High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special: The Soundtrack
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| High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special: The Soundtrack | ||||
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| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | November 20, 2020 | |||
| Recorded | 2020 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 34:34 | |||
| Label | Walt Disney | |||
| High School Musical chronology | ||||
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High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special: The Soundtrack is the soundtrack album for the streaming television special of the same name. Featuring the cast of the Disney+ series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, the special and its respective soundtrack were created following the shutdown of production of the second season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The soundtrack was released on November 20, 2020, three weeks before the special itself was released on Disney+ on December 11.
Background[edit]
In March 2020, production on the second season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, along with many other projects around the world, was shut down due to increasing concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] Production would resume later that year with COVID-19 restrictions. Before production resumed, series showrunner Tim Federle decided on using the lockdowns to bring to life his idea of doing a Christmas movie with the cast. In an interview with TVLine, Federle stated, "...it still felt pretty dire. No one had really cracked it. So I said to Disney, 'What if we used this natural separation to our advantage and got to know the actors behind the characters?'"[2] Filming of the music videos was also done with a very small production crew over the fall of 2020, with Federle directing remotely, across four states: Arizona, New York, California, and Utah. According to Federle, the crews "were just so happy to be working. Even though they’re all wearing face shields and masks, everybody really brought their A game. I think they were able to kind of dust off some cobwebs and jump into something that felt good to make.”[3]
Composition[edit]
The soundtrack mainly contains covers of classic Christmas and holiday songs, and two original songs that would later be used in the second season: "Something in the Air" and "The Perfect Gift."
Sofia Wylie chose to perform "This Christmas (Hang All The Mistletoe)" because, "I've never really had white Christmases with all the snow, so seeing a cactus decorated in lights and decorations, I was like, 'OK, yeah, this is so normal.' The holiday special is so lighthearted, so much fun and just a really wonderful Christmas dream. I think it will allow people to take a break and have a smile because this year has definitely been a lot.”[4] On writing "The Perfect Gift," Joshua Bassett noted that "That's the song. I thought that was a really special sentiment and something I can relate to in my life, in terms of growing up with five sisters. Gift-giving, it was more about the thoughtful gifts and less about the flashy gifts. So I can relate to that."[5]
Julia Lester decided to do a medley of classic Hanukkah songs for the special. On this decision, she stated, “I could definitely sing you a hundred different Christmas songs off the top of my head. But, where’s the Mariah Carey version of a Hanukkah song? So, I thought [in the special] I would add a little bit of music video flare to Hanukkah.” Larry Saperstein, who is Jewish, tap dances to "White Christmas" by Irving Berlin. He stated, “Sometimes I did feel embarrassed that I celebrated Hanukkah and not Christmas. Now that I’m an adult I’ve taken real ownership over the fact that I am Jewish and that I do celebrate a holiday that might not be what everybody celebrates and it makes me unique and I’m so proud of that.”[6]
On choosing Joni Mitchell's song "River," Olivia Rodrigo told PopSugar, "It was such an honor to get to sing 'River.' It's a song that I absolutely love. It's a songwriter that I absolutely adore and look up to so much. It's a sad Christmas song — I love sad songs, I'm a ballad girl — and it was cool to put a little holiday twist on that."[7]
Release and promotion[edit]
The soundtrack to the special was released to all music streaming services on November 20, 2020,[8] three weeks before the special itself was released to Disney+ on December 11.[9] Unlike the soundtrack to the first season, and later the second and third seasons, there were no singles released prior to the soundtrack's release.
Reception[edit]
Nicholas Soto of "But Why Tho?" said of the music, "When I heard that the HSMTM: The Holiday Special was going to include the cast singing holiday songs, I expected the cast to sing them together through Zoom or in-person but at a safe distance. However, I was excited to see that they would either sing in duets or by themselves. The songs served their purpose getting me into the holiday spirit...I also couldn’t help but miss the show seeing the cast sing. What made the songs much more special was that we got to hear every cast member sing, which is something that season one missed out on."[10] Alex Reif of "Laughing Place" states that "Ultimately, the soundtrack to High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special is a mixed bag. There is one excellent new Christmas song and a handful of covers that do justice to their songs. As for the rest of it, I can guarantee you won’t remember these versions exist this time next year." He would go on to praise "The Perfect Gift," "Believe," and "River" as the highlights of the soundtrack.[11]
Track listing[edit]
Credits adapted from Genius.[12]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "This Christmas (Hang All the Mistletoe)" |
| Sofia Wylie | 2:40 |
| 2. | "The Perfect Gift" | Joshua Bassett | Bassett | 2:40 |
| 3. | "Feliz Navidad" | José Feliciano | 2:47 | |
| 4. | "Hanukkah Medley" |
| Julia Lester | 2:16 |
| 5. | "Last Christmas" | George Michael | Matt Cornett | 2:58 |
| 6. | "White Christmas" | Irving Berlin | Larry Saperstein | 2:03 |
| 7. | "Little Saint Nick" |
| 1:42 | |
| 8. | "Believe" | Dara Reneé | 3:43 | |
| 9. | "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" | Frank Loesser |
| 2:29 |
| 10. | "River" | Joni Mitchell | Olivia Rodrigo | 3:22 |
| 11. | "Something in the Air" |
| Cast of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series | 3:16 |
| 12. | "That's Christmas to Me" |
| 2:14 | |
| 13. | "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" |
| 2:18 | |
| Total length: | 34:30 | |||
References[edit]
- ^ Pierce, Scott D. (May 22, 2020). "Pandemic halts TV and movie production in Utah. When will it resume?". sltrib.com. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ Swift, Andy (December 12, 2020). "High School Musical EP Talks Filming Holiday Special at Bachelor Mansion, Plus What We Can Expect in Season 2". tvline.com. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
- ^ Pierce, Scott D. (December 11, 2020). "Utah's 'High School Musical' offers up a holiday special — and works to finish filming Season 2". sltrib.com. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ Wong, Curtis M. (November 23, 2020). "Sofia Wylie Teases 'High School Musical' Holiday Special With A Christmas Classic". huffpost.com. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
- ^ Ng, Philiana (December 8, 2020). "'HSMTMTS' First Look: Joshua Bassett Reveals How 'The Perfect Gift' Came to Be and Talks Season 2 (Exclusive)". et.com. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ Ben-Moche, Erin (December 11, 2020). "HSM Series' Julia Lester, Larry Saperstein Perform Classics for Disney+ Holiday Special". jewishjournal.com. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ Gibson, Kelsie (December 2, 2020). "Watch Olivia Rodrigo's Heartbreakingly Beautiful "River" Cover For HSMTMTS Special". popsugar.com. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ "High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special (Official Soundtrack)". November 20, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ "High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special - Now Streaming". disneyplusoriginals.disney.com. December 11, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ Soto, Nicholas (December 15, 2020). "REVIEW: 'High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special' is Near Perfect". butwhytho.net. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ Reif, Alex (November 20, 2020). "Soundtrack Review: "High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special: The Soundtrack"". laughingplace.com. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ "High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special (Original Soundtrack)". genius.com. November 20, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
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