147-489: " Happy Xmas (War Is Over) " is a Christmas song released in 1971 as a single by John & Yoko/The Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir. It was the seventh single released by John Lennon outside his work with the Beatles . The song reached number four in the UK, where its release was delayed until November 1972, and has occasionally re-emerged on the UK Singles Chart , most notably after Lennon's murder in December 1980, when it peaked at number two. Also
294-718: A b-side on her 5th single Predictable . A 2009 version by mash-up band Beatallica on the album Winter Plunderband . On 13 December 2012, Sean Lennon performed the song with gospel singer Mavis Staples , Jeff Tweedy of the band Wilco , and the Harlem Gospel Choir on the Comedy Central program The Colbert Report . This version was made available for purchase on the music download site iTunes , and proceeds were donated to Hurricane Sandy disaster relief. During John Lennon's 75th Birthday Concert, Sheryl Crow , Aloe Blacc , and Peter Frampton performed
441-565: A protest song against the Vietnam War , "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" has since become a Christmas standard , frequently recorded by other artists, appearing on compilation albums of seasonal music, and named in polls as a holiday favourite. In a UK-wide poll in December 2012, it was voted tenth on the ITV television special The Nation's Favourite Christmas Song . "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)"
588-542: A recluse , he withdrew temporarily from the public eye, marrying Veronica "Ronnie" Bennett , lead singer of the Ronettes, in 1968. Spector emerged briefly for a cameo as himself in an episode of I Dream of Jeannie (1967) and as a drug dealer in the film Easy Rider (1969). In 1969, Spector made a brief return to the music business by signing a production deal with A&M Records . A Ronettes single, "You Came, You Saw, You Conquered" flopped, but Spector returned to
735-574: A " Wagnerian " approach to rock and roll . He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in pop music history and one of the most successful producers of the 1960s. Born in the Bronx , Spector moved to Los Angeles as a teenager and began his career in 1958, as a founding member of The Teddy Bears , for whom he penned, " To Know Him Is to Love Him ", a U.S. number-one hit. In 1960, after working as an apprentice to Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller , Spector co-founded Philles Records , and at
882-445: A 1991 version on the album Standards by The Alarm , a 1994 in-concert performance by Melissa Etheridge , a 1995 Brazilian version by Simone , the 2002 version by South African band Toxic Shame, the 2002 Maybe This Christmas version from Sense Field . American pop rock band Maroon 5 released a cover in 2005, in support of Amnesty International 's Make Some Noise campaign. Australian singer Delta Goodrem recorded this song as
1029-523: A Christmas tree after being translated from its original German. Christmas music has been published as sheet music for centuries. One of the earliest collections of printed Christmas music was Piae Cantiones , a Finnish songbook first published in 1582 which contained a number of songs that have survived today as well-known Christmas carols. The publication of Christmas music books in the 19th century, such as Christmas Carols, New and Old ( Bramley and Stainer , 1871), played an important role in widening
1176-403: A Ladies' Man . This angered many devout Cohen fans who preferred his stark acoustic sound to the orchestral and choral wall of sound that the album contains. The recording was fraught with difficulty. After Cohen had laid down practice vocal tracks, Spector mixed the album in studio sessions, rather than allowing Cohen to take a role in the mixing, as Cohen had previously done. Cohen remarked that
1323-686: A Reindeer" and " Wonderful Christmastime ". The Pinnacle Media Worldwide survey divided its listeners into music-type categories: A collection of chart hits recorded in a bid to be crowned the UK Christmas No. 1 single during the 1970s and 1980s have become some of the most popular holiday tunes in the United Kingdom. Band Aid 's 1984 song " Do They Know It's Christmas? " is the second-best-selling single in UK Chart history . " Fairytale of New York ", released by The Pogues in 1987,
1470-510: A Sunny Bank", " The Holly and the Ivy ", the " Coventry Carol " and " I Saw Three Ships ". The practice of ordinary Christian church members of various denominations going door to door and singing carols continues in many parts of the world, such as in India; residents give money to the carolers, which churches distribute to the poor. The importance of Advent and the feast of Christmastide within
1617-578: A cover version using Darlene Love and the Blossoms on lead vocals. The record was released on Philles, attributed to the Crystals, and quickly rose to the top of the charts. By the time "He's a Rebel" went to number 1, Lester Sill was out of the company, and Spector had Philles all to himself. He created a new act, Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans , featuring Darlene Love, Fanita James (a member of
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#17328014789611764-400: A cycle of six songs related to Christmas themes he called Weihnachtslieder . Setting his own poems for solo voice and piano, he alluded to older Christmas carols in the accompaniment of two of the songs. Other classical works associated with Christmas include: Songs which are traditional, even some without a specific religious context, are often called Christmas carols . Each of these has
1911-584: A five volumes. The popular books have proved to be a popular resource for choirs and church congregations in the English-speaking world, and remain in print today. In 2008, BBC Music Magazine published a poll of the "50 Greatest Carols", compiled from the views of choral experts and choirmasters in the UK and the US. The resulting list of the top ten favored Christmas carols and motets was: According to
2058-547: A fixture of Christmas celebrations in some countries, and although it was originally written for performance at Easter , it covers aspects of the Biblical Christmas narrative. Informal Scratch Messiah performances involving public participation are very popular in the Christmas season. Johann Sebastian Bach 's Christmas Oratorio ( Weihnachts-Oratorium , BWV 248 ), written for Christmas 1734, describes
2205-578: A former promotion man who was a mentor to Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller . Sill and his partner, Lee Hazlewood supported Spector's next project, the Spectors Three. In 1960, Sill arranged for Spector to work as an apprentice to Leiber and Stoller in New York. Spector co-wrote the Ben E. King Top 10 hit " Spanish Harlem " with Leiber and also worked as a session musician, playing the guitar solo on
2352-531: A fuller sound. Spector himself called his technique "a Wagnerian approach to rock & roll: little symphonies for the kids". Spector directed the overall sound of his recordings, using a core group that became known as the Wrecking Crew , including session players such as Hal Blaine , Larry Knechtel , Steve Douglas , Carol Kaye , Roy Caton , Glen Campbell , and Leon Russell . He delegated arrangements to Jack Nitzsche and had Sonny Bono oversee
2499-540: A little honey." He conceived "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" as a means of elaborating upon the themes of social unity and peaceful change enacted through personal accountability and empowerment that served as the basis of the earlier billboard campaign, trying to convey optimism while avoiding the sentimentality that he felt often characterised Christmas songs. From 1963 to 1969, the Beatles had issued special recordings at Christmas directly to members of their fan club. After
2646-409: A major achievement in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The Christmas number one benefits from broad publicity, so much so that the songs that attempt but fail to achieve the honor and finish second also get widespread attention. Social media campaigns have been used to try to encourage sales of specific songs so that they could reach number one. These songs develop an association with Christmas or
2793-705: A major influence on Spector's production style. In 1958, the Teddy Bears recorded the Spector-penned " Don't You Worry My Little Pet ", and then signed a two to three singles recording deal with Era Records , with the promise of more if the singles did well. At their next session, they recorded another song Spector had written—this one inspired by the epitaph on Spector's father's tombstone. Released on Era's subsidiary label, Dore Records, " To Know Him Is to Love Him " reached number one on Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on December 1, 1958, selling over
