Christmas Is
by Dolly Parton (featuring Miley Cyrus)

Album: A Holly Dolly Christmas (2020)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Here, Dolly Parton trades lines with her goddaughter Miley Cyrus about what Christmas means to them. They remind each other that the holiday is a time for giving and sharing and that not everyone is equally blessed. And of course, Christmas is a celebration of "the greatest of all gifts," the birth of God's son, Jesus Christ.
  • Speaking on BBC's Graham Norton Show, Cyrus recalled Parton's old-fashioned invitation to be her duet partner on this song.

    "She faxed me," Cyrus recalled, adding that she does not even own a fax machine.

    "So, she gets upset when you don't respond. And it's like, 'I'm sorry, I don't even know,'" Cyrus continued.

    Fortunately, Miley's father, Billy Ray Cyrus, owns a fax. He keeps it in his gym, so she popped over to her dad's place and replied to Dolly on his machine.
  • Dolly Parton recorded the song for A Holly Dolly Christmas, her third festive album following 1984's Once Upon a Christmas with Kenny Rogers and 1990's Home for Christmas. It debuted at #1 on the Country Albums chart, becoming Parton's eighth record to top the tally.
  • Because of the work involved in getting the physical versions of A Holly Dolly Christmas ready for release on October 2, 2020, the pair recorded the duet in July, "So I was singing about Christmas in the middle of LA summer," Cyrus recalled.
  • Dolly Parton wrote the song solo; her regular producer Kent Wells helmed the track and played the guitars. Miley Cyrus' then-boyfriend, Australian singer-songwriter Cody Simpson, gets a credit for "vocal tracking engineer."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Tanita Tikaram

Tanita TikaramSongwriter Interviews

When she released her first album in 1988, Tanita became a UK singing sensation at age 19. She talks about her darkly sensual voice and quirky songwriting style.

Lecrae

LecraeSongwriter Interviews

The Christian rapper talks about where his trip to Haiti and his history of addiction fit into his songs.

Weird Al Yankovic

Weird Al YankovicFact or Fiction

Did Al play on a Beach Boys record? Did he have beef with George Lucas and Coolio? See if you can spot weird but true stories.

Director Nick Morris ("The Final Countdown")

Director Nick Morris ("The Final Countdown")Song Writing

Nick made some of the biggest videos on MTV, including "The Final Countdown," "Heaven" and "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)."

Gary Numan

Gary NumanSongwriter Interviews

An Electronic music pioneer with Asperger's Syndrome. This could be interesting.

Eric Burdon

Eric BurdonSongwriter Interviews

The renown rock singer talks about "The House of the Rising Sun" and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood."