CHRISTMAS IN DIXIE

ALABAMA

SONGWRITERS: JEFF COOK; TEDDY GENTRY; RANDY OWEN & MARK HERNDON

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: ALABAMA CHRISTMAS

LABEL: RCA NASHVILLE

GENRE: CHRISTMAS SONG

YEAR: 1985

 

             Alabama is an American country and Southern rock band formed in Fort Payne, Alabama, in 1969. The band was founded by Randy Owen (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and his cousin Teddy Gentry (bass, backing vocals). They were soon joined by another cousin, Jeff Cook (lead guitar, fiddle, and keyboards). First operating under the name Wildcountry, the group toured the Southeast bar circuit in the early 1970s, and began writing original songs. They changed their name to Alabama in 1977 and following the chart success of two singles, were approached by RCA Records for a record deal.

                  Alabama's biggest success came in the 1980s, where the band had over 27 number one hits, seven multi-platinum albums and received numerous awards. Alabama's first single on RCA Records, "Tennessee River", began a streak of 21 number one singles, including "Love in the First Degree" (1981), "Mountain Music" (1982), "Dixieland Delight" (1983), "If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)" (1984) and "Song of the South" (1988). The band's popularity waned slightly in the 1990s although they continued to produce hit singles and multi-platinum album sales. Alabama disbanded in 2004 following a farewell tour and two albums of inspirational music but reunited in 2010 and have continued to record and tour worldwide.

               The band's blend of traditional country music and Southern rock combined with elements of bluegrass, folk, gospel and pop music gave it a crossover appeal that helped lead to their success. They also toured extensively and incorporated production elements such as lighting and "sets" inspired by rock concerts into their shows. The band has over 41 number one country records on the Billboard charts to their credit and have sold over 75 million records, making them the most successful band in country music history. AllMusic credited the band with popularizing the idea of a country band and wrote that "It's unlikely that any other country group will be able to surpass the success of Alabama."

               Alabama was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2019 and were awarded with the first ever Life Time Achievement Award from this institution.

           "Christmas in Dixie" is a song by American country band Alabama. It was released as a single in December 1982 from the RCA Records compilation album A Country Christmas. The Christmas song celebrates the holiday in the southern United States. This song was included on Alabama's first Christmas album released in 1985 (titled Alabama Christmas), and has since been included on many Christmas compilations in both the country and all-genre music fields. In 2017, Alabama updated the song by re-recording the unplugged version of it for their third Christmas album titled American Christmas which celebrated its 35th anniversary when they first released the song in 1982.

By now in New York City.

There's snow on the ground.

And out in California.

The sunshines' falling down.

And maybe down in Memphis, Graceland's all in lights.

And in Atlanta, Georgia, there's peace on earth tonight.

 

Christmas in Dixie, it's snowing in the pines.

Merry Christmas from Dixie to everyone tonight.

 

It's windy in Chicago.

The kids are out of school.

There's magic in Motown.

The city's on the move.

In Jackson, Mississippi to Charlotte, Caroline.

And all across the Nation, it's a peaceful Christmas time.

 

Christmas in Dixie, it's snowing in the pines.

Merry Christmas from Dixie, to everyone tonight.

And from Fort Payne, Alabama.

 

[Spoken:]

God bless you all, We love ya,

Happy New Year, Good night, Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas tonight...

SNOWMAN

SIA

SONGWRITERS: SIA KATE ISOBELLE FURLER & GREG KURSTIN

COUNTRY: AUSTRALIA

ALBUM: EVERYDAY IS CHRISTMAS

LABEL: MONKEY PUZZLE

GENRE: BALLAD

YEAR: 2017

 

              Sia Kate Isobelle Furler (/ˈsiːə/SEE-ə; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer, songwriter, voice actress and director. She started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s in Adelaide. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she released her debut studio album, titled OnlySee, in Australia. She moved to London, England, and provided vocals for the British duo Zero 7. Sia released her second studio album, Healing Is Difficult, in 2000, and her third studio album, Colour the Small One, in 2004.

            Sia relocated to New York City in 2005 and toured in the United States. Her fourth and fifth studio albums, Some People Have Real Problems and We Are Born, were released in 2008 and 2010, respectively. Each was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association and attracted wider notice than her earlier albums. Uncomfortable with her growing fame, Sia took a hiatus from performing, during which she focused on songwriting for other artists, producing successful collaborations "Titanium" (with David Guetta), "Diamonds" (with Rihanna) and "Wild Ones" (with Flo Rida).

