''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' is the eighth studio album by American jazz pianist

Vince Guaraldi Vincent Anthony Guaraldi (; 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 series includ ...

(later credited to the Vince Guaraldi Trio). The album was released in December 1965 in the U.S. by Fantasy Records and was Guaraldi's final studio album for the label. It is the soundtrack to the Christmas television special of the same name. Guaraldi was contacted by television producer

Lee Mendelson Leland Maurice Mendelson (March 24, 1933 – December 25, 2019) was an American animation producer and the executive producer of the many ''Peanuts'' animated specials. Biography Mendelson was born in San Francisco and grew up in San Mateo gra ...

to compose music for a documentary on the comic strip ''

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ''Peanuts'' is among the most popular and inf ...

'' and its creator,

Charles M. Schulz Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz (; November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000) was an American cartoonist and the creator of the comic strip ''Peanuts'', featuring what are probably his two best-known characters, Charlie Brown and Snoopy. He is wi ...

. Although the special went unaired, these selections were released in 1964 as ''

Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown ''Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown'' (stylized with quotation marks as ''Jazz Impressions of "A Boy Named Charlie Brown"'') is the sixth studio album by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi (credited to the Vince Guaraldi Trio), r ...

''.

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance bar, temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pembe ...

commissioned a Christmas special based on ''Peanuts'' in 1965 and Guaraldi returned to score the special. Guaraldi composed most of the music, though he included versions of traditional carols such as "

O Tannenbaum "" (; "O fir tree", English: O Christmas Tree) is a German Christmas song. Based on a traditional folk song which was unrelated to Christmas, it became associated with the traditional Christmas tree. History The modern lyrics were written in 1824 ...

". He recorded some of the score at Whitney Studio in Glendale, California, then re-recorded some of it at Fantasy Records Studios in San Francisco with a children's choir from St. Paul's Episcopal Church in nearby San Rafael. The sessions ran late into the night, with the children rewarded with ice cream afterward. Bassist Fred Marshall and drummer Jerry Granelli were credited as performing on the album. It was voted into the

Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

and added to the

National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservat ...

of the Library of Congress. On May 10, 2022, the Recording Industry Association of America (

RIAA 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/ ...

) certified the album quintuple platinum for sales of 5 million copies. In November 2014, it was the 10th best-selling Christmas/holiday album in the United States during the

SoundScan Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...

era.

Background

By the early 1960s, Charles M. Schulz's comic strip ''Peanuts'' had become a sensation worldwide. Television producer

acknowledged the strip's cultural impression and produced a documentary on the subject, titled ''

A Boy Named Charlie Brown ''A Boy Named Charlie Brown'' is a 1969 American animated musical comedy film, produced by Cinema Center Films, distributed by National General Pictures, and directed by Bill Melendez. It is the first feature film based on the ''Peanuts'' com ...

''. Mendelson, a fan of jazz, heard Vince Guaraldi's song "

Cast Your Fate to the Wind "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" is an American jazz instrumental selection by Vince Guaraldi; later, a lyric was written by Carel Werber. It won a Grammy Award for Best Original Jazz Composition in 1963. It was included on the album '' Jazz Impre ...

" on the radio not long after completion of his documentary, and contacted the musician to produce music for the special. Guaraldi composed the music for the project, creating an entire piece, "

Linus and Lucy "Linus and Lucy" is a popular instrumental jazz standard written by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi, appearing in many ''Peanuts'' animated specials. Named for the two fictional siblings Linus and Lucy van Pelt, it was originally released o ...

", to serve as the theme. Despite the popularity of the strip and acclaim from advertisers, networks were not interested in the special. By April 1965, ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

'' featured the ''Peanuts'' gang on its magazine cover, and plans for an animated half-hour ''Peanuts'' Christmas TV special were commissioned by The Coca-Cola Company. When Coca-Cola commissioned the ''

A Charlie Brown Christmas ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' is a 1965 animated television special. It is the first TV special based on the comic strip ''Peanuts'', by Charles M. Schulz. Produced by Lee Mendelson and directed by Bill Melendez, the program made its debut on C ...

