{"id":6363,"date":"2017-12-21T12:49:40","date_gmt":"2017-12-21T17:49:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/?p=6363"},"modified":"2017-12-21T12:49:40","modified_gmt":"2017-12-21T17:49:40","slug":"songs-of-the-season-the-christmas-song","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/songs-of-the-season-the-christmas-song\/","title":{"rendered":"Songs of the Season \u2013 The Christmas Song"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by author<\/p><\/div>\n

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 Torm\u00e9 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\u2019t imagine how many times I\u2019ve had this conversation:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s your favorite Christmas song?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Christmas Song.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYes. Which one?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know\u2026The Christmas Song.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Puzzled look.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cChestnuts roasting on an open fire\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cOh! That one! Why didn\u2019t you say so?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Mel Torm\u00e9 was a musical child prodigy<\/strong>, 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<\/strong> voice and perfect pitch<\/strong>, 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<\/a> <\/strong>for Frank Sinatra<\/strong>, which makes him a co-composer (of sorts) for two of the three Christmas songs in The Great American Songbook<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Torm\u00e9 wrote the music for the song, and co-wrote the lyrics along with Robert (Bob) Wells<\/strong> 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 Torm\u00e9 stopped by his friend\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

The songwriters added a subtitle, Merry Christmas to You<\/em> but, as its fame grew, they changed the subtitle to the more recognizable Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire<\/em>. In 1963, as music arranger for Judy Garland\u2019s <\/strong>television show, Torm\u00e9 added an opening verse<\/strong> as a teaser<\/strong> for the show\u2019s audience. A teaser is an introduction which hints at what is to come, and is optional for use in a song\u2019s performance. Irving Berlin’s White Christmas<\/a><\/strong> also has one. He also added what\u2019s known as a coda<\/strong>, a concluding passage which adds to the basic structure to the piece. In this case, Torm\u00e9 ingeniously based the coda on the classic English carol, Here We Come A-Wassailing<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s truly unique about The Christmas Song <\/em>is its jazz structure. For a popular song, the melody<\/strong> and chord progression<\/strong> are daring and offbeat. For example, the opening chords of the second verse (Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe<\/em>) sound more like improvisation<\/strong>, which Torm\u00e9 was a master of. Indeed, Torm\u00e9 never quite performed the song the same way twice, utilizing reharmonization<\/strong>, in which the original chords are enhanced, extended, or otherwise altered.<\/p>\n

This largely explains the song\u2019s 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<\/strong>, the acapella group The King\u2019s Singers<\/strong>, and orchestras like The Boston Pops<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The most famous version, however, is by jazz and pop singer Nat \u201cKing\u201d Cole<\/strong>, who first recorded it in 1946. This recording, presumed lost for decades until it was accidentally discovered 1989, was performed by Cole\u2019s 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<\/strong>, or up-tempo<\/strong>. This version remained popular until 1961, when Cole\u2019s music producers added an orchestra and recorded in stereo<\/strong>. This is likely the version you hear most frequently during the season.<\/p>\n

And, because it is so well-known, I prefer to share with you the Mel Torm\u00e9\/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!<\/p>\n

All through the year we waited,<\/em>
\nWaited through spring and fall
\nTo hear silver bells ringing, see wintertime bringing
\nThe happiest season of all\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
\nJack Frost nipping at your nose
\nYule-tide carols being sung by a choir
\nAnd folks dressed up like Eskimos<\/em><\/p>\n

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe
\nHelp to make the season bright
\nTiny tots with their eyes all aglow
\nWill find it hard to sleep tonight<\/em><\/p>\n

They know that Santa’s on his way
\nHe’s loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh
\nAnd every mother’s child is gonna spy
\nTo see if reindeer really know how to fly<\/em><\/p>\n

And so I’m offering this simple phrase
\nTo kids from one to ninety-two
\nAlthough it’s been said many times, many ways
\nMerry Christmas to you<\/em><\/p>\n

And so I’m offering this simple phrase
\nTo kids from one to ninety-two
\nAlthough it’s been said many times, many ways
\nMerry Christmas to you<\/em><\/p>\n

Love and joy come to you<\/em>
\nAnd to you your Christmas too
\nAnd God bless you and send you a happy New Year
\nAnd God send you a happy New Year<\/em><\/p>\n