“It’s Christmas Time (In Cleveland Heights),” the first single from the upcoming A Philly Special Christmas Party -- featuring performances from Jason and Travis Kelce duetting alongside Boyz II Men -- is now available on all streaming platforms via Vera Y Records. Pre-orders are now open on The Philly Specials official website for the limited-edition white vinyl pressing of A Philly Special Christmas Party. Donna Kelce will bring exclusive The Philly Specials inspired holiday ornaments to QVC on November 1st at 8:00 PM EST. They will be sold as a set of four and will come with ornaments of Jason, Jordan, Lane, and a Christmas tree. Proceeds from the vinyl sales will go to support Children’s Crisis Treatment Center’s Holiday Toy Drive, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Snowflake Station and 87 and Running Foundation, in addition to other Philadelphia based organizations.
The laid-back, R&B infused, “It’s Christmas Time (In Cleveland Heights),” opens with the dulcet and undeniable harmonies of Boyz II Men as Travis and Jason Kelce trade nostalgic verses reminiscing about past holidays in their childhood hometown. The song is an original written by The Philly Specials’ Zach Miller (Dr. Dog) exclusively for A Philly Special Christmas Party. “Lyrically, I tried to draw upon the idea of the Kelce brothers returning to a hometown that has changed and feeling a sentimental attachment but also a disconnection,” says Miller. “The first verse serves as a kind of an internal monologue, wherein Travis is caught up in the actuarial question of exactly how long he's been away, but then he realizes he should appreciate that he's home right now and cherish that fact.”
“The second verse is a rumination on the changes Jason has experienced vis-a-vis the changes the town has experienced, and he considers the ways his life might have been different had he stayed in Cleveland Heights,” Miller continues. “This train of thought is broken by the falling snow, as he's caught up in the magical feeling of Christmas. Like Travis in the previous verse, he realizes he should appreciate the love and beauty life has to offer in this moment. To have Boyz II Men on the track is just surreal. They are the first band I ever really got into, so it's wild and wonderful to have them on this recording.”
"Our manager (Joe Mulvihill) was talking to Travis at the Derby when he heard about The Philly Special Christmas project,” says Boyz II Men’s Nathan Morris. “Emily (Jason’s Manager) called about this project too. Joe shared the details with us including the charitable aspect and we felt like we just had to be a part of the project. Fast forward a few months later and we are singing along with those crazy Kelce brothers. We had a great time, and we hope everyone enjoys the song.”
“Going back to the genesis of this project, Boyz II Men have loomed large over these proceedings as both masters of harmony and as Philly icons,” says producer Charlie Hall. “To have their uniquely symphonic approach to singing on this deeply pensive, groovy, and dream-like track is a dream in and of itself."
“I always have a blast when I get to join the guys on the Christmas album, but it was wild to be on a song with a group as iconic and timeless as Boyz II Men,” shares Travis Kelce. “My friends and I grew up on their music, and it’s still in the rotation today, so it was just an unreal experience.
A Philly Special Christmas Special raised over $3M and singles, “This Christmas,” “All I Want for Christmas is You,” “Fairytale of Philadelphia,” and “Pretty Paper,” have garnered over 10M streams across platforms, “Fairytale of Philadelphia” reached #1 on iTunes, 50,000 copies have been sold on vinyl and the stop motion special created by unPOP Animation, A Philly Special Christmas Special, has been viewed over 700,000 times with 10,000 live viewers tuning in to its premiere on Thanksgiving night. Its predecessor in 2022, A Philly Special Christmas, immediately sold out its limited pressing. The record reached four top ten spots on various Billboard Music Charts including #1 on the Compilation Albums Chart. A Philly Special Christmas donated over $1M to local charities including Children’s Crisis Treatment Center and fulfilled the wish lists of Philadelphia School District teachers via Donors Choose.
Find A Philly Special Christmas Special Online:
Official: http://phillyspecialchristmas.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aphillyspecialchristmas
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aphillyspecialchristmas
