Single: “Christmas Love Song”
(NEW YORK) Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, will release Willie Nelson’s new holiday single, “Christmas Love Song” on Friday, October 24.
The newly-penned holiday track recorded by Nelson, was written by Country Music Hall of Famer Bill Anderson along with No. 1 songwriters Bobby Tomberlin and Marv Green.
“It ain’t a lot but every word of it’s true
It don’t sparkle or shine
But it’s one of a kind
And I put my whole heart into
This Christmas love song to you”
Produced by longtime collaborator Buddy Cannon, the heartfelt track features a group of top-flight Nashville musicians as well as Mickey Raphael on harmonica who all back Nelson and his guitar Trigger.
“Christmas Love Song” joins Nelson’s previous holiday offerings. His RIAA Platinum album, Pretty Paper, was originally released in 1979 after Roy Orbison’s performance of the title track became a hit. Now a classic, the collection has been named to Rolling Stone magazine’s “25 Greatest Christmas Albums of All Time” and All Music declares, “it (is) one of the finest country holiday records ever released. It’s not just because the title track became a classic …it’s because Nelson is a great interpreter, capable of making standards like ‘White Christmas’ and ‘Silent Night’ fresh and unpredictable.”
album cover art: Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle
The single drops just in time for the holiday season, and ahead of Nelson’s new studio album, Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle, which premieres Willie’s new interpretations of 11 classic songs written by Merle Haggard. Nelson’s new performances include songs from various parts of his career, from tracks off of Merle’s first #1 Country album, 1966’s Swinging Doors (“Swinging Doors,” “Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down”) and late 60s career-defining hits (“Mama Tried,” “Okie From Muskogee”) to 70s classics (the heart-breaking holiday track “If We Make It Through December,” the southern-rock tinged “Ramblin’ Fever”) and Merle’s #1 honky-tonk classic from 1980 “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink.” This upcoming studio album releases in all configurations on Friday, November 7. Pre-orders are now available, HERE.
About Willie Nelson
With a seven-decade career, Willie Nelson has earned every conceivable award as a musician and amassed reputable credentials as an author, actor, and activist. He continues to thrive as a relevant and progressive musical and cultural force. In recent years, he has delivered more than a dozen new albums, released a Top 10 New York Times’ bestsellers book, again headlined Farm Aid (an event he co-founded in 1985), his annual Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic, his annual Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic, been honored by the Library of Congress with their Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, received his 5th degree black belt in Gong Kwon Yu Sul, headlined the annual Luck Reunion food and music festival during SXSW as well
Willie’s Remedy+
as the annual Outlaw Music Festival Tour, launched his cannabis companies Willie’s Reserve, Willie’s Remedy, and Willie’s Remedy+, and graced the covers of Rolling Stone and AARP The Magazine. Nelson started this decade by releasing four albums of newly recorded music—First Rose of Spring (2020), That’s Life (2021), The Willie Nelson Family (2021), and A Beautiful Time (2022, GRAMMY Award winner for Best Country Album)—and three books—Me and Sister Bobbie: True Tales of The Family Band (2020), Willie Nelson’s Letters to America (2021), and Me and Paul: Untold Tale of a Fabled Friendship (2022). Willie celebrated his 90th birthday with multiple projects and events including a two-night star-studded concert at the famed Hollywood Bowl, Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90, that was released as a feature film and a televised broadcast special. The year began with the debut of “Wille Nelson & Family,” a new five-part film documentary series directed by Thom Zimny and Oren Moverman that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival as well as the release of a new album, I Don’t Know a Thing About Love, which features 10 performances that pay tribute to American songwriter Harlan Howard. Last year also welcomed two new releases: Bluegrass (with newly recorded studio performances of 12 Willie Nelson-penned classics showcasing Willie with a bluegrass ensemble), and a new book, Energy Follows Thought (with stories behind the lyrics of 160 of his favorite songs, along with never-before-seen photos and ephemera). To cap the momentous year, Nelson was inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In 2024, Nelson expanded his depth of work with the release of two new albums and a new book. The month of May saw the arrival of the studio album The Border, which includes Willie’s versions of 10 contemporary country songs, and four new compositions with Buddy Cannon. And in November he released a cookbook co-authored with his wife, Willie and Annie Nelson’s Cannabis Cookbook: Mouthwatering Recipes and the High-Flying Stories Behind Them as well as another studio album, Last Leaf on the Tree, which features close collaborations with Nelson’s son Micah. For 2025, Nelson released a new studio album, Oh What A Beautiful World, on April 25. The 12-song collection features new Nelson performances of classic Rodney Crowell compositions. In October, Nelson releases a new holiday song, “Christmas Love Song,” written by Bill Anderson, Bobby Tomberlin, and Marv Green. November brings, Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle, which premieres Willie’s new interpretations of 11 classic songs written by Merle Haggard. These creative endeavors as well as new songs and performances that add to his classic catalog, find Willie Nelson rolling at an artistic peak, writing and singing and playing with the seasoned wit and wisdom that comes from the road.
