Datasets:
gfigueroa
/
wikitext_processed

Dataset card Data Studio Files Community
text
stringlengths
1
6.67k
all of the surviving megalithic tombs from the early neolithic period have suffered from neglect and the ravages of agriculture although archaeologist paul ashbee noted that the coldrum stones represent kent's least damaged megalithic long barrow it too has suffered considerable damage having become dilapidated and fallen apart over the six millennia since its original construction most prominently the eastern side has largely collapsed with the stones that once helped to hold up the side of the barrow having fallen to the bottom of the slope conversely it is possible that the sarsens at the bottom of the slope were not part of the original monument but were stones found in nearby fields which were deposited there by farmers
excavation of chestnuts long barrow revealed that it had been systematically destroyed in one event and ashbee suggested that the same may have happened to the coldrum stones he believed that the kerb @@ stones around the barrow were toppled laid prostrate in the surrounding ditch and then buried during the late thirteenth or early fourteenth century by christians seeking to obliterate non @@ christian monuments conversely the archaeologist john alexander who excavated chestnuts suggested that the medway tombs were destroyed by robbers seeking to locate treasure within them as evidence he pointed to the close roll of 1237 which ordered the opening of barrows on the isle of wight in search for treasure a practice which may have spread to kent around the same time alexander believed that the destruction n kent may have been brought about by a special commissioner highlighting that the expertness and thoroughness of the robbery at chestnuts would have necessitated resources beyond that which a local community could likely produce ashbee further suggested that in subsequent centuries locals raided the damaged coldrum tomb for loamy chalk and stone which was then re @@ used as building material
in a 1946 paper published in the folklore journal john h evans recorded the existence of a local folk belief that a battle was fought at the site of the coldrum stones and that a black prince was buried within its chamber he suggested that the tales of battles taking place at this site and at other medway megaliths had not developed independently among the local population but had percolated down from the theories of antiquaries who believed that the early medieval battle of aylesford which was recorded in the anglo @@ saxon chronicle took place in the area
evans also recorded that there was a folk belief in the area that applied to all of the medway megaliths and which had been widespread up to the last generation this was that it was impossible for any human being to successfully count the number of stones in the monuments this countless stones motif is not unique to this particular site and can be found at various other megalithic monuments in britain the earliest textual evidence for it is found in an early sixteenth @@ century document where it applies to the stone circle of stonehenge in wiltshire although in an early seventeenth @@ century document it was being applied to the a set of three stone circles in cornwall later records reveal that it had gained widespread distribution in england as well as a single occurrence each in wales and ireland the folklorist s p menefee suggested that it could be attributed to an animistic understanding that these megaliths had lives of their own
in the early twenty @@ first century a tradition developed in which the hartley morris men a morris dancing side travel to the site at dawn every may day in order to sing up the sun this consists of a number of dances performed within the stones on top of the barrow followed by a song performed at the base of the monument
the earliest antiquarian accounts of coldrum long barrow were never published there are claims that at the start of the nineteenth century the reverend mark noble rector of barming prepared a plan of the site for gentleman's magazine although no copies have been produced to verify this between 1842 and 1844 the reverend beale post authored remains at coldrum in which he described the monument although it remained unpublished at the time associating the site with the druids of britain's iron age post's suggestion was that the name coldrum derived from the linguistically celtic gael @@ dun and that the chiefs of some of the belgic gauls were interned there he further reported that in both 1804 and 1825 skulls had been found at the site in 1844 an antiquarian named thomas wright published a note on the coldrum stones and other medway megaliths in the archaeological journal wright had been alerted to their existence by a local vicar the reverend lambert b larking and proceeded to visit them with him describing the wright mentioned a smaller circle of stones to the others in the area with a subterranean cromlech in the middle he further added that it is a tradition of the peasantry that a continuous line of stones ran from coldrum direct to the well @@ known monument called kit's cotty [ sic ] house attributing this belief to the variety of megaliths which were scattered throughout the landscape
in 1857 the antiquarian j m kemble excavated at the site with the help of the reverend larking providing a report of their findings to the central committee of the british archaeological association describing the monument as a stone circle they asserted that they discovered anglo @@ saxon pottery at the site and noted that as well as being called the coldrum stones the monument also had the name of the stones which kemble believed originated with the old english word for funeral pile ad in august 1863 the archaeological institute who were then holding their week @@ long meeting in rochester took a tour to visit the site guided by the antiquary charles roach smith that year the monument was described in a copy of gentleman's magazine by yorkshire antiquary charles moore jessop who believed it to be a celtic stone circle
in 1869 the antiquarian a l lewis first visited the site and was informed by locals that several years previously a skull had been uncovered from inside or near to the chamber but that they believed it to be that of a gypsy a later account elaborated on this stating that two individuals excavated in the centre of the dolmen without permission discovering a human skeleton the skull of which was then re @@ buried in the churchyard at in an 1878 note published in the journal of the anthropological institute of great britain and ireland lewis noted that while many tourists visited kit's coty house very few goes to or ever hears of a yet more curious collection of stones at or coldrum lodge he believed that the monument consisted of both a chamber and an oval of stones suggesting that they were two distinct erections in 1880 the archaeologist flinders petrie included the existence of the stones at in his list of kentish earthworks although noting that a previous commentator had described the stones as being in the shape of an oval he instead described them as forming a rectilinear enclosure around the chamber he then included a small basic plan of the monument
in august 1889 two amateur archaeologists george payne and a a arnold came across the monument which they noted was known among locals as the coldrum stones and druid temple according to payne the huge stones were so overgrown with brambles and brushwood that they could not be discerned he returned the next year noting that at this point the brushwood had been cut away to reveal the megaliths in his 1893 book collectanea cantiana payne noted that although it had first been described in print in 1844 since that time no one seems to have taken the trouble to properly record them or make a plan an unusual claim given that a copy of petrie's published plan existed in his library for this reason after gaining permission from the landowner he convinced major a o green instructor in survey at brompton to conduct a survey of the monument in august 1892 he also wrote to the archaeologist augustus pitt @@ rivers encouraging him to schedule the coldrum stones as a legally protected site under the ancient monuments protection act 1882 payne described the coldrum stones as the finest monument of its class in the county and one worthy of every care and attention comparing it to other monuments of its type in britain he asserted that it was undoubtedly of sepulchral origin belonging to a period anterior to the roman domination of britain payne also noted a folk tradition that there were stone avenues connecting coldrum to the addington long barrow although added that he was unable to discover any evidence for the existence of this feature
