Merry Christmas with Love

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Merry Christmas with Love
Studio album by Clay Aiken
Released November 16, 2004
Recorded 2004
Right Track Recording
New York City, NY
Genre Pop
Length 39:00
Label RCA Records
Producer Phil Ramone
Walter Afanasieff
Clay Aiken chronology
Measure of a Man
(2003)		 Merry Christmas with Love
(2004)		 A Thousand Different Ways
(2006)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 3/5 stars[1]

Merry Christmas with Love is Clay Aiken's first Christmas album, released by RCA Records on November 16, 2004. It was certified platinum and was recognized by Billboard as the best-selling Christmas/holiday album of 2004 and the best-selling Christian album of 2005.

The album was re-released on August 18, 2009 on the Sony label.

Aiken has toured four times with his Joyful Noise Tour (2004-2007) to promote this album.

Contents

[edit] Sales and chart performance

Merry Christmas with Love debuted at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart with about 270,000 copies sold;[2] this was also its peak position on the chart. By the end of 2004, around 1,004,000 copies of the album had been sold,[3] and the album won Billboard awards for the Best-Selling Christmas Album of 2004 and the Best-Selling Christian Album of 2005. The album set a new record for fastest-selling holiday album in the SoundScan era (since March 1991) and tied Céline Dion's record for the highest debut by a holiday album in the history of Billboard magazine.[4]

On January 6, 2005, Merry Christmas with Love was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of one million copies in the U.S.[5] Going into the 2010 Christmas season, 1,416,000 copies had been sold in the U.S.[6] and 2 million worldwide.

[edit] Track listing

  1. "O Holy Night"[1]
  2. "Winter Wonderland"[2]
  3. "Silent Night"[3]
  4. Medley: "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"/"O Come All Ye Faithful"[4]
  5. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"[5]
  6. "Mary, Did You Know?"[6]
  7. "Joy to the World"[7]
  8. "The Christmas Song"[8]
  9. "Don't Save It All for Christmas Day"[9]
  10. "Merry Christmas with Love"[10]
  11. "Sleigh Ride"[11]
  12. "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"[12]

[edit] Song notes

  • ^ "O, Holy Night" Written by: Adolphe Adam, John Sullivan Dwight / Produced by: Walter Afanasieff - 3:38
  • ^ "Winter Wonderland" Written by: Richard B. Smith, Felix Bernard / Produced by Phil Ramone - 2:49
  • ^ "Silent Night" Written by: Franz Gruber, Joseph Mohr / Produced by: Phil Ramone - 2:17
  • ^ Medley: "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"/"O Come All Ye Faithful" Written by: Felix Mendelssohn, Charles Wesley /Frederick Oakeley, John Francis Wade / Produced by: Walter Afanasieff - 4:00
  • ^ "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" Written by: Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane / Produced by: Phil Ramone - 3:27
  • ^ "Mary Did You Know" Written by: Buddy Greene, Mark Alan Lowry / Produced by: Walter Afanasieff - 3:20
  • ^ "Joy to the World" Written by: Isaac Watts, Lowell Mason / Produced by: Phil Ramone - 2:13
  • ^ "The Christmas Song(Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)" Written by: Melvin Torme, Robert Wells / Produced by: Phil Ramone - 2:36
  • ^ "Don't Save It All for Christmas Day" Written by: Celine Dion, Ric Wake, Peter Zizzo / Produced by: Walter Afanasieff - 4:33
  • ^ "Merry Christmas with Love" Written by: Greg Wayne Davis, Billy Lee Smiley / Produced by: Walter Afanasieff - 4:04
  • ^ "Sleigh Ride" Written by: Leroy Anderson, Mitchell Parish / Produced by: Phil Ramone - 3:00
  • ^ "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" Written by: Frank Loesser / Produced by: Phil Ramone - 3:01

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Musicians

  • Allan Schwartzberg - drums
  • Vinnie Colaiuta - drums
  • David Finck - bass
  • Nathan East - bass
  • Ira Siegel - acoustic guitar
  • Jeff Mironov - guitar
  • Mike Landau - electric guitar
  • Kenny Ascher - piano
  • Steve Ferrera - harp, percussion
  • Walter Afanasieff - keyboard
  • Conesha Mone't - background vocals
  • Quiana Parler - background vocals
  • Jacob Juttrell - background vocals
  • Angela Fisher - background vocals
  • Michael McElroy - background vocals
  • Clarke Anderson - background vocals
  • Darryl Phinnesse - background vocals
  • The McCrary Choir - background vocals
  • Broadway Inspirational Voices - background vocals
    • Kate Chapman - soprano
    • Laura Dean - soprano
    • Tanesha Gary - soprano
    • Catrice Joseph-Hart - soprano
    • Gerti Lee James - soprano
    • Bertilla Baker - alto
    • Tracy Nichole Chapman - alto
    • La-Rita Gaskins - alto
    • Lucia Giannetta - alto
    • Danielle Lee Greaves - alto
    • Maurice Lauchner - tenor
    • John Eric Parker - tenor
    • Glenn Rainey - tenor
    • Eliseo Roman - tenor
    • Christopher Zelno - tenor