2940-408: A million copies by year's end. Following the success of their debut, the group signed with Imperial Records . Their next single, "I Don't Need You Anymore", reached number 91. They released several more recordings, including an album, The Teddy Bears Sing! , but failed to reach the top 100 in US sales. The group disbanded in 1959. While recording the Teddy Bears' album, Spector met Lester Sill ,
3087-683: A more secular fashion by such institutions as the Santa Claus Village , in Rovaniemi , Finland. The tradition of singing Christmas carols in return for alms or charity began in England in the seventeenth century after the Restoration . Town musicians or 'waits' were licensed to collect money in the streets in the weeks preceding Christmas, the custom spread throughout the population by the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries up to
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#17328014789613234-776: A new version of the song, including string arrangements by Matt Jones which featured an improvised solo by violinist Scott Tixier . It reached number nine in the UK Singles Chart . The song was also covered in late 2019 by HimeHina VTubers Hime Tanaka and Hina Suzuki. A French version was recorded by René Simard and his little sister Nathalie entitled "Noël Des Enfants" from René's album 18 ans déjà . Sales figures based on certification alone. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. Christmas song Christmas music comprises
3381-588: A number of the titles in the top 30 most performed Christmas songs in 2015 include Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Andy Williams, and the Jackson 5. Since the mid-1950s, much of the Christmas music produced for popular audiences has explicitly romantic overtones, only using Christmas as a setting. The 1950s also featured the introduction of novelty songs that used the holiday as a target for satire and source for comedy. Exceptions such as " The Christmas Shoes " (2000) have re-introduced Christian themes as complementary to
3528-831: A revolutionary novelty song originally released in 1955, and re-released as an edited version in 1970. A 2004 focus group from Edison, conducted solely among the key demographic of women age 30 to 49, listed "Jingle Bells?," the Singing Dogs "Jingle Bells," the South Park "O Holy Night" rendition, a Guido parody of "The Twelve Days of Christmas," and " Blue Christmas " as performed by Porky Pig impersonator Seymour Swine. Rolling Stone magazine ranked Darlene Love 's version of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" (1963) first on its list of The Greatest Rock and Roll Christmas Songs in December 2010. Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You", co-written by Carey and Walter Afanasieff,
3675-487: A rich history, some dating back many centuries. A popular set of traditional carols that might be heard at any Christmas-related event include: These songs hearken from centuries ago, the oldest ("Wexford Carol") originating in the 12th century. The newest came together in the mid- to late-19th century. Many began in non-English speaking countries, often with non-Christmas themes, and were later converted into English carols with English lyrics added—not always translated from
3822-552: A rock rendition in December 1975. Long-time Christmas classics from prior to the "rock era" still dominate the holiday charts – such as " Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! ", " Winter Wonderland ", " Sleigh Ride " and " Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas ". Songs from the rock era to enter the top tier of the season's canon include " Wonderful Christmastime " by Paul McCartney , " All I Want for Christmas Is You " by Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff and " Last Christmas " by Wham! Radio industry writer Sean Ross noted after
3969-676: A sister named Shirley, who was six years his senior; she died in 2004 in Hemet, California , at the age of 70. In April 1949, Spector's father, who was deeply in debt, died by suicide; on his gravestone were inscribed the words "Ben Spector. Father. Husband. To Know Him Was To Love Him". In 1953, Spector's mother moved the family to Los Angeles where she found work as a seamstress. Spector attended John Burroughs Junior High School (now John Burroughs Middle School) on Wilshire Boulevard, then in 1955 attended Fairfax High School . Having learned to play guitar, Spector performed " Rock Island Line " in
4116-470: A staple of the Christmas season in many cultures across the world. Many radio stations convert to a 24/7 Christmas music format leading up to the holiday, though the standard for most stations in the US is on or near Veterans Day , some stations adopt the format as early as the day after Halloween (or, exceptionally rarely, even sooner) as part of a phenomenon known as " Christmas creep ". Liturgically, Christmas music traditionally ceases to be performed at
4263-829: A stark-sounding album devoid of any Wall of Sound extravagance. Through Harrison, he also produced the debut single by Derek and the Dominos , " Tell the Truth ", but the band disliked the sound and had the record withdrawn. Spector was made head of A&R for Apple Records . He held the post for only a year, during which he co-produced Lennon's 1971 single " Power to the People " (number 11) and his chart-topping album Imagine . The album's title track hit number 3. With Harrison, Spector co-produced Harrison's " Bangla Desh " (number 23)—rock's first charity single —and wife Ronnie Spector's " Try Some, Buy Some " (number 77). The latter
4410-544: A surge of Christmas carols associated with a renewed admiration of the holiday, including " Silent Night ", " O Little Town of Bethlehem ", and " O Holy Night ". The first Christmas songs associated with Saint Nicholas or other gift-bringers also came during 19th century, including " Up on the Housetop " and " Jolly Old St. Nicholas ". Many older Christmas hymns were also translated or had lyrics added to them during this period, particularly in 1871 when John Stainer published
4557-483: A symphonic ambience, although his health issues meant that after recording the basic tracks, he was absent from the project until the mixing stage. Rolling Stone ' s reviewer lauded the album's sound, calling it " Wagnerian , Brucknerian , the music of mountain tops and vast horizons". The triple LP yielded two major hits: " My Sweet Lord " (number 1) and " What Is Life " (number 10). That same year, Spector co-produced Lennon's Plastic Ono Band (number 6),
Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - Misplaced Pages Continue
4704-517: A talent show at Fairfax High. He joined a loose-knit community of aspiring musicians, including Lou Adler , Bruce Johnston , Steve Douglas , and Sandy Nelson . Spector formed a group, the Teddy Bears , with Nelson and three other friends, Marshall Leib , Harvey Goldstein and Annette Kleinbard . During this period, record producer Stan Ross—co-owner of Gold Star Studios in Hollywood —began to tutor Spector in record production and exerted
4851-480: A variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season . Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental , or in the case of carols , may employ lyrics about the nativity of Jesus Christ , traditions such as gift -giving and merrymaking, cultural figures such as Santa Claus , or other topics. Many songs simply have a winter or seasonal theme, or have been adopted into
4998-577: A visit to Spector's mansion for an interview for the Lennon tribute film Strawberry Fields , Hargo played Spector the song and asked him to produce it. On March 19, 2007, Spector's murder trial began. Presiding Judge Larry Paul Fidler allowed the proceedings in Los Angeles Superior Court to be televised. On September 26, Fidler declared a mistrial because of a hung jury (ten to two for conviction). Released in December 2007,
5145-481: A widely influential collection entitled " Christmas Carols New & Old ". William Sandys 's Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern (1833), contained the first appearance in print of many now-classic English carols, and contributed to the mid-Victorian revival of the holiday. Singing carols in church was instituted on Christmas Eve 1880 ( Nine Lessons and Carols ) in Truro Cathedral , Cornwall, England, which
5292-704: A wider audience in 1935. As the secular mythos of the holiday (such as Santa Claus in his modern form) emerged in the 19th century, so too did secular Christmas songs. Benjamin Hanby 's " Up on the House Top " and Emily Huntington Miller 's " Jolly Old Saint Nicholas " were among the first explicitly secular Christmas songs in the United States, both dating to the 1860s; they were preceded by " Jingle Bells ", written in 1857 but not explicitly about Christmas, and " O Christmas Tree ," written in 1824 but only made about
