"Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Vol. 2" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Vol. 2" Soundtrack Description

Overview

Holiday TV albums often chase nostalgia; this one doubles down and adds a TV-special inside the episode. Released in mid-November 2011, Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Vol. 2 lands a month ahead of Season 3’s “Extraordinary Merry Christmas,” front-loading the season with 12 tracks and two new originals.

The set splits between glossy choir-room takes (“All I Want for Christmas Is You,” “River,” “Blue Christmas”) and the episode’s black-and-white variety special (“Let It Snow,” the title original “Extraordinary Merry Christmas”). It also closes with a charity cover, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?,” which the production tied to The Band Aid Trust. Wikipedia, Apple Music, and PR Newswire confirm the release window, content mix, and charity note; Discogs documents multiple regional CD issues.

Questions & Answers

When did Vol. 2 release, and how does it tie to the show?

November 2011; it precedes and feeds S3E9 “Extraordinary Merry Christmas,” which aired December 13, 2011. Most episode songs were on the album in advance.

What’s original vs. cover here?

Two originals (“Extraordinary Merry Christmas,” “Christmas Eve with You”); the rest are holiday standards re-arranged for cast voices.

Who leads the headline tracks?

Amber Riley on “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” Damian McGinty on “Blue Christmas,” Lea Michele on “River,” Darren Criss & Chris Colfer on “Let It Snow,” ensemble on “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”

Is “My Favorite Things” on the album?

No. It’s performed in the episode but omitted from Vol. 2; it was issued separately as a single.

What’s the charity connection?

Proceeds from “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” were pledged to The Band Aid Trust via the show’s official channels.

Where to verify editions and credits?

Apple Music for runtime/rights; Wikipedia for overview; Discogs for regional CDs; PR Newswire and trade posts for the charity details.

Notes & Trivia

• Eight of nine S3E9 songs came from this album; only “My Favorite Things” sat outside the tracklist.
• Naya Rivera’s “Santa Baby” was cut from U.S. broadcast for time; the studio version lives on the album and an official online video.
• The Bruce Springsteen arrangement inspired the show’s “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” staging and arrangement credit.
• All four finalists from The Glee Project surface across the Vol. 2 era; Damian McGinty fronts “Blue Christmas.”
• Album debuted top-10 on the Billboard 200 and climbed again the week the episode aired.

Genres & Themes

Choir-room pop ↔ vulnerability: McGinty’s “Blue Christmas” and Michele’s “River” turn standards into character reveals — homesickness and perfectionism, respectively.

Retro TV-special swing ↔ performance as refuge: “Let It Snow” places Klaine in crooner mode; the black-and-white set “hides” teen stress behind studio polish.

Community anthem ↔ ethics debate: “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” forces the plot to weigh spectacle vs. service; the track’s charity tie-in makes the moment literal.

Tracks & Scenes

(Episode placements mirror S3E9 unless noted; where timecodes aren’t public, scenes are described precisely.)

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” — Mercedes (Amber Riley) + New Directions
Where it plays: Choir-room decorating opener; diegetic, with handheld cutaways to the club trimming the room.
Why it matters: Establishes the episode’s upbeat register and Mercedes as the vocal engine of the ensemble.

“Blue Christmas” — Rory (Damian McGinty)
Where it plays: Classroom mini-recital after Rory admits homesickness; diegetic stand-and-deliver performance.
Why it matters: The lyric reads as character confession; it also justifies later generosity arcs toward Rory.

“River” — Rachel (Lea Michele)
Where it plays: Auditorium ballad under soft winter lighting; diegetic solo framed as a try-out for the special.
Why it matters: Tips the episode toward introspection and underlines Rachel’s perfectionism even at Christmas.

“Extraordinary Merry Christmas” — Blaine & Rachel (original)
Where it plays: On the in-episode black-and-white TV special; diegetic as part of the fictional broadcast.
Why it matters: A mission statement for the special — sparkling, slightly kitsch, deliberately “TV.”