[edit] Production

  • Andy Zulla - mixing
  • Joel Moss - recording
  • Mark Valentine - additional recording
  • Emanuel Kiriakou - engineer
  • Joe Wohlmuth - additional engineering
  • David Channing - additional engineering
  • Jay Spears - assistant engineer
  • Mike Schroffel - assistant engineer
  • Glenn Pittman - assistant engineer
  • Alex Rodriguez - assistant engineer
  • Dave Reitzas - lead vocal engineer
  • Jorge Calandrelli - arrangement
  • Patrick Williams - arrangement
  • Rich Davis - production coordination
  • Elena Barere - concert master
  • Torrie Zito - conductor
  • William Ross - conductor, arranger
  • Humberto Gatica - orchestra engineer
  • Sandy Decrescent - orchestra contractor
  • David Lowe - orchestra contractor
  • Jill Dell'Abate production manager
  • Joe Yannece - mastering

[edit] Studios

  • Right Track Recording, New York City, NY - recording
  • Sound Decision, New York City, NY - mixing
  • Chalice Studios, Los Angeles, CA - engineering
  • Hit Factory, New York - mastering

[edit] Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Album
AC Christian AC
2004 "Winter Wonderland" 13 - Merry Christmas with Love
2005 "O Holy Night" 37 -
"Hark the Herald Angels Sing /
O Come All Ye Faithful"		 27 -
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" 32 -
"Mary, Did You Know?" 35 32

[edit] Tours

2004: The Joyful Noise Tour [7]

  • 28-City Holiday concert 2 hour concert (November - December 2004)
  • Featured 30 piece orchestras as well as both adult and children's choirs invited from each host city.
  • The Joyful Noise Tour's official sponsor was Ronald McDonald House Charities.

2005: The Joyful Noise 2005 Tour [8]

  • 36-City, 40-Concert U.S. and Canada tour (November - December 2005)
  • The concert featured a traveling cast of actors, singers, and dancers, as well as a supporting cast recruited from each host city, to provide the theatrical component that threaded together the musical performances.
  • The opening act and contributing musician was pop-classical pianist William Joseph.

2006: Holiday Tour[9]

  • 18-city tour of cities mostly in the eastern U.S. (December 2006)
  • Performed with local orchestras, which also opened the concerts with a program of seasonal music.

2007: Christmas in the Heartland[10]

  • 21-date eastern U. S. tour began on November 26 in Wichita, Kansas and ended on December 22, 2007 in Merrillville, Indiana.
  • Local orchestras performed the music.
  • Holiday stories submitted and read by fans were spaced throughout the performance as lead in to 4 of the song selections.[11][12]

Aiken has ended each of his Christmas tours with his signature Christmas song, "Don't Save It All for Christmas Day."

[edit] Awards and nominations

Billboard Awards

  • 2004: Won - Best Selling Christmas Album - Merry Christmas with Love
  • 2005: Won - Best Selling Christian Album - Merry Christmas with Love

American Christian Music Awards

  • 2005: Won - Outstanding Yule CD - Merry Christmas with Love

[edit] Discography

Main article: Clay Aiken discography

[edit] References

  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ Margo Whitmire, "Eminem Thankful To Remain No. 1", Billboard.com, November 24, 2004.
  3. ^ "Chart Watch Extra: Bring On Christmas!". Billboard. http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/43185/chart-watch-extra-bring-on-christmas/. Retrieved 2009-12-15. 
  4. ^ Rogers, Steve. Clay Aiken's "Merry Christmas With Love" holiday album debuts to record sales realitytvworld.com. November 29, 2004. Retrieved 2009-08-08
  5. ^ "RIAA Searchable Database - Gold & Platinum Certifications". Recording Industry Association of America. http://riaa.org/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=Merry%20Christmas%20with%20Love&artist=Clay%20Aiken&format=ALBUM&debutLP=&category=SOLO&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&awardDescription=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=12&startYear=1958&endYear=2010&sort=Artist&perPage=25. Retrieved 2010-12-15. 
  6. ^ Mansfield, Brian (December 22, 2010). "Crystal Bowersox's 'Farmer's Daughter' debuts with 58K sales". USA Today. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/idolchatter/post/2010/12/crystal-bowersoxs-farmers-daughter-debuts-with-58k-sales/1. 
  7. ^ Dreaming of a Clay Christmas © 2004 McDonald’s Corporation (pdf). December 17, 2004. Retrieved 2009-08-20
  8. ^ Kragen, Pam. "Pop nerd Clay Aiken brings 'Joyful Noise' to San Diego." North Country Times. November 9, 2005. Retrieved 2007-06-25 (article archived)
  9. ^ A Clay Aiken Christmas: Carols & Comedy .americanidolworship.com. December 21st, 2006. Retrieved 2009-08-20
  10. ^ "Clay Aiken Adds Dates to Magical Holiday Tour 2007." TicketNews.com June 25, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-25
  11. ^ Aiken's Christmas tour arrives Saturday by Sean T. McMann Poughkeepsie Journal (12/06/07). Retrieved 2008-02-23
  12. ^ Without any further ado: the Clay Aiken/Poughkeepsie Journal story by Sean T. McMann Sean's Space (12/07/07). Retrieved 2008-02-23
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