5439-547: Is now seen in churches all over the world. According to one of the only observational research studies of Christmas caroling, Christmas observance and caroling traditions vary considerably between nations in the 21st century, while the actual sources and meanings of even high-profile songs are commonly misattributed, and the motivations for carol singing can in some settings be as much associated with family tradition and national cultural heritage as with religious beliefs. Christmas festivities, including music, are also celebrated in
5586-428: Is perceptible in many if not all of Spector's recordings, from the percussion in many of his hit songs: shakers, güiros ( gourds ), and maracas in "Be My Baby" and the son montuno in "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" (heard clearly in the song's bridge, played by session bassist Carol Kaye , while the same repeating refrain is played on harpsichord by Larry Knechtel ). Spector's trademark during his recording career
5733-461: Is regularly voted the British public's favourite-ever Christmas song. It is also the most-played Christmas song of the 21st century in the UK. British glam rock bands had major hit singles with Christmas songs in the 1970s. " Merry Xmas Everybody " by Slade , " I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday " by Wizzard , and " Lonely This Christmas " by Mud all remain hugely popular. In four out of
5880-661: The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in 2016, " Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town ", written by Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie in 1934, is the most played holiday song of the last 50 years. It was first performed by Eddie Cantor , live, on his radio show in November 1934. Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra recorded their version in 1935, followed later by a range of artists including Frank Sinatra in 1948, The Supremes , The Jackson 5 , The Beach Boys , and Glenn Campbell . Bruce Springsteen recorded
6027-484: The B-side of which was "Tired of Trying", written by DuShon. In 1962, Spector briefly took a job as an A&R producer for Liberty Records. It was while working at Liberty that he heard a song written by Gene Pitney , for whom he had produced a number 41 hit, "Every Breath I Take", a year earlier. " He's a Rebel " was due to be released on Liberty by Vikki Carr , but Spector rushed into Gold Star Studios and recorded
Happy Xmas (War Is Over) - Misplaced Pages Continue
6174-625: The Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary chart for the week ending 6 January 1996. The song's most recent chart entry, and highest position, on the Billboard Hot 100 chart was in 2022, where it peaked at #38 for the week ending 31 December 2022. "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" enjoyed immediate success in Britain when issued there in November 1972. The song peaked at number 4 on the UK Singles Chart and number 10 on
6321-585: The Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York . A dispute between music publisher Northern Songs and Lennon over publishing rights delayed the release of "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" in the UK until 24 November 1972 (Apple R 5870). The initial British run was issued in 7" single format on opaque green vinyl with the picture sleeve and variant label, but it sold out quickly and had to be repressed on standard black vinyl. The song's first album appearance
6468-642: The Middle Ages , the English combined circle dances with singing and called them carols. Later, the word carol came to mean a song in which a religious topic is treated in a style that is familiar or festive. From Italy, it passed to France and Germany, and later to England. Christmas carols in English first appear in a 1426 work of John Audelay , a Shropshire priest and poet, who lists 25 "caroles of Cristemas", probably sung by groups of wassailers , who went from house to house. Music in itself soon became one of
6615-788: The St. Regis Hotel in New York City, where he and Ono were living. Ono would receive co-writing credit, but the actual extent of her contribution at this initial stage is unclear since she did not participate in the demo, which was atypical of their collaborations. Another demo of the song was made in late October after the couple had taken an apartment in Greenwich Village . Lennon brought in Phil Spector to help produce , as he had with his previous two albums, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Imagine , which had been released in
6762-669: The Warner-Spector label with Warner Bros. Records , which undertook new Spector-produced recordings with Cher , Darlene Love, Danny Potter, and Jerri Bo Keno, in addition to several reissues. A similar relationship with Britain's Polydor Records led to the formation of the Phil Spector International label in 1975. When the Cher and Keno singles (the latter's recordings were only issued in Germany) foundered on
6909-718: The birth of Jesus , the annunciation to the shepherds, the adoration of the shepherds , the circumcision and naming of Jesus , the journey of the Magi , and the adoration of the Magi. Antonio Vivaldi composed the Violin Concerto RV270 " Il Riposo per il Santissimo Natale " ("For the Most Holy Christmas"). Arcangelo Corelli composed the Christmas Concerto in 1690. Peter Cornelius composed
7056-453: The boy band One True Voice —finished first and second respectively on the charts. Failed contestants The Cheeky Girls charted with a novelty hit, " Cheeky Song (Touch My Bum) ", at third. Briton Will Young , winner of the first Pop Idol , charted at the top of the Irish charts in 2003. The X Factor also typically concluded in December during its run; the winner's debut single earned
7203-611: The southern hemisphere , where seasons are reversed from the northern, the heat of early summer in Australia affects the way Christmas is celebrated and how northern hemisphere Christmas traditions are followed. Australians generally spend Christmas outdoors, going to the beach for the day, or heading to campgrounds for a vacation. International visitors to Sydney at Christmastime often go to Bondi Beach where tens of thousands gather on Christmas Day. Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021)
7350-401: The 1970s progressed, Spector became increasingly reclusive. The most probable and significant reason for his withdrawal, according to biographer Dave Thompson , was that in 1974 he was seriously injured when he was thrown through the windshield of his car in a crash in Hollywood . Spector was almost killed, and it was only because the attending police officer detected a faint pulse that Spector
7497-493: The 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. In early 1981, shortly after the death of John Lennon, he temporarily re-emerged to co-produce Yoko Ono 's Season of Glass . In 1989, Tina Turner inducted Spector into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. Rolling Stone reported, "Spector hit the stage bopping madly to the strains of the Ronettes' "Be My Baby", flanked by three beefy bodyguards who practically elbowed Tina out of
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#17328014789617644-607: The 2004 holiday season that it usually takes about ten years for a song to become a Christmas standard. The most popular set of these titles—heard over airwaves, on the Internet, in shopping malls, in elevators and lobbies, even on the street during the Christmas season—have been composed and performed from the 1930s onward. (Songs published before 1929 are all out of copyright, are no longer subject to ASCAP royalties and thus do not appear on their list.) In addition to Bing Crosby, major acts that have popularized and successfully covered
7791-497: The 2015 holiday season are ranked here, all titles written or co-written by ASCAP songwriters and composers. Most of these songs in some way describe or are reminiscent of Christmas traditions, how Western Christian countries tend to celebrate the holiday, i.e., with caroling, mistletoe , exchanging of presents, a Christmas tree, feasting, jingle bells, etc. Celebratory or sentimental, and nostalgic in tone, they hearken back to simpler times with memorable holiday practices—expressing
7938-612: The Australian singles chart in December 1985. In later decades, "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" has gained a higher profile in the cultural mainstream due to an increasing proliferation of recordings by other musical artists, most having been recorded during the last twenty years. Among these, two have entered the Billboard charts, both of them in the same year. The first was released on 17 October 2006 by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan along with her album Wintersong , which
