Christmas in Dixie

"Christmas in Dixie"
Single by Alabama
from the album Alabama Christmas
B-side	"Christmas Is Just a Song For Us This Year" (original) "Thistlehair the Christmas Bear" (re-release)[1]
Released	December 6, 1982
Format	7"
Genre	country
Length	3:42 (Single)
Label	RCA
Writer(s)	Jeff Cook Teddy Gentry Mark Herndon Randy Owen
Producer	Harold Shedd Alabama
Alabama singles chronology
"Close Enough to Perfect" (1982) "Christmas in Dixie" (1982) "Dixieland Delight" (1983)

"Christmas in Dixie" is a Christmas song made famous by the country music band Alabama. Originally released in 1982, the song was included on Alabama's 1985 Christmas album (titled Alabama Christmas), and has since been included on many Christmas compilations in both the country and all-genre fields.

Content

The song is a celebration of Christmas in the southern United States.

The original single release was part of a two-sided holiday release issued by RCA Records. The flip side was "Christmas Is Just a Song For Us This Year" by Louise Mandrell and R.C. Bannon. A 1997 rerelease had "Thistlehair the Christmas Bear" as its b-side.^[1]

Lawsuit

In 2010, Allan Caswell sued Alabama over the song, because he thought that it copied part of the theme song he wrote for Prisoner on the Inside.^[2]

Chart performance

The original version spent seven weeks on the charts between late 1982 and early 1983, peaking at number 35. It re-entered the chart three times between 1997 and 2000.^[1]

Chart (1982-1983)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles	35
Chart (1997-1998)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks	47
Chart (1998-1999)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks	40
Chart (1999-2000)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks	37

Covers

The song was covered by Kenny Chesney on his 2003 album All I Want for Christmas Is a Real Good Tan and featured Alabama's lead singer Randy Owen joining him on the track.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 20. ISBN 0-89820-177-2. 
2. ^ "US group 'ripped off' Prisoner theme tune". news.com.au. 8 May 2010. http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/us-group-ripped-off-prisoner-theme-tun/story-e6frfku0-1225863864721. Retrieved 30 June 2011.