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Merry Christmas (Mariah Carey album)

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Merry Christmas is a holiday album by American singer Mariah Carey. Released by Columbia Records on November 1, 1994, the album features both cover versions of popular Christmas tunes, including some original material. On the album, Carey worked with Walter Afanasieff, with whom she wrote all of the original tracks, as well as producing Carey's interpretations of many holiday classics. With the release of Merry Christmas, Carey proved herself to be an entertainer, not just a pop-singer, as many began to speculate. The album contained a contemporary holiday theme, as well as featuring "authentic, gospel flavored background vocals."

The album features instrumentation from keyboards, bass guitars, drums, percussion and heavy backing vocals. The main reason for the album's use of these instruments was to capture a "real and authentic church vibe," giving most of the songs a real Christmas and holiday sound. After its release, the album received generally positive reviews and became a worldwide success. Critics praised Carey's uplifting and flavored vocals, as well as her skilled songwriting alongside Afanasieff. Many singles were released from the album, being sent to different radio stations for promotional purposes.

Merry Christmas was released at the peak of the initial stretch of Carey's career, between Music Box (1993) and Daydream (1995). The album produced the worldwide classic single, "All I Want for Christmas Is You," which became the best-selling holiday ringtone in the U.S. The album was certified 5x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over five million copies in the U.S. In Japan, Merry Christmas has sold over 2,500,000 copies and is the second best-selling album of all time by a non-Asian artist, behind only Carey's other release Number 1's. Merry Christmas has sold over 12 million copies worldwide and is one of the best-selling Christmas albums of all time.

Background

In the past, Carey had always described herself as a spiritual and religious individual. She always expressed her belief in God and her connection between music and spirituality, and felt the album was finally a way to portray her mysticism into music.[1] After the success of Carey's previous effort, Music Box, there was speculation of a new project in the works; however it wasn't until October 1994, only one month before the albums release, that Billboard announced Carey would be releasing a holiday album for the Christmas season.[2] Initially, critics were shocked; they didn't know how Carey would fair as an entertainer, as she had previously only been viewed as a pop star.[1] Nevertheless, Carey, unaffected by the speculation, continued working on, and promoting the album in high spirits, confident in her work.[1] The idea proved to be wise, earning Carey recognition in various markets including Christian radio, contemporary R&B stations, as well as extended her fame in Japan, where the album experienced much of its success.[1]

Writing and development

Throughout the album's development, Carey worked extensively with Walter Afanasieff, with whom she collaborated during past projects.[1] Together, they wrote all three of the album's original songs, as well as producing most of the traditional tracks.[1] "All I Want for Christmas Is You", the album's debut single, was written by Carey and Afanasieff, which was sent to top-forty and adult contemporary stations, with the video having been filmed the year before.[1] Another track they wrote, "Miss You Most (at Christmas Time)," was sent to R&B stations, with "Jesus Born on This Day," another original song, being sent to Christian and gospel radio stations around the world.[1]

Additionally, Carey recorded a cover of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" by Darlene Love, as well as classics such as "Silent Night," "O Holy Night" and "Joy to the World."[2] The latter song, which was used as a promotional single, was remixed several times and sent to various clubs; adding to the album's range of listeners.[2] Record producer and composer, Loris Holland, co-produced some of the albums gospel flavored tracks, including "Silent Night," where he arranged the backing vocals and synthesizes.[2] Carey's rendition of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," was deemed as "one of the more playful tracks on the album," alongside "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)."[2]

Composition

Merry Christmas boasted a variety of musical arrangements, sounds and genres. Carey's goal was to provide an album that would have a "Christmas feel," providing a mixture of soulful tracks, as well as fun and joyous holiday treats.[1] The song "Jesus, Oh What a Wonderful Child," was described as an original track that "really took flight." The song was recorded in a church, with many live back-up singers and children playing tambourines and other melodious instruments.[2] The goal was to produce a "real church flavored song," in which Afanasieff played the keyboards and allowed Carey's voice to "cut-loose."[2] According to Chris Nickson, Carey's love of gospel music came through on the track, writing, "[she] led the band without pushing herself forward, letting the song develop and work out, trading lines with the chorus until, after the crescendo, the musicians moved into a fast double time to the end."[2]

"You have to have a nice balance between standard Christian hymns and fun songs. It was definitely a priority for me to write at least a few new songs, but for the most part people really want to hear the standards at Christmas, no matter how good a new song is."

