V/A: A Very Special Christmas (Keith Haring cover) [A&M]

Why you'll love it

This A&M edition keeps Keith Haring's famous cover art and the original 1987 running order, including Bon Jovi's "Back Door Santa." The album went quadruple platinum and has raised millions of dollars for the Special Olympics.

This edition

• Keith Haring cover art
• Original 1987 running order

About the album

Jimmy Iovine had an idea in 1987: get the biggest names in pop to record a Christmas song each, give the money to the Special Olympics, and ask Keith Haring to draw the cover. It worked so well it turned into a whole series and changed the way holiday albums sound. The stars donated their tracks, and the whole thing came together in a matter of months for an October 1987 street date.

The Pointer Sisters kick off with "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," Eurythmics take on "Winter Wonderland," Whitney Houston sings "Do You Hear What I Hear?" and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band tear into "Merry Christmas Baby." Run-DMC's "Christmas in Hollis" became a classic of its own, U2 give "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" the big treatment, Madonna purrs through "Santa Baby," and Kingston's own Bryan Adams rocks "Run Rudolph Run." Sting, The Pretenders, Bob Seger, Alison Moyet and Stevie Nicks close it out.

It's still among the best-selling holiday albums of the SoundScan era. We'd suggest buying two, one for you and one for whoever keeps hogging the Mariah Carey.

Also at Kops: more A Very Special Christmas on vinyl · browse Pop

Tracklist

Listen

On A&M (cat# A&M SP 3911), a reissue of the 1987 compilation.