The new year is officially just around the corner, and while only days are left in the old year, record labels have already started looking to the new year, with a number of announcements of new albums on the way already made. One of the most exciting announcements already made came recently from Lee Mendelson Film Productions. The company announced early last month, plans to release the soundtrack to yet another classic Peanuts television special. The special in question is the famed Valentines Day special, Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown. Originally having aired Jan. 28, 1975 on CBS, the special will mark its 50th anniversary Jan. 17 with the first ever release of its soundtrack. The compilation’s upcoming release is just as impressive as those that LMFP has already released. As with those soundtracks, that is due in no small part to the music that makes up the record’s body. It will be discussed shortly. The liner notes that accompany the recording once again add so much to the presentation’s appeal, too. They will be discussed a little later. The record’s production puts the finishing touch to the whole and will also be addressed later. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the record. All things considered they make the forthcoming soundtrack to Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown the first truly great music release of 2025.
Lee Mendelson Film Productions’ forthcoming release of the Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown soundtrack is the first great musical offering of 2025. The record’s release proves especially important and impressive as it is part of the 75th anniversary celebration of Charles Schulz’s beloved Peanuts comic strip. The 30-track compilation will be the fourth Peanuts TV special soundtrack release in two years, following the releases of the soundtracks to A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving in 2023 and It Was A Short Summer, Charlie Brown and You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown in 2024. As with those records, this soundtrack release (the first ever release for Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown) proves impressive in no small part though its featured musical arrangements. The arrangements in question are all of the songs and music cues featured throughout the special. The central song in question is the ‘Heartburn Waltz.’ Over the course of the record, famed composer Vince Guaraldi (who composed so much music for the Peanuts TV specials) and his fellow musicians recorded at least 10 takes of the song, all of which are presented here. A close listen to each take reveals such clear differences between each take. Right off the top the difference in the main theme and its first reprise make that clear. The light, almost fusion jazz approach of the leadoff take is the polar opposite of the much shorter first reprise, which immediately follows. That first reprise, while extremely short, is much more familiar territory for audiences familiar with Guaraldi’s work. Meanwhile the first and second reprises are more closely akin to one another in terms of style while only subtly unalike in sound, making for plenty of interest.
The changes in the reprises continue from there, ensuring plenty of engagement and entertainment for listeners. It is not the only key addition to the record. The famed ‘Linus and Lucy’ theme is also featured here, though it is quite unlike the theme that audiences know. Author Derrick Bang discusses this change as part of his once again expansive liner notes. This will be discussed a little later. Staying on that note, another intriguing addition to the record is the pair of songs centered on Snoopy’s little yellow feathered friend, Woodstock. The keyboard-driven ‘Woodstock’s Mambo’ presents a style with which audiences would increasingly become familiar over the years, what with its full on electronic leaning. The clear influence of the overall music temperature of the 1970s is fully evident in this brief interlude. ‘Woodstock’s Revenge’ meanwhile is quite different from its counterpart. The soft approach combined with the clear tension makes this another notable addition to the soundtrack. Between these songs, the others examined here and others, such as the original take of ‘There’s Been a Change’ and its alternate take, the whole of this soundtrack’s body clearly offers so much for audiences to appreciate. The arrangements themselves are just part of what audiences will appreciate, too. As with the aforementioned Peanuts TV specials’ soundtracks, the songs and cues here are presented in the exact chronological order in which they appeared in the special. So whether audiences have seen this special or not they get something of a rich painting of the story thanks to that clearly thought out presentation. Keeping all of this in mind, the role of the music featured in the soundtrack forms a solid foundation for its presentation.
The musical portion of the soundtrack to Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown is just part of what audiences will appreciate about this latest offering from LMFP. The expansive liner notes presented in the record’s companion booklet make for their own engagement and entertainment. Author Derrick Bang once again provides a large portion of the liner notes, pointing out interestingly right from the outset, that despite the popularity of the now beloved 1965 special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Vince Guaraldi had gained only moderate notoriety. The whole story therein is quite interesting. Bang notes therein that he kept his name out there and respected through stints at well-known and respected venues around San Francisco. Bang continues later pointing out that Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown was based on a series of comics strips that Charles Schulz had crafted. The special, as Bang notes, would be the 13th Peanuts TV special. This gains even more importance when one goes back to the revelation that since the debut of A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1964, Guaraldi had been working on so many Peanuts TV specials. It becomes shocking and surprising that despite all of that work, he had not gained more fame.
