''Santa Claus Lane'' is the debut studio album and first

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 ...

by American singer

Hilary Duff Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including seven Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, four Teen Choice Awards and two Young Artist Awards. She began her act ...

. It was released in the United States on October 15, 2002 by

Buena Vista Records Disney Music Group (DMG) is the music recording arm of Disney Platform Distribution, a division of The Walt Disney Company. It is located at the studio's headquarters in Burbank, California. The division's subsidiaries consist of two owned record ...

. The

holiday 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 ...

contains covers of

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

songs, including "

Santa Claus Is Coming to Town "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" is a Christmas song featuring Santa Claus written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie. The earliest known recorded version of the song was by banjoist Harry Reser and his band on October 24, 1934. It was then ...

", "

Jingle Bell Rock "Jingle Bell Rock" is an American Christmas song first released by Bobby Helms in 1957. Since its release, it has received frequent airplay in the United States during every Christmas season since then. "Jingle Bell Rock" was composed by Joseph Ca ...

" "

Wonderful Christmastime "Wonderful Christmastime" is a Christmas song by English musician Paul McCartney. Recorded during the sessions for his solo album ''McCartney II'' (1980), it was released in November 1979 following Wings' final album ''Back to the Egg'' earlie ...

", "

Sleigh Ride "Sleigh Ride" is a light orchestra standard composed by Leroy Anderson. The composer had formed the original idea for the piece during a heat wave in July 1946, and he finished the work in February 1948. The original recordings were instrumental ...

", and "

Last Christmas "Last Christmas" is a song by British pop duo Wham!, originally released in December 1984 on CBS Records internationally and as a double A-side on Epic Records with "Everything She Wants" in the UK. Described as a "high watermark of mid-80s Br ...

". The album also features guest appearances from

Christina Milian Christine Marie Flores (born September 26, 1981), better known as Christina Milian (), is an American actress and singer. Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, but raised in Maryland, she signed a contract with Murder Inc. Records at the age of 19. ...

Romeo Miller Percy Romeo Miller (born August 19, 1989), also known by his stage name Romeo (formerly Lil' Romeo), is an American rapper, actor, and television personality. He gained fame as a rapper in the early 2000s after signing with No Limit Records, the ...

and Hilary's older sister

Haylie Duff Haylie Katherine Duff (born February 19, 1985) is an American actress, singer and songwriter, and the older sister of American singer and actress Hilary Duff. She is best known for her roles as List of 7th Heaven characters#Sandy Jameson, Sandy ...

. ''Santa Claus Lane'' peaked at number two on US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...

and Top Kid Audio charts and peaked at number 154 on the US ''Billboard'' 200. It has been certified

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) for shipping 500,000 copies to retailers. In Japan in peaked at number 134 on the

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...

albums chart in 2004. The title song was featured in the 2002 Christmas comedy film ''

The Santa Clause 2 ''The Santa Clause 2'' is a 2002 American Christmas comedy film directed by Michael Lembeck in his directorial debut. It is a sequel to ''The Santa Clause'' (1994) and the second installment in ''The Santa Clause'' franchise. All of the principal ...

''.

Background and recording

In 2001, Duff gained fame through her starring role in the

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...

series ''

Lizzie McGuire ''Lizzie McGuire'' is an American comedy television series created by Terri Minsky that premiered on Disney Channel on January 12, 2001. The series stars Hilary Duff as the titular character, who navigates the personal and social issues of her te ...

''. She became interested in pursuing a music career after attending a

Radio Disney Radio Disney was an American radio network operated by the Disney Radio Networks unit of Disney Branded Television within the Disney General Entertainment Content, headquartered in Burbank, California. The network broadcast music programming ...

concert in 2001. "There were all these pop acts backstage at the concert," Duff explained. "They were all getting ready backstage and warming up, and I was like, 'I want to do this so bad.'" One day, Duff met Andre Recke, who would soon become her manager. She told him of her interest in becoming a singer and briefly performed for him. This prompted him to tell her, "I want to work with you." Recke said of his encounter with Duff, "When I met Hilary, I knew she had something special. Sometimes you just have that feeling, that, 'Wow, she's a star.'" Duff's music career began with two soundtrack appearances. In 2002, she appeared on the soundtrack to ''Lizzie McGuire'', performing a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

Brooke McClymont Brooke Maree McClymont (born 16 May 1981) is an Australian singer, songwriter and guitarist. With her two younger sisters, Samantha and Mollie, she is a founder of a country music trio, the McClymonts. She has written songs for Kate DeAraugo an ...

's " I Can't Wait", and the

Walt Disney Records Walt Disney Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label releases soundtrack albums from The Walt Disney Company's motion picture studios, television series, theme parks, and traditional studio albums produced by its r ...

compilation ''

DisneyMania ''Disneymania'', also known as ''Disneymania 1'', is the first installment in the Disneymania album series presenting songs from Disney films, performed by various musical artists. Released on September 17, 2002, the album was considered a commer ...

'', performing a cover of "

The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room "The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room" is the official song for Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, an attraction at the Disneyland theme park. It was written in 1963 by Disney staff songwriters, The Sherman Brothers: Robert B. and Richard M. Sherman, and rec ...