in 1904 george clinch published a note on the medway megaliths in the royal anthropological institute's journal man in which he referred to the coldrum stones as at once the most remarkable and the least known of the whole series suggesting that its design indicates that it was built during a late date in the neolithic age he compared the workmanship in producing the megaliths to that at the stone circle of stonehenge in wiltshire although noted that they differed in that the coldrum stones clearly represented a sepulchral pile ultimately he ended his note by urging for the site to be protected under the ancient monuments protection act 1900 in that same issue lewis included an added note in which he rejected the idea that the monument had once been covered by an earthen tumulus because he could see no evidence that anything of that kind ever existed and instead he interpreted the site as a stone circle comparing it to the examples at avebury and stanton drew suggesting that the central chamber was a shrine
the coldrum stones have been excavated on multiple occasions on 16 april 1910 the amateur archaeologist f j bennett began excavation at the site after previously having uncovered some neolithic lithics from addington long barrow he soon discovered human bones under only a few inches of chalky soil he returned to the site for further excavation in august 1910 this time with his niece and her husband both of whom were dentists with an interest in on that day they discovered pieces of a human skull which they were able to largely reconstruct a few days later he returned to excavate on the north @@ west corner of the dolmen with the architect e w filkins that day they found a second skull further bones a flint tool and pieces of pottery
later that month george payne and f w reader met with bennett to discuss his finds with the aid of two other interested amateur archaeologists mr boyd and miss harker both from malling excavation resumed in early september in 2009 the archaeologists martin smith and megan brickley asserted that bennett's excavations had taken heed of the advice of pitt @@ rivers that excavations should be recorded in full they noted that bennett had provided clear plan and section drawings photographs of the monument and careful attempts to consider site formation processes suggesting that the monument was constructed on agricultural land in his published report bennett cited the ideas of anthropologist james frazer in the golden bough to suggest that the coldrum stones monument may at one time have been dedicated though not necessarily initially so to the worship of the corn god and of agriculture he proceeded to theorise that the human remains found at the site were the victims of human sacrifice killed in fertility rites however evans later stated that we have no means of knowing whether human sacrifice had taken place at the site
in september 1922 filkins once again began excavating at the site this time with the aid of a resident of gravesend charles gilbert their project was financed through grants provided by the british association and the society of antiquaries with filkins noting that at the time of its commencement a miniature jungle had grown up around the site which had to be cleared excavation continued sporadically until at least 1926 human remains were discovered and placed into the possession of sir arthur keith of the royal college of surgeons this excavation revealed all the existing sarsens surrounding the monument a number of which had previously been buried beneath earth the stones of the dolmen were shored up with concrete foundations where filkins deemed it necessary although filkins' excavation was comprehensive it did ignore stone holes packing stones and their relationship to the mound in 1998 ashbee noted that while from a present @@ day perspective it is possible to see shortcomings [ ] in terms of the general standards of the early part of this century there is much to commend
in his 1924 publication dealing with kent the archaeologist o g s crawford then working as the archaeological officer for the ordnance survey listed the coldrum stones alongside the other medway megaliths in 1926 the coldrum stones were given to the national trust who dedicated it as a memorial to the kentish historian benjamin harrison a plaque was erected to mark this which erroneously termed the monument a stone circle in 1953 the archaeologist leslie grinsell expressed the view that it is hoped that this error may be rectified in the near future still owned by the trust the site is open to visitors all year round free of charge on their website the trust advises visitors to look for stunning views from the top of the barrow john h evans characterised the site as the most impressive of the medway megaliths while grinsell described it as the finest and most complete of the group
krasnyi kavkaz ( from russian красный red caucasus ) was a cruiser of the soviet navy that began construction during world war i but was still incomplete during the russian revolution her design was heavily modified by the soviets and she was completed in 1932 during world war ii she supported soviet troops during the siege of odessa siege of sevastopol and the kerch @@ feodosiya operation in the winter of 1941 42 she was awarded the guards title on 3 april 1942 she was reclassified as a training ship in may 1947 before being used as a target in 1952
laid down on 18 october 1913 at the dockyard as admiral lazarev for the imperial russian navy as a cruiser of the svetlana class she was launched on 8 june 1916 construction was abandoned in 1917 during the october revolution when the ship was 63 complete in the second half of 1918 the marine department of hetman pavlo was engaged in completion of ship on 25 january 1919 the ship was formally renamed in hetman petro doroshenko but mykolaiv was captured shortly afterward by the entente the hull was relatively undamaged and the soviets decided to finish the ship to a modified design she was renamed krasnyi kavkaz on 14 december 1926 and completed to a modernized design being commissioned on 25 january 1932
krasnyi kavkaz was initially intended to accommodate eight 8 @@ inch ( 200 mm ) guns in four twin turrets but this was impossible given her small and lightly constructed hull three twin turrets mounting the new 57 @@ caliber 180 mm ( 7 @@ 1 in ) b @@ 1 @@ k gun under development also proved impracticable and the soviets had to settle for four mk @@ 1 @@ 180 single 180 mm gun turrets two at each end her superstructure was massively revised to fit these turrets and all of the original casemated 130 @@ millimeter ( 5 @@ 1 in ) / 55 b7 pattern 1913 guns were removed as completed her secondary armament was only four 30 @@ caliber 76 @@ 2 mm lender aa guns mounted between her funnels her original internal torpedo tubes were replaced by four triple 533 @@ millimetre ( 21 @@ 0 in ) torpedo mounts mounted on each side of the main deck abaft the forecastle break she was given an aircraft @@ handling crane but a catapult wasn't installed aft of her rear funnel until 1935 when a heinkel catapult was imported from germany she was also fitted for mine rails with a capacity of up to 120 mines
the light cruiser komintern collided with her in may 1932 shortly after her commissioning and badly damaged her bow it was extensively rebuilt and increased her overall length by over 11 metres ( 36 ft ) in 1933 she made port visits in turkey greece and italy
she was refitted before operation barbarossa probably about 1940 her catapult was removed and her anti @@ aircraft armament was greatly increased her four 76 @@ 2 mm lender aa guns were exchanged for four italian minizini twin gun 50 @@ caliber 100 mm ( 3 @@ 9 in ) aa mounts and she received four single mounts for the semi @@ automatic 76 @@ 2 mm 34 @@ k were fitted as well as six 12 @@ 7 mm ( 0 @@ 50 in ) aa machine guns two single mounts for 76 @@ 2 mm ( 3 @@ 00 in ) 34 @@ k guns were also fitted one on each side of the quarterdeck just aft of the rearmost main gun turret some of these guns may have been received earlier the sources are unclear while under repair at poti in late 1942 she landed her aft pair of torpedo tubes and received two more minizini mounts salvaged from the sunken cruiser chervona ukraina ten single mounts for the naval version of the 37 mm aa gun was also fitted by 1944 she was also carrying one quadruple vickers 50 machine gun mk iii mount on top of each of her superfiring main gun turrets and she may have been using oerlikon 20 mm cannon
