One of the first reminders that Christmas is not too far away is the marvelous sound of the Christmas music that generated through the years and continues to brighten the holiday with nostalgic good cheer. Christmas music usually starts to emerge around the beginning of November and it certainly becomes apparent that Christmas is around the corner.
There is a Chicago radio station that starts playing Christmas music the beginning of November and continues everyday nonstop through Christmas day. And when I say “nonstop”, I mean they play nothing else but Christmas music. I don’t know how they come up with so many versions of the same song. There are even some that I never heard of.
Regardless of the fact that listening to Christmas music can get a little annoying, I figure you might as well enjoy it since these traditional songs only come around once a year. Furthermore, do you think Christmas would be the same without the music that goes along with it? Listed below are some of the best-loved Christmas songs and their origin. I didn’t realize that a few date back to as early as the 1940s.
White Christmas: Bing Crosby first sang “White Christmas” in the 1942 film classic Holiday Inn. His recording sold over a million copies back then and continues to sell today. Freddy Martin also recorded this song the same year, which was also very successful. This Irving Berlin materpiece is one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time.
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer: This childrens song was the most consistent income-producing Christmas song after “White Christmas”. This song started out as a story by Robert May, which was written as a promotional pamphlet for Montgomery Ward in 1939. Ten years later, Johnny Marks composed the story into a song. The song was first offered to Bing Crosby who turned it down. He then gave it to Gene Autry, who cut a version that reached No. 1 on the pop charts, selling over 8 million copies. Bing Crosby changed his mind and decided to record the song the following year, which reached No. 14. In 1950, a third version was recorded by Spike Jones and his City Slickers and a fourth by the Chipmunks in 1960.
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas: This song originated back in 1940 when Judy Gardland sang it for the first time in her film Meet Me in St. Louis. It has been a favorite ever since and sung by many great artists.
The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire): This is a great Christmas song and actually my favorite. It was set to music by Mel Torme after he read a poem by Bob Wells titled “Thoughts of Christmas”. He was inspired to write the poem after noticing a bag of chestnuts that his mother was about to use as turkey stuffing for his birthday dinner in 1946.
I’ll Be Home for Christmas: Bing Crosby recorded this sentimental song back in 1943, which soared to No. 3 on the Hits Parade. It was written as a tribute to the men and women in active service during that time in our history.
Jingle Bells: Wow this is an oldy! It was written back in the 1850s by the son of a Unitarian minister from Medford, Massachusetts named James Pierpont. It was then called “Merry Little Jingle”. This song has been recorded over and over by many artists over the years, The Glenn Miller’s orchestra (1941), Bing Crosby (1943), Perry Como (1957) and many more.
Those Christmas songs mentioned above are just a glimpse of the many available for us to enjoy every year. It is amazing that they have continued to embrace the holiday season through all the many years.