The Christmas Song

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This article is about the song by Bob Wells and Mel Tormé. For other uses, see Christmas music and Christmas Song (disambiguation).
"The Christmas Song"
Song
Published 1945 by Burke and Van Heusen
Genre Christmas
Songwriter(s)

"The Christmas Song" (commonly subtitled "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" or, as it was originally subtitled, "Merry Christmas to You") is a classic Christmas song written in 1945[note 1] by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé.

According to Tormé, the song was written in July[1] during a blistering hot summer. In an effort to "stay cool by thinking cool", the most-performed (according to BMI) Christmas song was born.[2][4][5] "I saw a spiral pad on his (Wells's) piano with four lines written in pencil", Tormé recalled. "They started, 'Chestnuts roasting..., Jack Frost nipping..., Yuletide carols..., Folks dressed up like Eskimos.' Bob didn't think he was writing a song lyric. He said he thought if he could immerse himself in winter he could cool off. Forty minutes later that song was written. I wrote all the music and some of the lyrics."

The Nat King Cole Trio first recorded the song in June 1946. At Cole's behest – and over the objections of his label, Capitol Records – a second recording was made in August utilizing a small string section. This version became a massive hit on both the pop and R&B charts. Cole again recorded the song in 1953, using the same arrangement with a full orchestra arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle, and once more in 1961, in a stereophonic version with another full orchestra arranged and conducted by Ralph Carmichael. Cole's 1961 version is generally regarded as definitive, and in 2004 was the most-loved seasonal song with women aged 30–49,[7] while the original 1946 recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1974.[8] In 2022, the 1961 Nat King Cole recording was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.".[9]

Nat King Cole recordings

"The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)"
File:The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole 1962 US release.png
1962 US single release
Single by The King Cole Trio
B-side "In the Cool of Evening"
Released November 1946 (1946-11) (2nd recording)
Recorded August 19, 1946
Genre
Length 3:10
Label Capitol
Songwriter(s)
File:Nat King Cole 1958.JPG
Nat King Cole (1958)

First recording
Recorded at WMCA Radio Studios, New York City, June 14, 1946. Label credit: The King Cole Trio (Nat King Cole, vocals & piano; Oscar Moore, guitarist; Johnny Miller, bassist).[10][11] Not issued until 1989, when it was (accidentally) included on the various-artists compilation Billboard Greatest Christmas Hits (1935–1954) Rhino R1 70637(LP) / R2 70637(CD).

Second recording
Recorded at WMCA Radio Studios, New York City, August 19, 1946. First record issue. Label credit: The King Cole Trio with String Choir (Nat King Cole, vocals & piano; Oscar Moore, guitarist; Johnny Miller, bassist; Jack "The Bear" Parker, drummer; Charlie Grean, arranger and conductor of 4 string players and a harpist).[12][13] Lacquer disc master #981. Issued November 1946 as Capitol 311 (78rpm). It is available on the Cole compilation CDs Capitol Collectors Series and Christmas for Kids: From One to Ninety-Two, as well as on a CD called The Holiday Album, which has 1940s Christmas songs recorded by Cole and Bing Crosby.

Third recording
Recorded at Capitol Studios at 5515 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, on August 24, 1953. It was the song's first magnetic tape recording. Label credit: The King Cole Trio with String Choir (Nat King Cole, vocals; Buddy Cole, pianist; John Collins, guitarist; Charlie Harris, bassist; Lee Young, drummer; Ann Stockton, harp; Charlie Grean, Pete Rugolo and Nelson Riddle, orchestral arrangement; Nelson Riddle, orchestra conductor).[13][14] Master #11726, take 11. Issued November 1953 as the "new" Capitol 90036(78rpm) / F90036(45rpm) (Capitol first issued 90036 in 1950 with the second recording). Correct label credit issued on October 18, 1954 as Capitol 2955(78rpm) / F2955(45rpm). Label credit: Nat "King" Cole with Orchestra Conducted by Nelson Riddle. This recording is available on the Cole compilation CD Cole, Christmas, & Kids, as well as on the various-artists CDs Ultimate Christmas and Casey Kasem Presents All Time Christmas Favorites. It was also included, along with both 1946 recordings, on the Mosaic Records box set The Complete Capitol Recordings of the Nat King Cole Trio.

Fourth recording
Recorded at Capitol Studios, New York City, March 30, 1961. This rendition, the first recorded in stereo,[13] is widely played on radio stations during the Christmas season, and has become the most popular/familiar version of this song.[4] Label credit: Nat King Cole (Nat King Cole, vocals; Hank Jones, pianist; John Collins, guitarist; Charlie Harris, bassist; Lee Young, drummer; Charlie Grean, Pete Rugolo and Ralph Carmichael, orchestral arrangement; Ralph Carmichael, orchestra conductor).[13][15] The instrumental arrangement is nearly identical to the 1953 version,[13] but Cole's vocals are deeper-sounding and more focused. Originally done for The Nat King Cole Story (a 1961 LP devoted to stereo re-recordings of Cole's earlier hits), this recording was later included in a reissue of Cole's 1960 album The Magic of Christmas replacing "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". Retitled The Christmas Song, the album was issued in 1963 as Capitol W-1967(mono) / SW-1967(stereo) and today is available both on compact disc and streaming on iTunes. This recording of "The Christmas Song" has also been included on numerous compilation albums of Christmas pop standards (for example, WCBS-FM's Ultimate Christmas Album Volume 3). An alternate take of the 1961 recording, featuring a different vocal and missing the solo piano on the instrumental bridge, appears on the Deluxe Edition of the 2014 compilation The Extraordinary Nat King Cole.[13] There were several covers of Nat Cole's original record in the 1940s. The first of these was said to be by Dick Haymes on the Decca label, but his was released first – not recorded first. The first cover of "The Christmas Song" was performed by pop tenor and bandleader Eddy Howard on Majestic. Howard was a big Cole fan, and also covered Nat's versions of "I Want to Thank Your Folks" and "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons", among others.

