Eric Clapton to release Christmas album

(Image credit: Isaiah Trickey/FilmMagic - Getty)

Eric Clapton has announced details of a Christmas album.

Titled Happy Xmas, it’ll be released on October 12 and will feature a range of festive songs along with the new track For Love On Christmas Day.

Clapton tells Billboard: “I had in my head that these holiday songs could be done with a slight blues tinge, and I started to figure out how to play the blues lines in between the vocals.

“I got it down and one of the most identifiable songs on the album, the one that became the foundational style, is Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”

Clapton co-produced Happy Xmas with Simon Climie and designed the cover art, which can be seen below along with a full tracklist.

The album will be Slowhand’s first release since 2016’s I Still Do.

Clapton will play two shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden on October 6 and 7.

Eric Clapton - Happy Xmas
1. White Christmas
2. Away In A Manger (Once In Royal David’s City)
3. For Love On Christmas Day
4. Everyday Will Be Like A Holiday
5. Christmas Tears
6. Home For The Holidays
7. Jingle Bells (In Memory Of Avicii)
8. Christmas In My Hometown
9. It’s Christmas
10. Sentimental Moments
11. Lonesome Christmas
12. Silent Night
13. Merry Christmas Baby
14. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Scott Munro
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Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.