Ending our look at Casey's Christmas countdown.
20 A&B - "I'll be Home for Christmas," Bing Crosby/Floyd Cramer
At this point, Casey started playing multiple versions of some of the songs. For this one, originally written from the point of view of an American soldier fighting in World War II, he played both Bing Crosby's 1943 hit and an instrumental take by country pianist Floyd Cramer. Bing wins by a long shot.
19 - "You're All I Want for Christmas," Frankie Laine
This 1948 hit by crooner Laine was the last of the three songs Casey didn't play, but like the other two, Larry Morgan came to the rescue on the extras. On it, Laine declares his only wish is to wake up on Christmas morning "and find my stocking filled with you." You must have a big sock, Frankie.
18 - "Nuttin' for Christmas," Ricky Zahnd
There were multiple hit versions of this song about a kid who blames "snitches" for telling of the multiple foul deeds that resulted in Santa opting to pass him by, but the one Casey played was by Zahnd and his band The Blue Jeaners. I can't find any info about them at all.
17 - "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," Brenda Lee
Even though he was Jewish, songwriter Johnny Marks had most of his succcess writing Christmas songs, one of the biggest of which was this number about celebrating the holiday "in the new old-fashioned way" that would become the first Top 40 hit for a 13-year-old girl who would go on to be christened "Little Miss Dynamite." Yes, I do get a sentimental feeling when I hear it.
16 - "Please Come Home for Christmas," Charles Brown
Brown again, this time pleading for a lover's Yuletide return. The Eagles would have a hit with it later, but they can't top Mr. Brown.
15 - "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," Jimmy Boyd
At 13, Boyd became the youngest singer ever to have a #1 hit when he topped the charts in 1952 with this tale of a boy catching his mother making out under the mistletoe with Kris Kringle. The assumption we were supposed to make was that it was really the child's father in a Santa suit doing the kissing, but from what I understand, there are people who didn't immediately get that implication and wondered if Santa was some kind of Christmas Casanova who went around seducing housewives on his one night away from the North Pole. Myself, I always had faith that Mrs. Claus was all the woman the big man could ever need.
14 - "Here Comes Santa Claus," Gene Autry/Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans
Autry, who made his name as a "singing cowboy" in movies, co-wrote this 1947 hit that was one of the first songs to mix both the religious and secular aspects of the holiday ("Let's give thanks to the Lord above that Santa Claus comes tonight.") Later, one of the lesser groups on Phil Spector's Philles label contributed a version on the company's classic LP A Christmas Gift for You.
13 - "Sleigh Ride," Leroy Anderson/The Ronettes
Anderson, a specialist in "light orchestral music," had one of his enduring compositions with this breezy evocation of dashing through the snow in a horse-drawn vehicle. His version was a hit in 1950, and remains popular to this day. Lyrics were added later, and the Ronettes recorded it for that great Spector Christmas album in 1963.
12 - "Frosty the Snowman," Gene Autry
Autry had no hand in writnig this one, but he did make the first popular recording of the story of a snowman that comes alive in 1950. If someone had come up with that idea today, it might have taken a darker turn, like maybe living snowmen being some sort of harbinger of the Zombie Apocalypse.
11 - "Jingle Bells," Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters
The oldest song in the countdown thus far, this 1857 composition is known far and wide, both in its original form and the "Batman Smells" version. Thankfully, Casey played this smooth, pleasant rendition, instead of, say, Barbra Streisand's bizarre, manic take on it.
10 - "The Chipmunk Song," The Chipmunks
In 1958, under the name David Seville, Ross Bagdasarian recorded the smash hit "Witch Doctor," which used the technique of speeding up the playback on a tape to create the high-voiced "Ooh, ee, ooh ah-ah" chorus. Later that year, he employed the same method to create a recording of three rodents named Simon, Theodore, and "ALVIN!" singing a song about being anxious for Santa to bring them toys, notably a remote-controlled airplane and a hula hoop. It was another hit. More recordings, a cartoon show, and three live-action movies have followed since.
