Only a few days separate the recording of Christmas in the Heart and the release of Together Through Life. Bob Dylan had thought about devoting an entire album to hymns and Christmas carols for a long time, perhaps seeking the same challenge as Frank Sinatra (Christmas Songs by Sinatra [1948], A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra [1957]) and Elvis Presley (Elvis Christmas [1957], Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas [1971]).
In an interview with Bill Flanagan in 2009, Dylan said, “It was my record company who compelled me to do it,” after saying, “The idea was first brought to me by Walter Yetnikoff, back when he was president of Columbia Records [1975–1990].”167 The idea gradually made its way to the forefront. In 1983, during the sessions for Infidels, Dylan recorded a version of “Silent Night” with Mark Knopfler and Mick Taylor on guitar. Then, during the American tour in the fall of 2001, he played several Christmas carols during sound checks. Then again in 2006, as host of the radio program Theme Time Radio Hour, he broadcast different Christmas songs, including “Poor Old Rudolph” by the Bellrays, “Truckin’ Trees for Christmas” by Red Simpson, and “Santa Claus” by Sonny Boy Williamson.
In May 2009, Dylan took the step of releasing Christmas in the Heart with fifteen songs, including four pure Christmas carols. The eleven other songs are in the Christmas tradition. As he told Bill Flanagan, “These songs are part of my life, just like folk songs. You have to play them straight too.”167 With one exception, perhaps: for “Must Be Santa” he adapted the version of a Texas polka band called Brave Combo.
Overall, the atmosphere is the same, one that refers back to the songwriter’s childhood in Minnesota, with “plenty of snow, jingle bells, Christmas carolers going from house to house, sleighs in the streets, town bells ringing, nativity plays.”
With Christmas in the Heart, Dylan makes a double homage: to the Christian tradition (although he came from a Jewish family in Duluth that did not celebrate Christmas) and to American popular music. Most of the songs on the album were previously recorded by the most famous crooners: “Here Comes Santa Claus” and “Winter Wonderland” by Elvis Presley; “Do You Hear What I Hear?,” “Little Drummer Boy,” “Silver Bells,” and “The First Noel” by Bing Crosby; “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “O’ Little Town of Bethlehem” by Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra (among others); “The Christmas Blues” by Dean Martin; “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra; and “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole.
Thus, it is a true exercise in style that the creator of “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Like a Rolling Stone” makes this his thirty-fourth studio album, certainly the most atypical one of his entire discography. Christmas in the Heart was available in stores on October 13, 2009. The album ranked number 1 on the Billboard Holiday and Folk Album charts. More surprisingly, Christmas in the Heart reached number 9 on the Billboard Rock Album charts and number 23 on the US Billboard Top 200 Album charts. However, outside the United States, with the exception of Norway (fifth place), the album was not as successful: number 37 in Germany, 40 in the United Kingdom, and 119 in France. Dylan did not receive a penny from the sales. All royalties benefited the humanitarian organizations Feeding America in the United States, Crisis in the United Kingdom, and the World Food Program.
The cover was designed by Coco Shinomiya, who had already worked on Together Through Life. The sleeve features an antique print reworked by Visual Language. On the back sleeve, the illustration is by Edwin Fotheringham (T-Bone Burnett, Elvis Costello) and represents the Magi, also referred to as the Three Wise Men or the Three Kings, who visited Jesus after his birth, guided by the star of Bethlehem. The inner sleeve features a black-and-white photograph by Leonard Freed representing an orchestra of four Santa Clauses. On the back sleeve, there is also a beautiful drawing by the talented Olivia De Berardinis picturing the famous pinup queen Bettie Page dressed as Mrs. Claus and titled Stocking Stuffer.
Dylan self-produced this album, again under the pseudonym Jack Frost. Two new musicians joined as members of his road band. The first was the excellent guitarist Phil Upchurch, who had played with bluesmen such as Otis Rush and Jimmy Reed and had recorded with jazz musicians including Woody Herman, Stan Getz, and Quincy Jones. The second was the keyboardist Patrick Warren, who, among many artists, had played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stevie Nicks, and Joe Cocker. The other musicians were former members of Dylan’s road band, Tony Garnier, George G. Receli, Donnie Herron, and David Hidalgo.
The recording features backup singers, including Amanda Barrett, Bill Cantos, Randy Crenshaw, Abby DeWald, Nicole Eva Emery, Walt Harrah, and Robert Joyce. The sound engineer, David Bianco, also worked on Together Through Life. The recording sessions took place in May 2009 at Groove Masters, Jackson Browne’s private studio in Santa Monica, equipped with a Neve 8078 console automation system.