''We Need a Little Christmas'' is the fifth Christmas album by American pop singer

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

(and his forty-second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

overall) that was released by Unison Music in 1995. It gives an adult contemporary treatment to songs that Williams had previously recorded for 1963's ''

The Andy Williams Christmas Album ''The Andy Williams Christmas Album'' is the first Christmas holiday album released by singer Andy Williams and his twelfth studio album overall. It was issued by Columbia Records in 1963, the first of eight Christmas albums released by Williams ...

'' ("

Away In A Manger "Away in a Manger" is a Christmas carol first published in the late nineteenth century and used widely throughout the English-speaking world. In Britain, it is one of the most popular carols; a 1996 Gallup Poll ranked it joint second. Although i ...

", "

The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) "The Christmas Song" (commonly subtitled "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" or, as it was originally subtitled, "Merry Christmas to You") is a classic Christmas song written in 1945 by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé. The Nat King Cole Trio fir ...

", "

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" is a popular Christmas song written in 1963 by Edward Pola and George Wyle. It was recorded and released that year by pop singer Andy Williams for his first Christmas album, ''The Andy Williams Christm ...

", "

Silent Night "Silent Night" (german: "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht", links=no, italic=no) is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an ...

"), 1965's ''

Merry Christmas The Christmas season or the festive season (also known in some countries as the holiday season or the holidays) is an annually recurring period recognized in many Western and other countries that is generally considered to run from late November ...

'' (" Mary's Little Boy Child"), 1974's ''

Christmas Present A Christmas gift or Christmas present is a gift given in celebration of Christmas. Christmas gifts are often exchanged on Christmas Eve (December 24), Christmas Day itself (December 25) or on the last day of the twelve-day Christmas season, Twel ...

'' ("

Angels We Have Heard On High "Angels We Have Heard on High" is a Christmas carol to the hymn tune "Gloria" from a traditional French song of unknown origin called "", with paraphrased English lyrics by James Chadwick. The song's subject is the birth of Jesus Christ as nar ...

", "

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 ...

", "

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" is a Christmas carol based on the 1863 poem "Christmas Bells" by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The song tells of the narrator hearing Christmas bells during the American Civil War, but despairing ...

", "

What Child Is This "What Child Is This?" is a Christmas carol with lyrics written by William Chatterton Dix in 1865 and set to the tune of "Greensleeves", a traditional English folk song, in 1871. Although written in Great Britain, the carol today is more popular ...

"), and 1990's ''

I Still Believe in Santa Claus ''I Still Believe in Santa Claus'' is a Christmas album by American pop singer Andy Williams that was released by Curb Records in 1990. It was his fourth solo album of Christmas music, following ''The Andy Williams Christmas Album'' (1963), '' ...

'' ("

I'll Be Home for Christmas "I'll Be Home for Christmas" is a Christmas song written by the lyricist Kim Gannon and composer Walter Kent and recorded in 1943 by Bing Crosby, who scored a top ten hit with the song. Originally written to honor soldiers overseas who longed ...

") and includes three songs that Williams had not recorded before. In a brief note on the back of the jewel case Williams writes, "These all-new recordings feature fresh, innovative arrangements of some of my favorite carols. I felt like I was singing them for the very first time." 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 ...

awarded the album Gold certification for sales of 500,000 units on February 2, 1998.

Track listing

# " Mary's Little Boy Child" (

Jester Hairston Jester Joseph Hairston (July 9, 1901 – January 18, 2000) was an American composer, songwriter, arranger, choral conductor and actor. He was regarded as a leading expert on black spirituals and choral music. His notable compositions include "Am ...

) – 4:14 #"

" (

Kim Gannon James Kimball "Kim" Gannon (November 18, 1900 – April 29, 1974) was an American songwriter, more commonly a lyricist than a composer. Biography Gannon was born in Brooklyn, New York to an Irish-American family from Fort Ann in upstate New ...

Walter Kent Walter Kent (born Walter Maurice Kaufman, November 29, 1911 – March 2, 1994) was an American composer and conductor. Some notable compositions are: "I'll Be Home for Christmas", "I'm Gonna Live Till I Die" and " (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The ...

Buck Ram Samuel "Buck" Ram (November 21, 1907 – January 1, 1991) was an American songwriter, and popular music producer and arranger. He was one of BMI's top five songwriters/air play in its first 50 years, alongside Paul Simon, Kris Kristofferson, Jimm ...

) – 3:21 # "

Up on the House Top "Up on the Housetop" is a Christmas song written by Benjamin Hanby in 1864.Bronson, Fre"Signs Of The Season" Billboard Magazine; December 6, 2007. It has been recorded by a multitude of singers, most notably Gene Autry in 1953. Fresh Beat Band ...

