text:
Christmas music
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
"Christmas album" redirects here. For similar terms, see Christmas Album (disambiguation). For the Mel Tormé composition, see The Christmas Song. For the Decca album, see Christmas Music (album). For other uses, see Christmas Song (disambiguation) and Christmas Songs (disambiguation).
"Holiday song" redirects here. For the Pixies song, see Come on Pilgrim.
It has been suggested that Christmas carol be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since October 2017.
RAF Mildenhall chapel performs Christmas music.
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music normally performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or in the case of many carols or songs may employ lyrics whose subject matter ranges from the nativity of Jesus Christ, to gift-giving and merrymaking, to cultural figures such as Santa Claus, among other topics. Performances of Christmas music at public concerts, in churches, at shopping malls, on city streets, and in private gatherings is an integral staple of the Christmas holiday in many cultures across the world.
Music associated with Christmas is thought to have its origins in 4th century Rome, in Latin hymns such as Veni redemptor gentium.[1] By the 13th century, under the influence of Francis of Assisi, the tradition of popular Christmas songs in regional native languages developed.[2] Christmas carols in the English language first appear in a 1426 work of John Awdlay, an English chaplain, who lists twenty five "caroles of Cristemas", probably sung by groups of 'wassailers' who would travel from house to house.[3] In the 16th century, various Christmas carols still sung to this day, including "The 12 Days of Christmas", "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen", and "O Christmas Tree", first emerged.[4]
The Victorian Era saw a surge of Christmas carols associated with a renewed admiration of the holiday, including "Silent Night", "O Little Town of Bethlehem", and "O Holy Night". The first Christmas songs associated with Saint Nicholas or other gift-bringers also came during 19th century, including "Up on the Housetop" and "Jolly Old St. Nicholas".[5] Many older Christmas hymns were also translated or had lyrics added to them during this period, particularly in 1871 when John Stainer published a widely influential collection entitled "Christmas Carols New & Old".[5] Few notable carols were produced from the beginning of the 20th century until the Great Depression era of the 1930s, when a stream of songs of often American origin were published, most of which did not explicitly reference the Christian nature of the holiday, but rather the more secular traditional Western themes and customs associated with Christmas. These included songs aimed at children such as "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", as well as sentimental ballad-type songs performed by famous crooners of the era, such as "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "White Christmas", the latter of which remains the best-selling single of all time as of 2017.[6][7]
Popular Christmas music produced from after World War II until the present day has generally remained thematically, lyrically, and instrumentally similar to the songs produced in the early 20th century. Since the dawn of the rock era in the mid-1950s, much of the Christmas music produced for popular audiences has had explicitly romantic overtones, only using Christmas as a setting. Exceptions such as "The Christmas Shoes" (2000) have re-introduced Christian themes as complementary to the secular Western themes, and a plethora of traditional carol cover versions by various artists have explored virtually all music genres.
Contents
[hide]
1 History
1.1 Early music
1.2 Puritan prohibition
1.3 Royal restoration
1.4 Alms
1.5 Church feasts
2 Traditional Christmas carols
2.1 Standards
2.2 Early secular Christmas songs
2.3 Recent carols
2.4 Published Christmas music
3 Popular Christmas songs
3.1 Most-performed Christmas songs (U.S.)
4 Christmas music in the United Kingdom and Ireland
4.1 Most played songs
4.2 "Christmas number one single"
4.3 Television talent shows
5 Christmas music in Australia
6 Other popular Christmas songs
6.1 1950s
6.2 1960s
6.3 1970s
6.4 1980s
6.5 1990s
6.6 2000s
6.7 2010s
6.8 Christmas song surveys
7 Non-Christian writers
8 Adopted Christmas music
9 Christmas songs from musicals
10 Christmas novelty songs
10.1 Juvenile
11 Radio broadcasting of Christmas music
11.1 24/7 Christmas music
11.2 Christmas music as a stunt format
11.3 Christmas music on satellite and internet radio
12 See also
13 References
14 Further reading
15 External links
History[edit]
See also: Christmas
Early music[edit]
Music was an early feature of the Christmas season and its celebrations. The earliest examples are hymnographic works (chants and litanies) intended for liturgical use in observance of both the Feast of the Nativity and Theophany, many of which are still in use by the Eastern Orthodox Church. The 13th century saw the rise of the carol written in the vernacular, under the influence of Francis of Assisi.
In the Middle Ages, the English combined circle dances with singing and called them carols. Later, the word carol came to mean a song in which a religious topic is treated in a style that is familiar or festive. From Italy, it passed to France and Germany, and later to England. Christmas carols in English first appear in a 1426 work of John Audelay, a Shropshire priest and poet, who lists 25 "caroles of Cristemas", probably sung by groups of wassailers, who went from house to house.[8] Music in itself soon became one of the greatest tributes to Christmas, and Christmas music includes some of the noblest compositions of the great musicians.
A Christmas minstrel playing pipe and tabor
Puritan prohibition[edit]
During the Commonwealth of England government under Cromwell, the Rump Parliament prohibited the practice of singing Christmas carols as Pagan and sinful. Like other customs associated with popular Catholic Christianity, it earned the disapproval of Protestant Puritans. Famously, Cromwell's interregnum prohibited all celebrations of the Christmas holiday. This attempt to ban the public celebration of Christmas can also be seen in the early history of Father Christmas.
The Westminster Assembly of Divines established Sunday as the only holy day in the calendar in 1644. The new liturgy produced for the English church recognised this in 1645, and so legally abolished Christmas. Its celebration was declared an offence by Parliament in 1647.[9] There is some debate as to the effectiveness of this ban, and whether or not it was enforced in the country.[9]
Puritans generally disapproved of the celebration of Christmas—a trend which continually resurfaced in Europe and the USA through the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries.[10]
Royal restoration[edit]
King's College Chapel, Cambridge (left) in the snow where the Nine Lessons and Carols are broadcast on the BBC and around the world on Christmas Eve
When in May 1660 Charles II restored the Stuarts to the throne, the people of England once again practiced the public singing of Christmas carols as part of the revival of Christmas customs, sanctioned by the king's own celebrations.[9] William Sandys's Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern (1833), contained the first appearance in print of many now-classic English carols, and contributed to the mid-Victorian revival of the holiday.[11] Singing carols in church was instituted on Christmas Eve 1880 (Nine Lessons and Carols) in Truro Cathedral, Cornwall, England, which is now seen in churches all over the world.[12]
According to one of the only observational research studies of Christmas caroling, Christmas observance and caroling traditions vary considerably between nations in the 21st century, while the actual sources and meanings of even high-profile songs are commonly misattributed, and the motivations for carol singing can in some settings be as much associated with family tradition and national cultural heritage as with religious beliefs.[13] Christmas festivities, including music, are also celebrated in a more secular fashion by such institutions as the Santa Claus Village, in Rovaniemi, Finland.[14]
Alms[edit]
Child Christmas carolers in Bucharest, Romania 1929
The tradition of singing Christmas carols in return for alms or charity began in England in the seventeenth century after the Restoration. Town musicians or 'waits' were licensed to collect money in the streets in the weeks preceding Christmas, the custom spread throughout the population by the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries up to the present day. Also from the seventeenth century, there was the English custom, predominantly involving women, of taking a wassail bowl to their neighbours to solicit gifts, accompanied by carols. Despite this long history, many Christmas carols date only from the nineteenth century onwards, with the exception of songs such as the Wexford Carol, "God Rest You Merry Gentlemen", "As I Sat on a Sunny Bank", "The Holly and the Ivy,"[15] the "Coventry Carol" and "I Saw Three Ships".
Church feasts[edit]
See also: Liturgical year
The status of Christmas as an important feast within the church year also means there is a long tradition of music specially composed for celebrating the season. The following is a brief and non-exhaustive list of notable compositions:
Thomas Tallis: Mass "Puer natus est nobis" (1554)
Heinrich Schütz: Weihnachtshistorie (1664)
Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Pastorale sur la naissance de N.S. Jésus-Christ (c. 1670)
Johann Sebastian Bach: several cantatas for Christmas to Epiphany and Christmas Oratorio (1734)
George Frideric Handel: Messiah (1741)
Messiah has become inextricably linked with the Christmas season, especially in England. This is in part due to the efforts of amateur choral societies during the nineteenth century. When it was composed, it was performed during Passiontide.
Jakub Jan Ryba: Czech Christmas Mass "Hey, Master!" (1796)
Various 18th-century composers such as Arcangelo Corelli, Antonio Vivaldi, Giuseppe Torelli & others: Christmas Concertos (for performance on Christmas Eve)
Hector Berlioz: L'enfance du Christ (1853–4)
Camille Saint-Saëns: Oratorio de Noël (1858)
Benjamin Britten: A Ceremony of Carols (1942)
Various composers from Baroque to the 21st century: Christmas cantatas
Traditional Christmas carols[edit]
Main article: Christmas carol
See also: List of Christmas carols
Songs which are traditional, even some without a specific religious context, are often called Christmas carols. Each of these has a rich history, some dating back many centuries.
Standards[edit]
A popular set of traditional carols that might be heard at any Christmas-related event include:[16]
"A collection of traditional Christmas music"
performed by James D. Blodget on a Roland U-20 synthesizer, December 23, 2004.
"Joy to the World"
Performed a cappella by Kim Butler on December 15, 2006.
"I Saw Three Ships"
Tune of traditional English Christmas carol transcribed by CambridgeBayWeather.
"El Noi de la Mare"
A traditional Catalan Christmas carol, arranged for guitar.
Problems playing these files? See media help.
"Angels We Have Heard on High" (in the UK the text of "Angels from the Realms of Glory" is sung to this tune)
"Away in a Manger"
"Deck the Halls" (Deck the Hall)
"Ding Dong Merrily on High"
"The First Nowell" (The First Noël)
"Go Tell It on the Mountain"
"God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen" (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen)
"Good King Wenceslas"
"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"
"I Saw Three Ships"
"It Came Upon the Midnight Clear"
"Joy to the World"
"O Christmas Tree" (O Tannenbaum)
"O Come, All Ye Faithful" (Adeste Fideles)
"O come, O come, Emmanuel"
"O Holy Night" (Cantique de Noël)
"O Little Town of Bethlehem"
"Once in Royal David's City"
"Silent Night"
"The Twelve Days of Christmas"
"We Three Kings of Orient Are"
"We Wish You a Merry Christmas"
"What Child Is This?" (Greensleeves)
"While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks"
A Christmas tree inside a home
These songs hearken from centuries ago, the oldest ('Wexford Carol') originating in the 12th century. The newest came together in the mid- to late-19th century. Many began in non-English speaking countries, often with non-Christmas themes, and were later converted into English carols with English lyrics added—not always translated from the original, but newly created—sometimes as late as the early 20th century.[citation needed]
Early secular Christmas songs[edit]
Popular secular Christmas songs from mid-19th century America include "Jingle Bells", "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas" and "Up on the House Top".
Recent carols[edit]
More recent, copyrighted carols about the Nativity include "I Wonder as I Wander" (1933), "Mary's Boy Child" (1956), "Carol of the Drum" ("Little Drummer Boy") (1941), "Do You Hear What I Hear?" (1962), and "Mary, Did You Know?" (1984), "Little Donkey" by Eric Boswell (1959) and the "Calypso Carol" by Michael Perry (1964).
John Rutter has composed many carols including All Bells in Paradise, Angels' Carol, Candlelight Carol, Donkey Carol, Jesus Child, Shepherds' Pipe Carol and Star Carol.
Published Christmas music[edit]
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958), a British composer who helped to popularise many medieval and folk carols for the modern age[17]
