Kenny Loggins - Celebrate Me Home

1. Was the (3:52) version on the stock single as well?

2. Can the (3:52) version be extracted from the LP version (which runs about (4:40)ish)?

jimct wrote: John, "Celebrate Me Home" was initially released as the 2nd and final single, off the album of the same name, his first solo LP. The first 45 from it, "I Believe In Love", did make the Hot 100, but was a national midchart. This 1977 45 release of "Celebrate Me Home" did not make the Hot 100, did not "Bubble Under", and did not appear on the Billboard Christmas singles chart. Also, the ARSA "Old Top 40 Music Surveys Database", that I help maintain, does not show a SINGLE station that charted it, in 1977. But it did became a HUGE concert favorite for him, even an "anthem" of sorts. So, when he released the "Kenny Loggins Alive" LP, in late 1980, it was the natural choice for a second 45 release. And, in the spirit of the later "Save A Prayer" by Duran Duran, and as Paul already stated, they included the 1977 original studio version on the 1980 45's flip side. But, again, the 1980 45 release didn't even make the Hot 100. Nor did it "Bubble Under", nor did it appear on the Billboard Christmas chart in 1980. So, and as with 1977, I just cannot find even a SINGLE ARSA-posted 1980 survey, that charted this song. The station you worked at may have been the ONLY one in the U.S. that played it, John! Do you have any old surveys from there? I acknowledge that, for many years now, it has been considered a "Kenny Loggins Classic". But I never have been able to find even the SMALLEST crumb of evidence of radio airplay for it, either in 1977 or in 1980, and we never did either, until your statement above.

Well, according to the new Comparison Book 1954-1982 from Record Research, the studio version of "Celebrate Me Home" on Columbia 10652 DID hit #64 in Record World during a 9-week run in April-May of '78. In addition, it shows the live version on Columbia 11417 climbed to #110 in the same publication during a similar 9-week run from December of '80 through February of '81...

Observation: At first glance, the debut date of April 1, 1978, on Record World's "top 100" chart for the studio version would suggest that Columbia 10652 was released in early to mid March of '78. However, I noticed that Columbia's "Hall of Fame" re-issue 45 of the song (where it's b/w "I Believe in Love") states an original release date of "December, 1977" on the label, as does the current pressing of the 45 from Collectables. In addition, 45cat states an original release date of "Nov 1977" for Columbia 10652. Further research reveals that the "10652" catalog no. DOES jive w/ a November '77 release date; by March of '78, Columbia was already up to the high 10690s/low 10700s - so I think there's little question it hit store shelves in late '77. Therefore, it appears that "Celebrate Me Home" made a VERY slow - yet progressive - climb in Record World, from November of '77 through March of '78, before cracking their "top 100" in the April 1 issue. Perhaps Paul Haney could fill us in w/ regards to exactly when & how long the song ranked anywhere from #101-#150 in the magazine during those winter months, for some additional insight??? Of course, this chart success in Record World also begs the following: If "Celebrate Me Home" was indeed considered a "seasonal song" from the get-go - as its original November '77 promotion/release by Columbia and recent radio history both suggest - how did it manage to peak on the chart the following SPRING???

My own experience w/ this song - as someone who has never actually worked in radio, but has always been an avid listener - is that I don't recall hearing it on the airwaves when it was pushed as a single either time (i.e., 1977-78 or 1980-81). Throughout the '80s & '90s, though, I DID hear it occasionally on the radio and other places, so I knew that "Celebrate Me Home" was considered something of a "classic" for KL, although during that period, I didn't really associate it w/ the holidays. (Indeed, the song isn't even included on his lone Christmas album, 1998's December!) However, as TimNeely said, it sure does seem to have become a Christmas "standard" over the last 10-15 years, as I now hear it often during that time of year...

Further cementing "Celebrate Me Home" as a "classic" of KL's in my mind over the years has been its inclusion on almost all of his hits collections, as well as the three times I've seen him in concert. The first two times I saw him he was solo, which was circa 1987-88 (SoCal), and again around 1996-97 (Long Island, NY) - actually got to meet him after the latter. :-) I know he performed "CMH" during at least one of those shows, if not both. The third time I saw him live was here in NH back in 2005, when he did a reunion tour w/ Jim Messina, and they performed mostly L&M songs. That show was fantastic! (Dang, was that really TEN years ago now?!?)

Thanks for all the RW chart info, which was obviously unavailable to me
when I posted earlier. I only ever got into the "did it get current airplay?"
issue because John had asked me a direct question about it, early in the
thread.

For anyone interested, I was gifted from a friend a 9-track, unreleased
holiday tracks sampler, titled "Sweet Tracks", that Best Buy stores were
giving away in 2004. (I also own one they produced in 2005 - these were
distinctive for being housed in small, round, CD-shaped, two-piece metal
housing, which opened from the top. This one had a green and white swirl
design, while '05 was red and white.) There is no label/catalog info, but
the CD deadwax info is "ST - 2004 10"). The final track is a live version of
Kenny singing "Celebrate Me Home (For The Holidays"). It runs (6:22).

I wouldn't be surprised if it's turned up elsewhere since 2004. He
customized the song's normal lyrics here, since it's grown to be
considered a holiday track by many.

Edited by jimct