Because It's Christmas

Because It's Christmas
Studio album by
Barry Manilow
ReleasedSeptember 25, 1990
Studio
Genre
Length42:35
LabelArista
Producer
Barry Manilow chronology
Live on Broadway
(1990) 		Because It's Christmas
(1990) 		Showstoppers
(1991)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[3]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[4]

Because It's Christmas is the first of three Christmas-themed albums released by singer-songwriter Barry Manilow. The album was released in 1990 and was a huge success, becoming Manilow's first platinum album in the United States since 1980's Barry. It also began a period in Manilow's career in which he recorded cover albums. Each album would focus on a particular style of music. He continued this pattern until the release of Here at the Mayflower in 2001.

The version of "Jingle Bells" on the album is a cover of the 1943 recording by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters with the girl group Exposé taking the Andrews Sisters' part. The album also finally included his perennial favorite New Years Eve song "It's Just Another New Years Eve".

Because It's Christmas was the best-selling Christmas album of 1990 in the U.S. The album peaked at number 40 on the Billboard 200 album sales chart,[5] and spent five weeks at number 1 on Billboard magazine's special, year-end, weekly Christmas Albums sales chart in December 1990 and January 1991.[5]

On July 19, 2002, Because It's Christmas was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of one million copies in the U.S.[6]

  1. ^ a b c Dedrick, Jay (January 1, 1998). "Barry Manilow". In Knopper, Steve (ed.). MusicHound Lounge: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. pp. 313–314.
  2. ^ CD packaging
  3. ^ Allmusic review
  4. ^ Entertainment Weekly review
  5. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2004). Christmas in the Charts (1920-2004). Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 163. ISBN 0-89820-161-6.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference riaa was invoked but never defined (see the help page).