Christmas music has been published as sheet music for centuries. One of the earliest collections of printed Christmas music was Piae Cantiones, a Finnish songbook first published in 1582 which contained a number of songs that have survived today as well-known Christmas carols. The publication of Christmas music books in the 19th century, such as Christmas Carols, New and Old (Bramley and Stainer, 1871), played an important role in widening the popular appeal of carols.[18] In the 20th century, Oxford University Press (OUP) published some highly successful Christmas music collections such as The Oxford Book of Carols (Martin Shaw, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Percy Dearmer, 1928), which revived a number of early folk songs and established them as modern standard carols.[17][19] This was followed by the bestselling Carols for Choirs series (David Willcocks, Reginald Jacques and John Rutter), first published in 1961 and now available in a five volumes. The popular books have proved to be a popular resource for choirs and church congregations in the English-speaking world, and remain in print today.[20]
Christmas Carols, New and Old (1871)
Oxford Book of Carols (1928)
Carols for Choirs (1961)
New Oxford Book of Carols (1992)
A Shorter New Oxford Book of Carols (1992)
Popular Christmas songs[edit]
This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
See also: List of Christmas hit singles in the United States
See also: Best-selling Christmas/holiday singles in the United States
See also: List of best-selling Christmas/holiday albums in the United States
More recently popular Christmas songs—often Christmas songs introduced in theater, television, film, or other entertainment media—tend to be specifically about Christmas, or have a wintertime theme. They are typically not overtly religious. The most popular set of these titles—heard over airwaves, on the Internet, in shopping centers malls, in elevators and lobbies, even on the street during the Christmas season—have been composed and performed from the 1930s onward. "Jingle Bells", "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas", and "Up on the House Top", however, date from the mid-19th century.
The largest portion of these songs in some way describes or is reminiscent of Christmas traditions, how Western Christian countries tend to celebrate the holiday, i.e., with caroling, mistletoe, exchanging of presents, a Christmas tree, feasting, jingle bells, etc. Celebratory or sentimental, and nostalgic in tone, they hearken back to simpler times with memorable holiday practices—expressing the desire either to be with someone or at home for Christmas.
Many titles help define the mythical aspects of modern Christmas celebration: Santa Claus bringing presents, coming down the chimney, being pulled by reindeer, etc. New mythical characters are created, defined, and popularized by these songs; "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", adapted from a major retailer's promotional poem, was introduced to radio audiences by Gene Autry in 1949. His follow-up a year later introduced "Frosty the Snowman", the central character of his song.
Though overtly religious, and authored (at least partly) by a writer of many church hymns, no drumming child appears in any biblical account of the Christian nativity scene. This character was introduced to the tradition by Katherine K. Davis in her "The Little Drummer Boy" (written in 1941, with a popular version being released in 1958).
The winter-related songs celebrate the climatic season, with all its snow, dressing up for the cold, sleighing, etc.
Most-performed Christmas songs (U.S.)[edit]
"The world may have changed profoundly over the last 50 years, but these songs have been part of the holiday spirit for generations. Part of the wonder of music is how it helps us continue to create real memories and traditions. These treasured songs are very special to so many people and are a beloved part of ASCAP’s repertoire."
Paul Williams, ASCAP President and chairman
According to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in 2016, "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," written by Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie in 1934, is the most played holiday song of the last 50 years. It was first performed live by Eddie Cantor on his radio show. Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra recorded their version in 1935, followed later by a range of artists including: Frank Sinatra, The Supremes, The Jackson 5, The Beach Boys, and Glenn Campbell. Bruce Springsteen add a rock rendition in 1975.
Long-time Christmas classics still dominate the holiday charts — such as "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!," "Winter Wonderland," "Sleigh Ride" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" — new songs to enter the top tier of the season’s canon include "Wonderful Christmastime" by Paul McCartney, "All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Walter Afanasieff and Mariah Carey, and "Last Christmas" by George Michael.
The top thirty most-played holiday songs for the 2015 holiday season are ranked here, all titles written or co-written by ASCAP songwriters and composers.[21]
Rank
Song
Composer(s)
Year
Type
1 "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie 1934 Mythical
2 "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin 1944 Celebratory/Sentimental
3 "Winter Wonderland" Felix Bernard, Richard B. Smith 1934 Seasonal
4 "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne 1945 Seasonal
5 "The Christmas Song" Mel Tormé, Robert Wells 1944 Traditions
6 "Jingle Bell Rock" Joseph Carleton Beal, James Ross Boothe 1957 Celebratory/Seasonal
7 "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" Edward Pola, George Wyle 1963 Seasonal/Traditions
8 "Sleigh Ride" Leroy Anderson, Mitchell Parish 1948 Seasonal/Birthday
9 "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" Johnny Marks 1939/1949 Mythical
10 "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" Meredith Willson 1951 Traditions/Celebratory
11 "White Christmas" Irving Berlin 1940 Seasonal/Sentimental
12 "A Holly Jolly Christmas" Johnny Marks 1964/65 Traditions/Celebratory
13 "Carol of the Bells" Peter J. Wilhousky, Mykola D. Leontovych 1921/47 Celebratory
14 "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" Johnny Marks 1958 Traditions
15 "All I Want for Christmas Is You" Walter Afanasieff, Mariah Carey 1994 Sentimental
16 "Frosty the Snowman" Steve Nelson, Walter E. Rollins 1950 Mythical
17 "Blue Christmas" Billy Hayes, Jay W. Johnson 1957 Traditions
18 "(There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays" Bob Allen, Al Stillman 1954 Traditions/Sentimental
19 "The Little Drummer Boy" Katherine K. Davis, Henry V. Onorati, Harry Simeone 1941 Christian-based
20 "Do You Hear What I Hear?" Gloria Shayne Baker, Noël Regney 1962 Traditions
21 "Silver Bells" Jay Livingston, Ray Evans 1950 Traditions
22 "Baby, It's Cold Outside" Frank Loesser 1948 Seasonal
23 "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" Tommie Connor 1952 Novelty
24 "Feliz Navidad" José Feliciano 1970 Celebratory
25 "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24" Jon Oliva, Paul O'Neill, Robert Kinkel 1995 Celebratory
26 "Last Christmas" George Michael 1984 Sentimental
27 "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)" Gene Autry, Oakley Haldeman 1947 Mythical/Christian-based
28 "Santa Baby" Joan Ellen Javits, Philip Springer, Tony Springer, and Fred Ebb 1953 Novelty
29 "Happy Holiday" Irving Berlin 1948 Celebratory
30 "Wonderful Christmastime" Paul McCartney 1979 Celebratory
The above ranking results from an aggregation of performances of all different artist versions of each cited holiday song, across all forms of media, from 1/1/15 through 12/31/15.
Of the top 30 most performed Christmas songs in 2015, 13 (43%) were written in the 1930s or 1940s and 12 (40%) were written in the 1950s and 1960s; only five (17%) were written from the 1970s on.
The newest song in the top 30 most performed Christmas songs — "All I Want for Christmas is You", co-written and performed by Mariah Carey in 1994 — entered the list for the first time in 2015; the song hit the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 for the first time in 2017,[22] and was named "the UK’s favourite Christmas song" the same year by The Independent.[23]
Johnny Marks wrote three songs that appear in the top most performed Christmas songs in 2015 ("Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", "Holly Jolly Christmas", "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree") and Irving Berlin wrote two ("White Christmas", "Happy Holiday") — the only writers to appear on the list more than once (and both are non-Christian writers).[24]
Gene Autry was the first to sing three songs on the list of top 30 most performed Christmas songs in 2015 — "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", "Frosty the Snowman", and ", "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)" — co-writing the latter song.
In addition to Bing Crosby, major acts that have popularized and successfully covered a number of the titles in the top 30 most performed Christmas songs in 2015 include: Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Andy Williams, and the Jackson 5. Bruce Springsteen had a major hit with his version of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town".
Christmas music in the United Kingdom and Ireland[edit]
Most played songs[edit]
See also: List of Christmas hit singles in the United Kingdom
While the ASCAP list is relatively popular in the UK and Ireland, it remains largely overshadowed by a collection of chart hits recorded in a bid to be crowned the UK Christmas number one single during the 1970s and 1980s. Band Aid's 1984 song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" is the second best selling single in UK Chart history. The 1987 single "Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues, a rock band from London, is regularly voted the British public's favourite ever Christmas song, and it is also the most-played Christmas song of the 21st century in the UK.[25][26][27] British glam rock bands had major hit singles with Christmas songs in the 1970s; "Merry Xmas Everybody" by Slade, "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" by Wizzard and "Lonely This Christmas" by Mud, all of which have remained hugely popular.[28] The top ten most played Christmas songs in the UK based on a 2012 survey conducted by PRS for Music, who collect and pay royalties to its 75,000 song-writing and composing members, are as follows:[29]
Rank
Song title
Composer(s)
Performer(s)
Year
1 "Fairytale of New York" Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan The Pogues with Kirsty MacColl 1987
2 "All I Want for Christmas Is You" Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff Mariah Carey 1994
3 "Do They Know It's Christmas?" Bob Geldof and Midge Ure Band Aid 1984
4 "Last Christmas" George Michael Wham! 1984
5 "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" John Frederick Coots, Haven Gillespie Harry Reser 1934
6 "Do You Hear What I Hear?" Noel Regney, Gloria Shayn Bing Crosby 1962
7 "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)" John Lennon John Lennon 1971
8 "Wonderful Christmastime" Paul McCartney Paul McCartney 1979
9 "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" Roy Wood Wizzard 1973
10 "Merry Xmas Everybody" Noddy Holder Slade 1974
Included in the 2009 and 2008 lists are such other titles as Jona Lewie's "Stop the Cavalry", Bruce Springsteen's "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", Elton John's "Step into Christmas", Mud's "Lonely This Christmas", "Walking in the Air" by Aled Jones, Shakin' Stevens' "Merry Christmas Everyone", Chris Rea's "Driving Home for Christmas" and "Mistletoe and Wine" and "Saviour's Day" by Cliff Richard.
The best Christmas song "to get adults and children in the festive spirit for the party season in 2016" was judged by the Daily Mirror to be "Fairytale of New York".[30] Mariah Carey’s "All I Want For Christmas is You" was declared "the UK’s favourite Christmas song," narrowly beating out "Fairytale of New York" according to a "points system" created by The Independent in 2017. Both score well ahead of all others on the list of top twenty Christmas songs in the U.K.[23]
"The Christmas song is a genre in its own right . . More than any other type of music, it spans and links generations with disparate musical taste buds."[31]
Ellis Rich, Chairman of PRS for Music
"Christmas number one single"[edit]
See also: List of UK Singles Chart Christmas number ones and List of Irish Singles Chart Christmas number ones
In Britain and Ireland, the terms "Christmas number one single" and "Christmas number two single" denote songs released around the time of the Christmas holiday and that reach the top of the UK Singles Chart and/or Irish Singles Chart respectively. Because of the two countries' proximity to each other, the Irish No. 1 is usually the same as the British No. 1 or No. 2. Though some of these songs do tend to develop an association with Christmas or the holiday season, such an association tends to be much shorter lived than the more traditionally themed Christmas songs such as "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday", "Mistletoe and Wine" and "Merry Christmas Everyone", and the songs may have nothing to do with Christmas or even winter. Past Christmas number-ones include children's songs such as "Mr Blobby" (#1, 1993) and the theme from Bob the Builder (#1, 2000), novelty songs such as Benny Hill's "Ernie" (#1, 1971) and South Park's "Chocolate Salty Balls" (#2, 1998), and several examples of standard pop fare that would likely be just as popular outside the holiday season. Some songs will be "tweaked" to make them more related to Christmas. This is almost exclusively a British cultural phenomenon; some notable and longer-lasting examples include Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (#1, 1985, the second biggest selling single in UK Chart history; two re-recordings also hit #1 in 1989 and 2004), Slade's "Merry Xmas Everybody" (#1, 1973) and Wham!'s "Last Christmas" (#2, 1984).
Television talent shows[edit]
In 2002, Popstars The Rivals produced the top three singles on the British Christmas charts. The "rival" groups produced by the series—(the girl group Girls Aloud and the boy band One True Voice)—finished first and second respectively on the charts. Failed contestants The Cheeky Girls charted with a novelty hit at third. Briton Will Young, winner of the first Pop Idol, charted at the top of the Irish charts in 2003.
