Maps of Music

Elvis Sings The Wonderful World of Christmas (1971)

Where the lyrics of Elvis Sings The Wonderful World of Christmas take you, and where it was really made.

Holiday albums were barred from the Billboard Top LPs chart from 1963 to 1973, so this 1971 Christmas album would have charted high there but could not.

Key places

Recorded at RCA Studio B (1971)

Recording site RCA Studio B — The source lists RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee as the album's recording studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Fifteenth studio album and second Christmas album by Elvis Presley
• Released by RCA Records in October 1971
• First collection of new Christmas recordings by Presley since Elvis' Christmas Album (1957)

Background

• Lacked the commercial appeal of the 1957 Christmas album, yet gradually became a perennial favorite
• Would have charted high on the Billboard Top LPs chart, but holiday albums were not allowed to chart from 1963 to 1973
• Reissued in 1976 in the mid-priced RCA Pure Gold series with new catalog number ANL1-1936

Recording

• Presley is accompanied on most of the songs by The Imperials Quartet
• Several songs were published by Elvis Presley's publishing company, including "Holly Leaves and Christmas Trees", "I'll Be Home on Christmas Day", "If I Get Home on Christmas Day" and "On a Snowy Christmas Night"
• Credits drawn from Keith Flynn and Ernst Jorgensen's examination of session tapes and RCA and AFM paperwork
• Recording studio listed as RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee

Cover

• The 2023 vinyl reissue uses the same front cover art as the 1971 release
• The rear cover art was altered to reflect then-current updated releases from Presley's RCA catalog

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi; family moved to Memphis, Tennessee when he was 13.
• Began his career in 1954 at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring African-American music to a wider audience.
• Recorded "That's All Right" with guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black in July 1954.
• A pioneer of rockabilly, a fusion of country music and rhythm and blues.

Members

• Classic quartet: Presley (vocals, guitar), Scotty Moore (lead guitar), Bill Black (bass), and D. J. Fontana (drums), who joined in 1955.

Career

• RCA Victor acquired his contract in 1955 for $40,000; "Heartbreak Hotel" hit number one in the US in 1956.
• Became a leading figure of rock and roll, though his style was considered a threat to white American youth by some.
• Made his film debut in Love Me Tender (1956) and devoted much of the 1960s to Hollywood films.
• Returned to the stage with the 1968 NBC special Elvis, followed by a Las Vegas residency and tours.
• Gave the first solo-artist concert broadcast worldwide, Aloha from Hawaii, in 1973.
• Died August 16, 1977 at Graceland, aged 42.
• Estimated to have sold 500 million records worldwide; won three Grammy Awards.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Topped the Christmas LP chart that year (1971)
• Would have charted high on the Billboard Top LPs chart, but holiday albums were not allowed to chart from 1963 to 1973

Reappraisal

• Though lacking the commercial appeal of the 1957 Christmas album, it gradually became a perennial favorite
• A two-CD special edition with many unreleased takes and unedited versions appeared in 2017 on Follow That Dream Records
• Recordings from the spring 1971 sessions were released in 2021 as Elvis Back in Nashville

Records

• Topped the Christmas LP chart in 1971
• RIAA Gold certification on November 4, 1977
• RIAA Platinum certification on December 1, 1977
• RIAA 2× Platinum certification on May 20, 1988
• RIAA 3× Platinum certification on July 15, 1999
• Reissued in the RCA Pure Gold series in 1976 (ANL1-1936)

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Two songs, "Merry Christmas Baby" and "O Come All Ye Faithful", were issued as a single in November 1971.
• The 1988 CD adds an extended "Merry Christmas Baby" and a bonus live "Blue Christmas" recorded on June 27, 1968, which had first appeared on the 1968 album Elvis.
• The 2021 Elvis Back in Nashville package presents "Merry Christmas Baby" in full, over 8 minutes, with a short discussion by Elvis before the song begins.
• Of the 21 Christmas tracks in that 2021 package, the first 11 follow the running order of the 1971 release.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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