8085-832: The B-side of "Hung on You"), and " Ebb Tide " (number 5). Despite having hits, he lost interest in producing the Righteous Brothers and sold their contract and all their master recordings to Verve Records . However, the sound of the Righteous Brothers' singles was so distinctive that the act chose to replicate it after leaving Spector, notching a second number 1 hit in 1966 with the Bill Medley –produced " (You're My) Soul and Inspiration ". During this period, Spector formed another subsidiary label, Phi-Dan Records , partly created to keep promoter Danny Davis occupied. The label released singles by artists including Betty Willis ,
8232-582: The Beatles' abandoned Let It Be recording sessions into a usable album. He went to work using many of his production techniques, making significant changes to the arrangements and sound of some songs. Released a month after the Beatles' break-up, the album topped the U.S. and UK charts. It also yielded the number 1 U.S. single " The Long and Winding Road ". Spector's overdubbing of "The Long and Winding Road" infuriated its composer, Paul McCartney . In addition to McCartney, several music critics also criticized Spector's work on Let It Be . Spector claimed this
8379-469: The Blossoms), and Bobby Sheen, a singer he had worked with at Liberty. The group had hits with " Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah " (number 8), " Why Do Lovers Break Each Other's Heart " (number 38), and " Not Too Young to Get Married " (number 63). Spector also released solo material by Darlene Love in 1963. In the same year, he released " Be My Baby " by the Ronettes , which went to number 2. The first time Spector put
8526-425: The Christmas number one in at least one of the two countries every year from 2005 to 2014, and in both countries in five of those ten years. Each year since 2008 has seen protest campaigns to outsell the X Factor single (which benefits from precisely-timed release and corresponding media buzz) and prevent it from reaching number one. In 2009, as the result of a campaign intended to counter the phenomenon, Rage Against
8673-846: The Drifters ' song " On Broadway ". Spector's first true recording artist and project as producer was Ronnie Crawford. Spector's production work during this time included releases by LaVern Baker , Ruth Brown , and Billy Storm, as well as the Top Notes' original recording of " Twist and Shout ". Leiber and Stoller recommended Spector to produce Ray Peterson 's " Corrine, Corrina ", which reached number 9 in January 1961. Later, he produced another major hit for Curtis Lee , "Pretty Little Angel Eyes", which made it to number 7. Returning to Hollywood, Spector agreed to produce one of Sill's acts. After both Liberty Records and Capitol Records turned down
8820-652: The Ducanes, the Creations, and the Crystals . The first two signed with other companies, but Spector managed to secure the Crystals for his new label. Their first single, " There's No Other (Like My Baby) " was a success, hitting number 20. Their next release, "Uptown", made it to number 13. Spector continued to work freelance with other artists. In 1962, he produced "Second Hand Love" by Connie Francis , which reached No. 7. Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic paired Spector with future Broadway star Jean DuShon for "Talk to Me",
8967-409: The English language first appear in a 1426 work of John Awdlay , an English chaplain, who lists twenty five " caroles of Cristemas ", probably sung by groups of wassailers who would travel from house to house. In the 16th century, various Christmas carols still sung to this day, including " The 12 Days of Christmas ", " God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen ", and " O Christmas Tree ", first emerged. Music
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#17328014789619114-506: The Hot 100 with " Black Pearl ", by Sonny Charles and the Checkmates, Ltd. , which reached number 13. In early 1970, Allen Klein , the new manager of the Beatles , brought Spector to England. After impressing with his production of John Lennon 's solo single " Instant Karma! ", which went to number 3, Spector was invited by Lennon and George Harrison to take on the task of turning
9261-533: The Lovelites , and the Ikettes . None of the recordings on Phi-Dan were produced by Spector. The recording of " Unchained Melody ", credited on some releases as a Spector production although Medley has consistently said he produced it originally as an album track, had a second wave of popularity 25 years after its initial release, when it was featured prominently in the 1990 hit movie Ghost . A re-release of
9408-830: The Machine 's 1992 single " Killing in the Name " reached number one in the UK instead of that year's X Factor winner, Joe McElderry . In 2011, " Wherever You Are ", the single from a choir of military wives assembled by the TV series The Choir , earned the Christmas number-one single in Britain—upsetting X Factor winners Little Mix . With the Military Wives Choir single not being released in Ireland, Little Mix won Christmas number-one in Ireland that year. Situated in
9555-601: The Red-Nosed Reindeer ", adapted from a major retailer's promotional poem, was introduced to radio audiences by Gene Autry in 1949. His follow-up a year later introduced " Frosty the Snowman ", the central character of his song. Though overtly religious, and authored (at least partly) by a writer of many church hymns, no drumming child appears in any biblical account of the Christian nativity scene. This character
9702-558: The Red-Nosed Reindeer ", as well as sentimental ballad-type songs performed by famous crooners of the era, such as " Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas " and " White Christmas ", the latter of which remained the best-selling single of all time as of 2024. Elvis' Christmas Album (1957) by Elvis Presley is the best-selling Christmas album of all time , having sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. Performances of Christmas music at public concerts , in churches, at shopping malls, on city streets, and in private gatherings are
9849-463: The Snow Is Falling" in America on 1 December 1971 (Apple 1842). Issued in 7" single format on transparent green vinyl with a card-stock picture sleeve, the pressing bore two label variations, one of which displayed a sequence of five images that showed Lennon's face transforming into Ono's. This sequence was originally featured on the reverse cover of the exhibition catalogue for Ono's career retrospective This Is Not Here , presented in October 1971 at
9996-402: The UK record for highest-selling single not to reach No. 1, until it finally topped the chart on January 1, 2021, helped by extensive streaming in the final week of December 2020; it eventually reached Christmas number one in 2023. The Beatles , Spice Girls , and LadBaby are the only artists to have achieved consecutive Christmas number-one hits on the UK Singles Chart , with LadBaby having
10143-402: The UK. "The Christmas song is a genre in its own right . . More than any other type of music, it spans and links generations with disparate musical taste buds." Ellis Rich, Chairman of PRS for Music The "Christmas Number One" – songs reaching the top spot on either the UK Singles Chart , the Irish Singles Chart , or occasionally both, on the edition preceding Christmas – is considered
10290-508: The US several weeks earlier. The first recording session was held on the evening of Thursday, 28 October, at the Record Plant studio. After the session musicians – some of whom had performed at one time or another as members of the Plastic Ono Band – laid down the basic instrumental backing and overdub tracks, Lennon and Ono added the main vocals. One of the four guitarists present filled in for bassist Klaus Voormann , whose flight from Germany had been delayed. The following day, Ono and
10437-439: The United States. The record, which actually featured Tina Turner without Ike Turner , was successful in Britain, reaching number 3. Spector released another single by Ike & Tina Turner, " I'll Never Need More Than This ", while negotiating a deal to move Philles to A&M Records in 1967. The deal did not materialize, and Spector subsequently lost enthusiasm for his label and the recording industry. Already something of
10584-516: The Vietnam War – that primarily consisted of renting billboard space in 12 major cities around the world for the display of black-and-white posters that declared "WAR IS OVER! If You Want It – Happy Christmas from John & Yoko". Although a similar line had previously appeared in the 1968 anti-war songs " The War Is Over " by Phil Ochs and " The Unknown Soldier " by the Doors (which features