The winning song from the December-ending The X Factor earned the Christmas number one in at least one of the two countries every year from 2005 to 2014, and in both countries in five of those ten years. Each year since 2008 has seen protest campaigns to outsell the X Factor single (which benefits from precisely-timed release and corresponding media buzz) and prevent it from reaching number one. In 2009, "Killing in the Name" by Rage Against the Machine reached number one in the UK instead of that year's X Factor winner, Joe McElderry. McElderry did reach number one in Ireland. A fractured campaign to unseat the 2010 X Factor winner, plus a delay in delivery of The Rubberbandits' "Horse Outside" to stores in Ireland, resulted in X Factor winner Matt Cardle earning the Christmas number one in both countries.
In 2011, "Wherever You Are", the single from a choir of military wives assembled by the TV series The Choir, earned the Christmas number-one single in Britain—upsettingX Factor winners Little Mix. With the Military Wives Choir single not being released in Ireland, Little Mix won Christmas number-one in Ireland that year.[32]
In 2012 the Christmas No. 1 was a cover of "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" from an ensemble of Liverpudlian celebrities in commemoration of the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster. X Factor winner Sam Bailey's single won the Christmas number-one competition in both countries in 2013.
Christmas music in Australia[edit]
Situated in the southern hemisphere, where seasons are reversed from the northern, the heat of early summer in Australia affects the way Christmas is celebrated and how northern hemisphere Christmas traditions are followed. Australians generally spend Christmas out of doors, going to the beach for the day, or heading to camp grounds for a vacation. International visitors to Sydney at Christmastime often go to Bondi Beach where tens of thousands gather on Christmas Day.
Blandfordia nobilis, or Christmas Bells, of eastern Australia
The tradition of an Australian Christmas Eve carol service lit by candles, started in 1937 by Victorian radio announcer Norman Banks, has taken place in Melbourne annually since then. Carols by Candlelight events can be "huge gatherings . . televised live throughout the country" or smaller "local community and church events." Carols in the Domain in Sydney is now a "popular platform for the stars of stage and music."
Some homegrown Christmas songs have become popular. William G. James' six sets of Australian Christmas Carols, with words by John Wheeler, include "The Three Drovers", "The Silver Stars are in the Sky", "Christmas Day", "Carol of the Birds" and others. "Light-hearted Australian Christmas songs" have become "an essential part of the Australian Christmas experience." Rolf Harris' "Six White Boomers", Colin Buchanan's "Aussie Jingle Bells", and the "Australian Twelve Days of Christmas",[33] proudly proclaim the differing traditions Down Under. A verse from "Aussie Jingle Bells" makes the point:
Engine's getting hot
Dodge the kangaroos
Swaggie climbs aboard
He is welcome too
All the family is there
Sitting by the pool
Christmas Day, the Aussie way
By the barbecue![34]
"The Twelve Days of Christmas" has been revised to fit the Australian context, as an example: "On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: 12 parrots prattling, 11 numbats nagging, 10 lizards leaping, 9 wombats working, 8 dingoes digging, 7 possums playing, 6 brolgas dancing, 5 kangaroos, 4 koalas cuddling, 3 kookaburras laughing, 2 pink galahs, and an emu up a gum tree."[35]
Other popular Australian Christmas songs include: 'White Wine in the Sun" by Tim Minchin, "Aussie Jingle Bells" by Bucko & Champs, "Christmas Photo" by John Williamson, "Go Santa, Go" by The Wiggles, and "Six White Boomers" by Russel Coight.[36]
"The Australian carols that do exist are mostly novelty re-workings of existing songs with the holly and the ivy replaced by gum trees and wattle. Santa swapping his fur hat for a corked Akubra and a token Aboriginal word is deemed sufficient to localise the celebration of the day a Middle Eastern tradesman wasn’t actually born."[37]
—  Ben Anderson, Daily Review
"My Little Christmas Belle" (1909) composed by Joe Slater (1872-1926) to words by Ward McAlister (1872–1928) celebrates eastern Australian flora coming into bloom during the heat of Christmas. Blandfordia nobilis, also known as Christmas Bells, are the specific subject of the song—with the original sheet music bearing a depiction of the blossom.[38] Whereas "The Holly and The Ivy" (1937) by Australian Louis Lavater (1867–1953) mentions northern hemisphere foliage.[39]
Australian singer-songwriter Paul Kelly first released "How to Make Gravy" as part of a four-track EP November 4, 1996 through White Label Records. The title track, written by Kelly, tells the story in a letter to his brother from a newly imprisoned man who laments how he will be missing the family Christmas. It received a 'Song of the Year' nomination at the 1998 Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA) Music Awards. Kelly's theme reflects a national experience with Christmas:
"A lot of the early imagery of Christmas in Australia is related to isolation and distance. You’ve got the Sydney Mail in 1879 saying ’The revels of Christmas tide cannot endure the ordeal of immigration’. It’s that sense that it’s alien here and we’re so conscious of being away from family and that figures very prominently in the imagery of Christmas back in that time."[37]
—  Nicholas Brown, Australian National University
Other popular Christmas songs[edit]
Other popular Christmas songs often heard around the holidays include: "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" (1937), "The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot" (1937), "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (1943), "Merry Christmas Baby" (1947) — all recorded by a number of acts.
Other song titles that have joined the Christmas music canon in ensuing decades include:
1950s[edit]
1950: Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters had a hit with "Mele Kalikimaka".
1950: Bing Crosby introduced "Marshmallow World" backed by The Lee Gordon Singers and the Sonny Burke Orchestra.
1950: "(Everybody's Waitin' for) The Man with the Bag" written by Irving Taylor, Dudley Brooks and originally made popular by Kay Starr.
1951: Bing Crosby released "Christmas in Killarney" .
1951: Rosemary Clooney introduced "Suzy Snowflake".
1953: "Up on the House Top" written by Benjamin Hanby in 1864 and popularized by Gene Autry.
1954: Frank Sinatra put "The Christmas Waltz" on the B-side of his version of "White Christmas".
1956: Harry Belafonte released "Mary's Boy Child", written by Jester Hairston.
1957: Frank Sinatra included "Mistletoe and Holly" on his album A Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra.
1958: Chuck Berry released "Run Rudolph Run".
1959: "The Secret of Christmas" written by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen for Bing Crosby, and first performed by him in the 1959 film Say One for Me.
1960s[edit]
1960: "Please Come Home for Christmas", written and released by Charles Brown on the album Charles Brown Sings Christmas Songs (now associated with The Eagles' 1978 release)
1960: "Caroling, Caroling" written by Alfred Burt and Wilha Hutson and recorded by Nat King Cole on The Magic of Christmas, arranged and conducted by Ralph Carmichael.
1960: "Must Be Santa", written by Hal Moore and Bill Fredericks;[40] first released by Mitch Miller,[41] Tommy Steele's cover of the song reached No. 40 on the UK Singles Chart in the same year[42]
1960: "Dominick the Donkey" written by Ray Allen, Wandra Merrell, and Sam Saltzberg and recorded by Lou Monte on Roulette Records. The song describes a donkey who helps Santa Claus bring presents ("made in Brooklyn") to children in Italy "because the reindeer cannot climb" Italy's hills.
1961: "Seven Shades of Snow" by June Christy on This Time of Year
1961: "Blue Holiday" by The Shirelles
1963: "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)", written by Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry with Phil Spector; sung by Darlene Love, on the hit album A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector
1963: "Pretty Paper", written by Willie Nelson; sung by Roy Orbison (Nelson had a hit with his own song in 1978)
1964: "Deck The Hall" recorded by Jo Stafford on the album The Joyful Season
1964: "Little Saint Nick" by the Beach Boys on their Christmas album
1964: "Silver & Gold", sung by Burl Ives and composed for the Rankin-Bass Christmas special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
1964: "Toyland" written by Victor Herbert and Glen McDonough for the operatta Babes in Toyland (originally produced in 1903) was performed by Doris Day on her The Doris Day Christmas Album, released on Columbia Records.
1965: "Christmas Time is Here", written for A Charlie Brown Christmas animated TV special; harmonized by the choir of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in San Rafael, California
1965: "My Favorite Things" from the musical, The Sound Of Music, popularly covered by Diana Ross and The Supremes on their album Merry Christmas
1966: "We Need a Little Christmas" from the musical, Mame, popularly covered by Percy Faith & His Orchestra on the album Christmas Is... Percy Faith
1966: "The Happiest Christmas Tree" recorded by Nat King Cole[43][44]
1967: "Snoopy's Christmas" by The Royal Guardsmen
1967: "What Christmas Means to Me" written by Allen Story, Anna Gordy Gaye, and George Gordy, and recorded by Stevie Wonder on Someday at Christmas.
1970s[edit]
1970: "Give Love on Christmas Day" by the Jackson 5 on their Christmas album
1970: "This Christmas" by Donny Hathaway
1970: "Merry Christmas Darling" by The Carpenters as a single; re-released 1974 and 1977; remixed on Christmas Portrait in 1978.
1971: "River" by Joni Mitchell on her album Blue
1971: "My Christmas Card To You" by The Partridge Family on their album A Partridge Family Christmas Card
1971: "Happy Xmas (War Is Over), a single by John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band
1973: "Merry Xmas Everybody" by Slade
1973: "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" by Wizzard
1973: "Step into Christmas", written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin; released by John as a stand-alone single
1974: "I Believe in Father Christmas" by Greg Lake
1976: "When a Child is Born" by Johnny Mathis
1977: "Father Christmas", released by The Kinks tells of a department store Father Christmas who is beaten up by a gang of poor kids
1977: "Celebrate Me Home" by Kenny Loggins on his album of the same name
1977: "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" by David Bowie and Bing Crosby
1978: "Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord" by Boney M, a cover of Harry Belafonte's 1956 hit in medley with the new song "Oh My Lord" (Farian/Jay).
1978: "Please Come Home for Christmas" covered and released by The Eagles
1979: "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" by Elmo & Patsy
1980s[edit]
1980: "Same Old Lang Syne" by Dan Fogelberg
1980: "Stop The Cavalry" by Jona Lewie
1981: "Christmas is the Time to Say 'I Love You'" by Billy Squier
1981: "Christmas Wrapping" by The Waitresses
1982: "Hard Candy Christmas" adopted by Dolly Parton from a musical
1984: "Thank God It's Christmas" by Queen
1984: "Deck the Halls" by Mannheim Steamroller on their album "Mannheim Steamroller Christmas"
1984: "Another Lonely Christmas" by Prince
1984: "The Power of Love" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
1985: "Santa Claus Is Back In Town by Robert Plant and The Honeydrippers (Live at Saturday Night Live)
1985: "Merry Christmas Everyone" by Shakin' Stevens
1986: "Driving Home for Christmas" by Chris Rea
1987: "Christmas in Hollis" by Run D.M.C.
1987: "Fairytale of New York", as originated by The Pogues on the album If I Should Fall from Grace with God
1988: "Mistletoe and Wine" by Cliff Richard on his album Private Collection: 1979–1988
1988: "Carol of the Bells" by Mannheim Steamroller on their album "A Fresh Aire Christmas"
1989: "All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Vince Vance & The Valiants
1989: "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)" by The Ramones
1990s[edit]
1990: "Saviour's Day" by Cliff Richard
1990: "Grown-Up Christmas List" by David Foster and Natalie Cole for his album River of Love with a 1992 version by Amy Grant
1991: "Mary, Did You Know?" with lyrics written by Mark Lowry and music by Buddy Greene and originally recorded by Michael English with a 1996 version by Kenny Rogers and Wynona Judd.
1992: "All Alone on Christmas" by Darlene Love
1992: "Christmas All Over Again" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on the album box set Playback
1993: "Hey Santa!", written (with the help of Jack Kugell) and sung by Carnie and Wendy Wilson on the album of the same name
1996: "How to Make Gravy" written and performed by Paul Kelly in Australia.
1998: "Christmas Canon" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra on their album The Christmas Attic
1998: "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" by NSYNC from the albums Home for Christmas & The Winter Album
1998: "I'm Your Angel", written by R. Kelly, performed by Kelly and Celine Dion (US #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100)
2000s[edit]
2000: "My Only Wish (This Year)" by Britney Spears off the compilation album, Platinum Christmas
2000: "Where Are You, Christmas?" co-written by James Horner, Will Jennings, and Mariah Carey, but recorded by Faith Hill. Based on "Christmas, Why Can't I Find You?" written by Horner and Jennings for the movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000).
2003: "Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)" by The Darkness
2004: "Believe" written by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri for Josh Groban
2004: "Wizards in Winter", an instrumental written and composed by Paul O'Neill and Robert Kinkel, performed by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
2007: "Mistletoe" written by Stacy Blue and Colbie Caillat, and performed by Caillat.
2008: "White Is in the Winter Night" by Enya on the album, And Winter Came...
2009: "It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas" by Pet Shop Boys (UK No. 40 hit)
2010s[edit]
2010: "Christmas Lights" by Coldplay
2011: "Mistletoe" by Justin Bieber from his album Under the Mistletoe
2012: "Christmas in the Sand" by Colbie Caillat from her album of the same name; meant to conjure up (humorously) what Christmas might be like in Hawaii
2013: "Underneath the Tree" by Kelly Clarkson on her album, Wrapped in Red
2013: "One More Sleep" by Leona Lewis on her album, Christmas, with Love
2013: "Wrapped in Red" written by Kelly Clarkson, Ashley Arrison, Aben Eubanks, and Shane McAnally and recorded by Clarkson as the opening track on her sixth studio album, Wrapped in Red.
2014: "That's Christmas to Me" by a cappella group Pentatonix (#2 Billboard 200, double platinum by RIAA).
2014: "Wake Me When It's Christmas" by Shayna Leigh, co-written by Peter Zizzo and Michael Mangini, through Buzznet[45]
2014: "Santa Tell Me" by Ariana Grande on her EP, Christmas Kisses
2015: "Every Day's Like Christmas" by Kylie Minogue on her album, Kylie Christmas
2017: "Christmas Where You Are" by Jim Brickman on his album, A Joyful Christmas
2017: "Santa's Coming for Us" written by Sia and Greg Kurstin and released by Sia on Everyday Is Christmas.
Christmas song surveys[edit]
In their "admittedly subjective" list of the top Christmas songs of all time, ThoughtCo. ranked their top five favorites as:[46]
"The Christmas Song" as sung by Nat King Cole in 1961.
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" as sung by in Judy Garland the 1944 film "Meet Me in St. Louis".
"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" written and sung by John Lennon in 1971, the classic Christmas song that's also a plea for world peace.
"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" as sung by Brenda Lee in 1958.
"Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" as sung by Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi in 2003.
In 2007 surveys of United States radio listeners by two different research groups,[47] the most liked songs were standards such as Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" (1942), Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" (1946), and Burl Ives' "A Holly Jolly Christmas" (1965). Other favorites like "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (Brenda Lee, 1958), "Jingle Bell Rock" (Bobby Helms, 1957) and John Lennon and Yoko Ono's "Happy Xmas" (1971), scored well in one study. Also "loved" were Johnny Mathis' "Do You Hear What I Hear?" and Harry Simeone Chorale's "Little Drummer Boy".
The Pinnacle Media Worldwide survey divided its listeners into music-type categories:
"Adult contemporary" listeners rated Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" best.
"Adult Top 40" fans liked Bobby Helms' "Jingle Bell Rock".
"Hip-hop/R&B" fans liked the Jackson 5's "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town".
"Country" listeners ranked Burl Ives' "A Holly Jolly Christmas" number one.
"Smooth jazz" fans liked "The Christmas Song" as sung by Nat King Cole.
Among the most-hated Christmas songs, according to Edison Media Research's 2007 survey, are Barbra Streisand's "Jingle Bells?", the Jackson 5's "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town", Elmo & Patsy's "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer", and "O Holy Night" as performed by cartoon characters from Comedy Central's "South Park". The "most-hated Christmastime recording" is a rendition of "Jingle Bells" by Don Charles's Singing Dogs, a revolutionary novelty song originally released in 1955, and re-released as an edited version in 1970.[47]
Rolling Stone magazine ranked Darlene Love's version of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" (1963) first on its list of The Greatest Rock and Roll Christmas Songs in December 2010.[48] Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You", co-written by Carey and Walter Afanasieff, was No. 1 on Billboard's Holiday Digital Songs chart in December 2013.[49] "Fairytale of New York" by The Pogues is cited as the best Christmas song of all time in various television, radio and magazine related polls in the U.K. and Ireland.[50]
Non-Christian writers[edit]
Approximately half of the 30 best-selling Christmas songs by ASCAP members in 2015 were written by Jewish composers. Johnny Marks has three top Christmas songs, the most for any writer—"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", and "A Holly Jolly Christmas". By far the most recorded Christmas song is "White Christmas" by Irving Berlin (born Israel Isidore Beilin in Russia)—who also wrote "Happy Holiday"—with well over 500 versions in dozens of languages.
Others include:[51][52][53][54]
"Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" by Sammy Cahn (born Cohen) and Jule Styne (who also wrote "The Christmas Waltz" together)
"Winter Wonderland" (composer Felix Bernard was born Felix William Bernhardt)
"The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" by Robert Wells (born Levinson) and Mel Tormé
"Sleigh Ride" (lyricist Mitchell Parish was born Michael Hyman Pashelinsky in Lithuania)
"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" (composer George Wyle was born Bernard Weissman)
"Silver Bells" by Jay Livingston (born Jacob Levinson) and Ray Evans
"(There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays" by Bob Allen (born Robert Allen Deitcher) and Al Stillman (born Albert Silverman)
"I'll Be Home for Christmas" by Walter Kent (born Walter Kauffman) and Buck Ram (born Samuel).
"Santa Baby" by Joan Ellen Javits (Zeeman), niece of Senator Jacob Javits, and Philip Springer.[55]
"Baby, It's Cold Outside" by Frank Loesser
Lyricist Jerome "Jerry" Leiber and composer Mike Stoller wrote "Santa Claus Is Back in Town", which Elvis Presley debuted on his first Christmas album in 1957. "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" was written by Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry (with Phil Spector), originally for Ronnie Spector of The Ronettes. It was made into a hit by Darlene Love in 1963.
"Peace on Earth" was written by Ian Fraser, Larry Grossman, and Alan Kohan as a counterpoint to "The Little Drummer Boy" (1941) to make David Bowie comfortable recording "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" with Bing Crosby on September 11, 1977 — for Crosby's then-upcoming television special, Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas.[56]
Adopted Christmas music[edit]
What is known as Christmas music today was often adopted from works initially composed for other purposes, coming to be associated with the holiday in some way. Many tunes adopted into the Christmas canon fall into the generic Winter classification, as they carry no Christmas connotation at all. Others were written to celebrate other holidays and gradually came to cover the Christmas season.
"Joy to the World", with words written by Isaac Watts in 1719 and music by Lowell Mason (who in turn borrowed liberally from Handel) in 1839, was originally written anticipating the Second Coming.[57]
"Tempus Adest Floridum," a romantic spring carol with Latin words dating to the 13th-century Carmina Burana and a melody attested no later than 1584, became associated with Christmas after John Mason Neale set his epic ballad "Good King Wenceslas" to its melody in 1853. Neale's poem does not directly mention Christmas or the nativity but describes Bohemian Duke Wenceslas I's journey to aid a poor traveler on a cold St. Stephen's Day; that day falls on the day after Christmas and within the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas.
"Shchedryk," a Ukrainian tune celebrating the new year, was adapted in 1936 with English lyrics to become the Christmas carol "Carol of the Bells" and in 1995 as the heavy-metal instrumental "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24."
"When You Wish Upon a Star, an Academy Award winning song about dreams, hope and magic featured in Walt Disney's Pinocchio and later became the Disney studios' main theme (it was sung by Cliff Edwards who voiced Jimmy Cricket in the film). In Scandinavian countries and Japan the song is used in reference to the Star of Bethlehem" (in the movie it is in reference to the Blue Fairy).
Borrowing from the title of the Robert Burns standard "Auld Lang Syne," Dan Fogelberg's "Same Old Lang Syne" (released 1980) tells a Christmas Eve story and is now frequently played during the holiday season. Perry Como famously sang Franz Schubert's setting of "Ave Maria" in his televised Christmas special each year, including the song on The Perry Como Christmas Album (1968) which "became a staple of family holiday record collections."[58]
With a Welsh melody dating back to the sixteenth century, and English lyrics from 1862, "Deck the Halls" celebrates the pagan holiday of Yule and the New Year, but not explicitly Christmas:
Troll the ancient Yuletide carol
See the blazing Yule before us
While I tell of Yuletide treasure
"Jingle Bells", first published under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh" in 1857, was originally associated with Thanksgiving rather than Christmas.[59] "Sleigh Ride", composed originally in 1948 as an instrumental by Leroy Anderson, was inspired by a heatwave in Connecticut. The song premiered with the Boston Pops Orchestra in May 1948 with no association with Christmas. The lyrics added in 1950 have "nothing to do with Santa, Jesus, presents or reindeer." The jingling bells and the sleigh in the title, though, made it a natural Christmas song. Lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Julie Styne also found themselves in a heatwave in July 1945 when they wrote "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!", with no reference to Christmas in the song.[60]
Many popular Christmas tunes of the 20th century mention winter imagery, and for this have been adopted into the Christmas and holiday season, including:
"Winter Wonderland" (1934)
"I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" (1937)
"Baby, It's Cold Outside" (1944)
"Marshmallow World" (1949)
"Jingle Bell Rock" (1957)
"My Favorite Things" (1959), which contains a mix of winter and spring imagery
In the 21st century, some songs mention the holiday season or winter imagery. "Holiday" (2010) is about the summer holidays, but has been used in some Christmas ad campaigns. "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" (2013), is from the movie Frozen. Its lyrics are more of an illustration of the relationship between the two main characters than a general description of winter or the holidays, but it is considered a holiday song due to its title rhetoric and the winter imagery used throughout the film.
Following the 2016 death of songwriter Leonard Cohen and the resulting uptick in interest in his work, various versions of his signature song "Hallelujah," including a version by American a capella group Pentatonix that had already been recorded and released on their Christmas album shortly before Cohen's death, were added into Christmas music playlists on radio stations in the United States and Canada.
Christmas songs from musicals[edit]
Christmas songs introduced in theater, television, and film include "White Christmas" from Holiday Inn (1942), "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" from Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), and "Silver Bells" in The Lemon Drop Kid (1950). Some musical films have been set around Christmas time, and because of that some of the songs are popular during the holiday season, including:
Babes in Toyland (1903), featuring the song "Toyland"
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), in which the main character Jack Skellington accidentally discovers Christmas, features Christmas-themed songs like "Making Christmas", "What's This?", "Town Meeting Song" and "Jack's Obsession"
Scrooge (1970) features songs like "Father Christmas" (which first is used sarcastically, and later affectionately), "December the 25th" and the Academy Award nominated "Thank You Very Much"
Christmas novelty songs[edit]
See also: Novelty song
A popular form of Christmas song are the musical parodies of the season—comical or nonsensical songs performed principally for their comical effect—usually classified as "novelty songs". The term arose in the Tin Pan Alley world of popular songwriting, with novelty songs achieved great popularity during the 1920s and 1930s.
Many novelty songs employ unusual lyrics, subjects, sounds, or instrumentation, and may not even be particularly musical. This Christmas novelty song genre started off with "I Yust Go Nuts At Christmas" written by Yogi Yorgesson and sung by him with the Johnny Duffy Trio in 1949, and include such notable titles as:
"Jingle Bells" by the Singing Dogs was recorded in 1955 by Don Charles from Copenhagen, Denmark; considered the work of Carl Weismann, it was revolutionary in its use of latest recording technology[61]
"Green Chri$tma$", a radio play parody by Stan Freberg that came out in 1958 and satirized commercial advertising
"A Christmas Carol" by Tom Lehrer, a 1959 live-recording parody of Christmas carols purporting to show (in a subtle nod to Jewish stereotypes, as Lehrer is Jewish) the true spirit of Christmas, "refer[ring], of course, to money"[citation needed]
"I'm Gonna Spend My Christmas with a Dalek," a Doctor Who spin-off song, released in 1964 by The Go-Go's (the 1960s British band, not the later American band of the same name). Originally intended to help fuel Dalekmania, it tried to turn the sinister Daleks into another version of The Chipmunks.[62]
In the Seventies comedic singing duo Cheech & Chong's debut single in 1971 was "Santa Claus and His Old Lady". The Kinks did "Father Christmas" in 1977, and Elmo & Patsy came out with "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" in 1979. More recent titles added to the canon include:
"The Twelve Days of Christmas" parodies (including one by Bob and Doug McKenzie in 1982)
"Christmas at Ground Zero" by Weird Al Yankovic (1986)
"Rusty Chevrolet" by Da Yoopers, a parody of Jingle Bells (1987)
"Christmas in Hollis", a rap single by Run–D.M.C. (1987)
"Christmas Convoy", a southern rock song by Paul Brandt, a parody of the C.W. McCall song Convoy (2006)
Seattle radio personality Bob Rivers became nationally famous for his line of novelty Christmas songs and released five albums (collectively known as the Twisted Christmas quintilogy, after the name of Rivers' radio program, "Twisted Radio") consisting entirely of Christmas parodies from 1987 to 2002. "Don't Shoot Me Santa" was released by The Killers in 2007, benefiting various AIDS charities. Christmas novelty songs can involve gallows humor and even morbid humor like that found in "Christmas at Ground Zero" and "The Night Santa Went Crazy", both by "Weird Al" Yankovic. The Dan Band released several adult-oriented Christmas songs on their 2007 album "Ho: A Dan Band Christmas" which included "Ho, Ho, Ho" (ho being slang for a prostitute), "I Wanna Rock You Hard This Christmas", "Please Don't Bomb Nobody This Holiday" and "Get Drunk & Make Out This Christmas".
Kristen Bell and a cappella group Straight No Chaser "teamed up to poke fun at the modern seasons greeting" with "Text Me Merry Christmas":
Text me Merry Christmas
Let me know you care
Just a word or two
Of text from you
Will remind me you’re still there
Straight No Chaser singer Randy Stine said of the song: "We wanted a Christmas song that spoke to how informal communication has become."[63]
Juvenile[edit]
Christmas novelty songs include many sung by young teens, or performed largely for the enjoyment of a young audience. Kicking off with "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" sung by 13-year-old Jimmy Boyd in 1952, other few notable novelty songs written to parody the Christmas season and sung by young singers include:
"I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" sung by 10-year-old Gayla Peevey (1953)
"Nuttin' for Christmas" by Art Mooney and Barry Gordon, who was seven years old when he sang it (1955)
"¿Dónde Está Santa Claus? (Where is Santa Claus?)" sung by 12-year-old Augie Rios, featuring the Mark Jeffrey Orchestra (1959)
Christmas novelty songs aimed at a young audience include:
"All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth", written by Donald Yetter Gardner in 1944 and introduced by Spike Jones and his City Slickers (1948)
"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" with music and lyrics by British songwriter Tommie Connor was first recorded by 13-year-old Jimmy Boyd in 1952, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard pop singles chart in December of that year. The Jackson 5 recorded a popular cover in 1970 with a young Michael Jackson singing lead.
"The Chipmunk Song", written by David Seville and performed by Alvin and the Chipmunks (1958)
"You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" originally done for the 1966 cartoon special How the Grinch Stole Christmas!; lyrics written by Dr. Seuss, music by Albert Hague, and performed by Thurl Ravenscroft
"Snoopy's Christmas" performed by The Royal Guardsmen in 1967; a follow-up to their earlier song "Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron" recorded in 1966
"Santa Claus is a Black Man" by Akim and the Teddy Vann Production Company (1973)
The number of Christmas novelty songs is so immense that radio host Dr. Demento devotes an entire month of weekly two-hour episodes to the format each year, and the novelty songs receive frequent requests at radio stations across the country.
Radio broadcasting of Christmas music[edit]
Radio broadcasting of Christmas music has been around for several decades in the United States and elsewhere. Traditionally, U.S. radio stations (particularly those with such formats as adult contemporary, adult standards, easy listening, oldies, or beautiful music) began adding some Christmas-themed selections to their regular playlists shortly after Thanksgiving each year, typically culminating in 36–48 hours of continuous Christmas music between December 24–25. Since the mid-1990s, it has become increasingly common for stations to switch their programming to continuous Christmas music around Thanksgiving, or earlier. This practice became even more widespread after 9/11, when many radio stations across the U.S. sought a sort of musical "comfort food".[64]
As a part of a phenomenon known as "Christmas creep", radio stations—responsible for so much of Christmas music broadcasting, popularization, and appreciation—are "going Christmas" earlier each year. Many stations now start rolling out holiday music in early November instead of Thanksgiving or Black Friday (and a select few, such as WEZW since 2011, have earned a reputation for beginning their Christmas music as early as October), because programmers "think that listeners will stick with the first station to change to a seasonal theme." About 400 radio stations "across the U.S. play Christmas music around the clock." In Chicago, WLIT-FM saw its share of all radio listeners grow from a 2.9/3.6 share earlier in the year to 9.3 during the Nov. 28 to Dec. 11, 2003 Arbitron rating period. A 2002 Arbitron ratings study confirmed holiday-music surges at stations around the country.[65]
24/7 Christmas music[edit]
The 24/7 all-Christmas format has been generally successful due in large part to Christmas creep. In the United States, many radio stations begin airing an all-Christmas format by Thanksgiving weekend,[66] with others starting the Friday one week prior and some making the switch as early as November 1. As of November 24, 2015 (two days before Thanksgiving), there were over 244 commercial U.S. radio stations airing 24/7 Christmas music.
When a radio station in the U.S. makes the temporary switch to all-Christmas music, its listener share regularly doubles.[67] A sampling of radio stations that made the switch in 2010 with the change in market share:[68]
"There's no other programming tactic in radio history that consistently delivers ratings increases better than Christmas music . . playing Christmas music is all about having a larger audience after Christmas than you did before. People who find the station often stick around after the holidays and discover a new favorite station."[68]
Darren Davis, Senior V.P., Clear Channel
Station
Market
Share
Christmas
WODS Boston 4.5 9.3
KOST Los Angeles 4.6 9.2
WLTW New York 6.0 12.3
KYXY San Diego 4.1 9.7
Adult contemporary, oldies, and country listeners tend to adjust better to an all-Christmas switch than do listeners of other formats such as hip-hop or hard rock. However: "Nine times out of 10, many new listeners pour in, outweighing the listeners that do opt out," says Greg Strassell, senior vice president of programming at CBS Radio.[68] However, this may not always transition well into financial success, since advertisers do not universally recognise Arbitron's holiday ratings book.[69]
A 2005 study published in the Journal of Business Research noted that shoppers respond well to hearing Christmas music in stores.[70] Psychologists have noted that continuous exposure to Christmas music for a prolonged period of time can create a hostile work environment for employees.[71]
Even many stations that do not play full-time Christmas music prior to Christmas Eve will often play Christmas music commercial-free the entire day on Christmas Day and often a portion of Christmas Eve as well, with only recorded interruptions for Christmas messages from station personnel and personnel from the station's parent company to give all but the governmental body-required number of personnel (in the U.S., two people must have a presence at a station at all times) the day off.
Although the Christmas season by definition runs until January 6 (Epiphany), and is observed until at least New Year's Eve by the public, almost all broadcasters skip the last Twelve Days of Christmas, abruptly ending all holiday music at or even before midnight on December 25, and not playing a single Christmas song again until the next November. (Several radio stations actually promote this, with ads that proudly proclaim to listeners weary of the Christmas music that the station's regular format will indeed return on December 26, as soon as Christmas Day is over.) It is not uncommon for broadcasters to market the twelve-day period preceding Christmas (December 14 to 25) as the "Twelve Days of Christmas", contrary to the traditional definition. One reason for this is that much popular Christmas music is so closely associated with Christmas Day itself that it would be difficult or impossible to play after December 25 without bringing up references that the broadcaster may wish to ignore (such as those that involve Santa Claus, who has already come and gone by Christmas morning). On occasion, some Christmas music stations will continue to play at least some Christmas music through the weekend following Christmas, or even through New Year's Day (particularly when stunting in anticipation of a format change; see below), but never any later.
Christmas music as a stunt format[edit]
Christmas music is a popular stunt format, used when a station is transitioning to a different format. For instance, a rock music station changing to a rhythmic oldies format will often air Christmas music in-between. This can occur at times when Christmas music seems out of place, such as in summer. The end of the calendar year is a common time of year for format switches. As such, Christmas music may be aired for a prolonged period of time from as early as October and/or extend as late as New Year's Day, while the station prepares the switch. Conversely, when 94.9 in Atlanta changed from adult contemporary to country music in the middle of December 2006, it abruptly stopped playing its annual Christmas music a week before the holiday.
A brief 24/7 Christmas music format is also common during Christmas in July stunts.
Christmas music on satellite and internet radio[edit]
Outside of traditional AM/FM radio, satellite radio providers XM and Sirius typically devote multiple channels to different genres of Christmas music during the holiday season.[72] Numerous Internet radio services also offer Christmas music channels, some of them available year-round. Citadel Media produced The Christmas Channel, a syndicated 24-hour radio network, during the holiday season in past years (though in 2010, Citadel instead included Christmas music on its regular Classic Hits network). Music Choice offers nonstop holiday music to its digital cable, cable modem, and mobile phone subscribers between November 1 and New Year's Day on its "Sounds of the Seasons" (traditional), "R&B" (soul), "Tropicales" (Latin), and "Soft Rock" (contemporary) channels. DMX provides holiday music as part of its SonicTap music service for digital cable and DirecTV subscribers, as does Dish Network via its in-house Dish CD music channels. Services such as Muzak also distribute Christmas music to retail stores for use as in-store background music during the holidays.
The growing popularity of Internet radio has inspired other media outlets to begin offering Christmas music. In 2009 Phoenix television station KTVK launched four commercial-free online radio stations including Ho Ho Radio, which streams Christmas music throughout the month of December.
In Ireland, a temporary radio station named Christmas FM broadcasts on a temporary license in Dublin and Cork from November 28 to December 26, solely playing Christmas music.
In the U.K., the Festive Fifty list of indie rock songs is broadcast starting on Christmas Day, originally by DJ John Peel, and nowadays by Internet radio station Dandelion Radio.
See also[edit]
Christmas portal
List of Christmas hit singles in the United States
List of Christmas hit singles in the United Kingdom
Christmas carol
List of Christmas carols
List of best-selling Christmas/holiday albums in the United States
Best-selling Christmas/holiday singles in the United States
List of UK Singles Chart Christmas number ones
List of UK Singles Chart Christmas number twos
Christmas cantata
Villancico
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Miles, Clement, Christmas customs and traditions, Courier Dover Publications, 1976, ISBN 0-486-23354-5, p. 32
Jump up ^ Miles, pp. 31–37
Jump up ^ Miles, pp. 47–48
Jump up ^ Moore, Kimberly (November 29, 2011). "A Brief History of Holiday Music". Psychology Today. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b Moore, Kimberly (December 6, 2011). "A Brief History of Holiday Music: The 1800s and the Re-Invention of Christmas". Psychology Today. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
Jump up ^ Craig Glenday, ed. (2007). Guinness Book of Records (PDF). Jim Pattison Group. p. 187. ISBN 978-1-904994-67-1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 March 2015.
Jump up ^ Moore, Kimberly (December 20, 2011). "A Brief History of Holiday Music: Crooners, Movies, and Novelty Songs". Psychology Today. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
Jump up ^ Miles, Clement (1976). Christmas customs and traditions. Courier Dover Publications. pp. 47–48. ISBN 0-486-23354-5.
^ Jump up to: a b c Hutton, Ronald (1996). The Stations of the Sun. Oxford.
Jump up ^ Shoemaker, Alfred L. (1999) [1959]. Christmas in Pennsylvania. Mechanicsburg, PA. p. xvii.
Jump up ^ Richard Michael Kelly. A Christmas carol p.10. Broadview Press, 2003 ISBN 1-55111-476-3
Jump up ^ "Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols". BBC. December 16, 2005.
Jump up ^ David G. Hebert, Alexis Kallio and Albi Odendaal (2012). "Not So Silent Night: Tradition, Transformation, and Cultural Understandings of Christmas Music Events in Helsinki, Finland". Ethnomusicology Forum, 21(3), pp.402-423.