Charts

Chart (1960–1962) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[16] 65
Chart (1991–2022) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[17] 54
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[18] 36
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[19] 15
Denmark (Tracklisten)[20] 30
France (SNEP)[21] 139
Germany (Official German Charts)[22] 46
16
45
Italy (FIMI)[23] 62
Latvia (LAIPA)[24] 18
Lithuania (AGATA)[25] 55
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[26] 49
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[27] 37
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[28] 15
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] 39
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[30] 51
US Billboard Hot 100[31] 11
US Rolling Stone Top 100[32] 33

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[33] Gold 0
Italy (FIMI)[34] Gold 25,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[35] Gold 400,000

xunspecified figures based on certification alone
double-daggersales/streaming figures based on certification alone

Other versions

File:Liberation Tour (45997616942) (cropped 2).jpg
Aguilera's (pictured) version became the second highest charting position of the song on the Billboard Hot 100 after the original 55 years earlier

"The Christmas Song" has been covered by numerous artists from a wide variety of genres. In December 1946, Bing Crosby performed it on a recorded radio broadcast with an introduction including Skitch Henderson on piano.[36] Crosby, with the Ken Darby Singers and the John Scott Trotter Orchestra, also made a studio recording on March 19, 1947, which went on to be released as a single later that same year.[37][38] In 1953, Perry Como performed the song for both the Christmas Joy single and his album Around the Christmas Tree.[39]

In 1999, Christina Aguilera recorded a version and included it on her album, My Kind of Christmas (2000).[40] The song found critical and commercial success and peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart; the second highest position for the song on the chart after the original.[40] In 2003 for his EP Let It Snow, Michael Bublé recorded a cover of the song.[41] It charted at number 6 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.[42] In 2018, Lauren Daigle's cover of the song reached number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Christian Songs chart.[43][44][45] In 2021, Jacob Collier's cover of the song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals at the 64th Annual ceremony.[46]

The song has also been covered by Ariana Grande,[47] Camila Cabello,[48] The Carpenters,[49] Celine Dion,[50] Ella Fitzgerald,[51] Elizabeth Gillies,[47] Frank Sinatra,[52] The Jackson 5,[53] John Legend,[54] JoJo,[55] Justin Bieber,[54] Kenny Burrell,[56] Luther Vandross,[54] Mary J. Blige,[54] Ne-Yo,[57] NSYNC,[58] Pentatonix,[54] Peter Hollens,[54] Shawn Mendes,[48] and Toni Braxton[54] among others.[54]

Mel Tormé recordings

Mel Tormé himself made several recordings of the song, including versions released in 1955 (on his live Coral Records album At the Crescendo), 1961 (on his Verve Records album My Kind of Music), 1970 (on a Columbia Records promo single), 1990 (in a medley with "Autumn Leaves", on his live Concord Records album Mel Tormé Live at the Fujitsu–Concord Festival 1990), and 1992 (on his Telarc Records album Christmas Songs).

The 1970 Columbia version of the song adds an opening verse, written in 1963 while Tormé was working as musical arranger for The Judy Garland Show. He first performed and introduced the opening verse while duetting with Garland on the song for the show's Christmas Special, which aired on December 22, 1963:

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All through the year we waited
Waited through spring and fall
To hear silver bells ringing, see wintertime bringing
The happiest season of all

Additionally, Tormé's recordings typically include a coda adapted from "Here We Come A-wassailing":

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Love and joy come to you
And to you your Christmas too
And God bless you and send you a happy New Year
And God send you a happy New Year

Notes

  1. ↑ Primary sources indicate the song was written in 1945.[1][2][3] Other sources say 1944.[4][5][6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Edison Media Research: What We Learned From Testing Christmas Music in 2004 Archived July 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved November 29, 2011
  8. ↑ Grammy Hall of Fame Retrieved November 29, 2011
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Nat King Cole – The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  19. ↑ "Nat King Cole – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Nat King Cole.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ "Musicline.de – Natalie Cole, Nat "King" Cole & The London Symphony Orchestra Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Nat King Cole – The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Nat King Cole – The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)". Singles Top 100.
  29. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Natalie Cole, Nat "King" Cole & The London Symphony Orchestra – The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)". Swiss Singles Chart.
  30. ↑ "Archive Chart: 20200102" UK Singles Chart.
  31. ↑ "Nat King Cole – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Nat King Cole.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Click on næste to go to page 10864 if certification from official website
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Select Online in the field Sezione. Enter Nat King Cole in the field Filtra. Select 2021 in the field Anno. The certification will load automatically
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter The Christmas Song in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead YouTube link]
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  43. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  44. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  50. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  51. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  52. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  53. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 54.2 54.3 54.4 54.5 54.6 54.7 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  55. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  56. ↑ All About Jazz Kenny Burrell discography accessed August 3, 2012
  57. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  58. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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