10731-577: The age of 21, he became the youngest-ever U.S. label owner at the time. Dubbed the " First Tycoon of Teen ", Spector came to be considered the first auteur of the music industry, for the unprecedented control he had over every phase of the recording process. He produced acts such as The Ronettes , The Crystals , and Ike & Tina Turner , and typically collaborated with arranger Jack Nitzsche and engineer Larry Levine . The musicians from his de facto house band , later known as " The Wrecking Crew ", rose to industry fame through his hit records. In
10878-472: The arrival of Candlemas , the traditional end of the Christmas - Epiphanytide season. Music associated with Christmas is thought to have its origins in 4th-century Rome , in Latin-language hymns such as Veni redemptor gentium . By the 13th century, under the influence of Francis of Assisi , the tradition of popular Christmas songs in regional native languages developed. Christmas carols in
11025-440: The best known and most successful Ramones singles, such as " Rock 'n' Roll High School ", " Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? ", and their cover of a previously released Spector song for the Ronettes, " Baby, I Love You ". Guitarist Johnny Ramone later commented on working with Spector on the recording of the album, "It really worked when he got to a slower song like " Danny Says "—the production really worked tremendously. For
11172-575: The bill were the Righteous Brothers . Spector, who was conducting the band for all the acts, was so impressed with Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield that he bought their contract from Moonglow Records and signed them to Philles. In early 1965, " You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' " became the label's second number 1 single. Three more major hits with the duo followed: " Just Once in My Life " (number 9), " Unchained Melody " (number 4, originally
11319-499: The canon for other reasons. While most Christmas songs before the 20th century were of a traditional religious character , the Great Depression brought a stream of U.S. songs that did not explicitly mention the Christian nature of the holiday, but rather the more secular traditional Western themes and customs associated with it. These included songs aimed at children such as " Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town " and " Rudolph
11466-570: The celebration of Christmas—a trend that continually resurfaced in Europe and the US through the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. When in May 1660 Charles II restored the Stuarts to the throne, the people of England once again practiced the public singing of Christmas carols as part of the revival of Christmas customs, sanctioned by the king's own celebrations. The Victorian Era saw
11613-432: The charts, Spector released Dion DiMucci 's Born to Be with You to little commercial fanfare in 1975; largely produced and recorded by Spector in 1974, it was subsequently disowned by the singer. In the 1990s and 2000s, the album enjoyed a resurgence among the indie rock cognoscenti. Spector began to reemerge later in the decade, producing and co-writing a controversial 1977 album by Leonard Cohen , titled Death of
11760-419: The chords and melodic structure of "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" are similar to the traditional English ballad " Skewball ", but with a different rhythmic meter, subsequent modulations and a wholly new and different chorus countermelody. The verses of the song are closest in structure to the 1963 rendition (titled "Stewball") by Peter, Paul and Mary . Apple Records released "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" and "Listen,
11907-504: The church year means there is a large repertoire of music specially composed for performance in church services celebrating the Christmas story. Various composers from the Baroque era to the 21st century have written Christmas cantatas and motets . Some notable compositions include: Many large-scale religious compositions are performed in a concert setting at Christmas. Performances of George Frideric Handel 's oratorio Messiah are
12054-447: The compilation albums Shaved Fish (1975) and The John Lennon Collection (1982) erroneously transcribe this introduction as, "Happy Christmas, Yoko. Happy Christmas, John." When Lennon first played his demo for Phil Spector, the producer remarked that the song's opening line, "So this is Christmas…", was rhythmically identical to the 1961 single " I Love How You Love Me " by The Paris Sisters , which Spector himself had produced. At
12201-534: The couple and their son Sean from the late 1970s, interspersed with a boys' choral ensemble singing along with the original Harlem Community Choir vocals. In 2003, a new video was created for the remastered 5.1 version of the song for the DVD Lennon Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon . This version has over 22 million views on YouTube. On its US single debut in 1971, "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" did not meet with much success. This
12348-497: The court case proceedings shown try to give further explanation of the facts surrounding the murder charges leveled against him. He also speaks about the musical instincts that led him to create some of his most enduring hit records, from "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" to "River Deep, Mountain High", as well as Let It Be , along with criticisms he feels he has had to deal with throughout his life. The retrial of Spector for murder in
12495-438: The desire either to be with someone or at home for Christmas. The winter-related songs celebrate the climatic season, with all its snow, dressing up for the cold, sleighing, etc. Many titles help define the mythical aspects of modern Christmas celebration: Santa Claus bringing presents, coming down the chimney, being pulled by reindeer , etc. New mythical characters are created, defined, and popularized by these songs; " Rudolph
12642-409: The early 1970s, Spector produced the Beatles ' Let It Be and several solo records by John Lennon and George Harrison . By the mid-1970s, Spector had produced eighteen U.S. Top 10 singles for various artists. His chart-toppers included the Righteous Brothers ' " You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' ", the Beatles' " The Long and Winding Road ", and Harrison's " My Sweet Lord ". Spector helped establish
12789-675: The entire album, but was fired owing to personal and creative differences. One of the two Spector-produced songs on the album, the title track , was a UK top 10 single (the other single being "White Dove"). On February 3, 2003, Spector shot actress Lana Clarkson in the mouth while in his mansion (the Pyrenees Castle) in Alhambra, California . Her body was found slumped in a chair with a single gunshot wound to her mouth. Spector told Esquire in July ;2003 that Clarkson's death
12936-468: The festive spirit for the party season in 2016" was judged by the Daily Mirror to be "Fairytale of New York". Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas is You" was declared "the UK's favourite Christmas song", narrowly beating out "Fairytale of New York" according to a "points system" created by The Independent in 2017. Both score well ahead of all others on the list of top twenty Christmas songs in
13083-473: The first recording session on 28 October 1971 was released in 1998 on the John Lennon Anthology . A music video for "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" appeared on The John Lennon Video Collection , released on VHS in 1992, corresponding to the 1989 reissue of The John Lennon Collection . It consisted of images from Lennon and Ono's 1969 "War is Over!" billboard campaign and candid photographs of
13230-454: The first time, but were characterized by substance abuse and chaotic arrangements. Amid the party atmosphere, Spector brandished his handguns and at one point fired a shot while Lennon was recording. In December, Lennon and Spector abandoned the collaboration. Since the studio time had been booked by his production company, Spector withheld the tapes until June the following year, when Lennon reimbursed him through Capitol Records . As
13377-439: The five years between 2008 and 2012, PRS for Music (who collect and pay royalties to its 75,000 song-writing and composing members) conducted a survey of the top ten most played Christmas songs in the UK over the past year, and published a top-ten list for each year except 2011 (the 2008 list was for the previous five years, and the 2009 measured the entire previous decade): The best Christmas song "to get adults and children in
