Alone on Christmas Day explained

Alone on Christmas Day
Type:song
Artist:The Beach Boys
Album:Merry Christmas from the Beach Boys
Recorded:November 17–22, 1977[1]
Producer:Al Jardine, Ron Altbach
Alone on Christmas Day
Cover:Alone on Christmas Day.jpg
Alt:The cover art for "Alone on Christmas Day" by Phoenix
Type:single
Artist:Phoenix featuring Bill Murray, David Johansen and Jason Schwartzman
Album:A Very Murray Christmas soundtrack
B-Side:Alone on Christmas Day (Instrumental)
Recorded:2015
Prev Title:S.O.S. in Bel Air
Prev Year:2013
Next Title:J-Boy
Next Year:2017
Alone on Christmas Day
Type:song
Artist:Mike Love
Album:Reason for the Season
Released:October 26, 2018
Length:4:05
Label:BMG
Producer:Michael Lloyd, Scott Totten

"Alone on Christmas Day" is a song written by Mike Love and Ron Altbach for American rock band the Beach Boys. Intended for a potential Christmas album, their 1977 recording was left unreleased. In November 2015, Mike Love rerecorded the song as "(You'll Never Be) Alone on Christmas Day" and released it as a single.[2] The next month, a version by French rock band Phoenix featuring Bill Murray was released.[3] [4]

Background

See also: The Beach Boys bootleg recordings. The song was written by the Beach Boys' co-founder Mike Love in collaboration with classical pianist Ron Altbach for a potential Christmas album. In 1977, a rough mix of the song was recorded by the group and later circulated via bootlegs. In early 2015, Phoenix requested permission to cover the song for Bill Murray's A Very Murray Christmas. In response, Love rerecorded the song himself and revised some of the lyrics. The version by Phoenix was then released. Besides Murray, their recording features Jason Schwartzman, Paul Shaffer, and New York Dolls' David Johansen (as Buster Poindexter).[3] Phoenix's version was recorded in September and issued as a digital download and 7" vinyl.[5] Love recorded another version of the song for his 2018 Christmas album Reason for the Season.

Charts

Chart (2015)!scope="col"
Peak
position
US Holiday Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[6] 42

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Tours & Sessions 1977 . Endless Summer Quarterly . 2015-12-24 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151225083734/http://www.esquarterly.com/bellagio/gigs77.html . 2015-12-25 .
  2. Blistein. Jon. Hear Mike Love's Spirited, Bittersweet New Christmas Song. Rolling Stone. November 6, 2015.
  3. Web site: Camp. Zoe. Phillips. Amy. Bill Murray and Phoenix Cover the Beach Boys' "Alone on Christmas Day". 4 December 2015 . Pitchfork.
  4. News: Guardian music. Bill Murray meets Phoenix – hear their festive single Alone on Christmas Day. The Guardian. December 4, 2015.
  5. Hillyard. Kim. Bill Murray teams up with Phoenix for Christmas single 'Alone On Christmas Day'. NME. November 17, 2015.
  6. Phoenix. Billboard. 9 March 2021.