A Kind of Christmas Card
"A Kind of Christmas Card" | ||||
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Single by Morten Harket | ||||
from the album Wild Seed | ||||
B-side | "Lay Me Down Tonight" | |||
Released | August 1995[1] | |||
Length | 3:50 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Songwriter(s) | Håvard Rem Morten Harket | |||
Producer(s) | Christopher Neil | |||
Morten Harket singles chronology | ||||
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A Kind of Christmas Card is a song by the Norwegian singer Morten Harket, released in 1995 as the lead single from his first solo album Wild Seed.[2] It was written by Håvard Rem and Harket, and produced by Christopher Neil.[3] "A Kind of Christmas Card" reached No. 1 in Norway and No. 53 in the UK.[4][5] Following the song's success in Norway, Harket received the Spellemannprisen "Song of the Year" award for "A Kind of Christmas Card".[1]
A music video was filmed in Los Angeles to promote the single. It was directed by Mark Neal and features Harket's wife, Camilla. In Germany, the song was re-titled to "Burning Out Again (A Kind of Christmas Card)".[6]
The lyrics of "A Kind of Christmas Card" were written by the Norwegian poet Håvard Rem. During a visit to Los Angeles with Harket, they met a friend of Harket's, who told them the true story of a Norwegian girl who had moved to Los Angeles to become a film star, but became involved in pornography and drugs.[1] Speaking to Robert Sandall of VH1, Harket said, "She told Håvard quite a typical story about a young Norwegian girl who came to Los Angeles to become a film star – that was her dream. And very quickly [she] started doing X-rated movies, porno films, and got deeply involved in drugs. When my friend realised what was happening to her, she contacted the Norwegian consulate and got her put on a plane back to Norway – hopefully in time. This prompted Håvard to write the lyrics."[7]
Track listing
- Cassette single (UK release)
- "A Kind of Christmas Card" – 3:50
- "Lay Me Down Tonight" – 2:18
- CD single
- "A Kind of Christmas Card" – 3:50
- "A Change Is Gonna Come" – 5:57
- "Lay Me Down Tonight" – 2:18
Chart performance
Chart (1995) | Peak position |
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Norwegian Singles Chart[4] | 1 |
UK Singles Chart[5] | 53 |
Personnel
- Morten Harket – vocals
- Christopher Neil – producer
- Bjørn Nessjø – engineer
- Simon Hurrell – mixing
- Barry Hammond, Kai Robøle – engineers on "Lay Me Down Tonight"
References
- ^ a b c Page, Barry (14 September 2017). "LIFELINES: Morten Harket". The Electricity Club. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ "Morten Harket - A Kind Of Christmas Card at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ "Wild Seed - Morten Harket | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ a b Steffen Hung. "Morten Harket - A Kind Of Christmas Card". Norwegian Charts. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ a b "MORTEN HARKET | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- ^ "1995 - going solo". A-ha diary. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
- "Morten Harket - Burning Out Again (A Kind Of Christmas Card)". Discogs. Retrieved 11 April 2018. - ^ "Morten Harket interview (with Robert Sandall) 1995 VH-1". YouTube. Retrieved 11 April 2018.