The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection

Last updated

The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection
The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection.png
Re-release cover [a]
EP by
Taylor Swift
ReleasedOctober 14, 2007 (2007-10-14)
Recorded2007
Studio
Genre
Length19:15
Label Big Machine
Producer Nathan Chapman
Taylor Swift chronology
Taylor Swift
(2006)		The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection
(2007)		 Beautiful Eyes
(2008)

The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection [b] is the first extended play and Christmas record by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released as a Target exclusive on October 14, 2007, in partnership with Big Machine Records, and became available at other retailers on December 2, 2008.

Contents

The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection consists of six tracks—four are cover versions of Christmas classics ("Last Christmas", "Santa Baby", "Silent Night", and "White Christmas") and two are original tracks written by Swift ("Christmases When You Were Mine" and "Christmas Must Be Something More"). Produced by Nathan Chapman, the EP features a country pop sound with instruments such as guitars, banjos, fiddles, and mandolins. Songs from the EP received airplay on US country radio, with "Last Christmas" becoming the best-charting track, peaking at number 28 on the Hot Country Songs chart.

Some music critics praised Swift's two original songs and wished that The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection had been longer, while others disliked the country-pop makeover of the Christmas classics. The EP peaked at number 20 on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the Top Holiday Albums chart. It received a platinum certification and sold over one million copies in the United States.

Background and release

For the release of The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection, Taylor Swift and Big Machine Records partnered with Target, which exclusively distributed the EP in the United States. [2] It was commercially released via Target on October 14, 2007, under the title Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection. [3] [1] The cover artwork is taken from Swift's music video for "Teardrops on My Guitar" (2007). [4]

The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection was released to other retailers on December 2, 2008, including iTunes and Amazon. Both retailers made minor adjustments to its cover and removed Sounds of the Season: from the title, leaving it simply The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection. [5] [6] [7] On October 6, 2009, The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection was re-released by Target and made available for digital download. [1]

Composition

Swift (pictured in 2007) wrote two original tracks for The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection. Taylor Swift at Yahoo crop.jpg
Swift (pictured in 2007) wrote two original tracks for The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection.

Produced by Nathan Chapman, [8] The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection is a Christmas record with "cheerful arrangements that are suitably seasonal but also faithful to [Swift's] bright country-pop", according to AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine. [9] The EP features four cover versions of Christmas classics and two original songs written by Swift. [9] [10] The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection's opening track is a cover version of Wham!'s "Last Christmas" (1984), incorporating country guitar licks, [11] chiming bells, an upbeat arrangement, and Swift's "country-girl vocals". [10] The original song "Christmases When You Were Mine" was written by Swift, Chapman, and Liz Rose. [8] It is an acoustic guitar-driven sentimental ballad with lyrics about a past romantic relationship and past Christmases, when the song's narrator was happier. [12] [13] [11] The third track is a cover version of Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby" (1953), featuring guitar strums and a slight twang in Swift's voice. [8] [11]

The fourth track is an acoustic rendition of "Silent Night" (1818), showcasing significant melodic changes and Swift's high-pitched vocals, which differ from the original version's lullaby atmosphere. [13] [10] The song ends with a repeated "hallelujah" refrain that resembles gospel music. [13] "Christmas Must Be Something More", the second original track from The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection, was written solely by Swift. [8] Its lyrics encourage the listeners to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas: the celebration of Jesus Christ's birth. [13] [10] The closing track is a cover version of Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" (1942), featuring a country-leaning production that incorporates fiddles and banjos. [8] [11]

Promotion

On November 27, 2007, Swift promoted The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection through an autograph-signing event held at NBC's Experience Store in New York City. [14] The following day, she performed "Silent Night" as part of NBC's television special Christmas in Rockefeller Center in New York City. [15] She performed "Santa Baby" at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, on December 8, 2007. [16] [17] Swift appeared on The Today Show on Christmas Day in 2007, performing "Christmases When You Were Mine" and "Silent Night". [18]

During the Christmas season of 2007, Swift had promotional campaigns with Verizon and LG Voyager. Songs from the EP received airplay on US country radio starting the week of December 10, 2007, with "Last Christmas" being the most-added Christmas song of the week. [19] "Santa Baby" and "Christmases When You Were Mine" were among the top 100 most-played country-music holiday songs of 2007 in the United States. [20] For the 2008 holiday season, all songs from The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection were again played on US country radio stations, starting the week of November 24, 2008. [21] "Last Christmas" was among the top 10 most-played holiday songs that season. [22]

