Christmas music is a genre that never seems to go out of style. However, famous songs may have some interesting facts behind them. Although we may know all of the lyrics to these songs, we may not know how the song came to be or how well it performed. Following our countdown of the best selling Christmas Number 1s of all time, here are some fascinating facts about other popular Christmas songs.
The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late) by The Chipmunks and their owner David Seville was the first Christmas song to hit Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It stayed at the top for four weeks between 1958 and 1959. The second Christmas song to hit No.1 was Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You, but only in 2019 – 25 years after the original release.
2. All I Need for Christmas is 15 Minutes
It took merely fifteen minutes to write All I Want For Christmas Is You. Carey co-wrote the hit with Walter Afanasieff and it was subsequently recorded in August 1994. It was released on October 29th of the same year as part of her fourth studio album and her first holiday one entitled Merry Christmas.
3. Jaded Jingle Bells
The song Jingle Bells turns 164 years old in 2021. James Lord Pierpont wrote the song in 1857. It was originally intended to celebrate Thanksgiving and when you listen to the lyrics, there actually is no reference to Christmas itself. In 1889, Jingle Bells was first recorded on an Edison cylinder. This recording is lost, however.
4. Willful White Christmas
Firstly and foremost, this is one of the most debated facts. Elvis Presley’s rendition of White Christmas is said to have hit a nerve for American composer Irving Berlin, who wrote the original song. Despite this, reports say that Presely actually based his version off that of the Drifters as opposed to Berlin’s. However, it is said that Berlin tried to have Presley’s version banned from the radio.
5. Ho-Ho Hat-trick
Jewish songwriter Johnny Marks wrote three of the most famous classic Christmas songs. These are Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree, and Holly Jolly Christmas. Marks specialised in writing Christmas music and wrote around 40 hits. He also wrote songs for the likes of Bing Crosby, Chuck Berry and Burl Ives.
6. Generous George
1984 saw the release of both Wham’s Last Christmas and Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? As a show of support to the cause, Wham chose to donate the proceeds of the song to the same Ethiopian famine appeal. The great George Michael passed away in 2016, although he continues to donate to charities.
7. Comedic Chestnut Roasting
A summer heatwave in 1944 led to the creation of The Christmas Song. Mel Tormé and Robert Wells wrote the song more commonly known as “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire”. In an effort to “stay cool by thinking cool”, the song was indeed born. Tormé tells the story of seeing Wells’ notepad which had the words “’Chestnuts roasting…, Jack Frost nipping…, Yuletide carols…,” on it. However, Wells had not intended on writing it lyrically. He was merely trying to think of things that reminded him of the cold winter and take his mind off the blistering heat.
8. Bells of Bohemian Rhapsody
This hugely popular hit by English rock group Queen is the only record to get onto the UK Christmas Singles Chart Number One twice. The first time in 1975 and then again in 1991 after Freddie Mercury had passed away. The front-man began writing the song in 1968 when he was studying at London’s Ealing Art College.
Have you got any fascinating facts about your favourite Christmas songs?