krasnyi kavkaz in company with the cruisers chervona ukraina komintern and a number of destroyers laid down a defensive mine barrage protecting the black sea fleet base at sevastopol on 22 june she provided gunfire support to soviet forces defending odessa and escorted convoys bringing the 157th rifle division into odessa during the month of september 1941 she also transported one battalion of the 3rd marine regiment from sevastopol in a successful amphibious assault behind romanian lines to destroy romanian coastal batteries near fontanka and dofinovka she escorted convoys from 3 6 october that evacuated the 157th rifle division from odessa to sevastopol and escorted the final evacuation convoy during the night of 15 16 october during the siege of sevastopol she provided gunfire support and evacuated cut @@ off troops from elsewhere in the crimea into sevastopol and brought in reinforcements from caucasian ports she helped to transport the 388th rifle division from novorossiysk and tuapse to sevastopol between 7 and 13 december and the 354th rifle division between 21 and 22 december bombarding german positions in the interim
during the kerch @@ feodosiya operation krasnyi kavkaz sailed into the harbor of feodosiya on 29 december 1941 and disembarked reinforcements and provided gunfire support for soviet troops already ashore she was hit seventeen times by axis artillery and mortar fire in retaliation on 1 and 3 january she ferried supplies and reinforcements for the soviet bridgehead on the kerch peninsula on the return voyage she was severely damaged by german junkers ju 87 stuka dive @@ bombers from ii / stg 77 four near @@ misses close to her stern damaged her steering her left propeller shaft blew off one propeller and put enough holes in her stern that flooding caused her draft to increase by 5 metres ( 16 ft ) she made it to novorossiysk escorted by the destroyer where she was patched up enough to make to poti where more permanent repairs could be made these took until october 1942 and the opportunity was taken to reinforce her anti @@ aircraft armament
she was awarded the guards title on 3 april in recognition of her performance between 20 and 23 october krasnyi kavkaz her half @@ sister krasnyi krym and three destroyers ferried 12 @@ 600 men of the 8th 9th and 10th guards rifle brigades from poti to tuapse to reinforce the defenses there on the night of 4 february 1943 the soviets made a series of amphibious landings to the west of novorossiysk behind german lines krasnyi krym krasnyi kavkaz and three destroyers provided fire support for the main landing but the soviet troops there were wiped out by 6 february although one secondary landing was successful the loss of three destroyers attempting to interdict the german evacuation of the taman bridgehead on 6 october 1943 caused stalin to forbid the deployment of large naval units without his express permission and this meant the end of krasnyi kavkaz's active participation in the war
little is known about her activities after the end of the war other than she was redesignated as a training ship on 12 may 1947 she was sunk as a target ship by ss @@ n @@ 1 missiles on 21 november 1952
route 4 also known as the colonel rodman highway is a 10 @@ 37 @@ mile ( 16 @@ 69 km ) long numbered state highway located in washington county and southern kent county rhode island united states the route is a major north south freeway in the southern providence metropolitan area directly linking providence with eastern washington county the beaches of narragansett and south kingstown and the city of newport route 4 begins as a two @@ lane divided highway at an intersection with us route 1 ( us 1 ) in the town of north kingstown becoming a limited @@ access freeway after 1 @@ 89 miles ( 3 @@ 04 km ) the route has four numbered interchanges before terminating in the city of warwick where the northbound lanes merge into interstate 95 ( i @@ 95 )
the origins of route 4 date back to 1952 when construction began on a short unnumbered arterial from us 1 to the modern location of exit 5 at routes 2 and 102 in wickford in 1965 the rhode island department of public works began work on a 5 @@ 4 @@ mile ( 8 @@ 7 km ) freeway from modern exit 6 north to the merge with i @@ 95 the freeway designated as route 4 was completed in 1972 at that time the route 4 designation was also applied to the wickford arterial in 1988 the missing link in route 4 between exits 5 and 6 was completed and opened the rhode island department of transportation has long @@ term plans to upgrade the southernmost portion of route 4 to freeway status by constructing overpasses at oak hill road and west allenton road and a grade separation with us 1 although the project was originally scheduled to be completed by 2007 the $ 55 million project has been postponed indefinitely
route 4 begins at a fork in the alignment of us route 1 in the community of north kingstown the two left lanes of us 1 default onto route 4 north with the right @@ hand lane carrying tower hill road and us 1 north into the village of wickford route 4 heads in a northwestern direction as a four @@ lane divided highway crossing west allenton road at an at @@ grade intersection with a traffic signal after approximately 0 @@ 5 miles ( 0 @@ 80 km ) the highway continues on a northwesterly projection passing to the northeast of kettle hole pond and to the southwest of secret lake in a heavily forested region after secret lake the highway curves to the north crossing oak hill road at another at @@ grade intersection
shortly after the intersection with oak hill road route 4 transitions from a divided arterial highway into a four @@ lane limited @@ access freeway the freeway passes to the west of belleville pond and begins to parallel the alignment of route 102 ( ten rod road ) near the community of lafayette route 4 passes over amtrak's northeast corridor railroad before entering the business district of wickford junction the freeway interchanges with routes 2 and 102 at exit 5 a partial cloverleaf interchange after the interchange route 4 bends to the northeast beginning a parallel alignment with route 2 that continues to its northern terminus route 4 crosses into the town of east greenwich passing under south road before interchanging with route 2 at exit 6 a partial cloverleaf interchange
after exit 6 route 4 passes the rhode island army national guard base to the east and to the hunt river to the west route 4 northbound interchanges with route 403 at exit 7 route 403 or the quonset freeway is a four @@ lane limited access freeway and spur route of route 4 that serves the quonset business park and the village of davisville heading southbound exit 7 is split into exit 7b which serves the quonset freeway and exit 7a which serves route 402 ( frenchtown road ) another spur route connecting the highway to us 1 and route 2 after exit 7 route 4 continues northward as a six @@ lane expressway passing farmlands to the west and entering a suburban region of east greenwich the highway crosses under an overpass at middle road before interchanging with route 401 the freeway's final spur at another partial cloverleaf interchange exit 8 is also used to access route 2 and i @@ 95 south which has no direct freeway connection with route 4 north shortly after exit 8 the route 4 designation ends and the mainline of the highway defaults onto i @@ 95 north
in 1950 the rhode island general assembly passed a $ 12 million ( equivalent to $ 118 million in 2016 ) bond issue to fund the construction of a 3 @@ mile ( 4 @@ 8 km ) four @@ lane divided arterial bypass of us route 1 in wickford construction on the highway began in 1952 and was completed in 1954 at which time the roadway opened as an unnumbered state highway leading from us 1 to routes 2 and 102 in wickford
