What do Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey, Susan Boyle and the cast of the TV series Glee have in common? Very little, really – aside from the fact that they have all released a Christmas album in the past year.
要问贾斯汀•比伯、玛利亚•凯莉、苏珊大妈以及美剧《欢乐合唱团》的演员们之间都存在哪些共同点？事实上，除了他们在去年都推出了一张圣诞专辑之外，几乎毫无共同点可言。
They are but a handful of the dozens of artists who are cashing in on Christmas cheer. A market which at one time seemed cornered, is now wide open to anyone who can string the words “Santa” and “Claus” together.
而他们却是演艺界为数不多的能在欢乐圣诞大赚一笔的艺人。过去，圣诞市场似乎一度被垄断，而现在它大门敞开，所有能够将“Santa”和“Claus”串起来的人都可以分一杯羹。
The deluge of holiday music often comes in November and December (some even in October).
圣诞节音乐风潮通常始于11、12月，甚至是10月份。
The past few years, however, have witnessed more pop artists jumping on the bandwagon of Christmas music. Whichever albums dominate the holiday season, insiders hope that they will deliver a Xmas miracle to the ailing music industry.
然而，在过去几年中，越来越多的流行歌手开始追赶圣诞音乐风潮了。无论哪张专辑能够笑傲圣诞假期，业内人士都希望，这些专辑能够为疲软的音乐行业带来一个“圣诞奇迹“。
First, we should establish one thing: Christmas albums are big business, even when they’re not by Bieber or Carey. Consider that one of 2009’s top five albums was a holiday record (Andrea Bocelli’s My Christmas), and, according to Billboard magazine, Josh Groban’s Noel was the top-selling record of 2007.
首先，我们应该确定一件事，那就是圣诞专辑一直风头不减，十分热销。即便是在贾斯汀•比伯和玛利亚•凯莉还未涉足其中时也是如此。想想看，2009年畅销专辑前五之一便是由安德烈•波切利推出的《My Christmas》，此外，根据《公告牌》杂志统计，乔诗•葛洛班的圣诞专辑《Noel》成为2007年度最畅销专辑。
“Christmas albums are a guaranteed seller every year, going back to Elvis,” Keith Caulfield, associate director of charts at Billboard, told The New York Times. “And it does seem like we’re seeing more of them because some recent Christmas albums, such as Bieber’s, have made such a show in the marketplace.”
“追溯回猫王时代，每年圣诞专辑都是热卖的保证”《公告牌》杂志音乐榜榜单副总监凯斯•考菲尔德在接受《纽约时报》采访时称，“现在我们似乎看到越来越多的歌星推出圣诞专辑，因为包括贾斯汀•比伯在内的很多歌手都于近期推出了圣诞专辑，并且都在市场上大放异彩。”
Seasonal CDs, as more serious artists like to refer to them, require very little original material and the songs are instantly familiar.
越来越多的歌艺精湛的艺人喜欢涉足这些季节性音乐专辑，这些音乐对于原创性要求很低，且歌曲本身很快便能为人熟知。
For example, in Bieber’s Christmas album Under the Mistletoe, six out of 11 songs are holiday classics such as The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire), Santa Claus Is Coming to Town and Silent Night.
就拿贾斯汀•比伯的圣诞专辑《在槲寄生下》为例，里面的11首歌曲中有6首是圣诞节经典曲目，比如《圣诞之歌（火炉上烤着栗子）》、《圣诞老人进城来》以及《平安夜》。
Age doesn’t seem to be much of an issue either, since singers of different genres, who appeal to different demographics, all sing the same Christmas tunes–in different ways.
年龄看起来似乎也不是问题，因为流派各异、受众群体不同的歌手们都用各自不同的方式，唱着相同的圣诞旋律。
“More singers, especially young ones, take a lot of liberties with traditional holiday music, and infuse lots of their personalities into the classic songs,” Caulfield said.
考菲尔德表示：“越来越多的歌手，尤其是年轻歌手，随心所欲地演绎着传统节日歌曲，并为这些经典曲目注入个人魅力。”
He added that while traditional singers such as Boyle like to keep it classic, teenager idols like Bieber and the Glee cast are more likely to put R&B and dance rhythms to these old songs.
他补充道，当包括苏珊大妈在内的一众传统歌手将这些歌曲保持经典的演绎时，像贾斯汀•比伯和《欢乐合唱团》成员们这些青少年偶像则更喜欢将R&B和舞曲旋律融入到这些经典老歌之中。
“The mix of traditional Christmas songs with new arrangements keeps the songs feeling fresh and diverse,” Caulfield said.
考菲尔德称：“将传统圣诞歌曲新编可以保持它们的新鲜感以及多样性。”
“They are so catchy and joyous that they could become a new standard.”
“它们是如此的朗朗上口且欢快非常，以至于都近乎成为一个新经典。” |
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