'' TV special in spring 1965, Guaraldi returned to write the music, having just recorded the live album ''

At Grace Cathedral ''At Grace Cathedral'' (also known as ''Vince Guaraldi at Grace Cathedral'' and ''The Grace Cathedral Concert'') is a live performance album by jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi, released in the U.S. in September 1965 on Fantasy Records. The performa ...

'' at San Francisco's famed cathedral with St. Paul's Church of San Rafael 68-voice choir.

Recording and production

The first instrumentals for the special were recorded by Guaraldi at

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from 191,719 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth-larges ...

's Whitney Studio with bassist

Monty Budwig Monte Rex Budwig (December 26, 1929 – March 9, 1992) was a West Coast jazz double bassist, professionally known as Monty Budwig. Early life Monte Rex Budwig was born in Pender, Nebraska, on December 26, 1929.His full birthname was Monte Rex B ...

and drummer Colin Bailey on March 6, 1965. Recycling "Linus and Lucy" from the earlier special and the album ''

'', Guaraldi completed two new originals, "Skating", and "Christmas Time Is Here". In the weeks preceding the premiere, Mendelson encountered trouble finding a lyricist for Guaraldi's instrumental intro and wrote "Christmas Time Is Here" in "about 15 minutes" on the back of an envelope. The special begins and ends with a children's choir from St. Paul's Episcopal Church in San Rafael performing "Christmas Time Is Here" and "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing",. Guaraldi had performed with the choir at his May 1965 "jazz mass" performance at Grace Cathedral (released in September 1965 as ''

''). The recording sessions were conducted in late autumn 1965 in three sessions over two weeks. They often ran late into the night, resulting in angry parents, some who forbade their children to return; as a result, numerous new children were present at each session. The children were directed by Barry Mineah, who demanded perfection from the choir. Mendelson and Guaraldi disagreed, wanting "kids to sound like kids"; they used a slightly off-key version of "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" in the final cut. Children were paid five dollars for their participation. In addition, the children recorded dialogue for the special's final scene in which the crowd of kids shout "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!" One of the singers, Candace Hackett Shively, became an elementary school teacher and sent a letter of gratitude to Schulz after he announced his retirement in 2000. In the letter, she recalls recording the choir at Fantasy Studios and going out for ice cream afterwards, while noting that she tells the story to her students every holiday season. Guaraldi brought in bassist Fred Marshall and drummer Jerry Granelli and re-recorded tracks such as "The Christmas Song" and "Greensleeves". The album credited Guaraldi solely, neglecting to mention the other musicians; Guaraldi was notorious for never keeping records of his session players. Nearly three decades later, in an effort to correct the matter, Fantasy surmised that the recordings with Budwig and Bailey were employed in the television special while Marshall and Granelli recorded the album. Despite this, other musicians have claimed to have recorded the special's music: bassists Eugene Firth and Al Obidinski and drummers Paul Distel and

Benny Barth Benny or Bennie is a given name or a shortened version of the given name Benjamin or, less commonly, Benedict, Bennett, Benito, Benson, Bernice, Ebenezer or Bernard. People Bennie Given name * Bennie M. Bunn (1907–1943), American Marine of ...

. Firth and Distil are noted as performers on a studio-session report Guaraldi filed for the American Federation of Musicians. Not all music featured in the current version of the holiday special was released on the soundtrack. After the inaugural broadcast of the special in December 1965, Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez fitted several scenes with the songs "Charlie Brown Theme," "Happiness Theme" and "Frieda (with the Naturally Curly Hair)", all lifted from ''

''. In addition, "Air Music" (aka "Surfin' Snoopy") from the soundtrack of ''

Charlie Brown's All Stars! ''Charlie Brown's All Stars!'' is the second prime-time animated television special based upon the popular comic strip ''Peanuts,'' by Charles M. Schulz. It was the second such TV special (following ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'') to be produced by ...

