The Christmas Song
aka Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire
by Mel Torme and Rob Wells
Trivia: The Christmas Song was written in 1945 and released by Nat "King" Cole in 1946. It quickly turned into one of the most popular, iconic and classic Christmas songs of all times.
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like eskimos
Everybody knows a turkey and some
mistletoe
Help to make the season bright
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
Will find it hard to sleep tonight
They know that Santa's on his way
He's bringing lots of toys and goodies
on his sleigh
And every mother's child is gonna spy
To see if reindeer really know hot to fly
And so I'm offering this simple wish
To kids from one to ninety-two
Although it's been said many times,
many ways Merry Christmas to you
*repeat last verse*
The History of The Christmas Song
Written by Mel Tormé (an excerpt from his own words, but taken from):
http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north333.html
"One excessively hot afternoon, I drove out to Bob's house in Toluca Lake for a work session. The San Fernando Valley, always at least ten degrees warmer than the rest of the town, blistered in the July sun.... I opened the front door and walked in.... I called for Bob. No answer. I walked over to the piano. A writing pad rested on the music board. Written in pencil on the open page were four lines of verse:
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.
When Bob finally appeared, I asked him about the little poem. He was dressed sensibly in tennis shorts and a white T-shirt, but he still looked uncomfortably warm.
"It was so hot today," he said, "I thought I'd write something to cool myself off. All I could think of was Christmas and cold weather."
I took another look at his handiwork. "You know," I said, "this just might make a song."
We sat down together at the piano, and, improbable though it may sound, "The Christmas Song" was completed about forty-five minutes later. Excitedly, we called Carlos Gastel, sped into Hollywood, played it for him, then for Johnny Burke, and then for Nat Cole, who fell in love with the tune. It took a full year for Nat to get into a studio to record it, but his record finally came out in the last fall of 1946; and the rest could be called our financial pleasure."
Christmas With Love Hosted and Written by (unless otherwise specified) Jaci Rae.
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