13524-491: The four different Band Aid recordings of " Do They Know It's Christmas? " have been number one in Christmas week. At the turn of the 21st century, songs associated with reality shows became a frequent source of Christmas number ones in the UK. In 2002, Popstars: The Rivals produced the top three singles on the British Christmas charts. The "rival" groups produced by the series—the girl group Girls Aloud and
13671-484: The funeral of Ike Turner . In his eulogy, Spector criticized Tina Turner's autobiography—and its subsequent promotion by Oprah Winfrey —as a "badly written" book that "demonized and vilified Ike". Spector commented that "Ike made Tina the jewel she was. When I went to see Ike play at the Cinegrill in the '90s ... there were at least five Tina Turners on the stage performing that night, and any one of them could have been
13818-630: The greatest tributes to Christmas, and Christmas music includes some of the noblest compositions of the great musicians. Martin Luther , the father of Lutheran Christianity , encouraged congregational singing during the Mass , in addition to spreading the practice of caroling outside the liturgy. During the Commonwealth of England government under Cromwell , the Rump Parliament prohibited
13965-500: The group disbanded in 1970 , Lennon was the first former member to release an original Christmas song. "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" would be followed by George Harrison 's " Ding Dong, Ding Dong " (1974), Paul McCartney 's " Wonderful Christmastime " (1979) and Ringo Starr 's album I Wanna Be Santa Claus (1999). In late October 1971, with not much more than bare-bones melody and half-formed lyrics, Lennon recorded an acoustic guitar demo of "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" in his rooms at
14112-458: The group was not a proper recording act and did not contribute enough to music to merit an induction. The Ronettes were eventually inducted into the Hall, but not until 2007. He attempted to work with Céline Dion on her album Falling into You but fell out with her production team. His last released project was Silence Is Easy by Starsailor , in 2003. He was originally supposed to produce
14259-513: The harder stuff, it didn't work as well." Rumors circulated for years that Spector had threatened members of the Ramones with a gun during the sessions. Dee Dee Ramone claimed that Spector once pulled a gun on him when he tried to leave a session. Drummer Marky Ramone recalled in 2008, "They [guns] were there but he had a license to carry. He never held us hostage. We could have left at any time." Spector remained inactive throughout most of
14406-492: The holiday season from their chart performance, but the association tends to be shorter-lived than for the more traditionally-themed Christmas songs. Notable longer-lasting examples include Band Aid 's " Do They Know It's Christmas? " (No. 1, 1984, the second-biggest selling single in UK Chart history; two re-recordings also hit No. 1 in 1989 and 2004), Slade 's " Merry Xmas Everybody " (No. 1, 1973), and Wham! 's " Last Christmas " (No. 2, 1984). Last Christmas would go on to hold
14553-495: The image shows an aeroplane dropping a Christmas ornament instead of a bomb. Over the years, "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" has been reissued in a number of single formats by Capitol , Geffen and Parlophone , sometimes in conjunction with the release of albums collecting Lennon's work. It has also appeared on compilations of Christmas songs, notably those from the Now That's What I Call Music! series. A rough mix produced during
14700-446: The last 50 years, but these songs have been part of the holiday spirit for generations. Part of the wonder of music is how it helps us continue to create real memories and traditions. These treasured songs are very special to so many people and are a beloved part of ASCAP's repertoire." Paul Williams , President and chairman, American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) The top thirty most-played holiday songs for
14847-468: The listings compiled by Melody Maker . Since then, it has re-entered the UK Singles Chart nine more times. The most notable of these instances occurred immediately following Lennon's death on 8 December 1980. The single peaked at number 2 – behind another reissued Lennon single, " Imagine " – and remained on the chart for nine weeks. Between December 1972 and February 1973, the song entered
14994-542: The live recording of the Harrison-organized Concert for Bangladesh shows in New York City, which resulted in the number 1 triple album The Concert for Bangladesh . The album won the "Album of the Year" award at the 1973 Grammys . Despite being recorded live, Spector used up to 44 microphones simultaneously to create his trademark Wall of Sound. Following Harrison's death in 2001, Spector said that
15141-514: The longest winning streak at five years. The Beatles won annually between 1963 and 1965 (with a fourth in 1967), the Spice Girls between 1996 and 1998, and LadBaby between 2018 and 2022 (all five of LadBaby's Christmas number-ones were parodies of other popular songs that included a running gag mentioning sausage rolls ). " Bohemian Rhapsody " is the only recording to have ever been Christmas number one twice, in both 1975 and 1991. Three of
15288-578: The master of "Be My Boy" by the Paris Sisters , Sill formed a new label, Gregmark Records , with Lee Hazlewood , and released it. It reached only number 56, but the follow-up, " I Love How You Love Me ", was a hit, reaching number 5. In late 1961, Spector formed a record company with Sill, who by this time had ended his business partnership with Hazlewood. Philles Records combined the first names of its two founders. Through Hill and Range Publishers, Spector found three groups he wanted to produce:
15435-550: The most creative period of his career was when he worked with Lennon and Harrison in the early 1970s, and he believed that this was true of Lennon and Harrison also, despite their achievements with the Beatles. Lennon retained Spector for the 1971 Christmas single " Happy Xmas (War Is Over) " and the poorly reviewed 1972 album Some Time in New York City (number 48), both collaborations with Yoko Ono . In late 1972, Apple reissued Spector's A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records (as Phil Spector's Christmas Album ), bringing
15582-595: The most liked songs were standards such as Bing Crosby 's " White Christmas " (1942), Nat King Cole 's " The Christmas Song " (1946), and Burl Ives ' " A Holly Jolly Christmas " (1965). Other favorites like " Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree " ( Brenda Lee , 1958), " Jingle Bell Rock " ( Bobby Helms , 1957) and John Lennon and Yoko Ono 's " Happy Xmas " (1971), scored well in one study. Also "loved" were Johnny Mathis 's " Do You Hear What I Hear? " and Harry Simeone Chorale 's " Little Drummer Boy " (1958). Among
15729-499: The most-hated Christmas songs, according to Edison Media Research's 2007 survey, are Barbra Streisand 's " Jingle Bells ?", the Jackson 5 's " Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town ", Elmo & Patsy 's " Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer ", and " O Holy Night " as performed by cartoon characters from Comedy Central 's South Park . The "most-hated Christmastime recording" is a rendition of "Jingle Bells" by Carl Weissmann's Singing Dogs ,
15876-621: The only holy day in the liturgical calendar in 1644. The new liturgy produced for the English church recognized this in 1645, and so legally abolished Christmas. Its celebration was declared an offense by Parliament in 1647. There is some debate as to the effectiveness of this ban, and whether or not it was enforced in the country. During the years that the Puritan ban on Christmas was in place in England, semi-clandestine religious services marking Christ's birth continued to be held, and people sang carols in secret. Puritans generally disapproved of
16023-492: The original, but newly created—sometimes as late as the early 20th century. Among the earliest secular Christmas songs was " The Twelve Days of Christmas ", which first appeared in 1780 in England (its melody would not come until 1909); the English West Country carol " We Wish You a Merry Christmas " has antecedents dating to the 1830s but was not published in its modern form until Arthur Warrell introduced it to
16170-565: The popular appeal of carols. In the 20th century, Oxford University Press (OUP) published some highly successful Christmas music collections such as The Oxford Book of Carols ( Martin Shaw , Ralph Vaughan Williams and Percy Dearmer , 1928), which revived a number of early folk songs and established them as modern standard carols. This was followed by the bestselling Carols for Choirs series ( David Willcocks , Reginald Jacques and John Rutter ), first published in 1961 and now available in