“Let It Snow” — Kurt & Blaine
Where it plays: Variety-set duet with live-to-camera hosting bits; diegetic within the special, with meta-banter.
Why it matters: Crooner pastiche that gives Klaine a soft-power showcase away from McKinley’s drama.

“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” — Finn, Puck (+ band) [Springsteen-style arrangement]
Where it plays: Rehearsal-room jam moving to stage; diegetic performance with guitar-band swagger.
Why it matters: A nod to classic rock that broadens the sonic palette beyond choir-room sheen.

“Christmas Wrapping” — Brittany (lead) with the girls
Where it plays: Mall/commons-style montage; diegetic number with prop choreography and ribbons.
Why it matters: Candy-coated storytelling that keeps the episode light while pairs reshuffle offstage.

“Do They Know It’s Christmas?” — Ensemble
Where it plays: Closing performance tied to a charitable choice; diegetic finale with simple stage pictures.
Why it matters: The songs-vs-service dilemma resolves toward community, echoed by the track’s real-world charity tie-in.

Album-only or alternate-release notes: “Santa Baby” (Santana) was cut from U.S. broadcast but issued online and on the album; “My Favorite Things” appears in the episode but is not on the album; “Christmas Eve with You” (original) appears on Vol. 2 outside the episode’s main set-pieces.

Music–Story Links

Rachel’s “River” argues for introspection just as the group wants sparkle — that friction fuels the pivot into the in-show special where “Extraordinary Merry Christmas” and “Let It Snow” let characters escape into performance. Rory’s “Blue Christmas” reframes a guest-star arc as a homesick holiday beat, which the finale’s charity number resolves in action. The album’s sequencing mirrors this: joy → doubt → TV fantasy → service.

How It Was Made

Executive music production and arrangements ran through Adam Anders with Peer Åström; series music supervision was led by PJ Bloom. The episode doubled as Matthew Morrison’s directorial debut, which explains the meticulous homage to mid-century holiday TV. Two originals (co-written by Anders/Åström/Shelly Peiken) were cut to fit the special’s variety-show format; the Band Aid cover carried an explicit charity component.

Reception & Quotes

The album opened top-10 on the Billboard 200 and gained again during broadcast week. Critics loved the variety-show conceit even while side-eyeing plot thinness; commentary consistently singled out Mercedes’s opener and the Klaine crooner duet.

“Musically this episode was one of the season’s strongest.” Contemporary recap consensus

“Brassy, breezy ‘Let It Snow’ sells the black-and-white special.” AllMusic summary

“Fizzy, with Brittany on lead — the number that actually feels like a mall in December.” Vanity Fair recap

Availability and charity confirmation can be checked via Apple Music, PR Newswire, and label-adjacent posts.

Additional Info

• Album runtime ~41 minutes (12 tracks) on digital storefronts.
• “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” proceeds pledged to The Band Aid Trust.
• “Santa Baby” uses an arrangement referencing Madonna’s cover production.
• Regional CDs exist (Europe, Japan, U.S. retail) with identical core sequencing.
• The episode title track and the Klaine duet were filmed on a constructed classic-TV set with period mics.
• Eight of nine episode songs were issued as singles; “My Favorite Things” was the outlier single not on the album.

Technical Info

• Title: Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Vol. 2
• Year/Type: 2011, TV soundtrack (holiday)
• Artist: Glee Cast
• Label: Columbia / 20th Century Fox TV
• Release: Mid-November 2011 (digital/CD); episode aired Dec 13, 2011
• Producers/Arrangers: Adam Anders, Peer Åström (album); PJ Bloom (music supervision)
• Episode tie-in: S3E9 “Extraordinary Merry Christmas” — 9 featured songs; “My Favorite Things” excluded from the album
• Notable cuts: “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” “Blue Christmas,” “River,” “Let It Snow,” “Extraordinary Merry Christmas,” “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”
• Chart note: U.S. Billboard 200 debut inside top-10; climbed during broadcast week
• Charity: Net monies from “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” to The Band Aid Trust

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Wikipedia; Apple Music; PR Newswire; Discogs; Vanity Fair.

November, 09th 2025