A Very Special Christmas is the first in the A Very Special Christmas series of Christmas-themed compilation albums produced to benefit Special Olympics. The album was released in 1987, and production was overseen by Jimmy Iovine for A&M Records. A Very Special Christmas has also raised millions of dollars for the Special Olympics. The cover artwork was designed by Keith Haring.
On January 16, 1998, the album was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipment of four million copies in the United States.
As of November 2014, A Very Special Christmas is the nineteenth best-selling Christmas/holiday album in the United States during the SoundScan era of music sales tracking (March 1991 – present), having sold 2,520,000 copies according to SoundScan
Tracks
1 The Pointer Sisters – Santa Claus Is Coming To Town 3:24
2 Eurythmics – Winter Wonderland 3:37
3 Whitney Houston – Do You Hear What I Hear? 3:34
4 Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – Merry Christmas Baby 4:56
5 The Pretenders – Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas 4:30
6 John Cougar Mellencamp – I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus 2:41
7 Sting – Gabriel\’s Message 2:15
8 Run D.M.C – Christmas In Hollis 3:01
9 U2 – Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) 2:22
10 Madonna – Santa Baby 2:36
11 Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – The Little Drummer Boy 3:33
12 Bryan Adams – Run Rudolph Run 2:45
13 Bon Jovi – Back Door Santa 4:30
14 Alison Moyet – The Coventry Carol 3:26
15 Stevie Nicks – Silent Night 4:38
Musicians
1 Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
| Bass | TM Stevens |
| Drums | Steve Jordan |
| Guitar | David Freeman |
| Guitar | Mike Landau |
| Piano | Roy Bittan |
| Sax | Clarence Clemons |
| Vocals | Pointer Sisters |
2 Winter Wonderland
| Drums (programming) | Dave Stewart |
| Drums (programming) | Richard Feldman |
| Keyboards | Richard Feldman |
| Keyboards | John van Tongeren |
| Keyboards | Annie Lennox |
| Vocals | Annie Lennox |
3 Do You Hear What I Hear?
| Bass | Jimmy Johnson |
| Drums | Richie Hayward |
| Guitar | Steve Lukather |
| Piano | Jai Winding |
| Synthesizer | Charles Judge |
| Percussion | Bobbye Hall |
| Background Vocals | Edna Wright |
| Vocals | Whitney Houston |
5 Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
| Bass | TM Stevens |
| Drums | Blair Cunningham |
| Guitar | Robbie McIntosh |
| Keyboards | Rupert Black |
6 I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
| Bass | Coby Myers |
| Drums | Kenny Aronoff |
| Guitar | Larry Crane |
| Guitar | Mike Wanchic |
| Accordion | John Cascella |
| Violin | Lisa Germano |
| Background Vocals | Crystal Taliefero |
| Background Vocals | Pat Peterson |
| Vocals | John Cougar Mellencamp |
11 The Little Drummer Boy
| Bass | Chris Campbell |
| Drums | Don Brewer |
| Guitar | Nils Lofgren |
| Guitar | Rick Vito |
| Keyboards | David Ervin |
| Piano | Craig Frost |
| Sax | Alto Reed |
| Background Vocals | Andrea Robinson |
| Background Vocals | Darryl Phinnessee |
| Background Vocals | Donny Gerrard |
| Background Vocals | Dorian Holley |
| Background Vocals | John Townsend |
| Background Vocals | Laura Creamer |
| Background Vocals | Rosemary Butler |
| Vocals | Bob Seger |
12 Run Rudolph Run
| Bass | Dave Taylor (2) |
| Drums | Mickey Curry |
| Guitar | Bryan Adams |
| Guitar | Keith Scott |
| Keyboards | Johnny Blitz |
| Background Vocals | Keith Scott |
| Vocals | Bryan Adams |
15 Silent Night
| Guitar | Waddy Wachtel |
| Piano | Roy Bittan |
| Background Vocals | Robbie Nevil |
| Background Vocals | Sharon Celani |
| Vocals | Stevie Nicks |
Liner Notes
Producer – Jimmy Iovine
Mastered By – Stephen Marcussen
Artwork – Keith Haring
Mastered At – Precision Lacquer
Mastered At – Sheffield Lab Matrix
A Very Special Christmas is the first in the A Very Special Christmas series of Christmas-themed compilation albums produced to benefit Special Olympics. The album was released in 1987, and production was overseen by Jimmy Iovine for A&M Records. A Very Special Christmas has also raised millions of dollars for the Special Olympics. The cover artwork was designed by Keith Haring.