A Charlie Brown Christmas (soundtrack)
Template:Use mdy dates {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |{{#if: Template:Start dateTemplate:Efn | Template:Short description}}}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=At Grace Cathedral1965Live at El Matador1966soundtrackA Charlie Brown ChristmasA Charlie Brown Christmas (Rmst).jpgyesA drawing of some of the Peanuts gang running around a Christmas treeOriginal 1965 releaseVince GuaraldiTemplate:Start dateTemplate:Efn*October 26, 1964 ("Linus and Lucy")<ref name="Bangtimeline64">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- September 17 – October 28, 1965<ref name="Bangtimeline65">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Fantasy, San FranciscoTemplate:Hlist34:53Fantasyx|2=</?t[drh][ >]|nomatch=}}|Template:Main other}}Template:Main other}}
A Charlie Brown Christmas is the eighth studio album by the American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi (later credited to the Vince Guaraldi Trio). It was released in DecemberTemplate:Nbsp1965 by Fantasy Records to coincide with the debut of the television special A Charlie Brown Christmas featuring the Peanuts comic characters.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn
Guaraldi was contacted by the television producer Lee Mendelson to compose music for a documentary on Peanuts and its creator, Charles M. Schulz. Although the documentary went unaired, selections of the music were released in 1964 as Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown. The Coca-Cola Company commissioned a Peanuts Christmas special in 1965 and Guaraldi returned to score the special.
Guaraldi composed most of the music, though he included versions of traditional carols such as "O Tannenbaum".<ref name="Haney" /> He recorded at Whitney Studio in Glendale, California, then re-recorded parts at Fantasy Records Studios in San Francisco with a children's choir from St. Paul's Episcopal Church in San Rafael, California. The sessions ran late into the night, with the children rewarded with ice cream afterward. Bassist Fred Marshall and drummer Jerry Granelli were credited as performing on the album.<ref name="Haney" />
A Charlie Brown Christmas was voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress. In November 2014, it was the 10th best-selling Christmas/holiday album in the United States during the SoundScan era.<ref name="sales2">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2022, it was certified five times platinum for sales of 5 million copies.<ref name="RIAA">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Background
By the early 1960s, Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts had become a sensation worldwide.<ref name="makingof">Template:Cite AV media</ref> The television producer Lee Mendelson, a fan of jazz, heard "Cast Your Fate to the Wind", composed by the jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi, and contacted him to produce music for a Peanuts documentary, A Boy Named Charlie Brown.Template:Sfn Guaraldi created the piece "Linus and Lucy" to serve as the theme.Template:Sfn Despite the popularity of the strip and acclaim from advertisers, television networks were not interested in the special and it went unaired.Template:Sfn
In April 1965, Time featured Peanuts on its cover, highlighting its cultural impact.<ref name="makingof" />Template:Sfn That year, the Coca-Cola Company commissioned the Christmas-themed special A Charlie Brown Christmas. Guaraldi, fresh from recording At Grace Cathedral with St. Paul's Church of San Rafael's 68-voice choir, returned to compose the score.<ref name="makingof" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Recording and production
The recording process for A Charlie Brown Christmas involved numerous sessions during late 1965. These sessions were characterized by blown takes, cross-chatter, and experimentation as Guaraldi and his musicians worked to perfect each track. Drummers and bassists were rotated frequently, contributing to the challenge of identifying which musicians were responsible for particular tracks. Despite Guaraldi's habit of not keeping detailed records of his session players, it has been established that bassists Monty Budwig and Fred Marshall, along with drummers Colin Bailey and Jerry Granelli, were involved in various recording stages.<ref name="linerXmasdeluXe"/>Template:Sfn Nearly three decades later, Fantasy surmised that the recordings with Budwig and Bailey were employed in the television special while Marshall and Granelli recorded the album. Other musicians have claimed to have recorded the special's music: bassists Eugene Firth and Al Obidinski and drummers Paul Distel and Benny Barth. Firth and Distil are noted as performers on a studio-session report Guaraldi filed for the American Federation of Musicians.Template:Sfn
The initial instrumentals were recorded by Guaraldi at Whitney Studio in Glendale, California, on March 6, 1965.Template:Sfn Guaraldi incorporated "Linus and Lucy" as the central theme for the Peanuts franchise, a piece originally recorded on October 26, 1964, with Budwig and Bailey for the album Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown. This earlier version is featured on the soundtrack album. The version used in the television special (#4, Take 1) was recorded on September 17, 1965, with Marshall and Granelli. The second bridge section of this rendition is notably highlighted during a scene where Snoopy exuberantly dances on Schroeder's piano before halting mid-performance in embarrassment.<ref name="linerXmasdeluXe"/>