Jump up ^ "Santa Claus Village".
Jump up ^ Simpson, Jacqueline; Roud, Steve (2000). Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore. Oxford. p. 64.
Jump up ^ "Carol Histories and Track List". pair.com. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
^ Jump up to: a b Heffer, Simon (2014). "3. A Search for a Style". Vaughan Williams. Faber & Faber. ISBN 9780571315482. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
Jump up ^ Studwell, William E.; Jones, Dorothy E. (1998). Publishing Glad Tidings : Essays on Christmas Music. New York [u.a.]: Haworth Press. ISBN 9780789003980. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
Jump up ^ Shaw, Martin; Dearmer, Percy; Vaughan Williams, Ralph, eds. (1964). The Oxford Book of Carols. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780193533158.
Jump up ^ "Christopher Morris, musician - obituary". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
Jump up ^ ""Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" Is Most-Played Holiday Song of the Last 50 Years". ASCAP. ASCAP. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
Jump up ^ "Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' Hits Hot 100's Top 10 for First Time, 'Perfect' Still No. 1". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-12-23.
^ Jump up to: a b "Mariah Carey's 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' is officially the best festive song". The Independent. 2017-12-13. Retrieved 2017-12-23.
Jump up ^ Kurtz, Steve (2017-12-21). "The Jewish composers who wrote your favorite Christmas songs". Fox News. Retrieved 2017-12-23.
Jump up ^ "Fairytale Of New York is true sound of Christmas". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 September 2014
Jump up ^ "Pogues track wins Christmas poll". BBC News. 16 December 2004. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
Jump up ^ "Fairytale still the festive pick". BBC News. 15 December 2005. Retrieved 19 December 2005.
Jump up ^ "UK's most popular Christmas song revealed". Nme.Com. December 6, 2007. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
Jump up ^ ""Fairytale of New York most popular Christmas song" December 14, 2012 press release.
Jump up ^ McCrum, Kirstie (2017-12-24). "Best Christmas songs to get adults and children in the festive spirit". Mirror. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
Jump up ^ "PRS for Music". PRS for Music. December 5, 2009. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
Jump up ^ Shipman, Tim; Paul Connolly and Paul Harris (December 21, 2011). Military Wives rejoice: Choir beats VAT threat as single heads for Christmas No1 with 300,000 sales. The Daily Mail. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Christmas season celebrations in Australia". www.australia.gov.au. Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
Jump up ^ Merry Christmas From Australia website by 'Silver'.
Jump up ^ Enterprises, Lady Luck. "Australian version of the song Twelve Days of Christmas". ALLdownunder. Retrieved 2017-12-23.
Jump up ^ Lowry, Bryce (12 December 2017). "10 greatest ever Australian Christmas songs". Australian Times. Retrieved 2017-12-23.
^ Jump up to: a b Anderson, Ben. "How To Make Gravy: Australia's only Christmas carol? Daily Review: Film, stage and music reviews, interviews and more". dailyreview.com.au. Retrieved 2017-12-23.
Jump up ^ Slater, Joe; McAlister, Ward (1909). My little Christmas belle. Melbourne : published by A.M. Dinsdale by arrangement with Mr. Joe Slater.
Jump up ^ Lavater, Louis. "The holly and the ivy [music] : Christmas carol". TROVE: National Library of Australia. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
Jump up ^ "Must Be Santa". BMI Repertoire. Broadcast Music Incorporated. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
Jump up ^ "Reviews Of This Week's Singles". The Billboard. 7 November 1960. p. 46. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
Jump up ^ "Tommy Steele". UK Chart Archive. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 December 2011.
Jump up ^ "The Happiest Christmas Tree - Nat King Cole - Song Info - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
Jump up ^ "Christmas Album [#2] - Nat King Cole | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
Jump up ^ "Tomorrow's Hits: Shayna Leigh, 'Wake Me When It's Christmas'--Shayna's Holiday Spirit". Billboard.com. 5 December 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
Jump up ^ Lamb, Bill (4 December 2017). "The Top 100 Christmas Songs for 2017". ThoughtCo. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
^ Jump up to: a b Farhi, Paul (2007-12-14). "All I Want for Christmas Is Not To Hear That Song". ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
Jump up ^ Greene, Andy. "The Greatest Rock and Roll Christmas Songs". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
Jump up ^ Klimek, Chris (9 December 2013). "All I Want for Christmas Is a New Christmas Song 2.5k 342 252 The holiday-song canon is closed. Why?". Slate. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
Jump up ^ "Pogues track wins Christmas poll". BBC News. 2004-12-16. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
Jump up ^ Bloom, Nate (December 2006). "The Jews Who Wrote Christmas Songs". InterfaithFamily. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
Jump up ^ Lewis, Randy (2009-12-24). "Bob Dylan joins long list of Jewish musicians performing Christmas music". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
Jump up ^ Lewis, Randy (26 December 2009). "Jews among musicians with Christmas spirit". SFGate. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
Jump up ^ Fonseca, Corinna Da (November 28, 2011). "Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
Jump up ^ Bloom, Nate (December 2012). "The Jews Who Wrote Christmas Songs (2012)". InterfaithFamily. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
Jump up ^ Paul Farhi (20 December 2006). "Bing and Bowie: An Odd Story of Holiday Harmony", The Washington Post
Jump up ^ David A. Graham. "12 Days of Christmas Songs: 'Joy to the World' Isn't Supposed to Be One - The Atlantic". The Atlantic.
Jump up ^ Balke, Jeff (19 December 2011). "Classic Christmas: The Perry Como Christmas Album". Houston Press Blog. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
Jump up ^ Estrella, Espie (18 August 2017). "What Are the Origins of the Christmas Carol "Jingle Bells"?". ThoughtCo. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
Jump up ^ Lennon, Troy (18 December 2017). "Songs that were never written for Christmas". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
Jump up ^ Weir, William (20 December 2010). "How 'Jingle Bells' by the Singing Dogs Changed Music Forever". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
Jump up ^ Tribute Songs at The Millennium Effect.
Jump up ^ Sieczkowski, Cavan (17 November 2014). "Kristen Bell's 'Text Me Merry Christmas' Is A New Kind Of Holiday Tune". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
Jump up ^ Tucker, Ken (May 13, 2005). "The Christmas Format: Santa Claus Is Coming To Town". Radio Monitor. AllBusiness.
Jump up ^ Colin McKay (December 19, 2003). "Piped-In Christmas Music". Canuckflack. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011.
Jump up ^ Bergman, Ben (24 November 2011). "On Commercial Radio, Christmas Is Coming Early". NPR: Heard on Morning Edition. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
Jump up ^ Sisario, Ben (October 30, 2014). "Radio Dusts Off Mistletoe, in October". The New York Times.
^ Jump up to: a b c Bond, Paul (5 December 2011). "Ka-Ching! How All-Christmas Music Doubles Radio's Ratings". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
Jump up ^ Insight: the All-Christmas music format phenomenon. RadioInfo.com. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
Jump up ^ Spangenberga, Eric R.; Sprott, David E. (2005-11-01). "It's beginning to smell (and sound) a lot like Christmas: the interactive effects of ambient scent and music in a retail setting". Journal of Business Research. 58 (11): 1583–1589. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2004.09.005. ISSN 0148-2963 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
Jump up ^ Psychologists: Christmas music bad for your health. Nexstar Media Group (November 7, 2017). Retrieved November 7, 2017.
Jump up ^ Haidet, Ryan (21 November 2013). "SiriusXM begins 24/7 Christmas music". USA Today. Retrieved 2017-12-24.
Further reading[edit]
"Seasonal Songs With Twang, Funk and Harmony", New York Times, November 26, 2010.
Stories Behind The Best-Loved Songs of Christmas by Ace Collins, 160 pages, ISBN 0-7624-2112-6, 2004.
The International Book of Christmas Carols by W. Ehret and G. K. Evans, Stephen Greene Press, Vermont, ISBN 0-8289-0378-6, 1980.
Victorian Songs and Music by Olivia Bailey, Caxton Publishing, ISBN 1-84067-468-7, 2002.
Spirit of Christmas: A History of Our Best-Loved Carols by Virginia Reynolds and Lesley Ehlers, ISBN 0-88088-414-2, 2000.
Christmas Music Companion Fact Book by Dale V. Nobbman, ISBN 1-57424-067-6, 2000.
Joel Whitburn presents Christmas in the charts, 1920–2004 by Joel Whitburn, ISBN 0-89820-161-6, 2004.
External links[edit]
Find more aboutChristmasat Wikipedia's sister projects
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Wikimedia Commons
News from Wikinews
Quotations from Wikiquote
Texts from Wikisource
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Learning resources from Wikiversity
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Christmas Carols
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Christmas carols.
Christmas music at Curlie (based on DMOZ)
Free Christmas sheet music in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
[show]
v
t
e
Christmas
Christmas Eve
Children's Day
Boxing Day
Nochebuena
Saint Nicholas Day
St. Stephen's Day
Sol Invictus
Yule
In
Christianity
Biblical Magi
Adoration of the Magi
Adoration of the Shepherds
Advent
Angel Gabriel
Annunciation
Annunciation to the shepherds
Baptism of the Lord
Bethlehem
Christingle
Christmastide
Epiphany
Herod the Great
Jesus
Joseph
Mary
Massacre of the Innocents
flight into Egypt
Nativity Fast
Nativity of Jesus
in art
in later culture
Nativity scene
Saint Nicholas
Star of Bethlehem
Twelfth Night
In folklore
Badalisc
La Befana
Belsnickel
Caganer
Christkind
Ded Moroz
Elves
Father Christmas
Grýla
Jack Frost
Joulupukki
Knecht Ruprecht
Korvatunturi
Krampus
Mikulás
Miner's figure
Mrs. Claus
Nisse/Tomte
North Pole
Old Man Winter
Olentzero
Père Fouettard
Père Noël
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Saint Lucy
Santa's reindeer
Santa's workshop
Sinterklaas
Tió de Nadal
Vertep
Yule Cat
Yule Lads
Zwarte Piet
Gift-bringers
Saint Nicholas
Santa Claus
List of Christmas gift-bringers by country
Traditions
Advent calendar
Advent candle
Advent wreath
Boar's Head Feast
Candle arches
Cards
Carols by Candlelight
Cavalcade of Magi
Crackers
Decorations
Events and celebrations
Feast of the Seven Fishes
Flying Santa
Google Santa Tracker
Hampers
Las Posadas
Letters
Lights
Markets
Meals and feasts
Moravian star
Nine Lessons and Carols
NORAD Tracks Santa
Nutcrackers
dolls
Ornaments
Parades
list
Piñatas
Pyramids
Räuchermann
Seals
Secret Santa
Spanbaum
Stamps
Stockings
Tree
Twelve Days
Wassailing
Windows
Yule Goat
Yule log
By country
Australia and New Zealand
Denmark
Germany
Hawaii
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Mexico
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Romania
Russia
Scotland
Serbia
Sweden
Ukraine
Music
Carols
list
Hit singles UK
Hit singles US
Music books
Carols for Choirs
The Oxford Book of Carols
The New Oxford Book of Carols
Piae Cantiones
Other media
Films
Poetry
"Old Santeclaus with Much Delight"
"A Visit from St. Nicholas"
Television
specials
Yule Log
In
modern
society
Advent Conspiracy
Black Friday (partying)
Black Friday (shopping)
Bronner's Christmas Wonderland
Christmas club
Christmas creep
Christmas Day (Trading) Act 2004
Christmas Lectures
Christmas Mountains
Christmas truce
Controversies
Cyber Monday
Economics
Giving Tuesday
El Gordo
Holiday season
In July
In August
Leon Day
NBA games
NFL games
Puritan New England
American Civil War
Post-War United States
Running of the Santas
SantaCon
Santa's Candy Castle
Small Business Saturday
Super Saturday
Virginia O'Hanlon
White Christmas
Winter festivals
WWE Tribute to the Troops
Xmas
Food and
drink
Dinner
Joulupöytä
Julebord
Kūčios
Réveillon
Twelve-dish supper
Smörgåsbord
Wigilia
Sweets
bûche de Noël
Cake
Candy cane
Cookies
Fruitcake
Gingerbread
Kourabiedes
Melomakarono
Mince pie
Pavlova
Pecan pie
Pumpkin pie
Pudding
Rosca de reyes
Szaloncukor
Turrón
Soup
Menudo
Sauce
Cranberry sauce
Beverages
Apple cider
Champurrado
Eggnog
Mulled wine
Smoking Bishop
Ponche crema
Dumpling
Hallaca
Tamale
Meat
Ham
Roast goose
Romeritos
Turkey
Stuffing
Category
Portal
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christmas_music&oldid=818309534"
Categories:
Christmas music
Christmas songs
Christmas albums
Lists of songs
Radio formats
Hidden categories:
Articles to be merged from October 2017
All articles to be merged
Articles with hAudio microformats
All articles with unsourced statements
Articles with unsourced statements from June 2017
Articles needing additional references from November 2013
All articles needing additional references
Articles with unsourced statements from May 2016
Commons category with local link different than on Wikidata
Articles with DMOZ links
Navigation menu
Personal tools
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Namespaces
Article
Talk
Variants
Views
Read
Edit
View history
More
Search
Navigation
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
In other projects
Wikimedia Commons
Languages
Dansk
Deutsch
Ελληνικά
Español
Français
한국어
Հայերեն
Italiano
Nederlands
日本語
Norsk
Norsk nynorsk
Polski
Português
Română
Simple English
Suomi
Svenska
Tagalog
ไทย
Türkçe
Українська
粵語
Edit links
This page was last edited on 2 January 2018, at 20:44.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Cookie statement
Mobile view
Enable previews

