| Merry Christmas | |
| Type: | Album |
| Artist: | Johnny Mathis |
| Cover: | Album_Johnny_Mathis_-_Merry_Christmas_cover.jpeg |
| Caption: | Original LP cover |
| Released: | October 6, 1958[1] |
| Recorded: | June 16, 18, and 20, 1958[2] |
| Studio: | CBS 30th Street Studio New York City |
| Genre: | Christmas |
| Length: | 44:08 |
| Label: | Columbia |
| Producer: | Mitch Miller Al Ham |
| Prev Title: | Swing Softly |
| Prev Year: | 1958 |
| Next Title: | Open Fire, Two Guitars |
| Next Year: | 1959 |
Merry Christmas is the first Christmas album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis, with accompaniment by arranger/conductor Percy Faith and his orchestra. It was released by Columbia Records on October 6, 1958.[1] The selections are a mix of traditional Christmas carols (such as "Silent Night", "O Holy Night", and "The First Noel") and 20th-century tunes of the season (including "The Christmas Song", "White Christmas", and "Silver Bells").
The album debuted on Billboard magazine's list of the 25 Best-Selling Pop LPs in the US in its December 15, 1958, issue and got as high as number three during its initial four-week run.[3] It made additional appearances there each holiday season from 1959 to 1962 and on the magazine's Christmas Albums and Pop Catalog Albums charts in subsequent years.[1] It received Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America for reaching sales of 500,000 copies in the US in December 1960[4] and in 2013 ranked as one of the top selling Christmas albums of all time with five million copies sold.[5]
Four songs from the album – "Winter Wonderland", "Blue Christmas", "White Christmas", and "Sleigh Ride" – were also released on the EP Merry Christmas, Vol. 1, which reached number two during the 1958 holiday season and number seven the following year on the magazine's Best-Selling Pop EPs chart.[3] "Winter Wonderland" also spent three weeks on the UK singles chart, where his recording peaked at number 17 over the course of three weeks that began on Christmas Day 1958.[6]
The album was initially released only in the monaural format but became available in stereo in 1959.[7] It was issued in the UK by Fontana Records and was later reissued in 1962 with a different cover both there and in the US.[7] The original cover was used for compact disc pressings, the first of which was in 1984,[8] and an edition featuring two bonus tracks was released on September 16, 2003.[9] The 2015 Mathis compilation The Complete Christmas Collection 1958–2010, a 3-CD set on the Real Gone Music label, also includes the album in its track list.
From the liner notes for the 2003 CD release:[2]
From the liner notes for The Complete Christmas Collection 1958-2010:[10]
| Debut date | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Best-Selling Pop LPs | Christmas Albums | Top Pop Catalog Albums | |
| 12/15/58 | 3 | — | — |
| 12/21/59 | 10 | — | — |
| 12/26/60 | 10 | — | — |
| 12/18/61 | 31 | — | — |
| 12/8/62 | 12 | — | — |
| 11/30/63 | — | 2 | — |
| 12/5/64 | — | 2 | — |
| 12/11/65 | — | 7 | — |
| 12/3/66 | — | 2 | — |
| 12/2/67 | — | 2 | — |
| 12/7/68 | — | 5 | — |
| 12/27/69 | — | 15 | — |
| 12/1/73 | — | 3 | — |
| 12/24/88 | — | 18 | — |
| 12/23/89 | — | 20 | — |
| 12/22/90 | — | 16 | — |
| 12/7/91 | — | 17 | — |
| 12/14/91 | — | — | 24 |
| 11/28/92 | — | — | 10 |
| 12/5/92 | — | 12 | — |
| 12/4/93 | — | 21 | 14 |
| 12/3/94 | — | 35 | — |
| 12/10/94 | — | — | 29 |
| 12/16/95 | — | — | 37 |
| 12/21/96 | — | — | 33 |
| 12/28/96 | — | 39 | — |
| 12/19/98 | — | — | 48 |
| 12/18/99 | — | — | 49 |