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Of all the songs of the holiday season which belong in The Great American Songbook, one is unique for not being known by its actual title. When jazz singer/songwriter Mel Tormé composed The Christmas Song, he could not have imagined that its opening line would be mistaken for the song title. And yet, far more people know the song as Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. And why not? You can’t imagine how many times I’ve had this conversation:

“What’s your favorite Christmas song?”

“The Christmas Song.”

“Yes. Which one?”

“You know…The Christmas Song.”

Puzzled look.

“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…”

“Oh! That one! Why didn’t you say so?”

Mel Tormé was a musical child prodigy, meaning that he could sing and play instruments at a very young age. He began performing professionally in 1929 when he was 4 years old, and played drums, composed and arranged songs, and began acting all before he was 15. He had a gorgeous tenor voice and perfect pitch, giving him a nearly flawless vocal style combined with an impeccable musicality. He was so accomplished and respected that he was allowed to add a new lyric to Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas for Frank Sinatra, which makes him a co-composer (of sorts) for two of the three Christmas songs in The Great American Songbook.

Tormé wrote the music for the song, and co-wrote the lyrics along with Robert (Bob) Wells on a sweltering day in July 1945. Wells started the song, writing the famous first four lines as a way of attempting to cool off. Mel Tormé stopped by his friend’s house and saw the lines on a notepad. Within 40 minutes they had the song completed. It is credited as being the most commonly performed song in popular music history.

The songwriters added a subtitle, Merry Christmas to You but, as its fame grew, they changed the subtitle to the more recognizable Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire. In 1963, as music arranger for Judy Garland’s television show, Tormé added an opening verse as a teaser for the show’s audience. A teaser is an introduction which hints at what is to come, and is optional for use in a song’s performance. Irving Berlin’s White Christmas also has one. He also added what’s known as a coda, a concluding passage which adds to the basic structure to the piece. In this case, Tormé ingeniously based the coda on the classic English carol, Here We Come A-Wassailing.

What’s truly unique about The Christmas Song is its jazz structure. For a popular song, the melody and chord progression are daring and offbeat. For example, the opening chords of the second verse (Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe) sound more like improvisation, which Tormé was a master of. Indeed, Tormé never quite performed the song the same way twice, utilizing reharmonization, in which the original chords are enhanced, extended, or otherwise altered.

This largely explains the song’s vast appeal to singers and musicians. There is nothing so rigidly structured about the song that makes it difficult to adapt and arrange for any type of performance. I can point to popular performances of the song over the years by artists as diverse as jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald, the acapella group The King’s Singers, and orchestras like The Boston Pops.

The most famous version, however, is by jazz and pop singer Nat “King” Cole, who first recorded it in 1946. This recording, presumed lost for decades until it was accidentally discovered 1989, was performed by Cole’s trio. The piano track was considered slow and downbeat by most Christmas song standards. Two months later, they added a string quartet, a harpist, and a drummer, giving the song some swing, or up-tempo. This version remained popular until 1961, when Cole’s music producers added an orchestra and recorded in stereo. This is likely the version you hear most frequently during the season.

And, because it is so well-known, I prefer to share with you the Mel Tormé/Judy Garland version, with that lovely teaser verse and ingenious coda. It is jazzy, intimate, and provides you with the opportunity to hear two magnificent voices together. Merry Christmas, everyone!

All through the year we waited,
Waited through spring and fall
To hear silver bells ringing, see wintertime bringing
The happiest season of all…

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yule-tide 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 loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh
And every mother’s child is gonna spy
To see if reindeer really know how to fly

And so I’m offering this simple phrase
To kids from one to ninety-two
Although it’s been said many times, many ways
Merry Christmas to you

And so I’m offering this simple phrase
To kids from one to ninety-two
Although it’s been said many times, many ways
Merry Christmas to you

Love and joy come to you
And to you your Christmas too
And God bless you and send you a happy New Year
And God send you a happy New Year