key: html

type: local

value: div

attrs: id class

values: mw-page-base noprint

values: mw-head-base noprint

value: a

attrs: id class lang

values: firstHeading firstHeading en

values: siteSub noprint

values: jump-to-nav mw-jump

values:
/wiki/Christmas_Album_(disambiguation)
mw-redirect mw-disambig
Christmas Album (disambiguation)

attrs: href title

values:
/wiki/Christmas_Song_(disambiguation)
mw-redirect mw-disambig
Christmas Song (disambiguation)

values:
/wiki/Christmas_Songs_(disambiguation)
mw-redirect mw-disambig
Christmas Songs (disambiguation)

values:
note
hatnote navigation-not-searchable

values:
/wiki/Come_on_Pilgrim
mw-redirect
Come on Pilgrim

value: td

value: i

values:
plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-move
presentation

values: RAF Mildenhall chapel performs Christmas music

values:
/wiki/Musical_genre
mw-redirect
Musical genre

values:
/wiki/Jesus_Christ
mw-redirect
Jesus Christ

values:
/wiki/O_Christmas_Tree
mw-redirect
O Christmas Tree

values:
/wiki/Victorian_Era
mw-redirect
Victorian Era

values:
/wiki/Up_on_the_Housetop
mw-redirect
Up on the Housetop

values:
/wiki/Jolly_Old_St._Nicholas
mw-redirect
Jolly Old St. Nicholas

values:
/wiki/Christmas_carols
mw-redirect
Christmas carols

values:
/wiki/Westminster_Assembly_of_Divines
mw-redirect
Westminster Assembly of Divines

values:
/wiki/English_Restoration
mw-redirect
English Restoration

values:
/wiki/God_Rest_Ye_Merry,_Gentlemen
mw-redirect
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

values: Edit section: Traditional Christmas carols

values: position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 110px; right: 0px; bottom: 0px; height: 0px; width: 0px;

values: left: 50%; top: 50%; margin-left: -35px; margin-top: -27.5px;

values: width:220px width: 220px; position: relative;

values:
/wiki/The_First_Nowell
mw-redirect
The First Nowell

values:
/wiki/Adeste_Fideles
mw-redirect
Adeste Fideles

values:
/wiki/O_come,_O_come,_Emmanuel
mw-redirect
O come, O come, Emmanuel

values:
/wiki/We_Three_Kings_of_Orient_Are
mw-redirect
We Three Kings of Orient Are

values: This claim needs references to reliable sources. (June 2017)

values:
noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact
white-space:nowrap;

values: Edit section: Early secular Christmas songs

values:
/wiki/All_Bells_in_Paradise
mw-redirect
All Bells in Paradise

values:
/wiki/Angels%27_Carol
mw-redirect
Angels' Carol

values:
/wiki/Jesus_Child
mw-redirect
Jesus Child

values:
/wiki/Oxford_Book_of_Carols
mw-redirect
Oxford Book of Carols

values:
/wiki/New_Oxford_Book_of_Carols
mw-redirect
New Oxford Book of Carols

values: Help:Introduction to referencing with Wiki Markup/1

values: plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Unreferenced

values: List of Christmas hit singles in the United States

values: Edit section: Most-performed Christmas songs (U.S.)

