Alone on Christmas Day
"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, 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]
| "Alone on Christmas Day" | |
|---|---|
| Song by The Beach Boys | |
| from the album Merry Christmas from the Beach Boys | |
| Recorded | November 17–22, 1977[1] |
| Songwriter(s) | Mike Love, Ron Altbach |
| "Alone on Christmas Day" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Phoenix featuring Bill Murray, David Johansen and Jason Schwartzman | |
| from the album A Very Murray Christmas soundtrack | |
| B-side | "Alone on Christmas Day (Instrumental)" |
| Released | December 4, 2015 |
| Recorded | 2015 |
| Length | 2:54 |
| Songwriter(s) | Mike Love, Ron Altbach |
| Music video | |
| "Alone on Christmas Day" on YouTube | |
Background
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.[2] 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]
References
- "Tours & Sessions 1977". Endless Summer Quarterly. Archived from the original on 2015-12-25. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
- Blistein, Jon (November 6, 2015). "Hear Mike Love's Spirited, Bittersweet New Christmas Song". Rolling Stone.
- Camp, Zoe; Phillips, Amy. "Bill Murray and Phoenix Cover the Beach Boys' "Alone on Christmas Day"". Pitchfork.
- Guardian music (December 4, 2015). "Bill Murray meets Phoenix – hear their festive single Alone on Christmas Day". The Guardian.
- Hillyard, Kim (November 17, 2015). "Bill Murray teams up with Phoenix for Christmas single 'Alone On Christmas Day'". NME.