In addition to revisiting "Linus and Lucy", Guaraldi composed two pieces for the special: "Skating" and "Christmas Time Is Here". This new music played a pivotal role in defining the tone of the production, with its instrumentation effectively conveying the whimsical yet introspective nature of the Peanuts characters and their world.<ref name="linerXmasdeluXe">Bang, Derrick; Liner notes from CD version of *A Charlie Brown Christmas: Deluxe Edition* (2022)</ref>
The recording of "Skating" showcased the scrupulous nature of Guaraldi's jazz compositions. The trio experienced difficulties in the initial session, particularly with the syncopation and characteristic keyboard "cascade effect." Several takes were needed to refine the structure and feel of the piece, with Guaraldi eventually guiding the group to the final version after numerous attempts. The take (#3, Take 7), noted for its subtle energy, was included in the soundtrack with a fade-out to conclude the track.<ref name="linerXmasdeluXe"/>
The recording process for "Christmas Time Is Here", originally titled "Snow Waltz," was characterized by meticulous attention to detail as Guaraldi and his trio worked through multiple takes to achieve a balance between the song's inherent melancholy and a warm, inviting tone. The final instrumental version (#6, Take 2), which lasted six minutes, was selected for the soundtrack album. Later, a choral rendition featuring lyrics hastily penned by producer Lee Mendelson in approximately 15 minutes was recorded by the St. Paul's Episcopal Church choir.<ref name="almost">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This choir, under the direction of Barry Mineah, had previously collaborated with Guaraldi during his 1965 jazz mass performance at Grace Cathedral. The choir's role in the special, which included performances of "Christmas Time Is Here" and Felix Mendelssohn's "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing", was integral to the authenticity of the Peanuts universe.<ref name="linerXmasdeluXe"/>
The recording sessions, held at Fantasy Studios in late autumn 1965, spanned three sessions over two weeks and often extended late into the night, leading to the involvement of different children at each session due to some parents' refusal to allow their children to return. Mineah's pursuit of perfection contrasted with Mendelson and Guaraldi's desire for a more natural sound, resulting in the use of a slightly off-key version of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" in the final cut. In addition to their musical contributions, the children recorded dialogue for the special's closing scene, joyfully exclaiming, "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!"Template:Sfn The children were compensated with five dollars each for their participation. One choir member, Candace Hackett Shively, became an elementary school teacher and fondly recalled the recording sessions, including post-session ice cream outings, which she shared with her students every holiday season.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
The version of the German carol "O Tannenbaum", approximately five minutes long (#2, Take 1), maintained the carol's structure while allowing Guaraldi's piano to explore its harmonic potential within a jazz framework. Several shorter takes were also recorded, including an up-tempo version that was ultimately set aside as it did not fit the mood of the television special. One of these brief interpretations (#2, Take 5) was used during a pivotal scene, adding emotional depth as Charlie Brown exits the school theater carrying his small Christmas tree.<ref name="linerXmasdeluXe"/>
"Christmas Is Coming" began life as a track entitled "Track Meet" which was recorded on July 29, 1965 and was subsequently released on the 1998 album Charlie Brown's Holiday Hits.<ref name=Bangtimeline>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Recording the track for the Christmas special and subsequent album posed unique challenges, with the trio making several attempts to capture the lively energy of the piece. During the first session, Guaraldi and his group encountered rhythm disruptions and issues with the keyboard bridge, resulting in multiple abandoned takes. However, by the end of the session, they produced a version that, while not perfect, showed promise. In a subsequent session, they refined the arrangement, eventually producing the final take used on the soundtrack. The bright, bossa nova-inflected track showcases Guaraldi's ability to balance jazz improvisation with the structured demands of an animated special.<ref name="linerXmasdeluXe"/>
Additional music was later added to the special, post-broadcast, including songs like "Charlie Brown Theme", "Frieda (With the Naturally Curly Hair), and "Happiness Theme" from Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown, as well as "Air Music (Surfin Snoopy)" from Charlie Brown's All Stars!. These tracks were not included in the original soundtrack release. Furthermore, while tracks such as "What Child Is This/Greensleeves", "My Little Drum", and "The Christmas Song" were recorded for the album, they were not featured in the special itself.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Reception and legacy
