When My Heart Finds Christmas
When My Heart Finds Christmas is American artist Harry Connick Jr.'s first Christmas album. Released in 1993, it is among the most popular holiday collections of the past two decades in the United States. Connick Jr composed four songs for the album: "When My Heart Finds Christmas", "(It Must've Been Ol') Santa Claus", "The Blessed Dawn Of Christmas Day" and "I Pray On Christmas". The other songs are traditional Christmas songs and carols.
When My Heart Finds Christmas | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 26, 1993 | |||
Recorded | Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA, July 16, 17, 19-23, 1993 | |||
Genre | Christmas | |||
Length | 55:36 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Tracey Freeman | |||
Harry Connick Jr. chronology | ||||
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Harry Connick Jr. Christmas albums chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Entertainment Weekly | A- 11/12/93, p.59 |
The album proved to be the best-selling holiday album in the U.S. of 1993, selling 748,000 copies that year according to Nielsen SoundScan.[1]
In December 2005, the album was certified Triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipment of three million copies in the U.S.[2] As of November 2014, When My Heart Finds Christmas is the twelfth best-selling holiday album in the U.S. since May 1991 (the SoundScan era of music sales tracking), having sold 3.15 million.[3]
Track listing
- "Sleigh Ride" (Leroy Anderson, Mitchell Parish) – 3:44
- "When My Heart Finds Christmas" (Harry Connick Jr.) – 4:32
- "(It Must've Been Ol') Santa Claus" (Connick) – 4:39
- "The Blessed Dawn Of Christmas Day" (Connick) – 4:40
- "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" (Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne) – 2:34
- "The Little Drummer Boy" (Katherine K. Davis, Henry Onorati, Harry Simeone) – 3:41
- "Ave Maria" (Franz Schubert, Sir Walter Scott) – 4:35
- "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" (Ballard Macdonald, Leon Jessel) – 3:27
- "What Child Is This?" (William Dix, traditional) – 3:11
- "Christmas Dreaming" (Irving Gordon, Lester Lee) – 2:40
- "I Pray On Christmas" (Connick) – 3:48
- "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (Johnny Marks) – 2:31
- "O Holy Night" (Adolphe Adam, Placide Cappeau) – 6:45
- "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" (Frank Loesser) – 4:49
Personnel
Musicians
- Harry Connick Jr. - Vocals, piano
- Ben Wolfe - Bass
- Russell Malone - Guitar
- Brad Leali - Alto Saxophone
- Will Campbell - Alto Saxophone
- Jerry Weldon - Tenor Saxophone
- Ned Goold - Tenor Saxophone
- Dave Schumacher - Baritone saxophone
- Mark Mullins - Trombone
- Craig Klein - Trombone
- Lucien Barbarin - Trombone
- Joe Barati - Trombone
- Roger Ingram - Trumpet
- Dan Miller - Trumpet
- Jeremy Davenport - Trumpet
- Louis Ford - Clarinet
- 70-piece orchestra
- 42-voice choir
Studio
- Tracey Freeman - Producer
- Gregg Rubin - Engineer/ Mixer
Christmas TV Special
Connick's hour-long CBS-TV Christmas special—recorded live at the Pantages Theatre and featuring Carol Burnett and Aaron Neville—was available on home video in time for Christmas 1994. The Harry Connick Jr. Christmas Special VHS (Sony 1994) features a set list similar to the album's track list.
Set list
- "Sleigh Ride"
- "Toyland"
- "I Pray On Christmas"
- "The Christmas Song" (with Aaron Neville)
- "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
- "(It Must've Been Ol') Santa Claus"
- "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"
- "Away in a Manger"
- "The Blessed Dawn of Christmas Day"
- "I'll Be Home for Christmas"
- "All I Want for Christmas"
- "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers"
- "Jingle Bells"
- "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"
- "When My Heart Finds Christmas"
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Canada (Music Canada)[4] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[5] | 3× Platinum | 3,150,000[3] |
*sales figures based on certification alone |
References
- "Chart Watch Extra: Bring On Christmas!". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
- "RIAA Searchable Database - Gold & Platinum Certifications". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
- "The Gifts That Keep on Giving: Biggest Radio and Album Hits of the Holidays". Billboard. November 29, 2014. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
- "Canadian album certifications – Harry Connick Jr – When My Heart Finds Christmas". Music Canada. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
- "American album certifications – Harry Connick Jr – When My Heart Finds Christmas". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 9, 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.