"Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas" Soundtrack Lyrics

“Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas — Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture” – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Review

How do you score a Christmas comedy that keeps swerving from church pews to family squabbles to small-town politics? A Madea Christmas answers with a jukebox of soul and classics — then lets Christopher Young’s warm, twinkling score hold the seams. Motown-leaning cuts (Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder) spark nostalgia; modern R&B (Kelly Rowland, Ashanti) brings gloss; a Boyz II Men & Brian McKnight closer gives you the fireplace fade-out.

The album plays like the movie’s community: elders who know every carol, kids who only want the pageant to go right, and aunties who turn a kitchen into a dance floor. On screen, needle-drops handle joy and release; the score takes care of doubt and reconciliation. It’s Perry’s signature emotional math: gospel spirit + radio hooks = crowd therapy.

Genre phases & meanings: classic Motown/stacked harmonies — family ritual, memory; 2000s R&B & pop — romance beats and feel-good montage; orchestral score — quiet breath, lesson learned.

How It Was Made

The songs compilation — “Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas Album (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)” — arrived late November 2013 on Motown Records, a 13-track set mixing holiday staples (Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Pearl Bailey) with fresh soundtrack versions from Kelly Rowland, Ashanti, KEM, and new artists Kevin Ross and MPrynt. In parallel, composer Christopher Young wrote the film’s original score — a gentle, bell-and-strings palette that keeps the comedy buoyant without stepping on jokes.

Editorially, the film leans diegetic whenever it can — carols inside the school and church; choir textures for community scenes — then shifts to studio recordings for montages and credits. The retail album focuses on the big-name cuts while several pageant/choir performances remain in-film only.

Tracks & Scenes

Song-to-scene mappings (times vary by edition/TV cut). Includes in-film performances that are not on the retail album.

“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” (Jackson 5)

Where it plays:

Opener/early montage energy — Madea’s big-city bustle and holiday traffic set the tempo before the country detour.

Why it matters:

Immediate Motown warmth; signals a family-friendly lane despite the chaos to come.

“What Christmas Means to Me” (Stevie Wonder)

Where it plays:

House-prep and kitchen dance beats as relatives converge — decorations up, casseroles in, laughs loud.

Why it matters:

Turns chores into celebration; a communal reset after bickering.

“Oh Santa!” (Mariah Carey)

Where it plays:

Retail/errand sprint sequences; the chorus pops under quick-cut comedy business.

Why it matters:

Modern sparkle that matches Madea’s maximalist mood.

“Wonderful Christmastime” (Kelly Rowland)

Where it plays:

Neighborhood glow montage — string lights, cocoa steam, brief truce moments.

Why it matters:

A sleek cover that updates a standard without breaking tone.

“Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” (Boyz II Men & Brian McKnight)

Where it plays:

End-credits run — the camera’s already exhaled; this is the warm coat on the way out.

Why it matters:

R&B blend = pure comfort; closes the movie exactly where Perry likes — safe and snug.

“It’s Christmas” (Anthony Hamilton) — in-film, non-album

Where it plays:

Heard during a mid-film interlude as the town readies for festivities; street life and storefronts sweep by.

Why it matters:

Earthy grit amid the gloss; gives the story a Southern heartbeat.

School & church pageant carols — in-film performances

Where they play:

Within the community program and rehearsal scenes: children’s choir and solo turns on standards including “Silent Night,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” and “Joy to the World,” plus pageant-style “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”

Why they matter:

Diegetic heart of the film — these numbers tie the plot’s conflicts to a shared stage and resolve in music.

“A Five Pound Box of Money” (Pearl Bailey)

Where it plays:

Comic counterpoint during last-minute gift chatter; the lyric’s wink fits Madea’s practicality.

Why it matters:

Vintage sass; balances the sentimental with the sly.

Score spotlight: Christopher Young’s sleigh-bells-and-strings cues

Where they play:

Under the film’s softer pivots — hard conversations on the porch, a reconciliatory drive through lit streets, the pageant’s quiet beat before the applause.

Why they matter:

Young underlines warmth without syrup, giving space between the big songs.

Notes & Trivia

• The retail album focuses on licensed holiday cuts; many pageant/choir performances remain exclusive to the film.
• Label move: the soundtrack landed on Motown — fitting for a project anchored by Jackson 5 and Stevie Wonder staples.
• Composer credit surprises some fans: horror-thriller veteran Christopher Young delivers a tender seasonal score here.
• Two new acts — Kevin Ross and MPrynt — premiered soundtrack-exclusive tracks on the album.

Reception & Quotes

Viewers pegged the album as “holiday-party ready,” while score followers praised the light touch between punchlines. Even mixed film reviews nodded at the familiar, feel-good music choices.

“A church-to-radio mixtape that does exactly what it needs to.” Album roundups

“Young’s cues keep the comedy breathing.” Score commentary

Interesting Facts

• Motown spine: Anchoring the OST with Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, and Smokey Robinson & the Miracles instantly sets the film’s family tone.
• Not just needle-drops: Several carols are performed by kids’ choirs and soloists in-scene — a Perry staple for emotional peaks.
• Credits cuddle: The Boyz II Men & Brian McKnight closer has become a low-key holiday playlist favorite beyond the film.
• Career curveball: Young scored Sinister the year before; here he flips to tinsel and tenderness.

Technical Info

• Title: Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas — Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture
• Year: 2013
• Type: Songs compilation (separate score unreleased as an album)
• Composer: Christopher Young (film score)
• Label: Motown Records (UMG)
• Release window: Late November 2013 (album) / December 13, 2013 (film)
• Selected notable placements: “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” (J5) — early montage; “What Christmas Means to Me” (Stevie Wonder) — kitchen/family beats; “Oh Santa!” (Mariah Carey) — errand sprint; “Wonderful Christmastime” (Kelly Rowland) — neighborhood glow; “It’s Christmas” (Anthony Hamilton) — in-film montage; pageant carols — “Silent Night,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” (in-film performances); end credits: “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” (Boyz II Men & Brian McKnight).
• Trailer asset: YouTube ID 2zFenzWARtc

Questions & Answers

Who composed the film’s score?

Christopher Young — he keeps the seasonal tone light with bells, woodwinds, and warm strings.

Is there an official soundtrack album?

Yes. Motown released a 13-track compilation mixing classics and contemporary R&B; some in-film carols are not on the album.

Which songs lead the credits?

R&B harmonies close the film with Boyz II Men & Brian McKnight’s “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”

Are the children’s choir numbers on the OST?

Most pageant/choir performances (“Silent Night,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” etc.) are in-film only.

Does the film use newer holiday songs too?

Yes — Kelly Rowland’s “Wonderful Christmastime,” Ashanti’s “Winter Wonderland,” and others update the classics.

Key Contributors

Sources: album listings (Apple Music/Spotify/YouTube Music); Film Music Reporter announcement & track list; Discogs release; Wikipedia film page (composer/credits); scene-by-scene carol credits indexes and soundtrack databases; official trailers.

November, 29th 2025