- "What do you call a seasonal novelty album with an unusual concept that also features the first commercial recording of a hot rock star-to-be? Try Christmas in the Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album. How can you beat a lyric like 'Everyone will have a cookie, I bought extra for the Wookiee?' "
- ―StarWars.com
Christmas in the Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album is an album produced in 1980 by RSO records. It features Star Wars–themed Christmas songs. The album was produced by Meco Monardo, the man who recorded the infamous disco version of A New Hope's main theme. Anthony Daniels voiced C-3PO, and Ben Burtt provided the sounds for R2-D2 and Chewbacca. Christmas in the Stars was recorded in 1980, two years after the much maligned Star Wars Holiday Special aired. Though they share similar themes, they have no connections to one another other than the fact that they were both marketed in conjunction with major holidays (the Holiday Special being tied to the American Thanksgiving holiday).
Production[]
Album creator Meco wrote a nine-page letter to George Lucas asking if he could produce this type of album for the Star Wars saga. The album was one of the industry's first non-classical-or-jazz projects to be recorded and mixed digitally. The majority of this album's original songs were written by Maury Yeston, a Yale University music professor who later wrote several successful Broadway musicals.
Jon Bon Jovi (credited as John Bongiovi) made his recording debut on this album, singing lead vocals on "R2-D2 We Wish You A Merry Christmas." Bon Jovi did it as a favor to his cousin Tony Bongiovi, one of the producers of the album.
The album cover utilized a Ralph McQuarrie painting which was also used for Lucasfilm's 1980 Christmas card.[3]
Release[]
Christmas in the Stars was released by RSO records on LP and cassette in November of 1980.
Also in 1980, RSO released a 45 of "What Can You Get a Wookiee for Christmas (When He Already Owns a Comb)" (credited to The Star Wars Intergalactic Droid Choir and Chorale) b/w "R2-D2 We Wish You a Merry Christmas" with a picture sleeve. It reached #69 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart in 1980. It was the third digitally recorded single in chart history.
After the album's first printing, Meco was asked to credit George Lucas on the front cover. Due to the success of the album, the studios were ready to do a second printing, giving Lucas credit. Just before a second record printing was to happen, RSO records shut down due to an unrelated lawsuit.[4]
In late 1983, a second 45 from the album was released by Polygram on the RSO label, "R2-D2's Sleigh Ride" b/w "Christmas in the Stars," also with a picture sleeve. In November 1990, Polydor Records Japan released a 3-inch CD single featuring two tracks from the album.
The album made its CD debut in 1994 as an unheralded budget-label release by JFC/Polygram Special Markets (catalog # 314 520 216-2), with all artwork and references to Star Wars (except those in the song titles) removed from the packaging. The only credit on the package was "Meco," and it featured a generic cover photo of space-themed Christmas boxes and decorations. On October 15, 1996, Rhino Records released a CD with the original cover art restored. This release included liner notes by Stephen J. Sansweet.[5]
Track listing[]
- "Christmas in the Stars"
- "Bells, Bells, Bells"
- "The Odds Against Christmas"
- "What Can You Get a Wookiee for Christmas (When He Already Owns a Comb)?"
- "R2-D2 We Wish You a Merry Christmas"
- "Sleigh Ride"
- This track puts new lyrics to the original "Sleigh Ride," and quotes "Silent Night" and "Jingle Bells"
- "Merry, Merry Christmas"
- "A Christmas Sighting"
- This track is a Star Wars version of "The Night Before Christmas"
- "The Meaning of Christmas"
Credits[]
| Cast | Uncredited cast | Crew | Uncredited crew | Special thanks |
Crew
|
Appearances[]
| Characters | Organisms | Droid models | Events | Locations |
| Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
Characters
|
Droid models
Events
|
Locations
|
Sentient species
Vehicles and vessels
|
Miscellanea
Sources[]
"Around the Galaxy" — Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 8- "Scouting the Galaxy" — Star Wars Insider 28
- Star Wars: The Official Magazine 6
- "Star News" — Star Wars Insider 32
- "Meco and Other Galactic Funk" — Star Wars Insider 33
- Homing Beacon #101 on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- "The Empire Strikes Fact!" — Star Wars Insider 94
- Sing Carols with C-3PO and R2-D2 on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
- Star Wars Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle
- Star Wars, Christmas, and Droidels! on StarWars.com (backup link)
- When it Comes to Christmas Music, Is There Anything Better Than Christmas in the Stars? (Trick Question!) on StarWars.com (backup link)
- 5 Great Star Wars Novelty Songs Plus a Q&A with the Master, "Weird Al" Yankovic on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Star Wars Year By Year: A Visual History, Updated and Expanded Edition
- From McQuarrie to Chiang: Highlights from 40 Years of Lucasfilm Star Wars Holiday Cards on StarWars.com (backup link)
- 10 Things You Didn't Know About Christmas in the Stars on StarWars.com (backup link)
Notes and references[]
- ↑
10 Things You Didn't Know About Christmas in the Stars on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑
Christmas in the Stars in the StarWars.com Cargo Bay (content now obsolete; backup link)
- ↑ From McQuarrie to Chiang: Highlights from 40 Years of Lucasfilm Star Wars Holiday Cards on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑ Shane Turgeon interviews Meco. by Turgeon, Shane on www.theforce.net (May 28, 2005) (archived from the original)
- ↑ "Star News" — Star Wars Insider 32
External links[]
- Christmas in the Stars on Wikipedia
- Christmas in the Stars on Amazon.com (backup link)
- Shane Turgeon interviews Meco (backup link)
- The first ever oral history of Christmas in the Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album (backup link)
- The secret history of 'Christmas in the Stars,' the bonkers 'Star Wars' holiday album co-starring Jon Bon Jovi (backup link)
