Merry Christmas II You
Merry Christmas II You | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 2, 2010 | |||
Recorded | April–September 2010 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Christmas | |||
Length | 46:53 | |||
Label | Island Def Jam | |||
Producer |
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Mariah Carey chronology | ||||
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Singles from Merry Christmas II You | ||||
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Merry Christmas II You is the thirteenth studio album and second
The album received mixed reviews from music critics, who complimented its relaxed yet lively and contemporary feel, while others felt it was predictable and too overproduced in places. It debuted at number four on the US
The album produced three singles, including the US Adult Contemporary record-breaking song "Oh Santa!". It reached number-one in its second week, the quickest ascent in the history of the chart and the only song to do so. Other singles included "Auld Lang Syne (The New Year's Anthem)", a single release version of "When Christmas Comes" in 2011 with John Legend and the promotional "Christmas Time Is in the Air Again" in 2012. To support the album, Carey made promotional appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Lopez Tonight, and hosted her own television special called Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas to You.
Background and production
Mariah Carey's twelfth studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, was released in 2009.[1] It produced the US Billboard Hot 100 top ten and platinum certified track "Obsessed".[2][3] However, subsequent single releases failed to replicate its success, with "I Want to Know What Love Is" peaking at number 60 on the Hot 100,[4] and "H.A.T.E.U." reaching number 72 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[5] Carey revealed that she intended to re-release Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel as a remix album in early 2010, titled Angels Advocate, which would consist of remixes of the standard songs with new featured artists, including Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, Trey Songz, R. Kelly, T-Pain, Gucci Mane and OJ da Juiceman.[6][7] A release date of February 23, 2010, was slated, and then pushed back to March 9.[7] It was then further pushed back to March 30.[8] "Angels Cry" and "Up Out My Face" from Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel were released as remixes with Ne-Yo featuring on the former and Nicki Minaj on the latter.[7] However, it was confirmed in March 2010 that production of Angels Advocate had been halted and the project was shelved indefinitely.[6][9] Carey's record label Island Def Jam stated that the singer was instead working on a new project and "new surprises".[6] Metro revealed that Carey was either recording a new studio album or possibly a Christmas album.[10]
In an interview for Rap-Up in April 2010, Jermaine Dupri said that he and Carey had already begun working on new songs, stating "The song of the decade crew is back in the lab. This [is] the first day of the new shit."[11] On April 24, David LaChapelle said that he had shot the album artwork with fake snow and wooden cutout reindeers, thus confirming that the project was a Christmas album.[12] On May 5, Dupri confirmed that he and Carey were in the early stages of production for the album, that Bryan-Michael Cox and Johntá Austin were involved in the project and that they hoped to release a single by the end of the year.[13] On September 1, 2010, Rap-Up exclusively revealed the title of the album, Merry Christmas II You, and that it would be released on November 2 with original songs as well as covers.[14] The II represents being a sequel to Carey's first Christmas album, Merry Christmas (1994).[14]
Composition
The opening track "
Track five is an interlude which is another medley titled "
The seventh track on the album comes in the form of another medley, this time called "
Track ten is a live recording of "
Singles
"Oh Santa!" was released as the lead single and premiered on October 1, 2010.[31] It received a positive response from music critics, with many praising its composition and style.[19][29] It became a record-breaking entry on the Billboard Adult Contemporary songs chart. It debuted at number twelve and rose to number one the following week, becoming the first song to reach the peak in two weeks on the chart.[32] It finished at number forty-two on the 2011 Adult Contemporary year-end chart.[33] It also reached number one on the Holiday Digital Songs chart,[34] and number one-hundred on the Hot 100.[35] "Auld Lang Syne (The New Year's Anthem)" was released as the album's second single with a nine-song remix EP on December 14, 2010.[36] It garnered a negative response from critics, all of whom disapproved of how Carey had re-composed the traditional poem by Burns into a house music song.[20][29] It peaked at number nine of the US Holiday Songs chart.[37]
In 2011, "
Release and promotion
On October 20, 2010, Carey appeared on the
The following day, Carey appeared on
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
About.com | [27] |
Houston Chronicle | [19] |
Rolling Stone | [20] |
Slant Magazine | [25] |
At
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic noted that the four new original compositions gave it "a lively modern feel," and highlighted "Oh Santa!" and "When Christmas Comes" as examples. He continued to write that although some covers, such as "Auld Lang Syne" and "Charlie Brown Christmas" sound "stiff", the album as a complete body of work is "cheerful and engaging" and is a worthy successor to Carey's previous Christmas album.[26] BBC Music's Mike Diver thought that although the album is not necessarily "clever", it is "expectedly big", and that while "Oh Santa!" is not in the "same league" as "All I Want for Christmas Is You", it's a perfect stocking filler.[29]
Rolling Stone writer Caryn Ganz disliked the two original ballads, "Christmas Time Is In the Air Again" and "One Child", describing them "both thick with gooey orchestration", but praised "Oh Santa!" and "When Christmas Comes" for their uptempo melodies. However, she was confused by the re-recording of "All I Want for Christmas Is You", saying that "It's hard to figure out what's 'extra festive'", and quipped that it is "far easier to determine what's wrong with 'Auld Lang Syne' (an awkward dance beat)". Ganz concluded with "the LP's warm heart is in the right place."[20] Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine gave the album two and a half stars out of five, writing "Everything about Carey’s sequel to 1994’s buoyant, if, in retrospect, safe, Merry Christmas is as desperate and habitual as it is reassuringly predictable." While he continued to label it as an "incredibly adventureless album," he also wrote that it is a "remarkably comforting listen". He felt that Merry Christmas II You was not a sequel, or a remake, but rather an attempt at rewinding time on Carey's part.[25] Rich Juzwiak of The Village Voice was critical of Merry Christmas II You. He described "One Child" as a "needless retelling", and "Oh Santa!" as trying too hard, and too difficult to sing along to.[22]
Commercial performance
In the United States, Merry Christmas II You debuted at number four on the
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
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1. | " All I Want for Christmas Is You – Extra Festive" |
|
| 4:02 |
13. | "Auld Lang Syne (The New Year's Anthem)" |
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| 3:47 |
Total length: | 46:53 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
14. | "Oh Santa!" (Jump Smokers edit) |
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| 3:52 |
Notes
- "Charlie Brown Christmas" contains elements from "Linus and Lucy" and "Christmas Time Is Here".
- "All I Want for Christmas Is You – Extra Festive" is no longer playable on streaming services as of December 11, 2021, for unknown reasons.[75]
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA)[90] | Gold | 587,000[67] |
See also
- List of Billboard number-one R&B albums of 2010
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