Christmas in the Heart

Christmas in the Heart
Studio album by Bob Dylan
Released	October 13, 2009
Recorded	2009, Santa Monica, California, United States
Genre	Christmas music
Length	42:21
Language	English
Label	Columbia
Producer	Jack Frost (Bob Dylan's pseudonym)
Bob Dylan chronology
Together Through Life (2009) Christmas in the Heart (2009)

Christmas in the Heart is Bob Dylan's 34th studio album and first Christmas album, released on October 13, 2009 on Columbia. The album comprises a collection of hymns, carols, and popular Christmas songs. All Dylan's royalties from the sale of this album will benefit the charities Feeding America in the USA, Crisis in the UK, and the World Food Programme.^[1]

Dylan said that although Jewish, he never felt left out of Christmas during his childhood in Minnesota. Regarding the popularity of Christmas music, he said, "... it's so worldwide and everybody can relate to it in their own way."^[2]

The album opened at #1 on Billboard's Holiday and Billboard's Folk Album Chart, #10 on Rock Album charts and #23 on overall album charts.

Recording

When news outlets reported about Dylan's plans to record a Christmas album, it was unexpected and unusual for Dylan.^[3]

In an interview published by Street News Service, journalist Bill Flanagan asked Dylan why he had performed the songs in a straightforward style, and Dylan responded: "There wasn’t any other way to play it. These songs are part of my life, just like folk songs. You have to play them straight too." When Flanagan reported that some critics thought the album was an ironic treatment of Christmas songs, Dylan responded: "Critics like that are on the outside looking in. They are definitely not fans or the audience that I play to. They would have no gut level understanding of me and my work, what I can and can’t do - the scope of it all. Even at this point in time they still don’t know what to make of me."^[4]

Tracks were recorded in a Santa Monica studio owned by Jackson Browne.

Release and promotion

Dylan released a music video for the song "Must Be Santa" directed by Nash Edgerton. In the video, Dylan and some other people are having a Christmas house party, until two of the guests start fighting and smashing things around and one of them running away. In the closing scene, we see Dylan and Santa Claus.^[5] A music video was also released for the song "Little Drummer Boy".

A music video ecard was also released for the song "Must Be Santa".

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[6]
A.V. Club	(B-) [7]
The Chicago Tribune	[8]
Robert Christgau	[9]
Drowned In Sound	(5/10) [10]
The Guardian	[11]
Rolling Stone	[12]
Slant Magazine	[13]
Sputnikmusic	[14]
Uncut	[15]

Its collective score at Metacritic stands at 62 out of 100 based on 17 reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews.^[16] The unexpected move by Dylan to record a Christmas album was received with scepticism at first. The outcome of the project was lauded by critics for bringing a fresh breath of air into these classics. Slant Magazine's critic Jesse Cataldo said "This enjoyable sense of exploration, which prizes levity in a genre that usually amounts to an artistic wasteland, is invaluable. It also proves how much life is left in the songs, and how much other artists have succeeded at butchering them." Se7en magazine's critic agreed, writing "The arrangement of his band mixes up the style of the songs, resulting in a repertoire of Christmas songs that genuinely sound like modern material, while avoiding ever being cliché."^[3][17][18]

Charity project

It’s a tragedy that more than 35 million people in this country alone — 12 million of those children — often go to bed hungry and wake up each morning unsure of where their next meal is coming from. I join the good people of Feeding America in the hope that our efforts can bring some food security to people in need during this holiday season.

Bob Dylan ^[19]

Feeding America will receive Dylan's royalties from sales in the USA, while two further charities, the United Nations' World Food Programme and Crisis in the UK, will receive royalties from overseas sales. Dylan said: "That the problem of hunger is ultimately solvable means we must each do what we can to help feed those who are suffering and support efforts to find long-term solutions. I'm honoured to partner with the World Food Programme and Crisis in their fight against hunger and homelessness."^[20]

Track listing

1. "Here Comes Santa Claus" (Gene Autry, Oakley Haldeman)  – 2:35
2. "Do You Hear What I Hear?" (Noël Regney, Gloria Shayne Baker) – 3:02
3. "Winter Wonderland" (Felix Bernard, Richard B. Smith) – 1:52
4. "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" (Tune : Mendelssohn, Lyrics : Wesley, arr. Dylan) – 2:30
5. "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (Buck Ram, Kim Gannon and Walter Kent) – 2:54
6. "Little Drummer Boy" (Katherine K. Davis, Henry Onorati and Harry Simeone) – 2:52
7. "The Christmas Blues" (Sammy Cahn, David Jack Holt) – 2:54
8. "O' Come All Ye Faithful" ("Adeste Fideles") (Traditional, arr. Dylan) – 2:48
9. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane) – 4:06
10. "Must Be Santa" (William Fredericks, Hal Moore) – 2:48
11. "Silver Bells" (Jay Livingston, Ray Evans) – 2:35
12. "The First Noel" (Traditional, arr. Dylan) – 2:30
13. "Christmas Island" (Lyle Moraine) – 2:27
14. "The Christmas Song" (Mel Tormé, Bob Wells) – 3:56
15. "O Little Town of Bethlehem" (Traditional, arr. Dylan) – 2:17