—Carey, describing Merry Christmas during an interview with CD Review[2]

The album's lead track, "All Want for Christmas Is You," was described as an "up-tempo love song, one that could have easily been written for Tommy Mottola."[2] Another one of the album's original tracks was, "Miss You Most (at Christmas Time)," which was very different from its whimsical predecessor. The song was described as a "sad ballad," in line with many of Carey's previous hit singles.[2] The song featured a synthesized orchestra, including keyboard notes courtesy of Afanasieff, during which Carey would sing to her "long-gone lover, crystallizing the way that Christmas brought memories of the past into focus."[2] According to Nickson, it was "Jesus Born on This Day," that was the most impressive original track on the album. It was described as a "full-blown production number," which again featured synthesized orchestra, as well as a live children's choir.[2] The song's tune was described as "solemn and hymn-like, but the arrangement, oddly, made it less religious and rather more glitzy, behind the lyrics that overtly praised Jesus."[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[3]
Stylus Magazine(favorable)[4]

The album generally positive reviews from music critics. Barry Schwartz, editor of Stylus Magazine, gave the album a very positive review, praising Carey's vocals, the album's authenticity and songwriting.[4] Schwartz wrote, "Dr. Seuss was mad Jewish, but he wrote in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, “Welcome Christmas while we stand, heart to heart and hand in hand.” That’s pretty nice. He figured that shit out. There’s no guilt. No guilt in being a Jew who envies Christmas, or being a Jew who enjoys Christmas music, or being a badass (as I am) and still liking Mariah Carey, because, all this stuff is freaking awesome."[4] Aside from the album, Schwartz lauded "All I Want for Christmas Is You," calling it, "To say this song is an instant classic somehow doesn’t capture its amazingicity; it’s a modern standard: joyous, exhilarating, loud, with even a hint of longing (ooh longing!). She sings, “I don’t want a lot for Christmas / I won’t even wish for snow,” such a beautiful phrase delivered with full sincerity over rolling pianos, spine-squashing tympanis, philharmonic strings, and a quasi-wall of sound—and Mariah’s gorgeous voice bursts through it all. Fuck, why haven’t I been celebrating Christmas?!"[4]

The album received a less enthusiastic review from Roch Parisien of Allmusic, who praised "All I Want for Christmas Is You," writing, "On the positive side, her co-penned (one of three) "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is a well-crafted Phil Spector tribute, with Beach Boys-style harmonies, jangling bells, and a sleigh-ride pace, injecting one of the few bits of exuberant fun in this otherwise vanilla set." However, he was more critical of Carey's take on "O Holy Night" and "Joy to the World," writing, "Pretensions to high opera on "O Holy Night" and a horrid dance club take on "Joy to the World."[3]

Chart performance

Merry Christmas debuted at number thirty on the U.S. Billboard 200 with 45,000 copies sold in its first week.[1] In its fifth week, the album peaked at number three, with sales of 208,000 copies, but experienced its highest sales inits sixth week (when it was at number six), with another 500,000 copies sold. It remained in the top-twenty for eight weeks and on the Billboard 200 for just thirteen weeks, re-entering the chart three times; peaking at number 149 the first time, 115 the second and at 61 the third (it has spent a total of twenty-seven weeks on the chart). The album was certified 5x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over five million copies in the U.S.[5] In Europe, Merry Christmas experienced success, being certified gold in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and United kingdom. In Australia, the album was certified four-times platinum, denoting shipments of over 280,000 copies and finishing 11th on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) 1994 End of Year Chart.[6]

Aside from its success in the United States, the album experienced its highest sales in Japan, where the album sold sold over 2,500,000 copies and became the second best-selling album by a non-Asian artist.[7] [8] Additionally, the album's lead single "All I Want for Christmas Is You," was the best-selling single of 1994 in Japan, where it was certified the "Million award."[8][9] The single achieved similar success around the world, where it reached the top-five position in most countries, as well as re-entering many times throughout the years. In the US, "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is one of the few songs in recent years to be considered a classic and is the only holiday song and ringtone to reach multi-platinum status in the U.S.[10]

Merry Christmas has sold over twelve million copies worldwide, and is one of the best-selling Christmas albums of all time.[10][11]

Film adaptation

Carey is currently developing a musical film based on Merry Christmas. The plot revolves around a small town - perhaps not unlike Carey's hometown of Huntington, New York - where a ruthless developer wants to turn the land into a large shopping plaza. "Mariah doesn't want to let that happen," says her producing partner Benny Medina. "Her character uses song and love to keep the Christmas spirit alive."

According to Carey, the script will be written by High School Musical writer Peter Barsocchini, but is still in its early stages of production. However, Carey gave Daily News (New York) a few more details regarding the project, saying, "Since I recorded the Christmas album, I've always wanted to make a movie to go with it, something that people could watch and hear and enjoy every year. I'm into it. I'm all about the holiday season."[12]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Silent Night"Fr. Josef Mohr, Franz X. GruberMariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff3:41
2."All I Want for Christmas Is You"M. Carey, W. AfanasieffM. Carey, W. Afanasieff4:01
3."O Holy Night"Adolphe AdamM. Carey, Loris Holland4:27
4."Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil SpectorM. Carey, W. Afanasieff2:35
5."Miss You Most (At Christmas Time)"M. Carey, W. AfanasieffM. Carey, W. Afanasieff4:32
6."Joy to the World"George Frideric Handel, Lowell Mason, Isaac WattsM. Carey, W. Afanasieff4:21
7."Jesus Born on This Day"M. Carey, W. AfanasieffM. Carey, Loris Holland3:43
8."Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town"John Frederick Coots, Haven GillespieM. Carey, W. Afanasieff3:24
9."Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/Gloria in Excelsis Deo"Charles Wesley, Felix MendelssohnM. Carey, Loris Holland3:01
10."Jesus Oh What a Wonderful Child"TraditionalM. Carey, W. Afanasieff4:26
11."God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen"TraditionalM. Carey, W. Afanasieff1:18

Album credits


Charts and certifications

  • Most certifications are from old criterion (sales may be higher than the certification level says now).

