Merry Christmas ... Have a Nice Life is the sixth studio album and first Christmas album released by Cyndi Lauper. It combines original compositions by Lauper and collaborator Jan Pulsford with traditional Christmas songs. "Feels Like Christmas" previously appeared on Lauper's 1993 album Hat Full of Stars. The album has sold 26,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album was released for the first time on (limited green) vinyl, 1,000 pressings, in November 2019.
Track listing "Home on Christmas Day" (Rob Hyman, Cyndi Lauper, William Wittman) – 4:06 "Early Christmas Morning" (Lauper, Jan Pulsford) – 5:07 (Previously released on Sisters of Avalon Japanese Edition, this version uses different backing vocals) "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (Johnny Marks) – 2:45 "Christmas Conga" (Lauper, Pulsford) – 3:31 "Minnie and Santa" (Lauper, Pulsford) – 3:55 "Feels Like Christmas" (Eric Bazilian, Hyman, Lauper) – 4:30 (Previously released on Hat Full of Stars) "Three Ships" (Traditional) – 2:08 "New Year's Baby (First Lullaby)" (Lauper) – 4:27 "December Child" (Lauper, Pulsford) – 3:11 "In the Bleak Midwinter" (Gustav Holst, Christina Rossetti) – 4:02 "Silent Night" (Franz Gruber, Josef Mohr) – 4:18
All tracks produced by Cyndi Lauper, Jan Pulsford and William Wittman except: "Early Christmas Morning" produced by Cyndi Lauper, Jan Pulsford and Mark Saunders "Home on Christmas Day" and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" produced by Cyndi Lauper and William Wittman "Feels Like Christmas" produced by Cyndi Lauper and Junior Vasquez
Personnel
Cyndi Lauper – lead vocals, background vocals (4, 8), rhythm guitar (1), dulcimer (1, 7), omnichord banjo (5), drums (5), clogging (7), tin whistle (7, 10), recorder (7, 9), slide baritone ukele (8) Rob Hyman – synths (1), backing vocals (1), organ (3), melodica (3), beatbox (3), accordion (4, 7) William Wittman – 12-string guitar (1), electric bass guitar (1, 3, 5, 8), backing vocals (1, 3), organ (1), drums (1), omnichord (3), additional recording (11) Jan Pulsford – loops (1, 4, 8), synths (4, 8, 9, 10) organ (5), harp (5), digital editing (7, 10), transcription (2), additional keys (11), sampling (11) Catherine Russell – background vocals (4) The Inquisitors – background vocals (4, 5, 8) Tom Malone – trombone (4) Jim Hynes – trumpet (4) Peter Eldridge – transcription (5, 11) David Schnaufer – dulcimer (7, 10), Tennessee music box (7, 10) Declyn Wallace Lauper-Thornton – baby gurgling (8)
Chatterton Elementary School Choir, Merrick, NY("Early Christmas Morning" and "Silent Night") Justine Lane Alexandra Thornton Jessica Haviland Julianna Cohen Liza Witmer Marti Gruber Christopher Safrath Brian Zagon Stefanie Salino Caroline Walker Sheahan Brown Gregory Meditz Erica Leigh Meditz Julia Kelsey Claudia Greenspan (Choir Mistress)
Charts Chart (1998)PeakpositionJapanese Albums (Oricon)75
Release history CountryDateLabelFormatCat No.Ref.Japan21 October 1998Sony Music JapanCDESCA 7362United States27 October 1998Austria2 November 1998CD492544 2United Kingdom16 November 1998Australia23 November 1998CDBrazilNovember 1998CD758.498/2-492544Japan20 November 2002Sony Music JapanCDEICP-7081United States25 May 2004CD92714Japan3 November 2004Sony Music JapanCDMHCP-512United States25 October 2005Sony BMGCD943401 November 2019LP (Green vinyl)LP (Red vinyl)2020LP (White vinyl)5 November 2021LP (Clear vinyl with red and white swirl)
References