" (

Benjamin Hanby Benjamin Russell Hanby (July 22, 1833 – March 16, 1867), also given as Benjamin Russel Hanby, was an American composer, educator, pastor, and abolitionist who wrote approximately 80 songs. The most famous are "Darling Nelly Gray" and the ...

) – 3:08 # "

Away in a Manger "Away in a Manger" is a Christmas carol first published in the late nineteenth century and used widely throughout the English-speaking world. In Britain, it is one of the most popular carols; a 1996 Gallup Poll ranked it joint second. Although i ...

" (traditional) – 3:01 #"

We Need a Little Christmas "We Need a Little Christmas" is a popular Christmas song originating from Jerry Herman's Broadway musical ''Mame'', and first performed by Angela Lansbury in that 1966 production. In the musical, the song is performed after Mame has lost her for ...

" (

Jerry Herman Gerald Sheldon Herman (July 10, 1931December 26, 2019) was an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway theatre. One of the most commercially successful Broadway songwriters of his time, Herman was the composer and lyricis ...

) – 3:33 # Angel Medley – 4:40
a. "

" (traditional)
b. "

" (

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 ...

) # "

The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) "The Christmas Song" (commonly subtitled "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" or, as it was originally subtitled, "Merry Christmas to You") is a classic Christmas song written in 1945 by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé. The Nat King Cole Trio fir ...

" (

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) – 4:02 # "

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" is a popular Christmas song written in 1963 by Edward Pola and George Wyle. It was recorded and released that year by pop singer Andy Williams for his first Christmas album, ''The Andy Williams Christm ...

" (

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 ...

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 ...

) – 3:34 # "

Jolly Old St. Nicholas "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas" is a Christmas music, Christmas song that originated with a poem by Emily Huntington Miller (1833–1913), published as "Lilly's Secret" in ''The Little Corporal Magazine'' in December 1865. The song's lyrics have also ...

" (traditional) – 2:33 # "

" (

John Baptiste Calkin John Baptiste Calkin (16 March 1827, London – 15 April 1905, Hornsey, London) was an English composer, organist and music teacher. Life He was born in London on 16 March 1827, the son of James Calkin (1786–1862), composer and pianist, ...

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...

) – 3:08 # "

" (William Chatterton Dix) – 4:10 # "

" (

Franz Xaver Gruber Franz Xaver Gruber (25 November 1787 – 7 June 1863) was an Austrian primary school teacher, church organist and composer in the village of Lamprechtshausen, Arnsdorf, who is best known for composing the music to "Stille Nacht" ("Silent Night" ...

;

Joseph Mohr Josephus Franciscus Mohr, sometimes spelled Josef (11 December 1792 – 4 December 1848) was an Austrian Roman Catholic priest and writer, who wrote the words to the Christmas carol "Silent Night." Early life and education Mohr was born in S ...

) – 5:29

Song information

Of the three songs on the album that Williams had not recorded before, "

Jolly Old Saint Nicholas "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas" is a Christmas song that originated with a poem by Emily Huntington Miller (1833–1913), published as "Lilly's Secret" in ''The Little Corporal Magazine'' in December 1865. The song's lyrics have also been attribute ...

" is the least traceable in origin, although it is estimated that it was written in the late 19th century. The year in which "

" was written is also uncertain, but because its creator,

, was in his mid-30s when he died in 1867, the 1850s or 1860s is the estimate. The third newcomer, "

", comes from the 1966 Broadway musical ''

Mame MAME (formerly an acronym of Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is a free and open-source emulator designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software on modern personal computers and other platforms. Its intention is to preserve ...

''.

Personnel

From the liner notes for the original album: ; Production *Don Boyer - producer; background vocal arrangement/children's vocal arrangement (track 6) *Pat Coil - arranger (tracks 5, 7, 9, 10) *John Darnall - lead vocal engineer (except as noted) *Jim Falzone - editor *Mike Frazier - lead vocal engineer (tracks 1, 5, 9); additional engineering *Tommy Greer - arranger (track 12) *Don Hart - string arrangement/conductor (tracks 5, 7, 11, 12), brass arrangement/conductor (tracks 1, 5, 10), string conductor (tracks 1, 4, 10) *Peter Jacobs - children's vocal arrangement/conductor (tracks 5, 6, 8) *David Jahnsen - additional engineering *

John Jaszcz John Jaszcz (pronounced "Yosh") is an American music engineer, producer, and mixer. "Yosh," as he has been nicknamed, currently resides and works in Franklin, Tennessee. He is a well-known engineer in the R&B and Gospel music communities. He ...