". Recke noted of Duff's ''DisneyMania'' appearance, "That was the first test to see how her fans would react to her as a singer and not just an actress". Duff stated that she felt

came early for her when she recorded ''Santa Claus Lane''. She continued, "I really loved singing these songs. It was a lot of hard work, but also big fun!"2002. ''Santa Claus Lane'' (album liner notes). Buena Vista Records. "I Heard Santa on the Radio" and "Tell Me a Story" are duets with

and

Lil' Romeo Percy Romeo Miller (born August 19, 1989), also known by his stage name Romeo (formerly Lil' Romeo), is an American rapper, actor, and television personality. He gained fame as a rapper in the early 2000s after signing with No Limit Records, the ...

, respectively, and "Same Old Christmas" features Duff's sister Haylie. ''Santa Claus Lane'' features production from

Matthew Gerrard Matthew Gerrard is a Canadian record producer and songwriter. Biography Gerrard grew up in Don Mills, a suburb of Toronto's north-east end. He attended George S. Henry Secondary School where he played trombone in band, later playing bass in a sc ...

, Chris Hamm, Alain Bertoni,

Charlie Midnight Charlie Midnight (born Charles Kaufman, 1954) is an American songwriter, record producer, and founder of Midnight Production House. He has been nominated for the 1987 Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (Writer, " Living in America" by James Brown), ...

and

Chico Bennett Chico Bennett is an American record producer, musician, and songwriter based in Los Angeles, California, United States. He has written, produced and/or remixed for Madonna, Lady Gaga, The Killers, Hilary Duff, Usher, Nelly Furtado and Destiny ...

; on the 2003 reissue, the bonus track "What Christmas Should Be" is produced by Charlton Pettus. This song was featured on the end credits and soundtrack of her family comedy film ''

Cheaper by the Dozen ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, published in 1948. The novel recounts the authors' childhood lives growing up in a household of 12 children. The bestsell ...

'' (2003). In a 2013 interview with the website

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

, Duff expressed her dislike for "Tell Me a Story", saying that she "honestly hate that record — nd she hasblocked it out of ermemory". Duff also remarked that she " idn'teven remember" the song.

Release and promotion

''Santa Claus Lane'' was released in the United States on October 15, 2002 by

. It was reissued on October 14 of the following year with the bonus track "What Christmas Should Be", and released by

. Two singles were released from the album simultaneously on December 2, 2002. "Santa Claus Lane" was sent to pop radio stations, while "Tell Me a Story" was sent to rhythmic and urban radio stations. A music video for "Santa Claus Lane", featuring Duff performing on Disney's ''

Movie Surfers A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

'' to promote the film ''

'', received airplay on

. Duff filmed a music video for "Tell Me a Story" with Lil' Romeo which also received heavy rotation on Disney Channel.

Critical reception

''Santa Claus Lane'' received mixed reviews from music critics. An

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

editor gave the album three out of five stars. Jaan Uhelszki, in an editorial review for

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...

, gave ''Santa Claus Lane'' a negative review. She wrote the album, consisting mostly of Christmas covers, "add little to the holiday music canon". She also felt that it only "perks up" on songs that feature guest musicians.

Kelefa Sanneh Kelefa T. Sanneh (born 1976) is an American journalist and music critic. From 2000 to 2008, he wrote for ''The New York Times'', covering the rock and roll, hip-hop, and pop music scenes. Since 2008 he has been a staff writer for ''The New Yorke ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' joked it was a "

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

" which was "loosely inspired by

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-da ...

, the fourth-century bishop of

Myra Myra ( grc, Μύρα, ''Mýra'') was a Lycian, then ancient Greek, then Greco-Roman, then Byzantine Greek, then Ottoman town in Lycia, which became the small Turkish town of Kale, renamed Demre in 2005, in the present-day Antalya Province of ...

." Christopher Thelen gave a more positive review to the album. While writing for ''the Daily Vault'', Thelen gave a B− grade and wrote it "does show there is a voice behind the pretty young face, even if this is a strange place to start one's recording career."

Commercial performance

''Santa Claus Lane'' debuted at number 154 on the ''Billboard'' 200, and also reached the second position of both the

and Top Kid Albums charts. On December 9, 2003, the album was certified

by the

for 500,000 shipments to retailers. The album reached the 134th position of the

Japanese Albums Chart , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nove ...

in 2004. As of July 27, 2014, the album had sold 477,000 copies in the United States.

Track listing

;Notes * signifies a co- producer

Personnel

Credits for ''Santa Claus Lane'' adapted from AllMusic. * Deborah Araya – Stylist * Chico Bennett – Producer * Alain Bertoni – Producer * Savina Ciaramella – A&R * J. Fred Coots –

Composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

* Matthew Gerrard – Producer * Haven Gillespie – Composer * Chris Hamm – Producer *

Martin Häusler Martin Häusler (born January 24, 1971 in Heidelberg, Germany) is a German portrait photographer, music video director and art director. In the United States, and other English speaking countries, he uses the adjusted spelling of his name Martin ...

–

Design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...

* Jay Landers – Executive producer * Gavin Lurssen – Mastering * Dani Markman – Artist coordination * Charlie Midnight – Producer * Andre Recke – Executive producer * Denny Weston, Jr. – Producer

Charts

Weekly charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2002 Christmas albums 2002 debut albums Albums produced by Chico Bennett Albums produced by Matthew Gerrard Buena Vista Records albums Christmas albums by American artists Pop Christmas albums Hilary Duff albums Walt Disney Records albums