during the late 1950s a few years after the completion of the arterial the rhode island department of public works ( ridpw ) proposed a relocation of route 2 which at the time was the major thoroughfare in the area no action was taken until 1964 when the ridpw introduced a study for the relocated route 2 proposal during the study drivers who used the colonel rodman highway arterial and were bound for the state capital of providence were redirected onto route 2 an accident @@ prone four @@ lane undivided highway near the modern exit 5 in 1965 the planned route 2 freeway was given the new number of route 4 leaving route 2 on its existing alignment a public hearing was held by the state of rhode island on the proposed freeway which was to be four lanes and have a divided grassy median this proposal was later accepted and construction began two years later
construction of a 5 @@ 4 @@ mile ( 8 @@ 7 km ) long section of route 4 from what is now exit 6 in east greenwich to i @@ 95 in warwick began in 1967 and was completed in 1972 that year the 3 @@ mile ( 4 @@ 8 km ) arterial south of the modern exit 5 was also designated as part of route 4 the divided highway remains largely intact to this date as the stretch of route 4 from us 1 to routes 2 and 102 at exit 5 the only piece of the arterial that has been significantly altered is the construction of a bridge over amtrak's northeast corridor line by the early 1970s route 4 was complete north of exit 6 and south of what would become exit 5 but there was a still a missing piece in the highway between the two exits in the 1970s the state of rhode island faced several budget problems and environmental concerns both of which delayed the construction of the missing link for nearly eleven years environmental studies on the missing link began in 1977 and the state estimated that the 1 @@ 5 @@ mile ( 2 @@ 4 km ) long section of freeway would cost $ 15 21 million ( equivalent to $ 59 82 million in 2016 ) to construct
in 1983 the rhode island department of transportation ( ridot ) began construction of the new segment of route 4 between exits 5 and 6 the project which ultimately went over budget at $ 24 million ( equivalent to $ 52 million in 2016 ) ) was financed from a $ 63 million federal grant in 1986 during excavation for the new right @@ of @@ way the department of transportation found archeological items from the narragansett indians dating from about 2 @@ 000 to 4 @@ 500 years prior although the findings were not centralized in the area this caused delays for the extension of the freeway on august 6 1988 completed construction and performed a ribbon @@ cutting ceremony for the new highway
in january 1990 two police cruisers were severely damaged during a chase on route 4 a driver was speeding in the southbound lanes of route 4 near exit 7 when the driver exited at route 402 ( frenchtown road ) two police officers got into serious accidents in their attempts to pursue the vehicle after the crashes the american civil liberties union restarted efforts to amend police chase policy and avoid further crash @@ related injuries for officers in the line of duty
in 2000 construction began on the quonset freeway a relocated route 403 that serves the quonset business park from route 4 the project included the reconstruction and reworking of exit 7 off route 4 which was a southbound @@ only exit serving both route 403 and route 402 when constructed the exit was converted into a trumpet interchange with new ramps between route 4 route 403 and route 402 and was completed in december 2008 one year ahead of schedule the project included the construction of a new northbound exit 7 serving route 403 east
the rhode island department of transportation ( ridot ) has laid out long @@ term plans for improvements to both the southern and northern termini of route 4 during the 1980s and 1990s ridot announced plans to eliminate the three traffic lights along the southern end of the highway the department planned to replace the existing signalized us 1 and route 4 merge converting it into a grade @@ separated interchange with an extensive overpass this would cut @@ off access to three local roads that intersect us 1 near the signal the plan also included the replacement of the two other signaled intersections at west allenton road and oak hill road with overpasses the overpass for west allenton road is planned to be constructed as a new exit 4 in the 1990s the state purchased and demolished several houses in the region to allow for an expanded route 4 right @@ of @@ way in the vicinity of west allenton road
the upgrade proposal proved to be very unpopular with north kingstown residents who lived on the affected local roads additionally ridot laid the highway out so that route 4 would cross through wetlands in the area this sparked environmental concerns as one of the large wetlands that would be affected froberg's marsh was deemed to be of high value by rhode island environmentalists despite local and environmental concerns ridot still considers the route 4 upgrade to be the safest way to improve traffic flow in the region while the department of transportation considered upgrading nearby route 2 to freeway standards as a potential alternative this plan was ultimately rejected because of its effects on wells in the area although the project was originally scheduled to be completed by 2007 the $ 55 million project has been postponed indefinitely
ridot also has long @@ range plans to construct direct freeway connections linking route 4 north with i @@ 95 south and i @@ 95 north with route 4 south as of november 2010 environmental studies are being prepared for a reconfiguration of the interchange
italics denote future exit numbers
west end girls is a song by british pop duo pet shop boys written by neil tennant and chris lowe the song was released twice as a single the song is influenced by hip hop music with lyrics concerned with class and the pressures of inner @@ city life which were inspired partly by t s eliot's poem the waste land it was generally well received by contemporary music critics and has been frequently cited as a highlight in the duo's career
the first version of the song was produced by bobby orlando and was released on columbia records' bobcat records imprint in april 1984 becoming a club hit in the united states and some european countries after the duo signed with emi the song was re @@ recorded with producer stephen hague for their first studio album please in october 1985 the new version was released reaching number one in the united kingdom and the united states in 1986
in 1987 the song won best single at the brit awards and best international hit at the ivor novello awards in 2005 20 years after its release the song was awarded song of the decade between the years 1985 and 1994 by the british academy of composers and songwriters in 2015 the song was voted by the british public as the nation's 12th favourite 1980s number one in a poll for itv
the song was performed by pet shop boys at the 2012 summer olympics closing ceremony and was included as part of the soundtrack of the 2013 game grand theft auto v on the non @@ stop @@ pop radio station
in 1983 neil tennant met producer bobby orlando while on an assignment in new york interviewing sting for smash hits after listening to some demos orlando offered to produce for the duo
in 1983 84 the duo recorded eleven songs with orlando at unique studios in new york west end girls opportunities ( let's make lots of money ) one more chance i want a lover a man could get arrested i get excited two divided by zero rent it's a sin pet shop boys and later tonite orlando played most of the instruments on west end girls including the jazz riff at the end lowe played one chord and the bassline it included a drum part lifted from michael jackson's billie jean and an arrangement involving what tennant called barry white chords orlando was thrilled by the song's production his idea was to make a rap record in a british accent
in april 1984 west end girls was released becoming a club hit in los angeles and san francisco and a minor dance hit in belgium and france but was only available in the united kingdom as a 12 import in march 1985 after long negotiations pet shop boys cut their contractual ties with orlando and hired manager tom watkins who signed them with emi they re @@ recorded west end girls with producer stephen hague and re @@ released the song in late 1985 topping the charts in both the uk and the us
in an interview on 's synth britannia programme ( video on youtube at 1h 19s ) neil tennant explains the role of the then new sampling technology on the track and how every single sound came from the newly introduced e @@ mu emulator keyboard
