With Christmas only days away, we thought we’d help you get into the spirit of things with the world’s top ten holiday songs and the stories behind them.
Let’s not waste any time and dive right in!
10. “Feliz Navidad” by José Feliciano
José Feliciano wrote “Feliz Navidad” in an L.S. recording studio as he felt homesick for his immediate family in New York City, and his extended family further away. He thought about celebrating Christmas Eve with his brothers, eating traditional Puerto Rican foods, drinking rum, and caroling with family.
In 202, he told NPR, “It was expressing the joy that I felt on Christmas and the fact that I felt very lonely… I missed my family, I missed Christmas carols with them. I missed the whole Christmas scene.”
With only nineteen words in all, the song was recorded in just ten minutes.
9. “Last Christmas” by Wham!
George Michael wrote “Last Christmas” in his childhood bedroom while he and Wham! bandmate Andrew Ridgeley were visiting his parents. Ridgeley later called the moment Michael played the introduction and chorus melody for him “a moment of wonder.”
Ironically, Wham! recorded “Last Christmas” in August of 1984, and Michael adorned the London studio with Christmas decorations “to set the mood.” Despite having no musical training, Michael wrote, produced, and played every part of the song.
8. “Mary’s Boy Child / Oh My Lord” by Boney M.
This 1978 single premiered on November 2nd, just in time to top the UK charts for Christmas. “Mary’s Boy Child / Oh My Lord” is a cover of Harry Belafonte’s 1956 hit “Mary’s Boy Child,” combined in a medley with Boney M’s new song “Oh My Lord.”
7. “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)” by David Seville & The Chipmunks
Written and performed by Ross Bagdasarian (under the stage name David Seville), this classic Christmas novelty song was originally recorded in 1958. Bagdasarian sang the carol and varied the tape speed to create the iconic chipmunk voices.
The song was released on November 17, 1958, and earned the American Bandstand’s “Rate-A-Record” segment’s lowest possible rating. However, by early 1959, it was a number one hit. From the success of this song, Alvin and the Chipmunks were born, and named after executives at Liberty Records.
6. “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band Aid
“Do They Know It’s Christmas?” was a charity song written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in 1984 in order to raise money for the at-the-time ongoing famine in Ethiopia. Recorded by Band Aid, a supergroup of British and Irish musicians including Bono, Robert “Kool” Bell of Kool & the Gang, Phil Collins, Sting, George Michael, Bananarama, and many more.
The song raised £8 million for Ethiopia in less than a year, far exceeding Geldof’s wildest hopes. It has since been rerecorded with different musicians in 1989, 2004, and 2014. The ’89 and ’04 versions raised money for famine relief, and the ’14 version fundraised for the Ebola crisis in West Africa.
5. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by Gene Autry
In 1939 Robert L. May created the character of Rudolph as part of an assignment for the retail giant Montgomery Ward, and his brother-in-law Johnny Marks decided to adapt the story into song.
But it wasn’t until Gene Autry lent his voice to the tune in 1949 that it exploded. Recorded in June, Columbia Records had begun pushing it to the pop music market by November, and by Christmas 1949, it was number one on the US charts, a spot it held into the new year.
4. “Jingle Bells” by Bing Crosby
The most popular version of this song is undoubtedly Bing Crosby and The Andrew Sisters’, but theirs is far from the first version. The song was originally composed in 1857 and held no specific connection to Christmas. Despite that fact, it had already become associated with winter in general and Christmas specifically by the 1860s.
Other recordings include the Hayden Quartet, Benny Goodman and His Orchestra, Les Paul, Julie Andrews, Tony Bennett, Pat Boone, Duke Ellington, Gladys Knight, and many, many more.
3. “Silent Night” by Bing Crosby
Another classic song for which Bing Crosby holds the honor of recording the most popular version is, of course, “Silent Night.” First performed on Christmas Eve 1818, at the Nikolauskirche, the parish church of Oberndorf, a village in the Austrian Empire on the Salzach river in present-day Austria, the song has more recently (2011) been declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO.
2. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey
After the success of Mariah Carey’s 1993 album Music Box, the singer/songwriter and her management team began discussing new projects. A Christmas album was discussed, but with some hesitation. However, after some persistence on the part ofTommy Mottola, Carey’s then-husband an head of Columbia Records’ parent company Sony Music Entertainment, writing and composition for Merry Christmas began in 1994.
Although Carey’s longtime songwriting partner Walter Afanasieff was somewhat puzzled over Carey’s ideas of where to take the melody and lyrics, she had a clear vision for the song. Given how popular and long-lasting her choices have proven to be, it’s clear that vision paid off.
1. “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby
Accounts vary when it comes to when and where Irving Berlin wrote this timeless classic, but it is often agreed that one day he told his secretary, “”I want you to take down a song I wrote over the weekend. Not only is it the best song I ever wrote, it’s the best song anybody ever wrote.”
The first public performance of the song was by Bing Crosby on Christmas Day, 1941, by way of his NBC radio show The Kraft Music Hall only a few weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbour. The song established the fact that secular Christmas songs could be commercially successful, and would set the stage for many such songs to come.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!
No matter what your favourite holiday music is, The Music Studio wishes you and your family a very merry Christmas and happy holidays!
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