''Ho Ho Ho'', also known as ''VH-1 Presents RuPaul: Ho Ho Ho'', is a

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, may employ lyrics about the nativity of Je ...

and the third studio album by American singer and

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses Drag (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...

RuPaul RuPaul Andre Charles (born November 17, 1960) is an American drag queen, television host, singer, producer, writer, and actor. He produces, hosts, and judges the reality competition series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and has received List of awards ...

. Released on October 28, 1997, by the record label

Rhino A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

, it is RuPaul's first album featuring Christmas music and serves as a follow-up to his 1996 album ''Foxy Lady''. RuPaul co-produced the album with

Fenton Bailey World of Wonder Productions (WOW) is an American production company founded in 1991 by filmmakers Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey. Based in Los Angeles, California, the company specializes in Television documentary, documentary television and Doc ...

and

Randy Barbato World of Wonder Productions (WOW) is an American production company founded in 1991 by filmmakers Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey. Based in Los Angeles, California, the company specializes in Television documentary, documentary television and Doc ...

from the production company World of Wonder. ''Ho Ho Ho'' consists of thirteen tracks, including ten covers of Christmas standards and

carols A carol is a festive song, generally religious but not necessarily connected with Christian church worship, and sometimes accompanied by a dance. A caroller (or caroler) is someone who sings carols, and is said to be carolling (or caroling). ...

, and three original songs written by Joe Carrano and RuPaul.

Music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

frequently described the album as an example of

camp Camp may refer to: Areas of confinement, imprisonment, or for execution * Concentration camp, an internment camp for political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or minority ethnic groups * Extermination ...

though RuPaul clarified that it included several more serious covers, specifically "

All Alone on Christmas "All Alone on Christmas" is a song written and arranged by Steven Van Zandt, Steve Van Zandt, and recorded by Darlene Love with members of both The E Street Band and The Miami Horns. It was originally featured on the soundtrack of ''Home Alone 2: ...

" and " Hard Candy Christmas". ''Ho Ho Ho'' was praised by critics following its release and during retrospective reviews; its cheerful and humorous compositions were frequently cited as the album's highlights, though some commentators responded negatively to the record's use of humor and the lack of clarity in its overall message. It was included in a 2016 parody list discussing the

alt-right The alt-right (abbreviated from alternative right) is a Far-right politics, far-right, White nationalism, white nationalist movement. A largely Internet activism, online phenomenon, the alt-right originated in the United States during the late ...

, the "War on Christmas", and the

bathroom bill A bathroom bill is the common name for legislation or a statute that denies access to public toilets by gender or transgender identity. Bathroom bills affect access to sex-segregated public facilities for an individual based on a determination o ...

. The album peaked at number 27 on the

Heatseekers Albums The Heatseekers charts were "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 b ...

''Billboard'' chart, selling a little more than 4,000 copies in one week. To support the record, RuPaul filmed a television special as part of his

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

talk show ''

The RuPaul Show ''The RuPaul Show'' is an American talk show, talk, variety show that premiered on VH1 in 1996. Hosted by the Drag queen, drag performer RuPaul, the show had many famous musical guests and was notable as being one of the first national television ...

''.

Recording and release

''Ho Ho Ho'' was recorded in

's living room in New York City; it was completed over the span of three days in July 1997. RuPaul attributed the album's success to his chemistry with American singer

Michelle Visage Michelle Visage (born Michelle Lynn Shupack, September 20, 1968) is an American television personality, singer, broadcaster, producer, and actress. She gained recognition as a member of the dance-pop group Seduction (group), Seduction, who char ...

, saying: "You can hear us having a good time. So whether it was a

Hanukkah Hanukkah (, ; ''Ḥănukkā'' ) is a Jewish holidays, Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd ce ...

album or a

Kwanzaa Kwanzaa () is an annual celebration of African-American culture from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called ''Karamu'', usually on the sixth day. It was created by activist Maulana Karenga based on African harvest fe ...

album, it didn't make a difference, because the chemistry is there." RuPaul and Visage interpreted Christmas songs as examples of

while describing them as still holding clear messages; RuPaul explained: "Even the camp stuff still holds the true meaning of Christmas, the sweetness and the love about another year gone by." The album's record label

executive promoted the album through the

tagline In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, so ...

: "Celebrate Christmas with classic holiday songs and camp, RuPaul style!" ''Ho Ho Ho'' was made available on October 28, 1997, by Rhino on

cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette (format) (or ''cassette tape''), a format that contains magnetic tape for audio, video, and data storage and playback * Compact Cassette, a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ...

and CD. It was rereleased as a digital download in 2009 through Rhino and

Tommy Boy Records Tommy Boy Records is an American independent record label and multimedia brand founded in 1981 by Tom Silverman. The label is credited with helping and launching the music careers of Queen Latifah, Amber, Afrika Bambaataa, Stetsasonic, Digita ...