- mixing (tracks 5, 6, 8) *Sandy Jenkins - additional engineering *Pete Martinez - additional engineering *Blair Masters - arranger (tracks 2, 8, 11) *John Mayfield - string engineer (except as noted) *Gary Oldenbroek - associate producer *Dennis Patton - arranger (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6) *Daryl Roudebush - additional engineering *

Dan Rudin Dan Rudin is an American record producer, audio and mix engineer, who has amassed thousands of hours in studios across the country, receiving two Grammy Awards, and several gold and platinum records in the process. Rudin began his recording care ...

- mixing (except as noted) *Roger Ryan - adult choir contractor/conductor (track 6) *Chris Sabold - string engineer (tracks 2, 6, 8) *Rich Schirmer - additional engineering *David Schober - additional engineering *

Shaun Shankel Shaun Shankel is an American Grammy nominated, Dove Award winning songwriter and record producer, who has written and produced for some of the biggest selling artists in the pop and Christian and Country music markets, selling over seven million al ...

- additional engineering *J. Daniel Smith - background vocal arrangement (track 6), string arrangement/conductor (tracks 2, 6, 8) *Bert Stevens - additional engineering *Hank Williams - mastering *Dave Williamson - background vocal arrangement/conductor (track 3), string arrangement (track 1) *Don Wyrtzen - string arrangement (tracks 4, 10) ; Musicians *Mark Baldwin - guitar (track 11) *Eric Darken - percussion (tracks 2, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12); snare (track 2) *

Gota Yashiki is a Japanese musician, both an independent acid jazz artist and drum/bass player, as a member of the band Simply Red. Biography He was born in Kyoto, Japan, on 26 February 1962, where at a young age he learned how to play traditional Japan ...

's Groove Activator - drum loop (track 3) *Barry Green - trombone *Mike Haynes - trumpet and flugelhorn *Tom Hemby - guitar (track 10) *Jim Hoke - harmonica (track 2) *Sam Levine - alto saxophone (track 3), saxophone *Carol McClure - harp (except tracks 2, 6, 8) *Craig Nelson - bass (tracks 6, 8); acoustic bass (tracks 2, 9) *

- additional percussion (track 7) *Pam Sixfin - violin solo (tracks 7, 11) *

Chester Thompson Chester Cortez Thompson (born December 11, 1948) is an American drummer best known for his tenures with Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, Weather Report, Santana, the progressive rock band Genesis and Phil Collins as a solo artist. Thomp ...

- drums (tracks 5, 7, 8) ; Design *Kevin Majeski - art direction *Jim Lersch - photography *Susan Hulme, Barnes & Co. - graphic design ; Vocalists *

- lead vocal *William Cannon - adult choir *Da'dra Crawford - background vocals (track 6) *Steve Crawford - background vocals (track 6) *Laurie Eason - children's choir *Christi Ebenhock - children's choir *Juanita Edwards - adult choir *Gail Farrell - background vocals (track 3) *Elaina Foley - children's choir *Kara Foley - children's choir *Richard Forde - adult choir *Son Jones - adult choir *Bonnie Keen - background vocals (track 3) *Jason Laudadio - children's choir *Melissa Laudadio - children's choir *Marty McCall - background vocals (track 3) *Mindy Metzger - children's choir *Shandra Penix - adult choir *Tiffani Ransom - adult choir *Terita Redd - adult choir *Fatima Richardson - adult choir *Cindy Stuck - children's choir *Katie Stuck - children's choir *Randy Stuck - children's choir *Nee-C Walls - background vocals (track 6) *Dave Williamson - background vocals (track 3) *Christopher Willis - adult choir ; Strings (except tracks 2, 6, 8): *David Angell - violin *Monisa Angell - viola *John Catchings - cello *Bruce Christensen - viola *Joann Cruthirds - violin *David Davidson - violin *Carl Gorodetzky - violin, contractor *Jim Grosjean - viola *Anthony Lamarchina - cello *Lee Larrison - violin *Bob Mason - cello *Cate Myer - violin *Craig Nelson - bass *Randy Olson - violin *Pam Sixfin - violin *Elizabeth Stewart - bass *Julie Tanner - cello *Alan Umstead - violin *Catherine Umstead - violin *Gary Vanosdale - viola *Mary Kathryn Vanosdale - violin *Karen Winklemann - violin ; Strings and harp (tracks 2, 6, 8): *AWR Music, Chicago - contractor *Strings recorded at Woodland Studios, Nashville, Tennessee, and Chicago Recording Company, Chicago, Illinois *Andy Williams's vocals recorded at Caravell Recording Studio, Branson, Missouri *Mixed at Quad Studios, Recording Arts and 16th Avenue South, Nashville, Tennessee *Edited at Open Door Productions, Old Hickory, Tennessee *Mastered at MasterMix, Nashville, Tennessee

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:We Need a Little Christmas 1997 Christmas albums Andy Williams albums Christmas albums by American artists Pop Christmas albums Covers albums