A Philly Special Christmas
A Philly Special Christmas is the debut studio album by The Philly Specials – a vocal trio composed of Philadelphia Eagles offensive linemen Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce, and Jordan Mailata. It was released on December 23, 2022, by Vera Y Records. The Christmas album is produced by Charlie Hall, drummer for the band The War on Drugs.[1] Former Eagles linebacker Connor Barwin served as executive producer.[2] Johnson, Kelce and Mailata returned to record their second studio album, A Philly Special Christmas Special, which was released on December 1, 2023.[3]
| A Philly Special Christmas | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 23, 2022 | |||
| Recorded | July 2022 | |||
| Studio | Elm Street Studio in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania Rittenhouse Soundwork and Silent Partners Studio in Germantown, Philadelphia | |||
| Genre | Christmas music | |||
| Length | 26:00 | |||
| Label | Vera Y Records | |||
| Producer | Charlie Hall | |||
| Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce and Jordan Mailata chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from A Philly Special Christmas | ||||
| ||||
The album consists of covers of classic Christmas songs and features duets with Eagles play-by-play announcer Merrill Reese and other players, including Jalen Hurts, A. J. Brown, Brandon Graham, Haason Reddick, and Jordan Davis.[2] All proceeds from the album go towards the Children's Crisis Treatment Center in Philadelphia,[1] with more than $250,000 raised.[4]
Background edit
Kelce said that the group of offensive linemen first considered writing the album in 2021.[1] Both Mailata and Kelce have had a background in singing.[5] In 2015, Kelce performed a cover of Cover Me Up by Jason Isbell and his original song Homes Change on WXPN.[5] In 2022, Mailata appeared on the television series The Masked Singer.[5] Mailata has been described as "evoking Frankie Valli in his singing."[6]
Kelce and Barwin reached out to Charlie Hall, the drummer for The War on Drugs and the leader of the indie rock male chorus The Silver Ages, for direction on the creation of the album.[5] Hall stated that he first met with the offensive linemen and "wanted to suss out what they were after. Was this a goof, or was it a sincere thing? I saw right away that it’s truly sincere. They just wanted to make something that’s a love letter to Philly."[5]
The album was recorded during summer 2022 and was finished in July, prior to the start of training camp.[1] The title of the album is inspired by the Philly Special, a trick play run by the Eagles in Super Bowl LII, as well as A Very Special Christmas, a holiday compilation album series.[5] The album cover is derived from the artwork of Vince Guaraldi's 1965 album A Charlie Brown Christmas, with permission from the estate of Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz.[5]
Commercial performance edit
According to Billboard, the album sold 3,000 copies between December 1, 2022 and December 22.[7] In the week ending December 29, the album sold 11,000 copies.[7] It entered the Billboard 200 chart at No. 80.[8] By September 2023, it had sold 25,000 copies on vinyl.[9]
In December 2023, the album was released as a double album on vinyl with its sequel A Philly Special Christmas Special as A Philly Special Christmas Special (The Deluxe Album 2022 & 2023). In its first week, it sold nearly 20,000 copies and debuted at No. 55 on the Billboard 200.[10]
Track listing edit
{{Track listing | headline = A Philly Special Christmas track listing | extra_column = Producer(s) | total_length = 26:00 | title1 = White Christmas | writer1 = Irving Berlin
| extra1 =
- Charlie Hall
- Connor Barwin
| length1 = 3:08 | title2 = Blue Christmas
| writer2 =
- Billy Hayes
- Jay W. Johnson
| extra2 =
- Hall
- Barwin
| length2 = 2:59 | title3 = Merry Christmas Baby
| writer3 =
- Lou Baxter
- Johnny Moore
| extra3 =
- Hall
- Barwin
| length3 = 4:18 | title4 = The Night Before Christmas | writer4 = Clement Clarke Moore
| extra4 =
- Hall
- Barwin
| length4 = 3:57 | title5 = Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
| writer5 =
| extra5 =
- Hall
- Barwin
| length5 = 3:19 | title6 = Silent Night
| writer6 =
| extra6 =
- Hall
- Barwin
| length6 = 2:53
- Recorded, mixed and additional production: Nick Krill
- Mastered: Alex DeTurk
- Executive Producer: Connor Barwin
- Additional engineering and assistant engineer at Elm St. Studios: Brendan McGeehan
- Assistant engineer at Rittenhouse Soundworks: Mike Richelle
- Additional engineering for Lady Alma at Worship Recordings: Rob Paine
- Album artwork: Hannah Westerman at Avenue West
Recorded and engineered at
- Germantown, Philadelphia (Rittenhouse Soundworks and Silent Partners Studios)
- Conshohocken, Pennsylvania (Elm Street Studios)
Performance credits from NFL figures
- A. J. Brown – featured vocals
- Jordan Davis – featured vocals
- Brandon Graham – featured vocals
- Jalen Hurts – featured vocals
- Lane Johnson – all vocals
- Jason Kelce – all vocals
- Jordan Mailata – all vocals
- Haason Reddick – featured vocals
- Merrill Reese – featured vocals
Other performance credits
- The Silver Ages
- Marshall Allen
- Lady Alma
- Eric Bazilian
- Brandon Beaver
- Robbie Bennett
- Mike Brenner
- Dave Wayne Daniels
- Nasir Dickerson
- Heyward Howkins
- Eliza Hardy Jones
- Thomas Hughes
- Randy Huth
- Rob Hyman
- Nick Krill
- Zach Miller
- Josh Newman
- Todd Starlin
- Kaila Vandever
Charts edit
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[8] | 80 |
See also edit
- A Charlie Brown Christmas (soundtrack), a 1965 album whose cover inspired this one
References edit
- ^ a b c d Frank, Reuben (October 28, 2022). "Why the Eagles' Christmas album is going to 'shock' people". NBC Sports Philadelphia. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ a b "A Philly Special Christmas releases "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)"". New Jersey Stage. November 25, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ DeLuca, Dan (November 14, 2023). "Every new song from the Eagles' 'A Philly Special Christmas Special' reviewed. As they're released". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- ^ Hopkins, Earl (October 24, 2023). "The Eagles name Children's Crisis Treatment Center and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia as beneficiaries of their new Christmas album". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g DeLuca, Dan (October 19, 2022). "Fly, Santa, Fly! Eagles Jason Kelce, Jordan Mailata, and Lane Johnson to release 'A Philly Special Christmas' album". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ "'A Philly Special Christmas': What to know about Eagles, Jason Kelce's Christmas album". Sporting News. November 27, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ a b Caulfield, Keith (January 4, 2023). "A Philly Special Christmas Hits No. 1 on Compilations Chart, Top 10 on Album Sales". Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ^ a b "Billboard 200 | Week of January 7, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 19, 2023.
- ^ DeLuca, Dan (September 5, 2023). "The Birds are singing again: Jason Kelce, Jordan Mailata, and Lane Johnson have a new Eagles' Christmas album". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (December 11, 2023). "Philadelphia Eagles' 'A Philly Special Christmas Special' Charity Album Scores Big on Billboard Charts". Billboard. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
External links edit
- Official website
- A Philly Special Christmas at AllMusic. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- A Philly Special Christmas at Discogs
- A Philly Special Christmas at MusicBrainz (list of releases)