. The album was also known as ''VH-1 Presents RuPaul: Ho Ho Ho''. In 2023, ''Ho Ho Ho'' was issued on

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

, and a deluxe edition, which included RuPaul's cover of "

The Little Drummer Boy "The Little Drummer Boy" (originally known as "Carol of the Drum") is a popular Christmas song written by American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941. First recorded in 1951 by the Austrian Trapp Family, the song was further popularized ...

" and four remixes, was released on streaming services. RuPaul promoted the record by headlining a 1997 Christmas special as a part of his

talk show ''

''. In the United States, ''Ho Ho Ho'' reached a peak position of number 27 on the

''Billboard'' chart, and remained on the chart for two weeks. It sold a little more than 4,000 copies in one week. The remix of "Celebrate" peaked at number 31 on ''

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 advertis ...

Dance Club Songs The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

chart on October 11, 1997, and remained on the chart for a total of seven weeks.

Composition and lyrics

The opening track for ''Ho Ho Ho'' is " With Bells On", a "

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

-influenced

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

" interpretation of the

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...

and

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (born Kenneth Donald Rogers) (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particul ...

song of the same name. Visage is featured on the track, and sings about batteries as her only memorable Christmas present. The second track is RuPaul's re-imagining of " Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" as "RuPaul, the Red-Nosed Drag Queen". In " All I Want For Christmas", the singer makes a list of requests for various plastic surgery procedures that he would like to receive for the holiday, including cheek implants,

chin implant Chin augmentation using surgical implants alter the underlying structure of the face, intended to balance the facial features. The specific medical terms mentoplasty and genioplasty are used to refer to the reduction and addition of material to a ...

s, and a

buttock augmentation Gluteoplasty (from Greek: , 'rump' + , 'shaped, formed, moulded') denotes the plastic surgery and the liposuction procedures for the correction of congenital, traumatic, and acquired defects/deformities of the buttocks and the anatomy of th ...

. He also recorded a cover of "

", calling it his favorite Christmas song; he clarified that he wanted to do a serious interpretation of the track. RuPaul's covers of " I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus" and " Hard Candy Christmas" were noted for their use of camp. He identified "Hard Candy Christmas" as one of the "serious ones" on the album, and said it was only considered camp due to "the fact that

e was E, or e, is the fifth letter and the second vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''e'' (pronounced ); plu ...

doing it". When recording the song, Visage was unfamiliar with its source ''

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas ''The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'' is a musical with a book by Texas author Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and music and lyrics by Carol Hall. It is based on a story by King that was inspired by the real-life Chicken Ranch in La Grang ...

'', and sang it according to RuPaul's direction.

Carol Hall Carol Hall (April 3, 1936 – October 11, 2018) was an American composer and lyricist. She was best known for composing the music and lyrics for the Broadway stage musical '' The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'' (1978, adapted as a film in 19 ...

, who had written the song, had described RuPaul's cover as her favorite version, and ranked it above Dolly Parton's interpretation. The album also includes a cover of "

You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" is a Christmas song that was originally written and composed for the 1966 animated special '' Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' History The lyrics were written by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel, the musi ...

", incorporating elements from

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

, and "Christmas Train (Medley)", serving as a

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises * ...

remix of various Christmas songs. The final track is a remix of the song "Celebrate"; the original version had previously appeared on RuPaul's second album ''Foxy Lady'' (1996).

Critical reception

Upon its release, ''Ho Ho Ho'' received primarily positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

. ''Vibe'''s Shawnee Smith described the album as a "collection of reinterpretations guaranteed to lift your spirits", and commended it for its up-tempo instrumentals and ability to reverse "holiday depression". While highlighting the changes made to the songs' titles, Ken Veeder of ''

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * The Advocate (magazine), ''The Advocate'' (magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States * ''The Harvard Advocate' ...

'' positively responded to RuPaul's interpretations of the Christmas classic in "the gay way". Veeder pointed to "I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus" as his favorite track. ''

E! News ''E! News'', previously known as ''E! News Daily'' and ''E! News Live'', is the infotainment, entertainment news operation for the cable network E! in the United States. Its former on-air weekday newscast debuted on September 1, 1991, and prima ...

Joal Ryan noted that the album was one of the most boundary-pushing Christmas releases of the year. ''Billboard'''s Melinda Newman considered the album a

novelty record A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with comedy songs, which are more explicitly based on humor, and w ...

, praising it as a more humorous example of the genre. ''Ho Ho Ho'' has also been the subject of praise from several retrospective reviews. During a 2015 interview with the ''

Gay Times ''Gay Times'' (stylized in all caps), also known as ''GAY TIMES Magazine'' and as ''GT'', is a UK-based LGBTQ+ magazine established in 1984. Originally a magazine for gay and bisexual men, the company began including content for the LGBTQ+ comm ...

'', RuPaul and Visage stated that ''Ho Ho Ho'' had become a "classic Christmas traditional album" alongside releases by American singers

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer. Starting his 69-year career with singles of standard (music), standard music, Mathis is one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century and became highly popular as ...

and

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...