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
US
[36] 		US R&B
[37] 		AUS
[38] 		CAN
[39] 		FRA
[40] 		GER
[41] 		NL
[42] 		NZ
[43] 		SWI
[44] 		UK
[45]
1993 "All I Want for Christmas Is You" 86 — 2 — — 18 5 4 23 2
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or was not released.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Nickson 1998, p. 133
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Nickson 1998, p. 134
  3. ^ a b Parisien, Roch. "Merry Christmas > Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  4. ^ a b c d Schwartz, Barry (2006-12-21). "On Second Thought: Mariah Carey – Merry Christmas". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved 2010-08-30.
  5. ^ a b "RIAA - Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2010-08-19. Cite error: The named reference "riaa" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  6. ^ "ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 50 Albums 1994". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
  7. ^ "Billboard Magazine". Recording Industry Association of Japan. 1999-01-23. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  8. ^ a b "Carey's Ubiquitous Japanese Success". Billboard magazine. 1996-01-27. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
  9. ^ a b "1994 million-seller lists by year". Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  10. ^ a b "Mariah Carey's 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' Is World's First Double Platinum Holiday Ringtone". PR Newswire. Retrieved 2010-08-28.
  11. ^ "Old chestnuts roasting: ghosts of Christmas music past - Features, Music". London: The Independent. 2007-12-11. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
  12. ^ "Mariah Carey makes new 'Push' into acting". Daily News (New York). 2008-09-22. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g "Mariah Carey - Merry Christmas (album)". Ultratop & Hung Medien. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
  14. ^ "Music SoundScan Charts". Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  15. ^ "European Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  16. ^ "Mariah Carey". Charts in France. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  17. ^ "Musicline.de - Chartverfolgung - Carey, Mariah". Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  18. ^ "Album and Single Positions" (in Hungarian). Mahasz. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  19. ^ "Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana". Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  20. ^ "ゴールドディスク大賞受賞者一覧" (PDF) (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
  21. ^ "Album Charts". Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  22. ^ "TOP 40 Official UK Albums Archive". The Official Charts Company. 1993-09-11. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
  23. ^ a b c "Merry Christmas - Mariah Carey". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  24. ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2008 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  25. ^ "Gold and Platinum". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry - Austria. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  26. ^ "Gold & Platinum Certification". Canadian Recording Industry Association]]. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  27. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards - 1996 Awards". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  28. ^ "Bundesverband Musikindustrie:Gold-/Platin-Datenbank" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  29. ^ "RIAJ: 1 Million Seller 1994" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 2010-08-15.
  30. ^ "Gold & Platinum Certifications". Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  31. ^ Scapolo, Dean (2007). The Complete New Zealand Music Charts 1966-2006. RIANZ. ISBN 978-1-877443-00-8.
  32. ^ "Norway's certification database". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry – Norway. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  33. ^ "Awards 1994". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry — Switzerland. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  34. ^ "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  35. ^ "Gold & Platinum - July 20, 2010". RIAA. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
  36. ^ "Billboard – Artists – Mariah Carey". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 2010-08-14.
  37. ^ "Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-08-14.
  38. ^ "Australian Charts > Mariah Carey". Australian-charts.com Hung Medien. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  39. ^ "Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
  40. ^ "French Charts > Mariah Carey" (in French). lescharts.com Hung Medien. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  41. ^ "Chartverfolgung/Carey, Mariah/Single" (in German). musicline.de PhonoNet. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  42. ^ "Dutch Top 40 > Mariah Carey". Stichting Nederlands Top 40. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  43. ^ "New Zealand Charts > Mariah Carey". charts.org.nz Hung Medien. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  44. ^ "Swiss Charts > Mariah Carey" (in German). hitparade.ch Hung Medien. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  45. ^ "Chart Stats > Mariah Carey". chartstats.com. Retrieved 2010-01-21.
  46. ^ "Guld og platin 2008". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry - Denmark. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
  47. ^ "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
  48. ^ "The World's Number-Two Music Market Is No Afterthought". Billboard. 1995-08-05. Retrieved 2010-08-15.
  49. ^ "All I Want For Christmas Is You | Mariah Carey | Video | MTV UK". MTV. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
  50. ^ "20/20 'Vision': Mariah Marks Milestone". Billboard. 2010-06-12. Retrieved 2010-08-15.

References

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