''It's Christmas All Over'' is a 2020

Christmas album Christmas music comprises 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 or songs, may employ lyrics whose subject ma ...

from American

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band

Goo Goo Dolls The Goo Goo Dolls are an American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by guitarist/vocalist John Rzeznik, bassist/vocalist Robby Takac, and drummer George Tutuska. After starting off as a cover band and then developing a punk sound, ...

, released on October 30, via

Warner Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

. It has received mixed critical reception.

Recording and release

The band initially planned to tour in support of 2019's ''

Miracle Pill ''Miracle Pill'' is the twelfth studio album by American rock band Goo Goo Dolls. The album was released on September 13, 2019, by Warner Records. Recording Songwriter and fan Valerie Broussard contributed vocals to "Money, Fame & Fortune". The ...

'' through mid-2020 but due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, those plans were scrapped and the band members wrote music in their homes and recorded them at a studio in

Boyle Heights Boyle is an English, Irish and Scottish surname of Gaelic, Anglo-Saxon or Norman origin. In the northwest of Ireland it is one of the most common family names. Notable people with the surname include: Disambiguation *Adam Boyle (disambiguation), ...

, finalizing the work in the band's studio GCR Audio in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

. They made a conscious attempt to not record harder rock versions of the standards, instead opting for traditional pop sounds. In lieu of touring, the band livestreamed virtual "augmented reality movie musicals" in October and December that would allow audience members to control the camera and watch them perform. "Let It Snow" was released for streaming, followed by "This Is Christmas" in mid-October. In 2021, the band released a "Deluxe Digital Edition" which included two bonus tracks: "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm," first included as a bonus download with purchase of the CD or LP, and "One Last Song About Christmas," a new original song. In 2023, the band released a re-edition called "It's Christmas All Over (Again) which contains one bonus track; the new original song "Who's Gonna Hear Their Wish?".

Critical reception

Hal Horowitz of ''

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

'' gave this album 2.5 out of five stars, criticizing it for being bland, with some muted praise for varied musical genres and experimentation, he sums up, "the project could have been much more interesting if it rocked harder and the song choices didn't revert back to some obvious, and worn out standards that find the Goo Goo Dolls doing something they never would have considered in their earliest days; playing it safe". Andy Von Pip of '' Under the Radar'' gave this album a 5.5 out of 10, noting that "the two original self-penned songs that really do hit the mark and hint at what might have been" but the work is primarily padded with "pedestrian" covers and it is ultimately a "rushed tick box exercise trying to cover all festive bases but rarely hitting a home run".

Track listing

#" Christmas All Over Again" (

Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the lat ...

)– 4:19 #"Shake Hands with Santa Claus" ( Milton DeLugg and Bob Hillard)– 2:42 #"This Is Christmas" (Brad Fernquist, Jim McGorman, and John Rzeznik)– 3:42 #" Christmas Don't Be Late" (

Ross Bagdasarian Ross S. Bagdasarian (; January 27, 1919 – January 16, 1972), known professionally by his stage name David Seville, was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor, best known for creating the cartoon band Alvin and the Chipmun ...

)– 1:58 #" Better Days" (Rzeznik)– 3:41 #"You Ain't Getting Nothin'" (McGorman and Rzeznik)– 2:46 #"

Let It Snow "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!", also known as simply "Let It Snow", is a song written by lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Jule Styne in July 1945 in Hollywood, California, during a heat wave as Cahn and Styne imagined cooler conditions ...

" (

Sammy Cahn Samuel Cohen (June 18, 1913 – January 15, 1993), known professionally as Sammy Cahn, was an American lyricist, songwriter, and musician. He is best known for his romantic lyrics to films and Broadway songs, as well as stand-alone songs premier ...

and

Jule Styne Jule Styne (; born Julius Kerwin Stein; December 31, 1905 – September 20, 1994) was an English-American songwriter and composer best known for a series of Broadway musicals, including several famous frequently-revived shows that also became s ...

)– 2:38 #"

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is a song written in 1943 by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane and introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical ''Meet Me in St. Louis''. Frank Sinatra later recorded a version with modified lyrics. In ...

" (

Ralph Blane Ralph Blane (July 26, 1914 – November 13, 1995) was an American composer, lyricist, and performer. Life and career Blane was born Ralph Uriah Hunsecker in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. He attended Tulsa Central High School. He studied singing with ...

and

Hugh Martin Hugh Martin (August 11, 1914 – March 11, 2011) was an American musical theater and film composer, arranger, vocal coach, and playwright. He was best known for his score for the 1944 MGM musical ''Meet Me in St. Louis'', in which Judy Garland ...