. In a 2015 article,

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolator or Idolater may also refer to: * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), a 2005 album by Blood Stain Child * ''Idolator'', a 1986 album by Ole Evenrud * "Idolater", a ...

's Robbie Daw described it as a "yuletide classic". The same year, Darren Scott of the ''Gay Times'' praised it as one of his favorite Christmas albums of all time, and a writer from

OutTV OUTtv is a Canadian English language specialty channel and streaming network that was launched in September 2001. The brand focuses on general entertainment and lifestyle programming serving Canadian and international LGBT+ communities. The ...

referred to it as a "collection of cheeky and cheerful tunes". On the other hand, in a 2017 article,

Junkee Junkee.com is an Australian popular culture and news website run by new media company Junkee Media. It covers various topics including film, university, food, TV, politics, travel, career, health, and Internet culture. Its target demographic is ...

's Bel Ryan felt the album had "for the most part, fallen into the mighty chasm of obscurity". In a 2016 retrospective review, Serene Dominic of ''

Tucson Weekly The ''Tucson Weekly'' is an alternative newsweekly that was founded in 1984 by Douglas Biggers and Mark Goehring, and serves the Tucson, Arizona, metropolitan area of about 1,000,000 residents. The paper is a member of the Association of Altern ...

'' jokingly included RuPaul as part of its list of artists who should not have released a Christmas album for ''Ho Ho Ho''. The article was written as a parody of the

and the "War on Christmas", Dominic joking that the album led to the creation of the

s. Some critics have negatively responded to RuPaul's use of humor in ''Ho Ho Ho''.

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 Mus ...

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...

criticized RuPaul's reliance on camp in the album, writing that it was "tired, predictable, and simply not funny" and that it was a "sad display from an entertainer who used to be hip, clever, and very funny". Newman questioned the effectiveness of the record's overall message, noting that RuPaul's message in the liner notes about "creating one's own family for the holidays" did not fit with the image of "Ru's Christmas panties around his ankles". While she responded positively to a majority of the songs, Newman viewed "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" as an unsuccessful cover. In an interview with ''

Queerty ''Queerty'' is an online magazine and newspaper covering gay- and LGBTQ-oriented entertainment and news, founded in 2005 by David Hauslaib. As of June 2015, the site had more than five million monthly unique visitors. History ''Queerty'' was ...

'', American drag queen

Hedda Lettuce Hedda Lettuce is the stage name of Steven Polito, an American drag queen, comedian and singer who lives and works in New York City. Polito debuted his character Hedda Lettuce in 1991 on the Manhattan Cable TV show ''The Brenda and Glennda Show''. ...

revealed that RuPaul's cover of "Hard Candy Christmas" was her least favorite Christmas song of all time; Lettuce said that the song "makes imwant to shove a candy cane in iseye".

Track listing

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Ho Ho Ho''. All songs produced by Joe Carrano and Welcome. Notes *"Christmas Nite" contains a sample from

The Three Degrees The Three Degrees are an American female vocal group formed circa 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although 12 women have been members over the years, the group has always been a trio. The current line-up consists of Helen Scott, Valerie Ho ...

's 1974 single "

When Will I See You Again "When Will I See You Again" is a song released in 1974 by American soul group the Three Degrees from their third album, '' The Three Degrees''. The song was written and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Sheila Ferguson sang the lead, ...

". *"Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)" contains a sample from

Johnnie Taylor Johnnie Harrison Taylor (May 5, 1934 – May 31, 2000) was an American recording artist and songwriter who performed a wide variety of genres, from blues, rhythm and blues, soul, and gospel to pop, doo-wop, and disco. He was initially suc ...

's 1976 single "

Disco Lady "Disco Lady" is a 1976 single by American singer Johnnie Taylor that went on to become his biggest hit. It spent all four weeks of April 1976 at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and six weeks atop the ''Billboard'' R&B chart in the U.S. It was ...

Personnel

Credits adapted from ''AllMusic''. *RuPaul – executive producer *Latasha Spencer – performer *Michelle Visage – performer *Fenton Bailey – executive producer *Randy Barbato – executive producer *Pete Lorimer – arranger *Richard "Humpty" Vission – arranger *Dennis Mitchell – engineer *Roger Arnold – assistant engineer, engineer, performer *Brian Alex – assistant *Kelly Bienvenue – assistant *Lee Genesis – assistant *Barbara Mitchell – assistant *Yolanda Wyns – assistant *Michael Hacker – producer, remixing *Michael Rosenman – producer, remixing *Joe Carrano – programming, producer, engineer, mixing *Dan Hersch – mastering *Rachel Gutek – design *Hugh Brown – art direction

Charts

Release history

Notes

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1990s covers albums 1997 Christmas albums Albums recorded in a home studio Christmas albums by American artists Novelty albums Rhino Entertainment Christmas albums RuPaul albums