Joel the Lump of Coal

"Joel the Lump of Coal" is a song by Las Vegas-based rock band The Killers that features late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. It was released on December 1, 2014.[1] The song marks the ninth consecutive year in which the band has released a Christmas song. As with their previous Christmas releases, all proceeds from this song go to AIDS charities as part of the Product Red campaign. The song's announcement and debut occurred on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where the music video and a montage about the recording process aired.[2]

"Joel the Lump of Coal"
Single by The Killers featuring Jimmy Kimmel
Released	December 1, 2014
Genre	Rock, Christmas music
Length	3:58
Label	Island
Songwriter(s)	Brandon Flowers, Dave Keuning, Mark Stoermer, Ronnie Vannucci Jr, Jimmy Kimmel, Jonathan Bines
Producer(s)	Ariel Rechtshaid
The Killers singles chronology
"Christmas in L.A." (2013) "Joel the Lump of Coal" (2014) "Dirt Sledding" (2015)

Music video

The animated music video first aired on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (December 1, 2014).[2][3] The style of the video is similar to that of the stop motion animated version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) and other Rankin/Bass Productions holiday-themed films in digital collage form. The song tells the story of Joel, a lump of coal living at the North Pole. Joel is excited when Santa chooses him to be a child's present, but he is disappointed to learn that instead of being a special gift, Santa is taking him to a naughty boy for Christmas. Joel reluctantly accepts his fate, but he soon realizes that he is just the present the naughty boy needs to help him change his ways. At the end, selfless Joel turns himself into a diamond to make the naughty boy happy.[4]

The song is written by Jimmy Kimmel, Jonathan Bines, and the Killers (Flowers, Keuning, Vannucci and Stoermer) with additional material by Tony Barbieri. The video is directed by Jonathan Kimmel, produced by Jennifer Sharron, and edited by Jason Bielski. The animation is by Sean Michael Solomon, Julian Petschek, Jonathan Kimmel, Jesse Griffith and Patrick Campbell, with Bernd Reinhardt as Director of Photography and Jim Alario as cameraman. The sound mix was recorded at Henson Studios, with field sound recorded by Brian Angely and Todd JeanPierre.

Track listing

Digital Download

1. "Joel the Lump of Coal" – 3:58

Charts

Chart (2014)	Peak position
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[5]	27
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) [6]	160

References

1. "iTunes - Music - Joel the Lump of Coal (feat. Jimmy Kimmel) - Single by The Killers". iTunes.
2. ""Joel, the Lump of Coal" by The Killers & Jimmy Kimmel". YouTube.
3. David Renshaw (2 December 2014). "NME News The Killers release new Christmas single 'Joel The Lump of Cole' – watch - NME.COM". NME.COM.
4. "The Killers". Billboard.
5. "The Killers Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
6. Tobias Zywietz. "The Official Zobbel Homepage". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 2017-05-05.