Alone on Christmas Day
{{Short description|Song written by Mike Love and Ron Altbach}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Alone on Christmas Day
| cover =
| alt =
| type = song
| artist = The Beach Boys
| album = Merry Christmas from the Beach Boys
| released =
| recorded = November 17–22, 1977{{cite web|url=http://www.esquarterly.com/bellagio/gigs77.html |title=Tours & Sessions 1977 |publisher=Endless Summer Quarterly |accessdate=2015-12-24 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151225083734/http://www.esquarterly.com/bellagio/gigs77.html |archivedate=2015-12-25 }}
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
| length =
| label =
| writer = Mike Love, Ron Altbach
| producer = Al Jardine, Ron Altbach
}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Alone on Christmas Day
| cover = Alone on Christmas Day.jpg
| alt = The cover art for "Alone on Christmas Day" by Phoenix
| type = single
| artist = Phoenix featuring Bill Murray, David Johansen and Jason Schwartzman
| album = A Very Murray Christmas soundtrack
| B-side = Alone on Christmas Day (Instrumental)
| released = {{Start date|2015|12|4}}
| recorded = 2015
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
| length = {{Duration|m=2|s=54}}
| label =
| writer = Mike Love, Ron Altbach
| producer =
| prev_title = S.O.S. in Bel Air
| prev_year = 2013
| next_title = J-Boy
| next_year = 2017
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|H59rOpBTGAk|"Alone on Christmas Day"}}}}
}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Alone on Christmas Day
| cover =
| alt =
| type = song
| artist = Mike Love
| album = Reason for the Season
| released = October 26, 2018
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
| length = 4:05
| label = BMG
| writer = Mike Love, Ron Altbach
| producer = Michael Lloyd, Scott Totten
}}
"Alone on Christmas Day" is a song written by Mike Love and Ron Altbach for American rock band the Beach Boys. Intended for a potential Christmas album, their 1977 recording was left unreleased. In November 2015, Mike Love rerecorded the song as "(You'll Never Be) Alone on Christmas Day" and released it as a single.{{cite magazine|last1=Blistein|first1=Jon|title=Hear Mike Love's Spirited, Bittersweet New Christmas Song|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=November 6, 2015|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/hear-mike-loves-spirited-bittersweet-new-christmas-song-20151106}} The next month, a version by French rock band Phoenix featuring Bill Murray was released.{{cite web|last1=Camp|first1=Zoe|last2=Phillips|first2=Amy|title=Bill Murray and Phoenix Cover the Beach Boys' "Alone on Christmas Day"|date=4 December 2015 |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/62342-bill-murray-and-phoenix-cover-the-beach-boys-alone-on-christmas-day/|publisher=Pitchfork}}{{cite news|author1=Guardian music|title=Bill Murray meets Phoenix – hear their festive single Alone on Christmas Day|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/dec/04/bill-murray-meets-phoenix-hear-their-festive-single-alone-on-christmas-day|work=The Guardian|date=December 4, 2015}}
Background
{{See also|The Beach Boys bootleg recordings}}
The song was written by the Beach Boys' co-founder Mike Love in collaboration with classical pianist Ron Altbach for a potential Christmas album. In 1977, a rough mix of the song was recorded by the group and later circulated via bootlegs. In early 2015, Phoenix requested permission to cover the song for Bill Murray's A Very Murray Christmas. In response, Love rerecorded the song himself and revised some of the lyrics. The version by Phoenix was then released. Besides Murray, their recording features Jason Schwartzman, Paul Shaffer, and New York Dolls' David Johansen (as Buster Poindexter). Phoenix's version was recorded in September and issued as a digital download and 7" vinyl.{{cite journal|last1=Hillyard|first1=Kim|title=Bill Murray teams up with Phoenix for Christmas single 'Alone On Christmas Day'|journal=NME|date=November 17, 2015|url=https://www.nme.com/news/phoenix/89780}} Love recorded another version of the song for his 2018 Christmas album Reason for the Season.
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ Chart performance for "Alone on Christmas Day" !scope="col"|Chart (2015) !scope="col"|Peak |
| scope="row"|US Holiday Digital Song Sales (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/phoenix/chart-history/ark/|title=Phoenix|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=9 March 2021}}
|align=center|42 |
|---|
References
{{reflist}}
{{Phoenix}}
{{The Beach Boys' Christmas Album}}
{{Mike Love}}
{{authority control}}
Category:The Beach Boys bootleg recordings
Category:Songs written by Mike Love