Please Come Home for Christmas

"Please Come Home for Christmas"
Single by Charles Brown
from the album Charles Brown Sings Christmas Songs
B-side "Christmas (Comes but Once a Year)" by Amos Milburn[1]
Released 1960
Format 7-inch
Recorded September 21, 1960[2]
Genre R&B, Christmas
Length 2:50
Label King 45-5405
Songwriter(s) Charles Brown, Gene Redd
Charles Brown singles chronology
"Please Come Home for Christmas"
(1960)		 "String Module Error: Match not found"
(1961)

"Please Come Home for Christmas"
(1961)		 "Angel Baby" (Charles Brown & Group)
(1961)
"Please Come Home for Christmas"
Single by Eagles
B-side "Funky New Year"
Released November 27, 1978
Format 7-inch
Recorded 1978 at Bayshore Recording Studios, Coconut Grove, Florida
Genre Rock, rhythm and blues, Christmas music
Length 2:57
Label Asylum 45555
Songwriter(s) Charles Brown, Gene Redd
Producer(s) Bill Szymczyk
Eagles singles chronology
"Life in the Fast Lane"
(1977)		 "Please Come Home for Christmas"
(1978)		 "Heartache Tonight"
(1979)

"Life in the Fast Lane"
(1977)		 "Please Come Home for Christmas"
(1978)		 "Heartache Tonight"
(1979)
"Please Come Home for Christmas"
Single by Bon Jovi
B-side "I Wish Everyday Could be Like Christmas" (4:25)
"Back Door Santa" (3:52)
Released 1995 (Japan)
Format CD single
Genre Christmas, pop
Length 2:53
Label Mercury PHCR-8343
Songwriter(s) Charles Brown, Gene Redd
Producer(s) Jimmy Iovine

"Please Come Home for Christmas" is a Christmas song, released in 1960, by the American blues singer and pianist Charles Brown. Hitting Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in December 1961, the tune Brown co-wrote with Gene Redd peaked at position #76. It appeared on the Christmas Singles chart for nine seasons, hitting #1 in 1972.[3] It includes a number of characteristics of Christmas music, such as multiple references in the lyrics to the Christmas season and Christmas traditions, and the use of a Church bell type sound, created using a piano, at the start of the song. It is sometimes referred to as "Bells Will Be Ringing", which are the first four words of the song.

Personnel

Eagles version

In 1978, the rock band Eagles covered and released the song as a holiday single. Their version peaked at #18 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, the first Christmas song to reach the Top 20 on that chart since Roy Orbison's "Pretty Paper" in 1963. This was the first Eagles song to feature Timothy B. Schmit on bass (having replaced founding member Randy Meisner the previous year). The lineup features Don Henley (drums/vocals), Glenn Frey (piano, backing vocals), Joe Walsh (guitar, backing vocals), Schmit (bass/backing vocals), and Don Felder (lead guitar). Originally released as a vinyl 7" single, it was re-released as a CD single in 1995, reaching #15 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. This version includes the lyrics "bells will be ringing the sad, sad news" (that is, a Christmas alone) as opposed to Brown's original version which references the "glad, glad news" (that is, Christmas in general).

Jon Bon Jovi version

Jon Bon Jovi also covered the song on the 1992 holiday album, A Very Special Christmas 2. A promo music video that featured supermodel Cindy Crawford was made to accompany that release. In 1994 the same recording was released as a charity single in Europe, but this time instead of being credited as a solo recording by Jon Bon Jovi it was released under the band name Bon Jovi. The 1994 single release made the Top Ten in both UK and Ireland.

Other cover versions

The song has also been covered by artists in various genres including Johnny Adams, Keith Anderson, Fiona Apple, Pat Benatar, James Brown, Kelly Clarkson, Harry Connick, Jr., Dion, Fats Domino, Josh Gracin, Cee Lo Green, Heart, The Hot Sardines, Toby Keith, B. B. King, Lady Antebellum, Melissa Manchester, Martina McBride, Jesse McCartney, Willie Nelson, Aaron Neville, Christina Perri, The Platters, Lonestar, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Darius Rucker, Bryan Lazar, Southside Johnny, Little Johnny Taylor, Clay Walker, and Edgar and Johnny Winter.

Chart performance

Charles Brown

Chart (1962) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 76

Eagles

Chart (1978-1979) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[4] 19
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[5] 5
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[6] 28
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[7] 15
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[8] 30
US Billboard Hot 100[9] 18
Chart (1995) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks 15
Chart (2005) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Digital Songs 74

Bon Jovi

Chart (1994) Peak
position
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[10] 20
Ireland (IRMA) 6
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) 7
Chart (2016) Peak
position
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[11] 97

Gary Allan

Chart (1997) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[12] 70

Lee Roy Parnell

Chart (1997) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[13] 71

Willie Nelson

Chart (2004) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[14] 50

Josh Gracin

Chart (2006) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[15] 51

Martina McBride

Chart (2011–12) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[16] 51

Kelly Clarkson

Chart (2013–14) Peak
position
Canada AC (Billboard)[17] 14
South Korea International Singles (GAON)[18] 97
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[19] 6
US Holiday Digital Songs (Billboard)[20] 14

References

  1. ↑ Kelly, Red (Dec 19, 2005). "Amos Milburn - Christmas (Comes But Once A Year) (KING 5405)". The B Side. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
  2. ↑ "The Top 40 Christmas Oldies Songs and Holiday Music - #4". Oldies.about.com. 1960-09-21. Retrieved 2014-05-24.
  3. ↑ CD sleeve: Billboard Greatest Christmas Hits (1955 - Present), 1989 Rhino Records Inc.
  4. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Eagles – Please Come Home for Christmas" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  5. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Eagles – Please Come Home for Christmas" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  6. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Eagles – Please Come Home for Christmas". Top 40 Singles.
  7. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Eagles – Please Come Home for Christmas". Singles Top 100.
  8. ↑ "Eagles: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company.
  9. ↑ "Eagles – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Eagles.
  10. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  11. ↑ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Gary Allan – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Gary Allan.
  13. ↑ "Lee Roy Parnell – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Lee Roy Parnell.
  14. ↑ "Willie Nelson – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Willie Nelson.
  15. ↑ "Josh Gracin – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Josh Gracin.
  16. ↑ "Martina McBride – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Martina McBride.
  17. ↑ "Kelly Clarkson – Chart history" Billboard Canada AC for Kelly Clarkson. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Gaon Album Chart 2013년 11월 5주차" (in Korean). GAON. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 29, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Kelly Clarkson – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Kelly Clarkson. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Kelly Clarkson Album & Song Chart History". Billboard Holiday Digital Songs for Kelly Clarkson. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
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