9 - "Blue Christmas," Elvis Presley
This song was first written in the late 40s, but didn't attain immortality until Elvis recorded it in 1957. It's a good song, but I'm sorry, but The Jordanaires come close to ruining it. I never like hearing them on Elvis records to begin with, because I feel like they've been added to make his songs sound tamer. But on this one, they spend most of the time baying like wounded animals, and it's annoying. If someone released a collection of Elvis songs with all the Jordainaires' backup vocals edited out, I swear I'd buy it.
8 - "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters/ The Four Seasons
This 1934-written classic that established Santa's list-making and constant surveillance as part of the Yuletide canon was played twice. While the older version wins on showbizzy professionalism, there is a certain charm in hearing Frankie Valli sing "You'd better not CRY-YIII-BAY-YAY-BEE!"
7 - "Winter Wonderland," Ray Conniff/Darlene Love
Another 1934 composition was this tale of romantic outings and snowmen who may be able to perform marriage ceremonies. Ray Conniff's band of boring singers are blown away by Darlene Love on yet another cut from that Spector album. Definitely a record worth having in the holiday section of your collection.
6 - "Silver Bells," Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely/Diana Ross and the Supremes
This 1950 ode to "Christmastime in the city" first appeared in the Bob Hope con-man comedy The Lemon Drop Kid. Country singers Whiting and Wakely do okay with it, but they didn't have a chance againts Miss Ross at her best.
5 - "Jingle Bell Rock," Bobby Helms
Rockabilly man Helms had two Top Ten hits in his career: the ballad "My Special Angel," and this ever-popular number that added a more modern (in 1957) twist to sleigh riding. Only quibble is that the version Casey played wasn't the original, but rather one of his later re-recordings.
4 - "The Christmas Song," Nat King Cole
This was co-written by Mel Torme, a singer of some note himself. But this evocation of all the classic Christmas accoutrements will always belong to the mighty Mr. Cole. Nothing less than steaming-hot cocoa for the soul
3 - "The Little Drummer Boy," The Harry Simeone Chorale
This 1941 composition, which owes more to a 12th century French legend about a juggler and the statue of the Virgin Mary than anything in the Bible, achieved worldwide fame in this 1958 version by conductor and arranger Simeone and his group of singers. This version remains the most widely played today, but I must say, it's not one of my favorites no matter who's singing it. Though I guess the Bing Crosby/David Bowie version's all right.
2 - "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," Gene Autry
The character of Rudolph, the young buck with the luminescent proboscis who is ostracized by his fellow reindeer until his unique feature saves the day for Santa "one foggy Christmas Eve," was created by Robert L. May for a children's book produced by the Montgomery Ward department store chain. Ten years later, May's brother-in-law Johnny Marks adapted the tale into a song, and Gene Autry's subsequent recording went on to become the first #1 hit of the 50s and sell 25 million copies, helping establish it as a Christmas classic. Of course, dozens of others have recorded it since. Personally, I'm partial to the one where Dean Martin calls him "Rudy the Red-Beaked Reindeer" at one point.
And at the top of Casey's Christmas list this year was...
1 - "White Christmas," Bing Crosby
This Irving Berlin composition about wanting snow to be on the ground on December 25 became a monster smash after being performed by Crosby in the 1942 film Holiday Inn. That recording has often been cited as the best selling single in the history of music. But according to Casey, both Crosby and his record label disputed this, saying that the honor truly belonged to...
BONUS: "Silent Night," Bing Crosby
This simple, beautifulsong about the transcendent serenity of the sleeping infant Jesus in his mother's arms originated in Austria in 1818. Crosby's '30s recording of it predates the time period covered by this chart, but it may very well have sold more copies than "White Christmas." Regardless, it, along with all his other entries here, provide ample evidence as to why everyone from Frank to Dean to Elvis considered him the gold standard of male pop singing.
I hope you enjoyed this little treat. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.
No comments:
Post a Comment