We Wish You the Merriest | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 3, 2023 | |||
Studio | Abbey Road Studios | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 39:13 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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Seth MacFarlane and Elizabeth Gillies chronology | ||||
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Seth MacFarlane chronology | ||||
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Singles from We Wish You the Merriest | ||||
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We Wish You the Merriest is the second collaborative album by American actors and singers Seth MacFarlane and Elizabeth Gillies. The album was released on November 3,2023,through Republic Records and Verve Records. It is MacFarlane's eighth studio album and second Christmas album,in addition to Gillies's debut album. [1]
The album marks the second collaboration between MacFarlane and Gillies after their extended play (EP),Songs from Home (2021). MacFarlane reunited with his frequent collaborator Joel McNeely to produce the album. The album was preceded by the release of two singles:the title track and "Sleigh Ride".
On September 28,2023,it was announced that MacFarlane would collaborate with Elizabeth Gillies on a Christmas album. [2] The album marked a second collaboration,after their 2021 EP,Songs from Home. Gillies said,"After collaborating for nearly a decade,I was beyond thrilled when Seth came to me with the idea of recording a holiday record. Our first official record. There is no one I know who possesses a deeper knowledge and appreciation for this era of music than Seth." [3] MacFarlane himself also spoke about the collaboration saying,"Liz and I have been singing together for a number of years now,between studio recordings and traveling around the country performing live with some of our favorite symphony orchestras. We're both fans of the classic Bing Crosby-Rosemary Clooney duet albums,and their exquisite,expressive orchestrations contrasting with a fun,casual vocal style. We've done our best to honor that tradition with our new Christmas album,and we hope it adds some extra charm to your holiday season." [2]
MacFarlane reunited with Andrew Cottee again,after previously working on Once in a While (2019) and Blue Skies (2022). He recorded the album at Abbey Road Studios,his seventh time at the recording studio. [2]
The album's lead single,"We Wish You the Merriest",was released on September 28,2023. [4] The album's second and final single,"Sleigh Ride",was released on October 19,2023. [5]
We Wish You the Merriest debuted at number 20 on the US Billboard Jazz Albums and number 47 on the Top Holiday Albums charts with 1,000 album-equivalent units. [6]
All music arranged and conducted by Andrew Cottee.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Happy Holiday" | Irving Berlin | 2:39 |
2. | "Frosty the Snowman" |
| 2:41 |
3. | "Here Comes Santa Claus" | 2:28 | |
4. | "Sleigh Ride" | 3:18 | |
5. | "The Christmas Song" | 4:06 | |
6. | "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" | Johnny Marks | 2:24 |
7. | "That Holiday Feeling" |
| 2:36 |
8. | "Winter Wonderland" | 3:32 | |
9. | "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" | 4:54 | |
10. | "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" | 3:09 | |
11. | "Christmas Time All Over the World" | Martin | 2:40 |
12. | "A Holly Jolly Christmas" | Marks | 2:28 |
13. | "We Wish You the Merriest" | Les Brown | 2:26 |
Total length: | 39:13 |
Chart (2023) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard) [7] | 20 |
US Top Holiday Albums (Billboard) [8] | 47 |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Various | November 3, 2023 | [9] [10] |
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, comedian, and singer. He is best known as the creator and star of the television series Family Guy and The Orville (2017–2022), and co-creator of the television series American Dad! and The Cleveland Show (2009–2013). He also co-wrote, co-produced, directed, and starred in the films Ted (2012) and its sequel Ted 2 (2015), and A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014).
Fuzzy Door Productions, Inc. is an American film and television production company founded by Seth MacFarlane in 1998. The company's productions include the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad!, the Family Guy spin-off The Cleveland Show, the live-action sitcom The Winner, the science documentary series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey and the sci-fi comedy drama series The Orville. Established as part of 20th Century Studios, the company signed a deal with NBCUniversal in 2020, subsequently basing its headquarters at Universal City Studios in Universal City, and naming Erica Huggins as its president that same year.
"Santa Baby" is a song performed by American singer Eartha Kitt with Henri René and His Orchestra and originally released in 1953. The song was written by Joan Javits and Philip Springer, who also used the pseudonym Tony Springer in an attempt to speed up the song's publishing process. Lyrically, the song is a tongue-in-cheek look at a Christmas list addressed to Santa Claus by a woman who wants extravagant gifts such as sables, yachts, and decorations from Tiffany.
"Sleigh Ride" is a light orchestra standard composed by Leroy Anderson. He formed the idea for the piece during a heat wave in July 1946, and finished it in February 1948. Its first performance was by the Boston Pops Orchestra, with Arthur Fiedler conducting, on May 4, 1948. Anderson also made arrangements for wind band and piano.
"Happy Holiday" is a popular song composed by Irving Berlin in 1942 and published the following year.
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Elizabeth Egan Gillies is an American actress and singer. She made her Broadway debut at age 15 in the musical 13, playing the character of Lucy. After her first television appearance in The Black Donnellys (2007), she gained recognition for her role as Jade West in the Nickelodeon series Victorious (2010–2013), and also starred as Gigi Rock in the FX comedy series Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2015–2016) and Fallon Carrington on The CW reboot of Dynasty (2017–2022). She voiced Daphne in the Nickelodeon series Winx Club (2011–2014) and Catwoman / Selina Kyle in the animated film Catwoman: Hunted (2022), and has appeared in various feature and television films, including the horror film Animal (2014), the television film Killing Daddy (2014), the comedy film Vacation (2015), and the black comedy thriller film Arizona (2018).
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