west end girls is a synthpop song influenced by hip hop music the song's socially conscious streak as well as the propulsive bass line derives from grandmaster flash's protest rap song the message lowe and hague created a snaky obsessive rhythm punch for the music replacing the song's previously sparse beats and minimal keyboard lines
tennant started to write the song when he was staying at his cousin's house in nottingham while watching a gangster film just when he was going to sleep he came up with the lines sometimes you're better off dead there's a gun in your hand and it's pointing at your head the lyrics were inspired by ts eliot's poem the waste land particularly in the use of different narrative voices and arcane references the song's lyrics are largely concerned with class inner @@ city pressure tennant later said that some listeners had assumed the song referred to prostitutes but was actually about rough boys getting a bit of posh
the lyric from lake geneva to the finland station refers to the train route taken by vladimir lenin when he was smuggled by the germans to russia during world war i a pivotal event in the russian revolution indeed it is highly likely the lyric was inspired by the book to the finland station by edmund wilson a very famous work on the history of revolutionary thought and socialism that tennant would have at least heard of if not read as a student the bobby orlando @@ produced version of the single included another line all your stopping stalling and starting / who do you think you are joe stalin which was removed for the 1985 version
west end girls has been generally well received by music critics stephen thomas erlewine from allmusic in a review of the album please called the song hypnotic adding that it's not only a classic dance single it's a classic pop single in a review for the group's second studio album actually rob hoerburger from rolling stone magazine commented that west end girls was as catchy as anything on the radio in 1986 praising its enticing bass line and foreboding synth riffs but felt that it was almost nullified by peevish spoken asides and the cryptic posturing of the duo's lyrics in a review of the live album concrete michael hubbard from musicomh said that west end girls was one of the songs that round out a collection that never feels too long or superfluous adding that it goes some way to installing tennant and lowe as national treasures
nitsuh abebe from pitchfork media in a review of their compilation album pet shop boys the hits commented that in the song we meet tennant not as a singer but as a speaker adding that he mumbles the verses to us not like a star but like a stranger in a raincoat slinking alongside you and pointing out the sights
in 1987 west end girls won for best single at the brit awards and for best international hit at the ivor novello awards in 2005 the british academy of composers and songwriters gave to west end girls the ivor novello award for song of the decade between the years 1985 and 1994
the video was directed by andy morahan and eric watson and consists of shots of the duo around london at the beginning of the video noises from the city can be heard a camera passes lowe on the street and focus on two vintage dolls in a shop window then appears a sequence of quick cuts with shots of the city's different sub @@ cultures the video freezes and cuts to tennant and lowe who walk through an empty wentworth street in petticoat lane market they stand in front of a red garage door tennant is in front dressed with a long coat white shirt and dark necktie directly addressing the camera with lowe standing behind him with a blank expression lowe is filmed in double @@ exposure and appears almost ghostlike in other shots tennant walks imperiously while lowe follows behind as if one were a master and the other an apprentice
then the video shows various shots at waterloo station as the chorus starts in slow motion the camera pans across the whsmith shop on the station concourse as the duo walk past it cuts to a brief shot of a no 42 red double @@ decker bus showing the destination as aldgate also advertising the stage @@ show evita then black and white shots of the tower bridge westminster and the westminster palace clock tower from the sky the duo poses on the south bank of the river thames in a pastiche of a postcard image with the houses of parliament as a background
the camera shows shots of young women and passes through arcades and cinemas in leicester square the camera now passes south africa house showing protestors in the non @@ stop picket an anti @@ apartheid vigil the video cuts to a closeup of tennant singing the chorus with a purple neon sign passing across his face at the end the camera passes again through leicester square where people queue to see fletch and desperately seeking susan the video was nominated for best new artist in a video at the 1986 mtv video music awards but lost to a @@ ha's take on me
west end girls was first released in april 1984 through writer and producer bobby orlando's label the song was a club hit in the united states and in some european countries such as belgium where it debuted at number 24 on the vrt top 30 chart on 28 july 1984 peaking at 17 four weeks later in canada west end girls first entered the rpm singles chart in april 1985 reaching a peak position of 81 in june 1985
having signed with emi the group released their first major label single opportunities ( let's make lots of money ) in mid @@ 1985 but it failed to attract attention the pet shop boys then decided to re @@ record west end girls and issue this new version as a single producer stephen hague helmed the new re @@ recorded version of west end girls
the re @@ recorded version of west end girls was released in the united kingdom in october 1985 debuting on the uk singles chart at number 80 and within eight weeks of its release it had reached the top of the chart it maintained the number one position for two weeks and received a gold certification by the british phonographic industry ( bpi ) in january 1986 across europe west end girls also topped the singles chart in norway as well as peaking in the top three in belgium germany ireland the netherlands sweden and switzerland
in canada where the original recording of west end girls had already been a minor hit in 1985 the re @@ recorded version was issued as a single in early 1986 the re @@ recorded song entered the chart in march 1986 peaking at number one for one week on 17 may 1986 in the united states west end girls debuted on the billboard hot 100 at number 71 reaching the number one position on 10 may 1986 and remained on the chart for 20 weeks the song also peaked at number one on billboard's hot dance music / club play chart for two weeks
neil tennant vocals lyrics
chris lowe keyboards artwork design
helena springs additional vocals
bobby orlando producer ( 1984 release )
stephen hague producer ( 1985 release )
steve jerome engineer 1984 release
david jacob engineer
frank roszak remixing
eric watson photography
in 1993 east 17 covered west end girls for their album walthamstow with limited chart success
7
west end girls ( faces on posters mix )
west end girls ( kicking in chairs )
wrapped in red is the sixth studio album by american recording artist kelly clarkson released on october 25 2013 by rca records the album is a follow @@ up to her first greatest hits album greatest hits chapter one and its companion extended play the sessions vol 2 produced by greg kurstin it is her first christmas album and her first record to be solely released by rca wrapped in red consists of sixteen tracks featuring five co @@ penned original songs and eleven cover versions of christmas standards and carols two of which are duets featuring recording artists ronnie dunn reba mcentire and trisha yearwood
weary of constantly being asked for her primary genre clarkson had long @@ desired to record a christmas album as a means to defy genre limitations she commissioned kurstin who had studied jazz music under the tutelage of jaki byard to produce the entire album drawing inspirations from the soundtracks to the features a charlie brown christmas and white christmas as well as the christmas albums by mariah carey mcentire and phil spector they experimented on various styles and sounds using spector's famed wall of sound technique to a create a contemporary holiday theme to classics the christmas music of wrapped in red comprises a variety of the genres such pop jazz country and soul marking a departure from the pop rock sound established from her previous studio albums while its lyrics share a singular theme of the color red which represents a plethora of emotions during the holidays
