December 19, 2017
Introduction: In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega writes about “The Christmas Song,” the enduring holiday classic written by Mel Torme and Bob Wells in 1945. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book “From the Family Kitchen.”
It seems that every year radio stations play Christmas songs earlier and earlier. Where I live, Halloween 2017 was barely complete when a local radio station started playing songs with bells and snowmen in their titles! These songs conjure up thoughts of snow, layering on jackets and mittens, and enjoying time with family and friends – but at least one Christmas song was written during a summer heatwave.
“The Christmas Song”
One familiar Christmas tune started out not as homage to the holiday season, but more as an antidote to hot weather. Even if you can’t remember the title of the song, you are most likely familiar with the opening lines: “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose.” “The Christmas Song,” penned in July 1945 by Mel Torme and Bob Wells, has a slightly non-Christmassy origin.
The story behind the song has become legend, and while there are slightly different versions they all agree that Bob Wells, a songwriter, composer, and television producer was the author behind at least some of the lyrics. The story goes that he was trying to think cold thoughts as he suffered through a hot Southern California July day – and so he wrote down some “cool” ideas that would later become part of the iconic song:
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos
His writing partner Mel Torme (singer, composer, and actor) walked into Bob’s home, saw the notes and asked Wells what he was doing. Wells replied he was trying to “write something to cool himself off.” Torme sat down at the piano and after working for 45 minutes they had a song. Torme and Wells played the new song for the managers of Peggy Lee and Nat King Cole, and then for Cole himself, who a year later recorded it.* Cole’s version would be the “first holiday standard ever introduced by a black American.”**
Wells and Torme had a huge hit on their hands. Torme was only 19 years of age and Wells was 22 when they penned their enduring ballad. The royalties from that one song were a constant source of income for them throughout their lives. Torme even referred to it as his “annuity.”
I wanted to learn more about this song, so I searched in GenealogyBank’s Historical Newspaper Archives.
You can read the background story of the song, as well as the lyrics and music, in this 1978 newspaper interview with Mel Torme.
Covered by Many Others
Most Christmas songs are covered by countless artists in every conceivable musical genre every year. Every holiday season includes albums recorded by whichever singer or music group is currently popular, and features their takes on old standards – especially “The Christmas Song.”
Like most Christmas tunes, “The Christmas Song” has been recorded by other artists besides Mel Torme and Nat King Cole. According to the above 1966 newspaper article, at that point “The Christmas Song” had sold more than three million copies for Nat King Cole, and had been recorded by over 150 other artists.
Obviously, in the more than half a century since this article was published, those numbers have grown exponentially. The list of artists recording “The Christmas Song” includes: Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass, Sergio Mendez, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Etta James, Barbara Streisand, The Jackson 5, Celine Dion, Bob Dylan, Gavin McGraw, and Pentatonix among others.
Your Favorite Christmas Song?
Of “The Christmas Song,” Good Housekeeping reported that it was Torme’s favorite. While other reports deny that, there’s one thing that is certain: it is a popular Yule-time tune.
What is your favorite Christmas song? Is there a particular song that’s a must-have for the holiday season? Let us know in the comments section below.
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* “The Christmas Song,” Performing Songwriter (http://performingsongwriter.com/christmas-song/: accessed 7 December 2017).
** Ibd.
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