Published 1954 Genre Easy listening, pop Writer(s) Al Stillman | Recorded November 16, 1954 Label RCA Composer(s) Robert Allen | |
"(There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays" is a popular song, commonly associated with the Christmas and holiday season.
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The music was composed by Robert Allen, while the lyrics were written by Al Stillman. The song was published during 1954.
Perry Como version
The best-known recordings were made by Perry Como, who recorded the song twice. The first recording, done on November 16, 1954, was released as a single for Christmas, 1954, by RCA (catalog number 20-5950-B on 78rpm and 47-5950-B on 45rpm). The flip side was "Silk Stockings" (which scored in the Cash Box magazine top 50). "Home for the Holidays" scored No. 8 on the Billboard magazine chart in the United States. The next Christmas it was released again, with "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" as the flip side, as RCA 20-6321-A and 47-6321-A. The same recorded version was released in the United Kingdom by HMV with the catalog number POP-103, with the flip side "Tina Marie". This recording has appeared on many compilation albums over the years and remains a Christmas radio regular.
Como's second recording of the song, in stereo and with a different musical arrangement, was made on July 15, 1959. It was released as a 33rpm single (RCA catalog # VP-2066), with flip side "Winter Wonderland" in the U.S.A., and as a 45rpm single by HMV in the UK (catalog number RCA-1215). This 1959 version was also included on the album Season's Greetings from Perry Como and has appeared on many compilations.
Other notable versions
The Carpenters recorded a popular version that was eventually released on their 1984 album An Old-Fashioned Christmas.
During January 2000, a Garth Brooks version from his album Garth Brooks and the Magic of Christmas maximized at No. 63 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
During 2002, Barry Manilow recorded the song for his second Christmas-themed album, A Christmas Gift of Love.
On November 30, 2011, T-Mobile announced a surprise event at the Woodfield Mall. On December 1, 2011, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon directed about six surprise singing and dancing mall performances of "Home for the Holidays" by Carly Foulkes and 100 Chicago-area women in magenta dresses. The performances were later edited into a music video with the hope that it would go viral. The full video that was posted on YouTube has a run time of 3:48 and it was presented in a 60-second national television commercial starting on December 12. The video was produced by Ridley Scott and Tony Scott's RSA Films. The musical director was Paul Mirkovich.
The song was also remade as a duet between Cyndi Lauper and Norah Jones during 2011 for an exclusive iTunes release. The 1-track single was available to download on November 1 and did well on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, maximizing at No. 12 and at No. 22 on the Adult Contemporary Radio Airplay Chart in the U.S.
The song was featured in a 2016 holiday Apple Music television commercial titled "Frankie's Holiday", featuring Brad Garrett.