wrapped in red debuted on the billboard 200 chart at number 3 and topped the billboard top holiday albums chart with 70 @@ 000 copies sold in its first week of release for nine consecutive weeks wrapped in red stayed on the top ten of both charts and was certified platinum by the recording industry association of america and music canada by the end of 2013 it became the year's best @@ selling christmas release in the united states and the second best @@ selling christmas release in canada its lead single underneath the tree became an international top forty christmas hit song and was radio's most @@ played new holiday song of 2013 in promoting wrapped in red she appeared in red dresses on various televised appearances and filmed an accompanying television special kelly clarkson's cautionary christmas music tale at the venetian las vegas which premiered on nbc on december 11 2013 in 2014 clarkson released the title track as the second single and hosted an annual christmas benefit concert miracle on broadway at the bridgestone arena on december 20 2014
clarkson had expressed interest in recording a christmas album for years having recorded various christmas songs such as oh holy night and my grown up christmas list on the american idol the great holiday classics ( 2003 ) i'll be home for christmas on itunes session ( 2011 ) and being featured on blake shelton's christmas album cheers it's christmas ( 2012 ) weary of constantly being asked for her primary genre she felt that recording a christmas album would finally pave a way for her to explore other different genres she remarked i always get asked what genre i'm in' is this country or pop or rock what are you' and what's cool about making the christmas album was' oh there are no limitations we can do whatever we want' she further added the thing about christmas is that it almost doesn't matter what mood you're in or what kind of a year you've had it's a fresh start i'm going to clear the air and take stock of the good that's happened
discussions about making her sixth studio album being a christmas record began on december 2012 a month after releasing her first greatest hits album greatest hits chapter one having found the opportunity to do so clarkson commissioned producer and multi @@ instrumentalist greg kurstin whom she had previously collaborated with on her albums stronger and chapter one to solely produce the whole album despite having been raised in a jewish faith and unfamiliar with christmas songs kurstin still agreed to produce the project as a result the record marked the second time her studio album only had a single producer ( the first being david kahne solely producing my december in 2007 ) it also marked the fourth time kurstin had solely produced an entire studio album apart from being a member of the musical groups the bird and the bee and tah ( the first three being lily allen's it's not me it's you in 2009 sia's we are born in 2010 and the shins' port of morrow in 2012 )
recording sessions of the basic instrumental tracks for wrapped in red took place in kurstin's echo studio in los angeles while orchestral sessions were recorded at eastwest studios in hollywood and featured vocals recorded in the barn studio in nashville in recording tracks for the album clarkson and kurstin wanted to showcase as many different styles as they could by experimenting in various sounds and styles to create fresh contemporary sound to classic @@ sounding music he recalled it was a lot of fun for us because we got to go back to our roots when kelly started singing it was clear she had the chops and had been trained to do anything further adding we really experimented it was so much fun and liberating and it pays off kurstin who studied with jazz musician jaki byard at the new school for jazz and contemporary music recruited various jazz and soul musicians such as james gadson kevin dukes roy mccurdy and bill withers to perform on the record to resonate a memphis soul sound he also collaborated with joseph trapanese to arrange and conduct a chamber orchestra
in providing instrumentation for the record kurstin used all of his instruments such as a mellotron and a chamberlin taping them from a distance to stimulate the wall of sound a recording technique originally developed by phil spector that was popular in the early 1960s he enlisted clarkson to provide all the background vocals herself clarkson who grew up singing in a chorus was pleased with the aspect saying blending is something i knew how to do from childhood sometimes i'd have to do an alto instead of a soprano because they needed a bigger sound but i've never had to do anything like this before doing all my backup vocals essentially being my own choir together they began to record in may 2013 and continued through the summer of that year beginning by recording white christmas with clarkson in the vocal booth and with kurstin on a piano she commented the production is all him i would be just like' hey can we make this more jazz hey can we make this more bluesy and he just like harry potter made this happen it's so weird
clarkson has cited the color red as the album's only theme a color traditionally associated with christmas she affiliated the color to various emotions in the holidays wanting to stray away from her usual pop sound she described wrapped in red's music as a representation to explore different genres such as jazz country and memphis soul she recalled what's cool about christmas albums is you can do jazz rock and roll you can do pop you can do blues like you can do all that stuff and it works cause it's all classic and it's sounding she also noted that the album's multitude of styles positively contributes to her artistic goal saying my best friend from childhood heard it and said' this is what you sound like before everything else' and i agree it's my core sound back in the day when artists came out with things like fall to pieces and bridge over troubled water those songs transcended genres it wasn't' where is it going to fit' you catered to whatever the song calls for and that's exactly what i did without having to have an umbrella for everything
in gathering inspirations for wrapped in red clarkson started by listening to bing crosby's and rosemary clooney's soundtracks from the 1954 feature film white christmas as well as mariah carey's merry christmas ( 1994 ) and merry christmas to you ( 1997 ) by reba mcentire while kurstin who used to play in a jazz band took influences from a charlie brown christmas by the vince guaraldi trio and a christmas gift for you by phil spector as his inspirations which resulted to the album's wall of sound resonance clarkson also cited that her relationship with her then @@ fiancé brandon blackstock had inspired some of the album's lyrical content
clarkson shares writing credits on all five original songs on wrapped in red some of which were written in december 2012 to avoid writing christmas tunes during the 2013 summer season she co @@ wrote the opening and the title track wrapped in red with ashley eubanks and shane mcanally a christmas ballad the song was inspired by a scene in the holiday feature film love actually ( 2003 ) in which someone confesses unrequited love towards another critics singled out the track the one that resonates the wall of sound the most the second track underneath the tree was written by clarkson and kurstin making it the first time they had co @@ written a track together clarkson remarked greg and i have worked a lot together but usually i just come in and i just sing we've never have actually written a song together at this point and he and i were like' let's just try to write something for the record rca records chief executive peter edge remarked that its release as a single was partly inspired by the success of all i want for christmas is you by carey the following track is a rendition of the holiday standard have yourself a merry little christmas which clarkson had selected for its saccharine content
