Santa Claus Lane

This article is about the Hilary Duff album. For the popular Christmas song sometimes referred to as "Santa Claus Lane", see Here Comes Santa Claus. For the parade formerly called "Santa Claus Lane Parade", see Hollywood Christmas Parade.
Santa Claus Lane
A girl with blonde hair wearing a white sweater and blue jeans, throwing a red box into the air. She stands in front of a red electric scooter with several green and boxes on it, and a brown pole with two signs on top of it: a green one that reads "NORTH POLE" in capital letters on top, and a red one that reads "Santa Claus Lane" in capital letters below the other. Far behind her are a dark, starry sky and many buildings. Above the girl, "Hilary Duff" is written in cursive, white text.
Studio album by Hilary Duff
Released October 15, 2002 (2002-10-15)
Recorded 2002
Length 33:29
Label Walt Disney
Producer
Hilary Duff chronology
Santa Claus Lane
(2002)		 Metamorphosis
(2003)

Santa Claus Lane is the debut studio album by American singer Hilary Duff. It was released in the United States on October 15, 2002, by Walt Disney Records. The holiday album contains covers of Christmas songs, including "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town", "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Last Christmas". The album also features guest appearances from Christina Milian, Lil' Romeo and Duff's sister Haylie. Santa Claus Lane peaked at the second position of Billboard magazine's Top Heatseekers and Top Kid Audio charts, and peaked at the 154th position on the Billboard 200. It has been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping 500,000 copies to retailers. While in Japan in peaked at number 134 on the Oricon chart. Santa Claus Lane received mixed reviews by music critics, who considered the album to not be a Christmas album despite its promotion as such. The title song was featured in the 2002 film The Santa Clause 2.

Background

In 2001, Duff gained fame through her starring role in the Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire.[1] She became interested in pursuing a music career after attending a Radio Disney concert in 2001. "There were all these pop acts backstage at the concert," Duff explained. "They were all getting ready backstage and warming up, and I was like, 'I want to do this so bad.'"[2] One day, Duff met Andre Recke, who would soon become her manager. She told him of her interest in becoming a singer and briefly performed for him. This prompted him to tell her, "I want to work with you."[3] Recke said of his encounter with Duff, "When I met Hilary, I knew she had something special. Sometimes you just have that feeling, that, 'Wow, she's a star.'"[2]

Duff's music career began with two soundtrack appearances. In 2002, she appeared on the soundtrack to Lizzie McGuire, performing a cover of Brooke McClymont's "I Can't Wait", and the Walt Disney Records compilation DisneyMania, performing a cover of "The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room". Recke noted of Duff's DisneyMania appearance, "That was the first test to see how her fans would react to her as a singer and not just an actress".[2] Duff stated that she felt Christmas came early for her when she recorded Santa Claus Lane. She continued, "I really loved singing these songs. It was a lot of hard work, but also big fun!"[4]

Composition, release and promotion

"I Heard Santa on the Radio" and "Tell Me a Story (About the Night Before)" are duets with Christina Milian and Lil' Romeo, respectively, and "Same Old Christmas" features Duff's sister Haylie.[4] Santa Claus Lane features production from Matthew Gerrard, Chris Hamm, Alain Bertoni, Charlie Midnight and Chico Bennett; on the 2003 reissue, the bonus track "What Christmas Should Be" is produced by Charlton Pettus.[4]

Santa Claus Lane was released in the United States on October 15, 2002 by Walt Disney Records.[5] It was reissued on October 14 of the following year with the bonus track "What Christmas Should Be", and released by Buena Vista Records.[6] The song "Santa Claus Lane" had a music video featuring Duff performing on Disney's Movie Surfers to promote the film The Santa Clause 2. "Tell Me a Story (About the Night Before)" (featuring Lil' Romeo) also had a music video and a radio release, and was promoted heavily on Disney Channel. In a 2013 interview with the website Idolator, Duff expressed her dislike for "Tell Me a Story (About the Night Before)" , saying that she "honestly hate[s] that record — [and she has] blocked it out of [her] memory". Duff also remarked that she "[didn't] even remember" the song.[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
The Daily VaultB-[9]

Santa Claus Lane received mixed reviews by music critics. An AllMusic editor gave the album three out of five stars.[8] Jaan Uhelszki, in an editorial review for Amazon.com, gave Santa Claus Lane a negative review. She wrote the album, consisting mostly of Christmas covers, "add[s] little to the holiday music canon".[5] She also felt that it only "perks up" on songs that feature guest musicians.[5] Kelefa Sanneh considered for The New York Times it to be a "concept album" and it was "loosely inspired by Saint Nicholas, the fourth-century bishop of Myra."[10] Erica Witte wrote for The Daily Northwestern Santa Claus Lane makes "any Jewish girl cry" because the album "lack[s] of association with Christmas."[11] Christopher Thelen gave a more positive review to the album. While writing for the Daily Vault, Thelen gave a B- grade and wrote it "does show there is a voice behind the pretty young face, even if this is a strange place to start one's recording career."[9]