Commercial performance
On May 10, 2022, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album quintuple platinum for sales of 5 million copies,<ref name="RIAA" /> making it the second-best-selling jazz album in history, behind Miles Davis' Kind of Blue (1959).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
A Charlie Brown Christmas first appeared on a Billboard magazine music sales chart on the week of December 19, 1987, when it debuted and peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Christmas Albums sales chart.<ref name="Whitburn">Template:Cite book</ref> The album charted on the Billboard Christmas Albums chart every Christmas/holiday season from 1988 through 2003, peaking as high as No. 8 in both 2001 and 2002.<ref name="Whitburn" /> The album also charted on the Billboard Top Pop Catalog Albums chart during the Christmas/holiday season every year from 1991 through 2003, peaking as high as No. 6 in 2001.<ref name="Whitburn" /> In November 2014, it was the 10th best-selling Christmas/holiday album in the United States during the SoundScan era.<ref name="sales2" />
It became the first jazz soundtrack album to reach the Top 10 outside of a specialty album chart (i.e. Christmas Albums, Top Pop Catalog Albums, Kids Albums) when, in January 2021, it reached No. 10 in the Billboard 200 chart.<ref name=10Bill>Template:Cite news</ref> Derrick Bang, Guaraldi historian and author of Vince Guaraldi at the Piano, noted the significance of such a "huge" accomplishment, with Guaraldi sharing top spots with Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney and Eminem.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
A Charlie Brown Christmas was also the 10th best-selling holiday album of 2011, a year that marked the sixth time since 2001 that the album had ranked among the year's top 10 Christmas albums.<ref name="ChartWatch">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was also the ninth best-selling album of 2013.<ref name="sales 2013">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On November 18, 2021, it was ranked as the No. 1 Greatest Holiday 200 album of All Time by Billboard.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The American singer-songwriter Aimee Mann cited A Charlie Brown Christmas as an influence on her 2006 Christmas album One More Drifter in the Snow, saying it captured the "mellow and sometimes sad mood" of the holiday season.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Critical reception
Template:Quote box AllMusic reviewer Shawn M. Haney called it "joyous and festive meditation for the holiday season"<ref name="Haney" /> writing, "Guaraldi strings together elegant, enticing arrangements that reflect the spirit and mood of Schulz's work."<ref name="Haney" /> Dominique Leone at Pitchfork called the songs "small, observant miracles...If there's a muted quality to a lot of this music, it's smiling nonetheless."<ref name="p4k">Template:Cite news</ref>
The soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas has been considered "one of the most beloved holiday albums recorded."<ref name="barton" /> Chris Barton of the Los Angeles Times asserts that the soundtrack introduced jazz to an entirely new generation, having been heard by more individuals than the work of the genre's most influential players, including Miles Davis and John Coltrane.<ref name="barton" /> The score influenced dozens of young aspiring musicians, among them David BenoitTemplate:Sfn and George Winston.Template:Sfn Haney wrote that the record "introduce[d] contemporary jazz to youngsters with grace, charm, and creativity."<ref name="Haney" /> In 2019, it was ranked the fourth greatest Christmas album of all time by Rolling Stone.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
A Charlie Brown Christmas was voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2007.<ref name="ChartWatch" /> In 2012 the album was added to the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref name="registry">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="liner">Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>
Reissues
In 2022, Craft Recordings embarked on a major reissue campaign in a variety of expanded, deluxe editions. These sets feature a new stereo mix completed by Paul Blakemore, the original 1965 stereo mix, and up to 50 previously unreleased outtakes from five separate recording sessions. The three editions are a single LP vinyl edition, comprising the original 1965 stereo release offered in gold foil sleeved with embossing details (released September 22, 2022); two-disc LP vinyl and CD expanded editions, containing the 2022 stereo mix and 13 outtakes from the original recording sessions (released December 2, 2022); and a five-disc super deluxe edition, which adds three CDs of complete Autumn 1965 recording sessions and a Blu-ray audio disc containing high-resolution audio and Dolby Atmos mixes (released December 2, 2022).<ref name="deluxe2022">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Track listing
Note:
- An alternate take of "What Child Is This", titled "Greensleeves", was included as a bonus track on the 1988 reissue of the album, as well as other re-releases issued after that year. It is not included on the remixed 2022 reissue of the album.