)– 3:39 #"

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is an English Christmas carol that first appeared in 1739 in the collection ''Hymns and Sacred Poems''. The carol, based on , tells of an angelic chorus singing praises to God. As it is known in the modern era, it f ...

" (

Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include sy ...

Charles Wesley Charles Wesley (18 December 1707 – 29 March 1788) was an English leader of the Methodist movement. Wesley was a prolific hymnwriter who wrote over 6,500 hymns during his lifetime. His works include " And Can It Be", " Christ the Lord Is Risen ...

, and

George Whitfield George Whitefield (; 30 September 1770), also known as George Whitfield, was an Anglican cleric and evangelist who was one of the founders of Methodism and the evangelical movement. Born in Gloucester, he matriculated at Pembroke College at th ...

)– 2:53 #"The Christmas Party" (

Felix Bernard Felix William Bernard (April 28, 1897 – October 20, 1944) was an American conductor, pianist and a composer of popular music. His writing credits include the popular songs "Winter Wonderland" (with lyricist Richard B. Smith) and "Dardanella". B ...

Vince Guaraldi Vincent Anthony Guaraldi (; birth name, né Dellaglio, July 17, 1928 – February 6, 1976) was an American jazz pianist best known for composing music for animated television adaptations of the ''Peanuts'' comic strip. His compositions for this s ...

Frank Loesser Frank Henry Loesser (; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals ''Guys and Dolls'' and ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', among others. He won a Tony ...

, Steve Nelson,

James Lord Pierpont James Lord Pierpont (April 25, 1822 – August 5, 1893)Lewis, DaveJames Pierpont Biography, AllMusic, retrieved December 16, 2011 was an American songwriter , arranger, organist, Confederate States of America, Confederate States soldier, and co ...

Edward Pola Edward Pola (June 23, 1907 – November 3, 1995)Passenger list, S.S. ''Transylvania'', port of New York, 20 August 1931. was an actor, radio producer, radio/television producer, and songwriter. Pola was born Sidney Edward Pollacsek in New York City ...

, Walter E. Rollins, Richard B. Smith,

Mel Tormé Melvin Howard Tormé (September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999), nicknamed "The Velvet Fog", was an American musician, singer, composer, arranger, drummer, actor, and author. He composed the music for "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roasting on an Op ...

, Robert Wells, and

George Wyle George Wyle (born Bernard Weissman; March 22, 1916 – May 2, 2003) was an American orchestra leader and composer best known for having written the theme song to 1960s television sitcom ''Gilligan's Island''. He is the grandfather of musici ...

)– 5:06 Bonus digital download #

"I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm"– 2:26 2021 deluxe edition additional tracks #

"One Last Song About Christmas"– 4:10 #"I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm"– 2:26 2023 deluxe edition bonus track #

"Who's Gonna Hear Their Wish?" – 2:56

Personnel

Goo Goo Dolls *

John Rzeznik John Joseph Theodore Rzeznik (; born December 5, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter, best known as the founder, guitarist and frontman of the American rock band Goo Goo Dolls, with whom he has recorded 14 studio albums. Early life Rzeznik w ...

– guitar, vocals,

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

Robby Takac Robert Carl Takac Jr. (born September 30, 1964) is an American rock bassist and vocalist. Takac is one of the founding members of the Goo Goo Dolls, along with Johnny Rzeznik. Background Takac was born in Buffalo, New York and grew up in the Buf ...

– bass guitar, vocals Additional personnel *

Brad Fernquist Brad Fernquist is a professional touring and studio guitarist. Fernquist is primarily known for his work with Buffalo, New York based rock band the Goo Goo Dolls. At 17 years old Fernquist began touring with regional cover bands where he was able ...

– guitar, production *Kudisan Kai – vocals on "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" *Craig Macintyre– drums, percussion *John Manchaca– photography *

Jim McGorman Jim McGorman (born c. 1974), a native of Philadelphia, is an American musician, songwriter/producer and multi-instrumentalist: guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and drummer. McGorman is best known for his work with the House Band on the CBS televi ...

– keyboards, piano, organ, backing vocals, horn

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

, production *Sydney McGorman– vocals on "Better Days" *Ashley Osborn– photography *Chaz Sexton– recording assistance *Chris Shaw–

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

*Chris Szczech– recording *Alex Tenta–

art direction Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the visi ...

, design *The Union Square 5– performance on "The Christmas Party"

References

External links