'' was inserted in the scene where Snoopy is decorating his doghouse with Christmas ornaments. These four additional songs were not included in the soundtrack release as they were not part of the original show. Additionally, tracks "What Child Is This" and "The Christmas Song" are on this recording, but were not included in the special.

Reception

Commercial performance

On May 10, 2022, the Recording Industry Association of America (

) certified the album quintuple platinum for sales of 5 million copies, making it the second-best-selling jazz album in history, behind

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

’ ''

Kind of Blue ''Kind of Blue'' is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Miles Davis. It was recorded on March 2 and April 22, 1959, at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in New York City, and released on August 17 of that year by Co ...

'' (1959). ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' first appeared on a ''Billboard'' magazine music sales chart on the week of December 19, 1987, when it debuted and peaked at No. 13 on the ''Billboard'' Christmas Albums sales chart. The album charted on the ''Billboard'' Christmas Albums chart every Christmas/holiday season from 1988 through 2003, peaking as high as No. 8 in both 2001 and 2002. The album also charted on the ''Billboard''

Top Pop Catalog Albums Top Pop Catalog Albums is a 50-position weekly albums chart produced by ''Billboard'' Magazine which ranks the best-selling catalog albums in the United States, regardless of genre. ''Billboard'' defines a catalog title as one that is more than 18 ...

chart during the Christmas/holiday season every year from 1991 through 2003, peaking as high as No. 6 in 2001. It became the first jazz soundtrack album to reach the Top 10 outside of a specialty album chart (i.e. Christmas Albums, Top Pop Catalog Albums, Kids Albums) when, in January 2021, it reached No. 10 in the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. Derrick Bang, Guaraldi historian and author of ''Vince Guaraldi at the Piano'', noted the significance of such a "huge" accomplishment, with Guaraldi sharing top spots with

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bo ...

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

and

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing Hip hop music, hip hop in Middle America (United Sta ...

. In November 2014, it was the 10th best-selling Christmas/holiday album in the United States during the

era. ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' was also the 10th best-selling holiday album of 2011, a year that marked the sixth time since 2001 that the album had ranked among the year's top 10 Christmas albums. It was also the ninth best-selling album of 2013. On November 18, 2021, it was ranked as the No. 1 Greatest Holiday 200 album of All Time by ''Billboard''.

Critical reception

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

reviewer Shawn M. Haney called it "joyous and festive meditation for the holiday season" writing, "Guaraldi strings together elegant, enticing arrangements that reflect the spirit and mood of Schulz's work." Dominique Leone at ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' called the songs "small, observant miracles...If there's a muted quality to a lot of this music, it's smiling nonetheless." The soundtrack to ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' has been considered "one of the most beloved holiday albums recorded." Chris Barton of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' asserts that the soundtrack introduced

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

to an entirely new generation, having been heard by more individuals than the work of the genre's most influential players, including

and

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...

. The score influenced dozens of young aspiring musicians, among them David Benoit and

George Winston George Winston (born December 26, 1949) is an American pianist, guitarist, harmonicist, and record producer. He was born in Michigan and raised mainly in Montana ( Miles City and Billings), as well as Mississippi and Florida. He is best known fo ...

. Haney wrote that the record "introduce contemporary jazz to youngsters with grace, charm, and creativity." In 2019, it was ranked the fourth greatest Christmas album of all time by ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

''. ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' was voted into the

in 2007. In 2012 the album was added to the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Track listing

Side one # "

" ( Ernst Anschütz) – 5:08 # "

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 ...

" (

William Chatterton Dix William Chatterton Dix (14 June 1837 – 9 September 1898) was an English writer of hymns and carols. He was born in Bristol, the son of John Dix, a local surgeon, who wrote ''The Life of Chatterton'' the poet, a book of ''Pen Pictures of Popula ...

) – 2:25 # "My Little Drum" (

) – 3:12 # "

" (Guaraldi) – 3:06 # "

Christmas Time Is Here "Christmas Time Is Here" is a popular Christmas standard written by Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson for the 1965 television special ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'', one of the first animated Christmas specials produced for network television in t ...

