https://collider.com/elvis-presley-1957 ... -all-time/
By
Jazmin Kylene
Published 3 hours ago
Jazmin Kylene is a Miami-bred writer and editor with a decade-long career that spans all editorial genres, though she has a particular passion for music journalism. Upon graduating Florida Atlantic University with a degree in Multimedia Journalism, she went on to write dozens for outlets and interview counless artists.
When Jazmin isn't typing the day away, she enjoys exploring nature, taking dance classes, going to the movies, and hanging out with her besties (mom and dog.) You can find her on Instagram @JazminKylene.
Elvis Presley has his name deeply cemented into music history. Widely referred to as the King of Rock & Roll, everything about the way he let himself be consumed and swept away by the music made for an incomparable icon with an impenetrable legacy. What many may not know, however, is that Presley’s reach extends far beyond the genre he helped reinvent. In fact, he earned one of the most massive feats within the holiday music realm at large. Elvis Presley's 1957 holiday project, Elvis' Christmas Album, continues to hold the title of the world's best-selling Christmas album, despite coming out nearly 70 years ago.
Beyond making history as a holiday record, Elvis' Christmas Album also serves as one of the all-time best-selling records in general, selling over 20 million copies globally. Spending four weeks at number one on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart, here’s a closer look into the legacy of the best-selling Christmas album of all time.
Elvis Presley’s Best-Selling Christmas Album
Released in October 1957, Elvis’ Christmas Album, also reissued as It's Christmas Time, took the world by surprise by humanizing Presley beyond the “hip-shaking rebel” image he so beautifully curated. It was an entryway into his innate sense of tenderness, touching the world by encapsulating the sweet miracle of holiday cheer. The album quickly and effortlessly skyrocketed to number one on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, selling over 20 million copies worldwide and retaining its placement as the best-selling Christmas album by a solo artist. The project continues to re-enter the charts almost every holiday season, even all these decades after Presley’s passing. It holds something special and emotionally captivating, solidifying it as a seasonal staple.
So what makes this Christmas album so special? Meeting slow and emotionally moving hymns with playful and upbeat seasonal tunes, its duality showcased the complete range of Presley’s ability. Side one was nothing but jolly fun, including songs like “Blue Christmas,” “Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me),” “Here Comes Santa Claus,” and “White Christmas.” Side two was much more gospel-driven, featuring songs like “Silent Night,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” “Peace in the Valley,” and “Take My Hand, Precious Lord.” With secular Christmas songs on side one, and traditional Christmas carols and the gospel numbers on the second side, this format served as the blueprint for what every other successful Christmas project would go on to be.
Beyond all else, this project gave Presley a chance to nurture his gospel roots. Long before he became the performer we knew him to be, Presley grew up singing gospel, and this album served as a platform for that spiritual connection to be tended to once more. It’s the emotional charge felt within his hymns that proves it was coming from a deeply sacred place, lending to what critics later praised as some of the finest vocals of his career. Fans were captivated by Presley’s deep sincerity, especially on gospel tracks like “Peace in the Valley.” The project certainly doesn’t abandon his affinity for electrifying rock & roll, though it does it within the merriment of slow, spiritual ballads.
Nothing Presley did was without backlash, and Elvis’ Christmas Album was no exception. The pushback was loud and impossible to drown out, as several religious groups criticized the musician for what they viewed as “irreverent” interpretations of holy music. Some radio stations even refused to play the album, deeming it inappropriate. After hearing Presley's rendition of "White Christmas,” Irving Berlin, who composed the original version of the song, deemed it a "profane parody of his cherished yuletide standard” and ordered radio stations across the country to discontinue it from radio play. In fact, there was at least one disc jockey was fired for playing a song from the album. However, the controversy only made those who were on the fence all the more curious, going on to consume an album that was ultimately timeless, vibrant, and deeply soulful, bridging generations through nostalgia and tradition. At the end of the day, the backlash only boosted sales and helped the album make the record-breaking history that it did.
All in all, Elvis’ Christmas Album served as a holiday body of work that made Elvis Presley immortal beyond rock & roll, and it keeps the magic of his intoxicating spirit alive with every holiday season that it revisits public praise.