                In 2014, Sia broke through as a solo recording artist when her sixth studio album, 1000 Forms of Fear, debuted at No 1 in the U.S. Billboard 200 and generated the top-ten single "Chandelier" and a trilogy of music videos co-directed by Sia and starring child dancer Maddie Ziegler. Since then, Sia has usually worn a wig that obscures her face to protect her privacy. Her seventh studio album, This Is Acting (2016), spawned her first Billboard Hot 100 number one single, "Cheap Thrills". The same year, Sia gave her Nostalgic for the Present Tour, which incorporated dancing by Ziegler and others and other performance art elements. Her eighth studio album, Everyday Is Christmas, was released in 2017 and reissued in 2018 with three bonus tracks. In 2018, she collaborated with Labrinth and Diplo in the group LSD, and they released their self-titled debut album in April 2019.

             Sia wrote and directed an upcoming feature film, titled Music. Among the accolades received by Sia are nearly a dozen ARIA Awards, 9 Grammy Award nominations and an MTV Video Music Award.

          "Snowman" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Sia. It was released on 9 November 2017 as the first and only promo single from Sia's eighth studio album and first Christmas album, Everyday Is Christmas. The song became popular in December 2020 following a TikTok challenge

             "Snowman" was written by Sia and frequent collaborator Greg Kurstin, and runs for a length of 2 minutes and 45 seconds. The song is a piano-driven ballad over which Sia's vocals, described as "calm but energetic" by mxdwn, tell a snowman not to cry as he will melt. Slant Magazine described the song as a "clever ode to fleeting romance". Slate named it the best song on Everyday Is Christmas, noting it "[takes] something we associate with winter and [applies] it to a universal theme." 

Don't cry snowman right in front of me

Who will catch your tears

If you can't catch me, darling

If you can't catch me, darling

Don't cry snowman don't leave me this way

A puddle of water

Can't hold me close, baby

Can't hold me close, baby

 

I want you to know that I'm never leaving

'Cause I'll miss the snow

Till death will be freezing

You are my home, my home for a season

So come on let's go

Let's go below zero

And hide from the Sun

I love you forever

And we'll have some fun

Yes let's hit the North Pole and live happily

Please don't cry no tears now

It's Christmas baby

 

My snowman and me

My snowman and me

Baby

 

Don't cry snowman

Don't you fear the Sun

Who'll carry me

Without legs to run, honey

Without legs to run, honey

Don't cry snowman

Don't you shed a tear

Who'll hear my secrets

If you don't have ears, baby

If you don't have ears, baby

 

I want you to know that I'm never leaving

'Cause I'll miss the snow

Till death will be freezing

You are my home, my home for a season

So come on let's go

Let's go below zero

And hide from the Sun

I love you forever

And we'll have some fun

Yes let's hit the North Pole and live happily

Please don't cry no tears now

It's Christmas baby

 

My snowman and me

My snowman and me

Baby.

WINTER WONDERLAND

DEAN MARTIN

SONGWRITERS: FELIX BERNARD & DICK SMITH

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: CHRISTMAS WITH THE RAT PACK

LABEL: VARIOUS DATES

GENRE: CHRISTMAS SONG

YEAR: 2002

 

             Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, recording artist and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool" for his seemingly effortless charisma and self-assurance.

        Martin gained his career breakthrough together with comedian Jerry Lewis, billed as Martin & Lewis, in 1946. They performed in nightclubs and later had numerous appearances on radio, television and in films. Following an acrimonious ending of the partnership in 1956, Martin pursued a solo career as a performer and actor.

          Martin established himself as a notable singer, recording numerous contemporary songs as well as standards from the Great American Songbook. He became one of the most popular acts in Las Vegas and was known for his friendship with fellow artists Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., who together formed the Rat Pack.

           Starting in 1965, Martin was the host of the television variety program The Dean Martin Show, which centered on Martin's singing and comedic talents and was characterized by his relaxed, easy-going demeanor. From 1974 to 1984, he was roastmaster on the popular Dean Martin Celebrity Roast, which drew notable celebrities, comedians and politicians.