clarkson favored run run rudolph as her favorite classic saying just because it got to be a little more rock and roll she also remarked that please come home for christmas ( bells will be ringing ) was the first song selected for inclusion after her mother's recommendation and the song's melancholic lyrics written by clarkson and eubanks every christmas was the first song to be written for the album she revealed that the song narrates of her holiday life prior to meeting blackstock mcentire's stepson saying every christmas i was just like' this is going to be different right i'm going to actually find someone and not be pathetically alone for the rest of my life' the seventh track is a cover of elvis presley's blue christmas its follow @@ up a rendition of baby it's cold outside features ronnie dunn clarkson had approached dunn thinking that his personality suited the song's content well saying like it's straight @@ up his personality to say all of that to try and get you to stay and have a drink winter dreams ( brandon's song ) was written by clarkson and eubanks as a companion piece to every christmas dedicated to blackstock the song accounts her holiday after meeting him she remarked christmas changes it morphs it comes to life a little more it s just a happier time
the tenth track white christmas was the first song to be recorded for wrapped in red a cover of rodgers and hammerstein's my favorite things follows up as the eleventh track clarkson opted for the broadway performance of the song to stray away from julie andrews's version citing i think you shouldn't go near anywhere of what she's doing because she's so good clarkson and kurstin co @@ wrote 4 carats with cathy dennis and livvi franc originally written a pop song they converted it as a christmas song to fit the album's theme describing it as a crossover between eartha kitt's santa baby ( 1953 ) and madonna's material girl ( 1984 ) a rendition of imogen heap's just for now was described by clarkson as her highly dysfunctional environment saying can we just stop for like five minutes and have like a normal christmas setting the song begins by sampling the melody of the christmas tune carol of the bells the closing track a rendition of the traditional carol silent night features mcentire and trisha yearwood and ends in an a capella setting between the trio in addition two tracks were also included in the deluxe edition of the album the first clarkson's cover of i'll be home for christmas from itunes session and the second her rendition of the first stanza of the ecclesiastical hymn oh come oh come emmanuel
wrapped in red was first released internationally on october 25 2013 by rca records through sony music entertainment it then received a north american release on october 29 2013 by rca as part of its holiday promotional campaign with the soundtracks to the feature films black nativity and the best man holiday with wrapped in red being promulgated as the one that will transcend formats and become a new holiday classic in an interview with billboard rca marketing executive aaron remarked that the album was their main release of the holidays quoting the angle on this album is that like all great christmas records it's about amazing vocal performances that's what this is intended to be @@ an album launched this year but timeless and genre @@ defying in preparation for its release in the united states rca shipped a half @@ million units on amazoncom and target which exclusively released a deluxe edition a red lp pressing of wrapped in red by united record pressing followed the cd release on november 25 2013 marking the first time an album by clarkson was released on a vinyl record a deluxe lp and cd edition was also released on the sony music store which included a scarf a holiday ornament and a snow globe all of which were decorated in red as inspired from the album a international promotion campaign was also planned for clarkson but was later halted due her pregnancy on october 21 2014 wrapped in red was reissued by rca with a special edition cd + dvd release exclusive to walmart stores in the united states a green lp pressing of the album will also have a limited 500 @@ copy release on december 9 2014
on october 15 2013 white christmas was released as a promotional single from wrapped in red three days after underneath the tree premiered on clarkson's vevo channel a television christmas special titled kelly clarkson's cautionary christmas music tale was filmed by concert director hamish hamilton on october 30 2013 the eve after its street date at the venetian las vegas a pastiche of a christmas carol the christmas special featured live performances of selections from wrapped in red ( one of which features mcentire and yearwood ) produced by done and dusted cautionary christmas music tale premiered on nbc in the united states and global in canada on december 11 2013 being pegged by rca as the album's primary promotional medium nbc's premiere broadcast of the special was seen by 5 @@ 31 million viewers according to nielsen media research it also received a 1 @@ 4 share among adults between the ages of 18 to 49 generated nbc s second biggest overall audience its time slot nbc had also a rerun broadcast of cautionary christmas music tale on christmas day which was seen by an additional 3 @@ 54 million viewers
clarkson had also promoted wrapped in red in various televised performances all of which she was dressed in red attire she first performed underneath the tree on the the today show on november 26 2013 on december 4 2013 she performed run run rudolph and blue christmas on the christmas at rockefeller center television special clarkson had then performed underneath the tree on more televised events such as on the fifth season of the the voice on december 3 2013 the ellen degeneres show on december 5 2013 and on late night with jimmy fallon on december 12 2013 on december 25 2013 clarkson returned to the today show on its christmas day broadcast performing blue christmas selected tracks from the album were also used in advertisements such as run run rudolph which was used in a belk holiday advertisement and underneath the tree which was featured in an amazoncom and amazon kindle fire advertisement with an appearance by clarkson performing the song on december 20 2014 she will host a christmas concert miracle on broadway at the bridgestone arena an annual christmas benefit concert miracle on broadway will feature live performances of various christmas songs by mcentire yearwood garth brooks ronnie dunn kacey musgraves hayley williams charles esten and meghan trainor some of whom will also join clarkson in performing selections from wrapped in red
wrapped in red's lead single underneath the tree was released to radio airplay on november 5 2013 praised in its initial release music critics approvingly compared the song to all i want for christmas is you and blazoned it as a future christmas standard reviewing for slant magazine sal cinquemani wrote that track is likely to become clarkson's very own contemporary standard while the independent's hugh montgomery applauded it as a winner on all fronts after debuting on the billboard holiday 100 chart at number 34 it became holiday top ten hit by peaking at number eight on the chart it also topped the billboard adult contemporary chart for four consecutive weeks becoming clarkson's third track and the fifteenth holiday song to top the chart underneath the tree also charted on the main billboard hot 100 chart at number seventy @@ eight and became a top forty hit internationally including the billboard canadian hot 100 chart the dutch top 40 chart and the official uk singles chart usa today reported that underneath the tree was american radio's most @@ played new holiday song of 2013 while edison media research reported that the single was the first holiday song to receive a considerable support on mainstream contemporary hit radio in almost 20 years wrapped in red's second single the title track was serviced to radio airplay on november 25 2014 on the week ending december 28 2014 it debuted on the billboard adult contemporary chart at number 11 on the week ending december 13 2014