(instrumental)" (Guaraldi) – 6:05 Side two # "Christmas Time Is Here (vocal)" (Guaraldi, Lee Mendelson) – 2:47 # "Skating" (Guaraldi) – 2:27 # " Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" (

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 T ...

) – 1:55 # " Christmas Is Coming" (Guaraldi) – 3:25 # "

Fur Elise Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket ...

" (

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

) – 1:06 # "

The Christmas Song "The Christmas Song" (commonly subtitled "Chestnuts Roasting by 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 ...

, Robert Wells) – 3:17 Bonus track - 1988 onwards #

"Greensleeves" (traditional) – 5:25 Note: "Greensleeves" is actually the original title of the tune used for "What Child is This".

Personnel

Vince Guaraldi Trio *

– piano, bandleader, Hammond organ on "Hark, The Herald Angels Sing" * Fred Marshall –

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

– double bass ("Linus and Lucy", "Greensleeves") * Jerry Granelli – drums * Colin Bailey – drums ("Linus and Lucy", "Greensleeves") Children's chorus for the songs "Christmas Time Is Here", "Hark, The Herald Angels Sing" and when the kids all shout "Merry Christmas Charlie Brown" was the Children's choir of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in San Rafael, California. Several months before the making of ''Charlie Brown Christmas'' this choir was featured on the recording ''Vince Guaraldi at Grace Cathedral''. Original production * Soul S. Weiss – recording engineer (attributed on the back cover, original album pressing) Production *

Ralph J. Gleason Ralph Joseph Gleason (March 1, 1917 – June 3, 1975) was an American music critic and columnist. He contributed for many years to the ''San Francisco Chronicle'', was a founding editor of ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, and cofounder of the Monterey ...

–

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 des ...

* Derrick Bang – liner notes *

Joel Selvin Joel Selvin (born February 14, 1950) is an American San Francisco-based music critic and author known for his weekly column in the '' San Francisco Chronicle'', which ran from 1972 to 2009. Selvin has written books covering various aspects of ...

– liner notes (2006 reissue) * George Horn – mastering (1986, 1988, 2006 reissues) * Stephen Hart – mixing (2006 reissue) * Adam Munoz – mixing (2012 reissue) * Joe Tarantino – mastering (2012 reissue) * Nick Phillips – reissue producer * Joe Tarantino – remastering * Paul Blakemore – mixing (2022 reissue)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Notes

*During an interview on an episode of ''

CBS Sunday Morning ''CBS News Sunday Morning'' (normally shortened to ''Sunday Morning'' on the program itself since 2009) is an American news magazine television program that has aired on CBS since January 28, 1979. Created by Robert Northshield and original hos ...

'', Lee Mendelson said that the original choice for the soundtrack was

Dave Brubeck David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

, who initially accepted. However, several weeks into the project due to unforeseen circumstances related to other commitments, he suggested Guaraldi to replace him.

References

Sources

* * *

External links

*
March 2015 radio interview
(

KDRT KDRT-LP (95.7 FM) is a low powered radio station licensed to Davis, California, United States. The station is currently owned by Davis Community Television DBA Davis Media Access, who operate the public-access television DCTV for the City of Dav ...

program "Davisville") with David Willat, who as a child sang in the ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' chorus, and Guaraldi author Derrick Bang
November 2022 radio interview
(

program "Davisville") with Jason and Sean Mendelson, and Derrick Bang, about the extended deluxe versions of ''A Charlie Brown Christmas'' released in late 2022
Jazzy ‘Charlie Brown Christmas’ swings on after 57 years
by David Bauder, from

AP News The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

() {{DEFAULTSORT:Charlie Brown Christmas, A 1965 Christmas albums 1965 soundtrack albums Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Albums arranged by Vince Guaraldi Vince Guaraldi soundtracks Christmas albums by American artists Jazz Christmas albums Cool jazz soundtracks Mainstream jazz soundtracks Fantasy Records soundtracks Peanuts music Television animation soundtracks United States National Recording Registry recordings United States National Recording Registry albums