values: float: right; clear: right; margin: 0.5em 0 0.8em 1.4em; width:30%; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #aaa; font-size: 88%; background-color: #F9F9F9;

values: American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers

values:
/wiki/J._Fred_Coots
mw-redirect
J. Fred Coots

values:
headerSort
0
columnheader button
Sort ascending

values:
/wiki/Santa_Claus_Is_Coming_to_Town
mw-redirect
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town

values: It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

values: It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

values:
/wiki/Peter_J._Wilhousky
mw-redirect
Peter J. Wilhousky

values:
/wiki/Mykola_D._Leontovych
mw-redirect
Mykola D. Leontovych

values:
/wiki/Robert_Allen_(musicwriter)
mw-redirect
Robert Allen (musicwriter)

values:
/wiki/Katherine_K._Davis
mw-redirect
Katherine K. Davis

values: Edit section: Christmas music in the United Kingdom and Ireland

values: List of Christmas hit singles in the United Kingdom

values: List of Christmas number one singles (UK)

values: All I Want for Christmas Is You (Mariah Carey song)

values:
/wiki/Noel_Regney
mw-redirect
Noel Regney

values:
/wiki/Happy_Christmas_(War_Is_Over)
mw-redirect
Happy Christmas (War Is Over)

values:
/wiki/Santa_Claus_is_Coming_to_Town
mw-redirect
Santa Claus is Coming to Town

values: Edit section: "Christmas number one single"

values: List of UK Singles Chart Christmas number ones

values: List of Irish Singles Chart Christmas number ones

values:
/wiki/Christmas_number_one_single
mw-redirect
Christmas number one single

values:
/wiki/Christmas_number_two
mw-redirect
Christmas number two

values: List of Christmas number one singles (Ireland)

values:
/wiki/South_Park_(TV_series)
mw-redirect
South Park (TV series)

values:
/wiki/Popstars_The_Rivals
mw-redirect
Popstars The Rivals

values:
/wiki/The_X_Factor_(UK)
mw-redirect
The X Factor (UK)

values:
/wiki/Wherever_You_Are_(2011_song)
mw-redirect
Wherever You Are (2011 song)

values:
/wiki/Hillsborough_Disaster
mw-redirect
Hillsborough Disaster

values: Edit section: Christmas music in Australia

values:
/wiki/Southern_hemisphere
mw-redirect
Southern hemisphere

values:
/wiki/Northern_hemisphere
mw-redirect
Northern hemisphere

values:
/wiki/Christmas_Day
mw-redirect
Christmas Day

values:
/wiki/Radio_announcer
mw-redirect
Radio announcer

values:
/wiki/Colin_Buchanan_(entertainer)
mw-redirect
Colin Buchanan (entertainer)

values: div-col columns column-count column-count-2

values: -moz-column-count: 2; -webkit-column-count: 2; column-count: 2;

values:
/wiki/Russell_Coight
mw-redirect
Russell Coight

values:
/wiki/Eastern_Australia
mw-redirect
Eastern Australia

values:
/wiki/White_Label_Records
mw-redirect
White Label Records

values: Australasian Performing Rights Association

values:
/wiki/Sydney_Mail
mw-redirect
Sydney Mail

values: Edit section: Other popular Christmas songs

values:
/wiki/Andrews_Sisters
mw-redirect
Andrews Sisters

values:
/wiki/Marshmallow_World
mw-redirect
Marshmallow World

values: (Everybody's Waitin' for) The Man with the Bag

values: The Magic of Christmas (Nat King Cole album)

values: A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector

values:
/wiki/Deck_The_Halls
mw-redirect
Deck The Halls

values:
/wiki/Silver_and_Gold_(Burl_Ives_song)
mw-redirect
Silver and Gold (Burl Ives song)

values: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV special)

values:
/wiki/Christmas_Time_is_Here
mw-redirect
Christmas Time is Here

values:
/wiki/The_Sound_Of_Music
mw-redirect
The Sound Of Music

values:
/wiki/The_Jackson_5_Christmas_Album
mw-redirect
The Jackson 5 Christmas Album

values:
/wiki/Elmo_%26_Patsy
mw-redirect
Elmo & Patsy

values:
/wiki/Stop_The_Cavalry
mw-redirect
Stop The Cavalry

values: Christmas is the Time to Say 'I Love You'

values:
/wiki/Mannheim_Steamroller_Christmas
mw-redirect
Mannheim Steamroller Christmas

values: The Power of Love (Frankie Goes to Hollywood song)

values:
/wiki/Santa_Claus_Is_Back_In_Town
mw-redirect
Santa Claus Is Back In Town

values: All I Want for Christmas Is You (Vince Vance & The Valiants song)

values:
/wiki/Vince_Vance_%26_The_Valiants
mw-redirect
Vince Vance & The Valiants

values:
/wiki/The_Ramones
mw-redirect
The Ramones

values:
/wiki/Christmas_All_Over_Again
mw-redirect
Christmas All Over Again

values: Playback (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album)

values:
/wiki/The_Winter_Album_(N_Sync_album)
mw-redirect
The Winter Album (N Sync album)

values: Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000 film)

values: Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)

values:
/wiki/And_Winter_Came...
mw-redirect
And Winter Came...

values: Recording Industry Association of America

values:
/wiki/Christmas_Where_You_Are
mw-redirect
Christmas Where You Are

values: A Joyful Christmas (page does not exist)

values: The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)

values:
/wiki/Little_Drummer_Boy
mw-redirect
Little Drummer Boy

values: (There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays

values:
/wiki/Jacob_Javits
mw-redirect
Jacob Javits

values:
/wiki/Wenceslas_I,_Duke_of_Bohemia
mw-redirect
Wenceslas I, Duke of Bohemia

values:
/wiki/St._Stephen%27s_Day
mw-redirect
St. Stephen's Day

values: Edit section: Christmas songs from musicals

values: Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas

values:
/wiki/I_Yust_Go_Nuts_At_Christmas
mw-redirect
I Yust Go Nuts At Christmas

values:
/wiki/Yogi_Yorgesson
mw-redirect
Yogi Yorgesson

values:
/wiki/Copenhagen,_Denmark
mw-redirect
Copenhagen, Denmark

values:
/wiki/Green_Chri%24tma%24
mw-redirect
Green Chri$tma$

values: This claim needs references to reliable sources. (May 2016)

values:
/wiki/The_Chipmunks
mw-redirect
The Chipmunks

values:
/wiki/Weird_Al_Yankovic
mw-redirect
Weird Al Yankovic

values:
/wiki/Rusty_Chevrolet
mw-redirect
Rusty Chevrolet

values:
/wiki/Christmas_Convoy
mw-redirect
Christmas Convoy

values:
/wiki/C.W._McCall
mw-redirect
C.W. McCall

values: All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth

values:
/wiki/Spike_Jones_and_his_City_Slickers
mw-redirect
Spike Jones and his City Slickers

values: The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)

values:
/wiki/Ross_Bagdasarian,_Sr.
mw-redirect
Ross Bagdasarian, Sr.

values:
/wiki/Santa_Claus_is_a_Black_Man
mw-redirect
Santa Claus is a Black Man

values: Edit section: Radio broadcasting of Christmas music

values:
/wiki/Adult_contemporary
mw-redirect
Adult contemporary

values:
/wiki/Clear_Channel
mw-redirect
Clear Channel

values: Edit section: Christmas music as a stunt format

values:
/wiki/Atlanta,_Georgia
mw-redirect
Atlanta, Georgia

values: Edit section: Christmas music on satellite and internet radio

values:
/wiki/Citadel_Media
mw-redirect
Citadel Media

values:
/wiki/Muzak_Holdings
mw-redirect
Muzak Holdings

values:
/wiki/Retail_stores
mw-redirect
Retail stores

values: display:table-cell;padding:0.2em 0.2em 0.2em 0.3em;vertical-align:middle

values: margin:0.5em 0 0.5em 1em;border:solid #aaa 1px

values: List of UK Singles Chart Christmas number twos

values:
/wiki/Craig_Glenday
mw-redirect
Craig Glenday

values:
nofollow
http://www.santaclausvillage.info/
external text

values:
nofollow
external text
http://www.nme.com/news/slade/32997

values:
nofollow
external text
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-174316239

values:
/wiki/Broadcast_Music_Incorporated
mw-redirect
Broadcast Music Incorporated

values:
nofollow
external text
//www.worldcat.org/issn/0006-2510

values:
nofollow
external text
//www.worldcat.org/issn/0190-8286

values:
nofollow
external text
//www.worldcat.org/issn/0458-3035

values:
nofollow
external text
//www.worldcat.org/issn/0148-2963

values: -moz-column-width: 30em; -webkit-column-width: 30em; column-width: 30em; list-style-type: decimal;

values:
/wiki/New_York_Times
mw-redirect
New York Times

values: padding-bottom: 0.75em; text-align: center;

attrs: alt src width height style srcset data-file-width data-file-height

values: display: inline-block; width: 31px; line-height: 31px; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;

values: display: inline-block; margin-left: 4px; width: 182px; vertical-align: middle;

values: border-top:1px solid #aaa; padding-top: 0.75em;

values: metadata plainlinks plainlist mbox-small

values: border:1px solid #aaa; padding:0.75em; background:#f9f9f9;

values:
/wiki/Old_Man_Winter
mw-redirect
Old Man Winter

values: List of Christmas and winter gift-bringers by country

values: Category:Christmas events and celebrations

values: List of Christmas and holiday season parades

values:
/wiki/Christmas_in_Denmark
mw-redirect
Christmas in Denmark

values: List of popular Christmas singles in the United States

values:
/wiki/Leon_Day_(holiday)
mw-redirect
Leon Day (holiday)

values: National Basketball Association Christmas games

values: National Football League Christmas games

values: List of multinational festivals and holidays

values: nowraplinks hlist collapsible collapsed navbox-inner

values: Category:Articles to be merged from October 2017

values: Category:Articles with hAudio microformats

values: Category:All articles with unsourced statements

values: Category:Articles with unsourced statements from June 2017

values: Category:Articles needing additional references from November 2013

values: Category:All articles needing additional references

values: Category:Articles with unsourced statements from May 2016

values: Category:Commons category with local link different than on Wikidata

values: Discussion about edits from this IP address [ctrl-alt-n]

values: A list of edits made from this IP address [ctrl-alt-y]

values: You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory

values: You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [ctrl-alt-o]

values:
/wiki/Christmas_music
View the content page [ctrl-alt-c]
c

values: Discussion about the content page [ctrl-alt-t]

values: p-namespaces navigation vectorTabs p-namespaces-label

values:
p-variants
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-variants-label

values: Past revisions of this page [ctrl-alt-h]

values: p-views navigation vectorTabs p-views-label

values:
p-cactions
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-cactions-label

values:
mw-wiki-logo
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page

values:
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page [ctrl-alt-z]
z

values: Featured content – the best of Wikipedia

values: Find background information on current events

values:
/wiki/Special:Random
Load a random article [ctrl-alt-x]
x

values: portal navigation p-navigation p-navigation-label

values: Guidance on how to use and edit Wikipedia

values: About the project, what you can do, where to find things

values: A list of recent changes in the wiki [ctrl-alt-r]

values: portal navigation p-interaction p-interaction-label

values: List of all English Wikipedia pages containing links to this page [ctrl-alt-j]

values: Recent changes in pages linked from this page [ctrl-alt-k]

values:
/wiki/Wikipedia:File_Upload_Wizard
Upload files [ctrl-alt-u]
u

values: A list of all special pages [ctrl-alt-q]

values: Permanent link to this revision of the page

values: Link to connected data repository item [ctrl-alt-g]

values: Printable version of this page [ctrl-alt-p]

values: portal navigation p-wikibase-otherprojects p-wikibase-otherprojects-label

values:
uls-settings-trigger
Language settings
0
button
true

values:
https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julesang
Julesang – Danish
da
da
interlanguage-link-target

values: Χριστουγεννιάτικα τραγούδια – Greek

values: 크리스마스 음악 – Korean

values: Սուրբծննդյան երաժշտություն – Armenian

values: クリスマスの音楽一覧 – Japanese

values:
https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colind
Colind – Romanian
ro
ro
interlanguage-link-target

values:
https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julmusik
Julmusik – Swedish
sv
sv
interlanguage-link-target

values: ดนตรีคริสต์มาส – Thai

values: Різдвяні пісні – Ukrainian

values: mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject page-Christmas_music rootpage-Christmas_music skin-vector action-view