriting-producing team, The Corporation, the song was recorded for the Jackson brothers' 1970 seasonal album, entitled Jackson 5 Christmas Album. The song was well received critically upon release of the album. The festive track went on to be covered by groups such as The Temptations, Yolanda Adams, Ledisi, New Edition, BlackGirl, and solo artists such as Coko, and Johnny Gill.
Steve Green is an American Christian music singer.
Merry Clayton is an American soul and gospel singer. She contributed vocals to numerous tracks and worked with many major recording artists for decades, including a duet with Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones song "Gimme Shelter". Clayton is prominently featured in 20 Feet from Stardom, the Oscar-winning documentary about background singers and their contributions to the music industry.
The Secret of Giving: A Christmas Collection is Reba McEntire's twenty-third studio album, and second Christmas album, the follow-up to her 1987 album Merry Christmas to You. The album features mostly new, original holiday tunes with only a couple of traditional favorites. The children featured on "The Angels Sang" are actually the class of her son Shelby who was in the third grade at the time. The album peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard country chart and is currently certified Gold by the RIAA.It has sold 940,000 copies as of December 2013 in the US, and over 1 million copies worldwide.
"Merry Xmas Everybody" is a song by the British rock band Slade, released as a non-album single in 1973. The song was written by lead vocalist Noddy Holder and bassist Jim Lea, and it was produced by Chas Chandler. It was the band's sixth and final number-one single in the UK. Earning the UK Christmas number one slot in December 1973, the song beat another Christmas-themed song, Wizzard's "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday", which reached fourth place. It remained in the charts for nine weeks until February 1974.
"Merry Christmas, Darling" is a Christmas song by the Carpenters, and originally recorded in 1970.
Matthew Ward is one of the pioneers of the Jesus music genre, later to be called contemporary Christian music. He is best known as a member of the trio 2nd Chapter of Acts, in which he sang and performed with his sisters Annie Herring and Nellie (Ward) Greisen. During his musical career with the 2nd Chapter of Acts from 1973 to 1988, he also recorded solo albums.
This Christmas is a 2007 American Christmas comedy drama film produced by Rainforest Films and distributed by Screen Gems. Written, produced, and directed by Preston A. Whitmore II, it is a Christmas-time story that centers on the Whitfield family, whose eldest has come home for the first time in four years. The film is named after the 1970 Donny Hathaway song of the same name, which Chris Brown covers in the film. The Whitfield family overcomes many trials and obstacles during the Christmas season.
Merry Christmas II You is the thirteenth studio album and second Christmas album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released by Island Records on November 2, 2010. Recording began in April 2010 and continued while Carey became pregnant. She was the executive producer of Merry Christmas II You and worked with various record producers, including Bryan-Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri, Randy Jackson, James Poyser, Marc Shaiman, James "Big Jim" Wright and Johnny "Sev" Severin of RedOne. The album features Carey's mother Patricia Carey as a guest vocalist on "O Come All Ye Faithful" / "Hallelujah Chorus". The album serves as a sequel to her fourth studio album Merry Christmas (1994). It is composed of original songs and covers, ballads and uptempo tracks, incorporating R&B, soul, and house music in its composition.
Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You is the third studio album, and the first holiday-themed album, from American Idol season five runner-up Katharine McPhee. The album was released on October 12, 2010. The album features mostly covers, and one original song, "It's Not Christmas Without You". The album debuted at number 11 on the Billboard Top Holiday Albums chart and sold 1,000 copies in its first week. As of January 2011, the album has sold 23,000 copies.
"When Christmas Comes" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her second Christmas album/thirteenth studio album, Merry Christmas II You (2010). Carey wrote and produced the song in collaboration with James Poyser. A soul song with influences of R&B, the lyrics are about giving the gift of love. In November 2011, Carey re-recorded the song as duet with John Legend, which was later released as a single. Both versions of the track were a hit in South Korea, with the duet debuting at number one with sales in excess of 80,000 copies. The song's accompanying music video features Carey and Legend hosting a Christmas house party. It has been performed by Carey at her ABC 2010 Christmas special and during her 2014 Beacon Theatre residency All I Want for Christmas Is You, A Night of Joy and Festivity in December 2014.
"The Christmas Waltz" is a Christmas song written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne for Frank Sinatra, who recorded it in 1954 as the B-side of a new recording of "White Christmas", in 1957 for his album A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra, and in 1968 for The Sinatra Family Wish You a Merry Christmas.
"Christmas Time Is in the Air Again" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her second Christmas album and thirteenth studio album, Merry Christmas II You (2010). It was written and produced by Carey in collaboration with Broadway composer Marc Shaiman. Lyrically, it is about finding love during the Christmas season. The track garnered positive reviews from critics, with one describing it as an outstanding performance and the only song on the album that could compare to one of Carey's previous Christmas singles, "All I Want for Christmas Is You". It was released as a promotional single in December 2012. An accompanying lyric video was released, and Carey has performed "Christmas Time Is in the Air Again" live on NBC's Christmas in Rockefeller Centre event and during her December 2014 Beacon Theatre residency called All I Want For Christmas Is You, A Night of Joy & Festivity.
Merry Christmas Donna is the fifth studio album by Filipino singer Donna Cruz, released in the Philippines in December 13, 1996 by Viva Records. The album continued Cruz's streak of unprecedented hit albums, being certified platinum in Christmas 1996. It was the second fastest-selling holiday album behind Jose Mari Chan's Christmas in Our Hearts and the second OPM music holiday album to receive a platinum certification in the same year of its release.
O Holy Night! is a 1996 Christmas album by Christian singer Sandi Patty released on Word Records. It is her sixteenth and second Christmas album with six tracks produced by Patty's long-time producer Greg Nelson and five songs selected from the 1992 Hallmark Christmas album Celebrate Christmas! produced by Fred Salem with arrangements conducted by David T. Clydesdale featuring the London Symphony Orchestra. The album peaked at number 7 on the Top Christian Albums chart, number 8 on the Top Holiday Albums chart and number 143 on the Top 200 Albums chart on Billboard magazine.