All tracks from The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection except "Christmas Must Be Something More" charted on Billboard 's airplay chart Hot Country Songs: "Last Christmas" peaked at number 28, Christmases When You Were Mine" at number 48, "Santa Baby" at number 43, "Silent Night" at number 54, and "White Christmas" at number 59. [23] "Last Christmas" and "Santa Baby" also charted on Holiday 100, peaking at numbers 18 and 89, respectively. [24] On the all-time Holiday 100 chart published by Billboard in 2016, Swift's "Last Christmas" ranked at number 56. [25]

Critical reception

The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Sputnikmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]

Erlewine praised The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection for its "crisp, cheerful arrangements" and the way it "balances Swift's pop and country roots". [9] Dan Maclntosh of Country Standard Time concluded, "Swift is a fine singer, who finds ways to inject sincere emotion into every line she sings. They say the best things come in small packages. And that saying holds true for Swift's new one." [13] The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 's Kellie B. Gormly commented that The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection was "sweet" and highlighted the "deeply spiritual" track "Christmas Must Be Something More" as a standout. [26] Sputnikmusic 's staff writer thought that Swift's two original songs gave the EP a "thoroughly enjoyable, unique experience" and lauded the arrangement of "Last Christmas" as "extremely memorable". [10] Craig Shelburne of CMT News said, "Thanks to this teen star, a new generation of sensitive girls may discover the melancholy but oh-so-melodic 'Last Christmas'". [27]

David Yonke in The Blade said that he wished the EP had been longer and selected two tracks as highlights: "Christmases When You Were Mine" ("a mature, wistful ballad") and "Santa Baby" ("a sassy wink-and-a-nod to Mr. Claus"). [12] Scott Iwasaki from Deseret News complimented Swift's self-penned songs and said the EP was generally fine, with the exception of "Silent Night", which he found heavy on the arrangement. [28] Jonathan Takiff from the Philadelphia Daily News disapproved of the "fiddle and pedal steel-flavoring" makeover of the Christmas classics, but praised Swift's original tracks with "the high gloss". [29] The Florida Times-Union 's Roger Bull wrote that the EP was not bad but questioned whether anyone other than teenage girls would buy it. [30] In 2022, Billboard ranked The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection as the 17th-best Christmas record of the 21st century. [31]

Commercial performance

On the week ending December 8, 2007, The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection debuted at number 88 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. [32] It debuted at number 18 on the Top Country Albums chart, selling 15,000 copies in the first week. [33] The following week, the EP rose to a new peak at number 46 on the Billboard 200. [34] Following its 2009 re-release, The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection peaked at number 20 on the Billboard 200 and extended its chart run to a total of 24 weeks. [32] It also reached numbers 14 and 1 on the 2009 Top Country Albums and 2010 Top Holiday Albums charts for the holiday season. [32] As of July 2019, the EP had sold 1.08 million copies in the United States. [35]

Track listing

All tracks are produced by Nathan Chapman.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Last Christmas" George Michael 3:28
2."Christmases When You Were Mine"
3:06
3."Santa Baby"
2:41
4."Silent Night"
3:32
5."Christmas Must Be Something More"Swift3:52
6."White Christmas" Irving Berlin 2:34
Total length:19:13

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the EP's liner notes. [8]

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [44] Gold35,000‡
United States (RIAA) [45] Platinum1,080,000 [35]