16317-541: The practice of singing Christmas carols as Pagan and sinful. Like other customs associated with Christianity of the Catholic and Magisterial Protestant traditions, it earned the disapproval of Puritans . Famously, Cromwell's interregnum prohibited all celebrations of the Christmas holiday. This attempt to ban the public celebration of Christmas can also be seen in the early history of Father Christmas . The Puritan Westminster Assembly of Divines established Sunday as
16464-401: The present day. Also from the seventeenth century, there was the English custom, predominantly involving women, of taking a wassail bowl to their neighbors to solicit gifts, accompanied by carols. Despite this long history, many Christmas carols date only from the nineteenth century onwards, with the exception of songs such as the " Wexford Carol ", " God Rest You Merry Gentlemen ", "As I Sat on
16611-554: The project. Harrison recalled having to climb down into Spector's central London hotel room from the roof to get him to attend the sessions, and that his co-producer would then need "eighteen cherry brandies before he could get himself down to the studio". In late 1973, Spector produced the initial recording sessions for what became Lennon's 1975 covers album Rock 'n' Roll (number 6). The sessions were held in Los Angeles, with Lennon allowing Spector free rein as producer for
16758-595: The real Tina Turner." In mid-April 2008, BBC Two broadcast a special titled Phil Spector: The Agony and the Ecstasy , by Vikram Jayanti . It consists of Spector's first screen interview—breaking a long period of media silence. During the conversation, images from the murder court case are juxtaposed with live appearances of his tracks on television programs from the 1960s and 1970s, along with subtitles giving critical interpretations of some of his song production values. While he does not directly try to clear his name,
16905-500: The recording studio, Lennon instructed the guitarists to incorporate mandolin -style riffs similar to the ones heard in " Try Some, Buy Some ", a single that Spector and George Harrison had produced in February 1971 for his wife, Ronnie Spector , formerly of the Ronettes . Spector also included percussion instruments of the sort he used on the 1963 album A Christmas Gift for You . In addition to these reappropriated elements,
17052-567: The recordings the commercial success and critical recognition that had originally eluded the 1963 release. Lennon and Ono's "Happy Xmas" single similarly stalled in sales upon its initial release, but later became a fixture on radio station playlists around Christmas. Harrison and Spector started work on Harrison's Living in the Material World album in October 1972, but Spector's unreliability soon led to Harrison dismissing him from
17199-504: The refrain "The war is over"), the use of "War is over" (minus the definite article) by Lennon and Ono may be coincidental; there is no evidence to confirm that they were acquainted with these earlier works, or if so whether they were influenced by them. Recognising the accessibility and popular appeal that made his 1971 single " Imagine " more commercially successful than his other post-Beatles songs, Lennon concluded, "Now I understand what you have to do: Put your political message across with
17346-574: The result is "grotesque", but also "semi-virtuous"—for many years, he included a reworked version of the track "Memories" in live concerts. Bob Dylan and Allen Ginsberg also participated in the background vocals on "Don't Go Home with Your Hard-On". Spector also produced the much-publicized Ramones album End of the Century in 1979. As with his work with Leonard Cohen, End of the Century received criticism from Ramones fans who were angered over its radio-friendly sound. However, it contains some of
17493-528: The role of the studio as an instrument , the integration of pop art aesthetics into music ( art pop ), and the genres of art rock and dream pop . His honors include the 1973 Grammy Award for Album of the Year , for co-producing Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh , a 1989 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame , and a 1997 induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame . In 2004, Spector
17640-489: The same amount of effort into an LP as he did into 45s was when he utilized the full Philles roster and the Wrecking Crew to make what he felt would become a hit for the 1963 Christmas season. A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records was released a few days after the assassination of President Kennedy in November 1963. On September 28, 1963, the Ronettes appeared at the Cow Palace , near San Francisco. Also on
17787-418: The second degree began on October 20, 2008, with Judge Fidler again presiding; the retrial was not televised. Spector was once again represented by attorney Jennifer Lee Barringer. The case went to the jury on March 26, 2009, and 18 days later, on April 13, the jury returned a guilty verdict. Additionally, Spector was found guilty of using a firearm in the commission of a crime, which added four years to
17934-470: The secular Western themes, and myriad traditional carol cover versions by various artists have explored virtually all music genres . The 1980s and 1990s saw a revival of interest in instrumental Christmas music, including the New Age synthpop of Mannheim Steamroller and the symphonic metal of Trans-Siberian Orchestra , particularly among older listeners. "The world may have changed profoundly over
18081-460: The sentence. He was immediately taken into custody and, on May 29, 2009, was sentenced to 19 years to life in the California state prison system . Various attempted appeals were unsuccessful, in 2011, 2012, and 2016. Spector died in a prison hospital in January 2021. Spector's early musical influences included Latin music in general, and Latin percussion in particular. This
18228-770: The session musicians, including Voormann, recorded the single's B-side , "Listen, the Snow Is Falling". The Harlem Community Choir – 30 children, most of them four to twelve years of age – came to the studio on the afternoon of 31 October to record backing vocals for the counter-melody and sing-along chorus. Photographs for the original sleeve cover were also taken during that session by Iain Macmillan . The song begins with spoken Christmas greetings from Ono and Lennon to their children from previous marriages: Ono whispers, "Happy Christmas, Kyoko", then Lennon whispers, "Happy Christmas, Julian ". Lyric sheets accompanying
18375-799: The single re-charted on the Billboard Hot 100 , and went to number one on the Adult Contemporary charts . This also put Spector back on the U.S. Top 40 charts for the first time since his last appearance in 1971 with John Lennon 's " Imagine ", though he did have UK top 40 hits in the interim with the Ramones . Spector's final signing to Philles was the husband-and-wife team of Ike & Tina Turner in April 1966. Spector considered their single " River Deep – Mountain High " his best work, but it failed to reach any higher than number 88 in
18522-458: The song " B Boy Baby " by Mutya Buena and Amy Winehouse featured melodic and lyrical passages heavily influenced by "Be My Baby". As a result, Spector was given a songwriting credit on the single. The sections from "Be My Baby" were sung by Winehouse, not sampled from the mono single. Winehouse referenced her admiration of Spector's work and often performed Spector's first hit song, " To Know Him Is to Love Him ". That same month, Spector attended
18669-466: The song with a children's chorus from The Stuttering Association for the Youth. On 14 December 2018, Miley Cyrus and Mark Ronson recorded a version of the song featuring Lennon's son, Sean Ono Lennon . The three of them performed their cover on 15 December 2018 episode of Saturday Night Live , where Ronson and Cyrus were booked as the episode's musical guests. In November 2019, John Legend released
18816-494: The songs independent of any artist who may have recorded them. " Santa Baby " ranked atop the list; a side note from a news article covering the list noted that much of that hatred came from the Madonna cover version from A Very Special Christmas , which gets more airplay than Eartha Kitt 's original. Other songs that ranked high in terms of listener revulsion included " I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus ," "Grandma Got Run Over by