at metacritic which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics the album received an average score of 73 based on 6 reviews and scoring higher than any other album by clarkson allmusic's senior editor stephen thomas erlewine gave it a three @@ and @@ a @@ half stars he described its uptempo arrangements as well as clarkson's vocal performance as bold and brassy and its mid @@ tempo arrangements as even more alluring he also noted the track selection favors the bold but that she fares well in this setting always sounding like the strongest element in the mix towards the end of his review he wrote that perhaps the concept and execution are conventional but even in this utterly expected setting clarkson retains her fiery individual spirit and that's what makes wrapped in red appealing to the letter it delivers what it promises sal cinquemani of slant magazine also gave it a similar rating he noted that the album largely offers a respite from the pop @@ rock template she's been relentlessly pursuing since breakaway with less shouting and more of the varied range and texture on full display that helped her the winner of the inaugural season of american idol for better or worse a decade of recording and touring has roughed up the edges of her voice lending a lived @@ in quality that imbues lyrics about love and longing with an authenticity that might have otherwise been missing had she recorded these songs just a few years earlier
npr's ken tucker described the album as a glossy but heartfelt work and approvingly compared its contrasting philosophy to nick lowe's quality street a seasonal selection for all the family both of which he described as will put you in a holiday mood matt of popmatters gave the album a generally favorable review claiming that clarkson plays it safe and spends too much time showing off her upper register but wrapped in red is a warm and romantic addition to the christmas pop zeitgeist adding wrapped in red doesn t need edge it s just dynamic and varied enough to be satisfying and it s light @@ years better than any of the whitewashed christmas crap simon cowell has inflicted on the world sarah rodman of the boston globe gave a favorable review particularly lauding underneath the tree and described clarkson's rendering the christmas standards as fairly straight she added she starts gently on have yourself a merry little christmas before belting out the money notes she assuredly through the soulful favorite please come home for christmas ( bells will be ringing ) and hangs by the piano for a torchy white christmas newsday's music columnist glenn gamboa wrote that clarkson handles it all expertly hitting remarkably high notes on have yourself a merry little christmas and swinging on baby it's cold outside with dunn the new songs make wrapped in red a real gift as the title track and underneath the tree channel the phil spector christmas albums and 4 carats somehow blends stronger and santa baby reviewing for hitfix melinda newman gave the album an a rating praising clarkson's vocal performances and noting that she and kurstin have clearly studied legendary christmas albums of yore most notably spector's a christmas gift for you and andy williams' merry christmas to lovingly recreate christmas standards as well as craft new ones in the image of those sets chris of slate declared wrapped in red as the best of 2013's new christmas records noting for its vintage sound he also observed that its five original tracks most notably wrapped in red and underneath the tree have reasonable odds of remaining in the yuletide rotation five years from now in his review for the new york times jon caramanica wrote that clarkson is very likely the only singer working in pop with a real possibility of creating a modern holiday classic along the lines of carey's all i want for christmas is you and remarked that her takes on familiar songs however accomplished are also faithful in the way that someone mindful of pop history would be
wrapped in red became a commercial success in the united states prior it its release music commercial analysts predicted that the album would likely sell at least 60 @@ 000 copies in its first week of release in the region and foresaw it to be the front @@ runner as the bestselling holiday release of the season on the week ending november 16 2013 it debuted on the billboard 200 chart at number 3 with 70 @@ 000 copies sold in all retailers a 93 @@ 000 decrease from stronger's first week sales of 163 @@ 000 copies in 2011 nielsen music analyst dave bakula attributed its low performance to the falling market share of the holiday music in general which saw 3 @@ 8 percent decrease in 2012 the album's chart debut on the billboard 200 earned clarkson her sixth consecutive top three studio album as well as the highest debut for a christmas record by a female artist since susan boyle's first christmas album the gift debuted at the top of the chart in 2010 wrapped in red also debuted three other different charts most notably at the top of the billboard top holiday albums chart on the week ending november 30 2013 by charting at number six on the billboard 200 the album became the lone sony release inside the chart's top ten with the others being universal music group releases
despite its modest debut week wrapped in red began to gain traction at the beginning of the holiday season selling up to 131 @@ 000 copies during the thanksgiving week it experienced its best sales week after benefiting from nbc's premiere broadcast of cautionary christmas music tale selling up to 136 @@ 000 copies on its seventh week of release for nine consecutive weeks it stayed in the top ten of the billboard 200 the most by any studio album by clarkson on december 5 2013 the album was certified platinum by the recording industry association of america making it her fifth platinum studio album wrapped in red subsequently became the bestselling christmas release of 2013 by selling over 763 @@ 000 copies according to nielsen soundscan making her the first american female artist to have the number @@ one christmas album of the soundscan era twelve of the album cuts from wrapped in red have also entered the billboard holiday digital songs chart during its first week of release led by silent night have yourself a merry little christmas and underneath the tree at numbers one two and four respectively other songs have also appeared in various billboard charts throughout the holiday season songs such as blue christmas and please come home for christmas charted on the billboard adult contemporary chart peaking at numbers 5 and 6 respectively whereas my favorite things run run rudolph please come home for christmas silent night and wrapped in red peaked on the billboard canada ac chart at numbers eight seven 14 22 and 49 respectively tracks such as my favorite things have charted on the billboard mexico inglés airplay chart at number 49 while silent night attained a position in both the billboard holiday 100 and the billboard hot country songs charts peaking at numbers 86 and 51 respectively amazoncom listed wrapped in red as their second bestselling album during the holiday season and listed it as their sixth bestselling title of 2013 the album has sold 785 @@ 300 copies in the us as of november 2014 and in 2014 peaked at 7 on the holiday chart
internationally wrapped in red had a relatively limited commercial performance in canada the album debuted on the billboard canadian albums chart at number 6 on the week ending november 16 2013 making it her fifth top ten debut on the nielsen @@ tracked chart it peaked on the chart at number 5 on the week ending december 28 2013 wrapped in red became the second bestselling christmas album of 2013 in canada with 67 @@ 000 copies sold in the region behind a christmas gift to you by johnny reid in australia the album debuted on the aria albums chart at number 82 on the week ending november 4 2013 and peaked at number 29 on the week ending december 30 2013 in switzerland it debuted on the schweizer hitparade at number 97 on the week ending november 10 2013 in the united kingdom wrapped in red charted on the official uk albums chart at number 65 on the week ending december 14 2013 despite its limited performance sony corporation listed the album as their fifth bestselling release worldwide during the holiday season which included albums album cut tracks and singles sales
all tracks were produced by greg kurstin with vocal production on every christmas made by jason halbert
note
just for now contains a portion of the composition carol of the bells written by peter j wilhousky
tracks from the concert dvd were filmed from the television special kelly clarkson's cautionary christmas music tale
credits lifted from the album's liner notes
instruments
production