This is just part of what audiences will find interesting. Another lighter note is that the names the Schroeder calls out when the Valentines passed out in the class during one sequence are those of people involved in the special’s creation. Bang also points out that the soundtrack’s creation was not easy. “Guaraldi’s score had a lengthy birth,” Bang writes. “It took five studio sessions…It’s tempting to think Guaraldi had trouble coming up with suitable themes and cues, but it more likely was a case of fine-tuning.” This comment is important in hindsight because earlier in his notes, Bang writes that “Guaraldi…took pains to get his combo optimally placed.” This note is a reference to his work in the venues around San Francisco. At the same time in partner with his note of Guaraldi’s work to “fine tune” the soundtrack, it shows Guaraldi as a figure who wanted only the absolute best possible presentation. It makes for so much more appreciation for the music that Guaraldi and company crafted for this special.
In direct connection with all of this, Bang also notes that Guaraldi “also made a point of not using most of the familiar Peanuts cues…this approach was intentional, because this score is a “tone poem tapestry” designed to reinforce the melancholy atmosphere of all these love’s labors lost.” This goes right back to the note of how obviously deliberate Guaraldi always was in his work. It further paints a picture of who Guaraldi was, making for even more appreciation for him and his work.
Perhaps the most intriguing note of all in Bang’s notes is the revelation that Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown actually went up against another Peanuts TV special – It’s The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown – and almost also went up against yet another Peanuts special – It’s A Mystery, Charlie Brown – in 1975, but ultimately both the Easter and Valentines Day specials lost out to a Christmas special (bringing everything full circle here), Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus. That is so ironic considering all the work that Guaraldi had done with the Peanuts specials since 1964’s A Charlie Brown Christmas and still not gaining widespread notoriety and fame. At the same time it shows the influence both of the Peanuts brand and of Guaraldi’s own work. It shows Guaraldi had finally really attained some level of true respect even though he came up short of earning that award. Obviously since then he clearly has earned quite more fame and respect.
Bang’s liner notes are not the only discussions featured in the record’s companion booklet. Sean and Jason Mendelson (the sons of Lee Mendelson, who played a pivotal role in so many Peanuts specials in his own right) add their own comments to the bigger discussion. Where Bang gives a broader historical overview of the soundtrack and special, Sean Mendelson expansively takes on the musical theory side of things, addressing how Guaraldi came up with the compositions that became the special’s soundtrack. Jason’s discussion is the shortest, putting the final accent to the whole as he writes of the Mendelson family’s pleasure at once again being part of the Peanuts legacy and of the legacy of Peanuts in whole. Between the Mendelsons’ comments and those of Bang, the whole of the trio’s writing enriches this record all the more.
The primary and secondary content featured in LMFP’s forthcoming Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown soundtrack clearly does so much to make the record enjoyable. It is collectively just part of what makes the record enjoyable. The record’s production puts the finishing touch to the presentation. From beginning to end, the production is expert. From being able to hear the group talking at points in studio to the balance of each musician’s work, the result is an aesthetic that is just as positive as the discussed content. All things considered the whole of this presentation becomes a wonderful way for Peanuts fans and jazz fans alike to start 2025.
Lee Mendelson Film Productions’ forthcoming release of the soundtrack to Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown is a great way to kick off the new year. Its appeal comes in part through its featured musical arrangements, which offer a unique sound and style in comparison to so many other Peanuts soundtracks composed by Vince Guaraldi. The arrangements featured here also are once again presented in the exact chronological order in which they appeared in the original special. The liner notes that accompany the record make for just as much appreciation. That is due to the history of the special and its soundtrack provided by Derrick Bang and Lee Mendelson’s sons Sean and Jason. The record’s production puts the finishing touch to the whole, creating an aesthetic that is just as welcome as the record’s overall content. All things considered they make the soundtrack to Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown the first great musical offering of 2025.
The soundtrack to Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown is scheduled for release Jan. 17 through Lee Mendelson Film Productions. More information on this and other Peanuts soundtracks is available at https://mendelsonproductions.com.