18963-555: The top ten in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Singapore. Ultimate Classic Rock critic Nick DeRiso rated it as Lennon's 5th greatest solo political song, noting that "Lennon took the opportunity to encourage Yuletide revelers toward a broader sense of pacifism." In 1985, Australian group the Incredible Penguins released a version of the song, which peaked at number 10 on
19110-505: The way. He mumbled a few incoherent words about George H. W. Bush and the presidential inauguration , and then his bodyguards carried him away again." He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1997 and he received the Grammy Trustees Award in 2000. In 1994, Spector wrote a letter to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's nominating committee to oppose the Ronettes being considered for induction. He argued that
19257-415: Was No. 1 on Billboard 's Holiday Digital Songs chart in December 2013. " Fairytale of New York " by The Pogues is cited as the best Christmas song of all time in various television, radio and magazine related polls in the United Kingdom and Ireland. A 2021 YouGov survey of 1,000 adults ranked the most hated Christmas songs, counting only those songs that a majority of those polls recognized and listing
19404-567: Was an "accidental suicide" and that she "kissed the gun". The emergency call from Spector's home, made by Spector's driver, Adriano de Souza, quotes Spector as saying, "I think I killed somebody." De Souza added that he saw Spector come out of the back door of the house with a gun in his hand. Spector remained free on $ 1 million bail while awaiting trial. In the meantime, Spector produced singer-songwriter Hargo Khalsa's track (known professionally as Hargo) "Crying for John Lennon", which originally appears on Hargo's 2006 album In Your Eyes . On
19551-468: Was an American record producer , songwriter , and convicted murderer. He is best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s along with his two trials and conviction for the murder of Lana Clarkson in the 2000s. Spector developed the Wall of Sound , a production style that is characterized for its diffusion of tone colors and dense orchestral sound, which he described as
19698-598: Was an early feature of the Christmas season and its celebrations. The earliest examples are hymnographic works ( chants and litanies ) intended for liturgical use in observance of both the Feast of the Nativity and Theophany, many of which are still in use by the Eastern Orthodox Church. The 13th century saw the rise of the carol written in the vernacular, under the influence of Francis of Assisi . In
19845-487: Was born as Baruch in the Russian Empire to George and Bessie Spektus or Spektres, and brought to America by his parents in 1913 aged 10. Both families anglicized their last names to "Spector" on their naturalization papers , both of which were witnessed by the same man, Isidore Spector. The similarities in name and background of the grandfathers led Spector to believe that his parents were first cousins. He had
19992-546: Was convicted of the 2003 murder of actress Lana Clarkson and sentenced to 19 years to life in prison, where he died, in 2021. Harvey Philip Spector was born on December 26, 1939. His parents were Benjamin (1903–1949) and Bertha (1911–1995) Spector, a first-generation immigrant Russian-Jewish family in the Bronx , New York City. Bertha had been born in France to Russian migrants George and Clara Spektor, who brought her to America in 1911 aged 9 months, while Benjamin
20139-717: Was due to the single's late release, which resulted in limited airplay before Christmas, and a lack of promotion. The single peaked at number 36 on the Cash Box Top 100 Singles and number 28 on the Record World Singles Chart, and number 3 on the Billboard Christmas Singles chart. The single subsequently re-appeared on the Billboard Christmas charts in 1972, 1983, 1984, and 1985. The song appeared at number 32 on
20286-714: Was introduced to the tradition by Katherine K. Davis in her " The Little Drummer Boy " (written in 1941, with a popular version being released in 1958). Loretta Lynn introduced " Shadrack, the Black Reindeer " in 1974. The list does not include songs written before 1929 nor songs written solely by songwriters from other guilds such as BMI and SESAC . The above-ranking results from an aggregation of performances of all different artist versions of each cited holiday song, across all forms of media, from January 1, 2015, through December 31, 2015. In 2007 surveys of United States radio listeners by two different research groups,
20433-473: Was not declared dead at the scene. He was admitted to the UCLA Medical Center on the night of March 31, suffering serious head injuries that required several hours of surgery, with over 300 stitches to his face and more than 400 to the back of his head. His head injuries, Thompson suggests, were the reason that Spector began his habit of wearing outlandish wigs in later years. He established
20580-436: Was on Shaved Fish , the only compilation of Lennon's solo recordings released during his lifetime. "Happy Xmas" was coupled there with part of a live version of " Give Peace a Chance ", performed as the finale of Lennon and Ono's One to One benefit concert on 30 August 1972. Designed by Roy Kohara, the album cover is composed of illustrations by Michael Bryan representing each song on the album; for "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)",
20727-436: Was partly due to resentment that an American producer appeared to be "taking over" such a popular English band. Lennon defended Spector, telling Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone : "he was given the shittiest load of badly recorded shit, with a lousy feeling toward it, ever. And he made something out of it. He did a great job." For Harrison's multiplatinum album All Things Must Pass (number 1, 1970), Spector helped provide
20874-443: Was ranked number 63 on Rolling Stone ' s list of the greatest artists in history . Following one-off productions for Leonard Cohen ( Death of a Ladies' Man ), Dion DiMucci ( Born to Be with You ), and the Ramones ( End of the Century ), from the 1980s on, Spector remained largely inactive, amid a lifestyle of seclusion, drug use, and increasingly erratic behavior. In 2009, after two decades in semi-retirement, he
21021-562: Was recorded for Ronnie's intended solo album on Apple Records, a project that stalled due to the same erratic, alcohol-fueled behavior from Spector that had hindered work on All Things Must Pass . Spector was convinced that the Harrison-written single would be a major hit, and its poor commercial performance was one of the biggest disappointments of his career. , a single protesting the jailing of Oz magazine's editors on obscenity charges. That same year Spector oversaw
21168-860: Was released on 12 December 2006 by American rock band The Fray as a digital download . It debuted at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 41 on the Pop 100 in the week ending 31 December 2006, but stayed on the respective charts for only one more week. Some of the earliest of the other versions of "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" appear on holiday albums released by major pop singers, such as I Still Believe in Santa Claus (1990) by Andy Williams , The Christmas Album (1992) by Neil Diamond , A Very Special Season (1994) by Diana Ross , and These Are Special Times (1998) by Celine Dion . Other notable recordings of "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" include
21315-753: Was the best-selling Christmas album of the year and a Grammy nominee . It features backing vocals from the Children's and Youth Choirs of the Music Outreach Program at the Sarah McLachlan School of Music in Vancouver, British Columbia. Entering the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart at number 22 on the week ending 9 December 2006, it climbed to a peak position of number 5, four weeks later. The second
21462-486: Was the culmination of more than two years of peace activism undertaken by John Lennon and Yoko Ono that began with the bed-ins they convened in March and May 1969, the first of which took place during their honeymoon . The song's direct antecedent was an international multimedia campaign launched by the couple in December 1969 – at the height of the counterculture movement and its protests against America's involvement in
21609-423: Was the so-called Wall of Sound , a production technique yielding a dense, layered effect that reproduced well on AM radio and jukeboxes . To attain this signature sound, Spector gathered large groups of musicians (playing some instruments not generally used for ensemble playing, such as electric and acoustic guitars ) playing orchestrated parts—often doubling and tripling many instruments playing in unison —for
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