Personnel
Vince Guaraldi Trio
- Vince Guaraldi – piano, bandleader, Hammond organ on "Hark, The Herald Angels Sing"
- Fred Marshall – double bass
- Monty Budwig – double bass ("Linus and Lucy", "Greensleeves")
- Jerry Granelli – drums
- Colin Bailey – drums ("Linus and Lucy", "Greensleeves")
Children's chorus for the songs "Christmas Time Is Here", "Hark, The Herald Angels Sing" and when the kids all shout "Merry Christmas Charlie Brown" was the Children's choir of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in San Rafael, California. Several months before the making of Charlie Brown Christmas this choir was featured on the recording Vince Guaraldi at Grace Cathedral.
Original production
- Soul S. Weiss – recording engineer<ref>attributed on rear cover, original album pressing</ref>
Production
- Ralph J. Gleason – liner notes
- Derrick Bang – liner notes<ref name="liner" /><ref name="Haney" />
- Joel Selvin – liner notes (2006 reissue)
- George Horn – mastering (1986, 1988, 2006 reissues)
- Stephen Hart – mixing (2006 reissue)
- Adam Munoz – mixing (2012 reissue)
- Joe Tarantino – mastering (2012 reissue)
- Nick Phillips – reissue producer
- Joe Tarantino – remastering
- Paul Blakemore – mixing (2022 reissue)
Charts
Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2
Weekly charts
| Chart (2007–2024) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
87 |
| US Kid Albums (Billboard)<ref name="Billboard Kid Albums">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
1 |
| US Traditional Jazz Albums (Billboard)<ref name="Billboard Traditional Jazz Albums">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
2 |
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Kid Albums (Billboard)<ref name="Billboard Kid Albums" /> | 17 |
Year-end charts
| Chart | Year | Position |
|---|---|---|
| US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 2006 | 15 |
| US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 2007 | 11 |
| US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 2008 | 20 |
| US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 2009 | 10 |
| US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 2011 | 188 |
| US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 14 | |
| US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 2012 | 175 |
| US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 12 | |
| US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 2013 | 11 |
| US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 2014 | 182 |
| US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 7 | |
| US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 2015 | 19 |
| US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 2016 | 8 |
| US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 2017 | 15 |
| US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 2018 | 23 |
| US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 2019 | 14 |
| US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 2020 | 198 |
| US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 15 | |
| US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 13 | |
| US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 2021 | 184 |
| US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 6 | |
| US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 3 | |
| US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 2022 | 173 |
| US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 6 | |
| US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 2 | |
| US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 2023 | 184 |
| US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 7 | |
| US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 2 |
Certifications
Template:Certification Table Top Template:Certification Table Entry Template:Certification Table Bottom
See also
- A Philly Special Christmas, a 2022 album with a cover similar to this one
Notes
References
Sources
External links
- Template:Discogs master
- March 2015 radio interview (KDRT program "Davisville") with David Willat, who as a child sang in the A Charlie Brown Christmas chorus, and Guaraldi author Derrick Bang
- November 2022 radio interview (KDRT program "Davisville") with Jason and Sean Mendelson, and Derrick Bang, about the extended deluxe versions of A Charlie Brown Christmas released in late 2022
- Jazzy ‘Charlie Brown Christmas' swings on after 57 years by David Bauder, from AP News (Template:Date)
Template:Peanuts Template:Vince Guaraldi Template:Authority control
- Pages with broken file links
- 1965 Christmas albums
- 1965 soundtrack albums
- Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients
- Albums arranged by Vince Guaraldi
- Vince Guaraldi soundtracks
- Christmas albums by American artists
- Jazz Christmas albums
- Cool jazz soundtracks
- Mainstream jazz soundtracks
- Fantasy Records soundtracks
- Peanuts music
- Television animation soundtracks
- United States National Recording Registry albums