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The original cover features the title Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection.
  2. ↑ Originally released under the title Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection [1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Zaleski 2024, p. 24.
  2. ↑ "Holiday Collection - Only at Target". Target. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  3. ↑ Mansfield, Brian (October 5, 2007). "Taylor Swift jumps back in with three new songs". USA Today . p. E.1. ProQuest   409034242.
  4. ↑ Spencer 2013, p. 34.
  5. ↑ "The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection - EP by Taylor Swift". iTunes Store (US). Archived from the original on August 26, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
  6. ↑ "The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection by Taylor Swift". Amazon (US). Archived from the original on January 4, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  7. ↑ Strecker, Erin (December 25, 2014). "Throwback Thursday: Remember Taylor Swift's 2007 Christmas Album?". Billboard . Archived from the original on December 26, 2024. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Swift, Taylor (2007). The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection (EP booklet). Big Machine Records. 70012.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection by Taylor Swift". AllMusic. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sowing (December 2, 2010). "Review: Taylor Swift – The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection". Sputnikmusic . Archived from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  11. 1 2 3 4 White, Caitlin (December 26, 2014). "Craving Taylor Swift Christmas Music? Well, It Exists!". MTV. Archived from the original on March 11, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  12. 1 2 Yonke, David (December 9, 2017). "New seasonal discs are plentiful, diverse". The Blade . Toledo, Ohio. p. I1. ProQuest   380754517.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Maclntosh, Dan. "Taylor Swift - The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection". Country Standard Time . Archived from the original on December 13, 2010. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Artist News" (PDF). Country Aircheck. No. 66. November 26, 2007. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  15. ↑ Haddon, Cole (November 28, 2007). "The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Makes Us Wish We Were New Yorkers". MTV. Archived from the original on March 11, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  16. ↑ Gadek, Kevin (September 11, 2015). "Flashback Friday: Taylor Swift at MOA". Mall of America. Archived from the original on June 19, 2025. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Country music star Taylor Swift rewards top holiday carolers at smart driving competition" (Press release). Allstate. December 8, 2007. ProQuest   451123359 – via U.S. Newswire.
  18. ↑ Vieira, Meredith (December 25, 2007). The Today Show . New York. NBC.
  19. ↑ "Santa Baby's Winter Wonderland" (PDF). Country Aircheck. No. 68. Nashville. December 10, 2007. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Top 100 Christmas Songs of 2007" (PDF). Country Aircheck. No. 117. Nashville. November 24, 2008. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 6, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2009.
  21. ↑ "Christmas Singles" (PDF). Country Aircheck. No. 117. Nashville. November 24, 2008. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 6, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2008.
  22. ↑ "It's Beginning to Sound A Lot Like..." (PDF). Country Aircheck. No. 169. Nashville. November 30, 2009. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 6, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard . Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Holiday 100)". Billboard . Archived from the original on May 9, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs". Billboard . November 18, 2021. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  26. ↑ "CD reviews: Christmas discs heavy on tradition, but with a twist". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review . November 25, 2007. ProQuest   382436965.
  27. ↑ Shelburne, Craig (November 28, 2007). "Taylor Swift, Toby Keith Offer New Holiday Music". CMT News. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
  28. ↑ "New CDs spark holiday spirit". Deseret News . Salt Lake City, Utah. December 14, 2007. p. W01. ProQuest   351594169.
  29. ↑ Takiff, Jonathan (November 27, 2007). "Sounds of the season: Here's your guide to recently released holiday CDs". Philadelphia Daily News . p. 31.
  30. ↑ Bull, Roger (December 18, 2007). "Get into spirit of season with a holiday CD". The Florida Times-Union . p. C1. ProQuest   414512702.
  31. ↑ Cinquemani, Sal (December 8, 2022). "The 21 Best Christmas Albums of the 21st Century". Billboard . Archived from the original on August 4, 2025. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  32. 1 2 3 "Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection". Billboard . Archived from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
  33. ↑ Jessen, Wade (December 8, 2007). "Urban, McGraw 'The Greatest'". Billboard. Vol. 119, no. 49. p. 88. ProQuest   227212796.
  34. ↑ "US Albums Top 100 - December 15th, 2007". aCharts.us. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
  35. 1 2 Trust, Gary (July 14, 2019). "Ask Billboard: Taylor Swift's Career Sales & Streaming Totals, From 'Tim McGraw' to 'You Need to Calm Down'". Billboard . Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  36. ↑ "The Holiday Collection" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  37. ↑ "Album Chart". Circle Music Chart. Archived from the original on June 2, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  38. ↑ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  39. ↑ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  40. ↑ "Taylor Swift Chart History (Holiday Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  41. ↑ "Best of 2010 - Billboard Top 200". Billboard . Archived from the original on April 18, 2013. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  42. ↑ "Best of 2011 - Billboard Top 200". Billboard . Archived from the original on April 1, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  43. ↑ "Greatest of All Time Top Holiday Albums". Billboard . Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  44. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  45. ↑ "American album certifications – Taylor Swift – The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved December 25, 2014.

Source

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.