JOHNNY MATHIS - WINTER WONDERLAND

WINTER WONDERLAND

JOHNNY MATHIS

SONGWRITERS: FELIX BERNARD & RICHARD B. SMITH

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: MERRY CHRISTMAS

LABEL: COLUMBIA RECORDS

GENRE: JAZZ

YEAR: 1958

Merry Christmas is the first Christmas album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis and was released by Columbia Records on October 6, 1958. The selections are a mix of traditional Christmas carols ("Silent Night", "O Holy Night", "The First Noel") and holiday hits ("The Christmas Song", "White Christmas", "Silver Bells").

The album debuted on Billboard magazine's list of the 25 Best-Selling Pop LPs in the US in its December 15, 1958, issue and got as high as number three during its initial four-week run. It made additional appearances there each holiday season from 1959 to 1962 and on the magazine's Christmas Albums and Pop Catalog Albums charts in subsequent years. It received Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of 500,000 copies in the US in December 1960 and in 2013 ranked as one of the top selling Christmas albums of all time with five million copies sold.

Four songs from the album – "Winter Wonderland", "Blue Christmas", "White Christmas", and "Sleigh Ride" – were also released on the EP Merry Christmas, Vol. 1, which reached number two during the 1958 holiday season and number seven the following year on the magazine's Best-Selling Pop EPs chart. "Winter Wonderland" also spent three weeks on the UK singles chart, where his recording peaked at number 17 over the course of three weeks that began on Christmas Day 1958.

Sleigh bells ring, are you list'nin?

In the lane, snow is glist'nin'

A beautiful sight, we're happy tonight

Walkin' in the winter wonderland

Gone away is the blue bird

Here to stay is a new bird

He sings a love song, as we go along

Walkin' in the winter wonderland

In the meadow we can build a snowman

Then pretend that he is Parson Brown

He'll say "are you married?"

We'll say "no man!

But you can do the job when you're in town"

Later on we'll conspire, as we dream by the fire

To face unafraid, the plans that we've made

Walkin' in the winter wonderland

Over the ground lies a mantle of White

A heaven of diamonds shine down through the night

Two hearts are thrillin'

In spite of the chill in the weather

Love knows no season, love knows no clime

Romance can blossom any old time

Here in the open

We're walkin' and hopin' together

Together, together, together

Sleigh bells ring, are you list'nin?

In the lane, snow is glist'nin'

A beautiful sight, we're happy tonight

Walkin' in the winter wonderland

Gone away is the blue bird

Here to stay is a new bird

He's singing love song, as we go along

Walkin' in the winter wonderland

In the meadow we can build a snowman

And pretend that he's a circus clown

We'll have lots of fun with Mister Snowman

Until the other kiddies knock him down

When it snows ain't it thrillin'

Tho' your nose gets a chillin'

We'll frolic and play, the eskimo way

Walkin' in the winter wonderland

Walkin' in the winter wonderland

Winter wonder, winter wonderland

Winter winter, wonder wonderland.