            Throughout his career, Martin performed in concert stages, nightclubs, audio recordings and appeared in 85 film and television productions. His relaxed, warbling, crooning voice earned him dozens of hit singles, including his signature songs "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" and "Volare".

              Christmas with the Rat Pack is a 2002 album compiling Christmas songs by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr.

(Wonderland winter wonderland wonderland)

Sleigh bells ring are you listening

In the lane snow is glistening

A beautiful sight oh we're happy tonight

Walking in a winter wonderland

 

Gone away is the bluebird

Here to stay is a new bird

He's singing a song as we go along

Walking in a winter wonderland

 

Well in the meadow we can build a snowman

And pretend that he is Parson Brown

He'll say are you married we say no man

But you can do the job when you're in town

 

Later on we'll conspire as we dream by the fire

To face unafraid of the plans that we made

Walking in a winter wonderland

 

(In the meadow we can build a snowman)

And pretend he's a circus clown

We have lots of fun with Mr. Snowman

Until the other kiddies knock him down

 

Oh when it snows ain't it filling

Though your nose gets a chilling

We'll frolic and play the Eskimo way

Walking in a winter wonderland

(Wonderland wonderland).

MERRY CHRISTMAS, DARLING

THE CARPENTERS

SONGWRITERS: FRANK POOLER & RICHARD LYNN CARPENTER

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT

LABEL: A & M RECORDS

GENRE: SOFT

YEAR: 1978

 

           The Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (b.1946). They produced a distinct soft musical style, combining Karen's contralto vocals with Richard's harmonizing, arranging and composition skills. During their 14-year career, the Carpenters recorded ten albums, along with numerous singles and several television specials.

        The siblings were born in New Haven, Connecticut, and moved to Downey, California, in 1963. Richard took piano lessons as a child, progressing to California State University, Long Beach, while Karen learned the drums. They first performed together as a duo in 1965 and formed the jazz-oriented Richard Carpenter Trio followed by the middle-of-the-road group Spectrum. Signing as Carpenters to A&M Records in 1969, they achieved major success the following year with the hit singles "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and "We've Only Just Begun". Subsequently, the duo's brand of melodic pop produced a record-breaking run of hit recordings on the American Top 40 and Adult Contemporary charts, and they became leading sellers in the soft rock, easy listening and adult contemporary music genres. The Carpenters had three number-one singles and five number-two singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and fifteen number-one hits on the Adult Contemporary chart, in addition to twelve top-10 singles. They have sold more than 90 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. The duo toured continually during the 1970s, which put them under increased strain; Richard took a year off in 1979 after he had become addicted to Quaalude, while Karen suffered from anorexia nervosa.

           Their career together ended in 1983 when Karen died from heart failure brought on by complications of anorexia. Extensive news coverage surrounding these circumstances increased public awareness of eating disorders. Though the Carpenters were criticized for their clean-cut and wholesome conservative image in the 1970s, their music has since been re-evaluated, attracting critical acclaim and continued commercial success.

            "Merry Christmas Darling" is a Christmas song by the Carpenters (music by Richard Carpenter, lyrics by Frank Pooler), and originally recorded in 1970. It was first available on a 7-inch single that year (A&M Records 1236), and was later re-issued in 1974 (A&M 1648) and again in 1977 (A&M 1991). The single went to number one on Billboard's Christmas singles chart in 1970 (and did so again in 1971 and 1973) and peaked at number 41 in Cashbox.

                In 1978, the Carpenters issued their Christmas Portrait album, which contained a new version of "Merry Christmas Darling". The original 1970 mix continued to be used for all single releases, however. The major difference between the 1970 and 1978 versions is a newly recorded vocal by Karen Carpenter on the latter, which was done at her request. Richard Carpenter himself calls the original recording one of his sister's very best. The original single version of the song can be found on the compilation albums From the Top and The Essential Collection: 1965–1997.

Greeting cards have all been sent

The Christmas rush is through

But I still have one wish to make

A special one for you

Merry Christmas, darling

We're apart, that's true

But I can dream

And in my dreams

I'm christmasing with you

Holidays are joyful

There's always something new

But every day's a holiday

When I'm near to you

The lights on my tree

I wish you could see

I wish it every day

The logs on the fire

Fill me with desire

To see you and to say

That I wish you merry

Christmas

Happy new year too

I've just one wish

On this Christmas eve

I wish I were with you

I wish I were with you

Merry Christmas, darling.