A Kind of Christmas Card

A Kind of Christmas Card is a song by the Norwegian singer Morten Harket, which was released in 1995 as the lead single from his first solo album Wild Seed.[2] It was written by Håvard Rem and Harket, and produced by Christopher Neil.[3] "A Kind of Christmas Card" reached No. 1 in Norway and No. 53 in the UK.[4][5] Following the song's success in Norway, Harket received the Spellemannprisen "Song of the Year" award for "A Kind of Christmas Card".[1]

"A Kind of Christmas Card"
Single by Morten Harket
from the album Wild Seed
B-side"Lay Me Down Tonight"
ReleasedAugust 1995[1]
Length3:50
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Håvard Rem
Morten Harket
Producer(s)Christopher Neil
Morten Harket singles chronology
"A Kind of Christmas Card"
(1995)		 "Spanish Steps"
(1996)

A music video was filmed in Los Angeles to promote the single. It was directed by Mark Neal and features Harket's wife, Camilla. In Germany, the song was re-titled to "Burning Out Again (A Kind of Christmas Card)".[6]

Background

The lyrics of "A Kind of Christmas Card" were written by the Norwegian poet Håvard Rem. During a visit to Los Angeles with Harket, they met a friend of Harket's, who told them the true story of a Norwegian girl who had moved to Los Angeles to become a film star, but became involved in pornography and drugs.[1] Speaking to Robert Sandall of VH1, Harket said, "She told Håvard quite a typical story about a young Norwegian girl who came to Los Angeles to become a film star – that was her dream. And very quickly [she] started doing X-rated movies, porno films, and got deeply involved in drugs. When my friend realised what was happening to her, she contacted the Norwegian consulate and got her put on a plane back to Norway – hopefully in time. This prompted Håvard to write the lyrics."[7]

Track listing
Cassette single (UK release)
  1. "A Kind of Christmas Card" – 3:50
  2. "Lay Me Down Tonight" – 2:18
CD single
  1. "A Kind of Christmas Card" – 3:50
  2. "A Change Is Gonna Come" – 5:57
  3. "Lay Me Down Tonight" – 2:18

Personnel
  • Morten Harket – vocals
  • Christopher Neil – producer
  • Bjørn Nessjø – engineer
  • Simon Hurrell – mixing
  • Barry Hammond, Kai Robøle – engineers on "Lay Me Down Tonight"

Charts
Chart (1995) Peak
position
Norwegian Singles Chart[4] 1
UK Singles Chart[5] 53

References
  1. Page, Barry (14 September 2017). "LIFELINES: Morten Harket". The Electricity Club. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  2. "Morten Harket - A Kind Of Christmas Card at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  3. "Wild Seed - Morten Harket | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  4. Steffen Hung. "Morten Harket - A Kind Of Christmas Card". Norwegian Charts. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  5. "MORTEN HARKET | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  6. "1995 - going solo". A-ha diary. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
    - "Morten Harket - Burning Out Again (A Kind Of Christmas Card)". Discogs. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  7. "Morten Harket interview (with Robert Sandall) 1995 VH-1". YouTube. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
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