Comercial performance

Santa Claus Lane debuted at number 154 on the Billboard 200, and also reached the second position of both the Top Heatseekers and Top Kid Albums charts.[12] On December 9, 2003, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for 500,000 shipments to retailers.[13] The album reached the 134th position of the Japanese Albums Chart in 2004.[14] As of July 27, 2014, the album had sold 477,000 copies in the United States.[15]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Santa Claus Lane"  
Gerrard 2:43
2. "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"  
  • Chris Hamm
  • Alain Bertoni
 3:36
3. "I Heard Santa on the Radio" (with Christina Milian)
  • Midnight
  • Hamm
  • Hamm
  • Bertoni
 4:02
4. "Jingle Bell Rock"  
  • Joseph Carleton Beal
  • James Ross Boothe
  • Hamm
  • Bertoni
 2:48
5. "When the Snow Comes Down in Tinseltown"  Midnight
  • Midnight
  • Denny Weston, Jr.[a]
 3:18
6. "Sleigh Ride"  
  • Hamm
  • Bertoni
 3:04
7. "Tell Me a Story (About the Night Before)" (with Lil' Romeo)
  • Bennett
  • Midnight
 3:41
8. "Last Christmas"  George Michael
  • Hamm
  • Bertoni
 4:12
9. "Same Old Christmas" (featuring Haylie Duff)
  • Midnight
  • Marc Swersky
  • Midnight
  • Bennett[a]
 3:17
10. "Wonderful Christmastime"  Paul McCartney
  • Hamm
  • Bertoni
 2:54
Notes

Personnel

Credits for Santa Claus Lane adapted from AllMusic.[16]

  • Deborah Araya – Stylist
  • Chico Bennett – Producer
  • Alain Bertoni – Producer
  • Savina Ciaramella – A&R
  • J. Fred Coots – Composer
  • Matthew Gerrard – Producer
  • Haven Gillespie – Composer
  • Chris Hamm – Producer
  • Martin Häusler – Design
  • Jay Landers – Executive producer
  • Gavin Lurssen – Mastering
  • Dani Markman – Artist coordination
  • Charlie Midnight – Producer
  • Andre Recke – Executive producer
  • Denny Weston, Jr. – Producer

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2002) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200[12] 154
U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers[12] 2
U.S. Billboard Top Kid Audio[12] 2
Chart (2004) Peak
position
Japanese Albums Chart[14] 134

Certifications

Country Certifications
United States Gold[13]

Release history

Country Date Label
United States[5][17] October 15, 2002 Walt Disney
Canada[18] October 29, 2002 Universal
France[19] January 1, 2003 Walt Disney
United States[6] October 14, 2003 Buena Vista
Australia[20] November 10, 2003
United States[21] February 29, 2004
Germany[22] October 24, 2004
Japan[23] November 17, 2004 Walt Disney
United Kingdom[24] AVEX
Germany[25] December 15, 2006 EMI Gold
Spain[26]
United Kingdom[27] September 17, 2007

References

  1. ↑ Deming, Mark. "Hilary Duff > Biography". AllMovie. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 Rosen, Craig (January 31, 2004). "Hilary Duff: A Performer's Metamorphosis". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.) 116 (5): 10–14. ISSN 0006-2510.
  3. ↑ 2007. "At Home with Hilary Duff" featurette on Dignity deluxe edition DVD. Hollywood Records.
  4. 1 2 3 2002. Santa Claus Lane (album liner notes). Buena Vista Records.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Santa Claus Lane". Amazon.com US. Amazon.com, Inc. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  6. 1 2 "Santa Claus Lane Extra tracks". Amazon.com US. Amazon.com Inc. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  7. ↑ Pansky, Sam (August 26, 2013). "Hilary Duff's 'Metamorphosis' Turns 10: Backtracking". Idolator. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  8. 1 2 "Santa Claus Lane - Hilary Duff". Allmusic.
  9. 1 2 Thelen, Christopher (December 14, 2004). "Santa Claus Lane". The Daily Vault. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  10. ↑ Sanneh, Kelefa (August 29, 2007). "Amid All the Cheers, a Few Signs of Change". The New York Times. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  11. ↑ Witte, Erica (March 5, 2014). "Where Are They Now: Hilary Duff". The Daily Northwestern. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Hilary Duff > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 9, 2009.
  13. 1 2 "Gold & Platinum Database: Santa Claus Lane". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 18, 2010.
  14. 1 2 ヒラリー・ダフ (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Ask Billboard: How Has Enrique Iglesias' 'Bailando' Become Such A Big Hit?". Billboard. July 27, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Santa Claus Lane - Credits". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Santa Claus Lane by Hilary Duff". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Santa Claus Lane". Amazon.com Canada. Amazon.com Inc. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Santa Claus Lane (Anglais) CD audio – 1 janvier 2003" (in French). Amazon.com France. Amazon.com Inc. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Duff, Hilary – Santa Claus Lane". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Santa Claus Lane Audio CD – February 29, 2004". Amazon.com US. Amazon.com Inc. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Santa Claus Lane '03 Import" (in German). Amazon.com Germany. Amazon.com Inc. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  23. ↑ "サンタクロース・レーン(CCCD)" (in Japanese). Amazon.com Japan. Amazon.com Inc. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Santa Claus Lane Import". Amazon.com United Kingdom. Amazon.com Inc. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  25. ↑ "Santa Claus Lane" (in German). Amazon.com Germany. Amazon.com Inc. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  26. ↑ "Santa Claus Lane CD, Recopilación" (in Spanish). Amazon.com Spain. Amazon.com Inc. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  27. ↑ "Santa Claus Lane CD". Amazon.com United Kingdom. Amazon.com Inc. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
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