Eric Clapton will be releasing his first Christmas-themed album titled "Happy Xmas" this 12th Oct.
The album features many lesser-known Christmas songs and one original track called "For Love on Christmas Day". Clapton tributes his "Jingle Bells" track to Avicii, a popular Swedish DJ who Clapton had admired. Avicii had recently passed away earlier in April, reported as a suicide.
Clapton tells Billboard that the challenge of the album was figuring out how to re-interpret these Christmas songs with his own style.
"I had in my head that these holiday songs could be done with a slight blues tinge, and I started to figure out how to play the blues lines in between the vocals,” he said. “I got it down and one of the most identifiable songs on the album, the one that became the foundational style, is Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
The simplistic marker-penned album cover was drawn by Clapton. He also co-produced the album with Simon Climie. See the full track list below.
Eric Clapton's "Happy Xmas" Track List
- White Christmas
- Away in a Manger (Once In Royal David’s City)
- For Love on Christmas Day
- Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday
- Christmas Tears
- Home for the Holidays
- Jingle Bells (In Memory of Avicii)
- Christmas in My Hometown
- It’s Christmas
- Sentimental Moments
- Lonesome Christmas
- Silent Night
- Merry Christmas Baby
- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