Personnel

Band

• Bob Dylan – guitar, keyboards, vocals, harmonica
• Tony Garnier – bass guitar
• Phil Upchurch – guitar, mandolin
• Patrick Warren - piano, organ, celeste
• David Hidalgo – accordion, guitar, mandolin, violin
• Donnie Herron – steel guitar, mandolin, trumpet, violin
• George Recile – drums, percussion

Mixed voice singers

• Amanda Barrett
• Bill Cantos
• Randy Crenshaw
• Abby DeWald
• Nicole Eva Emery
• Walt Harrah
• Robert Joyce

Recording personnel

• Jack Frost (Bob Dylan) – producer
• David Bianco – recording, mixing
• David Spreng – additional engineering
• Bill Lane – assistant engineer
• Glen Suravech – assistant engineer
• Rich Tosti – studio support
• Ed Wong – studio support

Artwork

• VisualLanguage.com – front cover
• Leonard Freed/Magnum Photos – inside photo
• Ewin Fotheringham – back cover illustration
• Coco Shinomiya – design
• Olivia De Berandis - Inside cover illustration

Charts

Chart (2009)	Peak position
Austria Albums Chart	63
Belgian (Flanders) Albums Chart	22
Belgian (Wallony) Albums Chart	89
Canada Albums Chart	33
Denmark Albums Chart	15
Dutch Albums Chart	34
French Albums Chart	119
Germany Albums Chart	37
Norway Albums Chart	5
Irish Albums Chart	34
Italy Albums Chart	27
Spain Albums Chart	54
Sweden Albums Chart	6
Switzerland Albums Chart	80
UK Albums Chart	40
US Billboard 200 Albums Chart	23
US Billboard Holiday Albums Chart	1
US Billboard Folk Albums Chart[21]	1
US Billboard Rock Albums Chart	9

Notes

1. ^ "CAFAmerica to distribute royalities [sic] from Bob Dylan's Christmas album to Crisis". UK Fundraising. 2009-12-14. http://www.fundraising.co.uk/news/2009/12/14/cafamerica-distribute-royalities-bob-dylan039s-christmas-album-crisis. Retrieved 2009-12-19. 
2. ^ Bob Dylan brings Christmas cheer to those without homes, Reuters, November 26, 2009
3. ^ ^{a b} Hall, Peter. "A soundtrack for the holidays – Bob Dylan does Christmas". Se7en Magazine. November 10, 2009. Retrieved December 6, 2009.
4. ^ Flanagan, Bill (2009-11-23). "Bob Dylan Discusses Holiday Music, Christmas and Feeding The Hungry With Bill Flanagan". Street News Service. http://www.streetnewsservice.org/index.php?page=archive_detail&articleID=4746. Retrieved 2009-11-26. ^{[dead link]}
5. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/11/16/premiere-bob-dylans-must-be-santa-video-from-christmas-lp/#
6. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Christmas in the Heart at Allmusic
7. ^ A.V. Club review
8. ^ The Chicago Tribune review
9. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: Artist 169". robertchristgau.com. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=169. Retrieved 11 September 2011. 
10. ^ Drowned In Sound review
11. ^ The Guardian review
12. ^ Rolling Stone review
13. ^ Slant Magazine review
14. ^ Sputnikmusic review
15. ^ Uncut (magazine) review
16. ^ "Bob Dylan - Christmas In The Heart". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/dylanbob/christmasintheheart?q=christmas%20in%20the%20heart. Retrieved 2009-12-06. 
17. ^ http://culturemap.com/newsdetail/11-24-09-a-very-dylan-christmas/
18. ^ http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=1887
19. ^ "Dylan to release Christmas album". BBC News. 2009-08-27. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8223851.stm. Retrieved 2010-06-29. 
20. ^ "Dylan royalties for Crisis charity". Daily Mirror. 2009-09-24. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/latest/2009/09/24/dylan-royalties-for-crisis-charity-115875-21697616/. Retrieved 2009-10-24. 
21. ^ Trust, Gary. Chart Beat Thursday: John Mayer, Folk Albums, David Guetta . Billboard. November 26, 2009. Retrieved December 6, 2009.

External links

• Bill Flanagan interview with Bob Dylan about Christmas In The Heart