I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

PERRY COMO
SONGWRITERS: BUCK RAM; KIM GANNON & WALTER KENT
COUNTRY: ITALYXU. S. A.
ALBUM: PERRY COMO SINGS MERRY CHRISTMAS MUSIC
LABEL: RCA VICTOR
GENRE: CHRISTMAS SONG
YEAR: 1953
 
               Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (/ˈkoʊmoʊ/; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signing with the label in 1943.
       He recorded primarily vocal pop and was renowned for recordings in the intimate, easy-listening genre pioneered by multi-media star Bing Crosby.
           "Mr. C.", as he was nicknamed, sold millions of records and pioneered a weekly musical variety television show. His weekly television shows and seasonal specials were broadcast throughout the world. In the official RCA Records Billboard magazine memorial, his life was summed up in these few words: "50 years of music and a life well lived. An example to all."
         Como received five Emmys from 1955 to 1959, a Christopher Award (1956) and shared a Peabody Award with good friend Jackie Gleason in 1956. He was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 1990 and received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1987. Posthumously, Como received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002 and was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006. He has the distinction of having three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in radio, television, and music.
            Perry Como Sings Merry Christmas Music was Perry Como's first Christmas album, originally issued by RCA Victor as a 78 RPM album set in 1946. The original release included "O Little Town of Bethlehem" which was replaced in 1947 by Irving Berlin's famous song "White Christmas". This album, along with Como's later stereophonic Christmas albums, Season's Greetings from Perry Como and The Perry Como Christmas Album, from 1959 and 1968 respectively, are among the all-time best-selling Christmas albums. RCA has reissued Merry Christmas Music several times.

I'll be home for Christmas
you can plan on me
Please have snow and mistletoe
and presents on the tree!
 
Christmas Eve will find me
where the love light gleams
I'll be home for Christmas
if only in my dreams!
 
Christmas Eve will find me
where the love light gleams
I'll be home for Christmas
if only in my dreams!

SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN

PEGGY LEE
SONGWRITERS: HAVEN GILLESPIE; DAVID PAICH; J. COOTS; JEFF PORCARO & JOHN MARKS
COUNTRY: U. S. A.
ALBUM: CHRISTMAS CAROUSEL
LABEL: CAPITOL RECORDS
GENRE: CHRISTNAS SONG
YEAR: 1960
 
               Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, Lee created a sophisticated persona, writing music for films, acting, and recording conceptual record albums combining poetry and music.
              Christmas Carousel is a 1960 studio album (see 1960 in music) by Peggy Lee, arranged by Billy May.

Big, fat Santa's on his way
Big, fat Santa's on his way
Big, fat Santa's on his way tonight
 
You better watch out, you better not cry
You better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
(Big, fat Santa's on his way)
 
He's making a list, he's checking it twice
He's gonna find out who's naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town
(Big, fat Santa's on his way)
 
He sees you when you're sleeping
(He is coming, he is coming)
He knows when you're awake
(He is coming, he is coming)
 
He knows when you've been bad or good
(He is coming, he is coming)
So be good for goodness sake
 
You better watch out, you better not cry
You better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
(Big, fat Santa's on his way, big, fat Santa's on his way
Big, fat Santa's on his way tonight)
 
The kids in girl and boy land will have a jubilee
They're gonna build a toy land
All around the Christmas tree
 
So, you better watch out, you better not cry
You better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming
 
Big, fat Santa's on his way
Big, fat Santa's on his way
Big, fat Santa's on his way tonight.

THE CHRISTMAS BLUES

DEAN MARTIN
SONGWRITER: SKITCH HENDERSON
COUNTRY: U. S. A.
ALBUM: A WINTER ROMANCE
LABEL: REPRISE RECORDS
GENRE: CHRISTMAS SONG
YEAR: 1966
 
                   Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, recording artist and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool" for his seemingly effortless charisma and self-assurance.
        Martin gained his career breakthrough together with comedian Jerry Lewis, billed as Martin & Lewis, in 1946. They performed in nightclubs and later had numerous appearances on radio, television and in films. Following an acrimonious ending of the partnership in 1956, Martin pursued a solo career as a performer and actor.
           Martin established himself as a notable singer, recording numerous contemporary songs as well as standards from the Great American Songbook. He became one of the most popular acts in Las Vegas and was known for his friendship with fellow artists Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., who together formed the Rat Pack.
              Starting in 1965, Martin was the host of the television variety program The Dean Martin Show, which centered on Martin's singing and comedic talents and was characterized by his relaxed, easy-going demeanor. From 1974 to 1984, he was roastmaster on the popular Dean Martin Celebrity Roast, which drew notable celebrities, comedians and politicians.
            Throughout his career, Martin performed in concert stages, nightclubs, audio recordings and appeared in 85 film and television productions. His relaxed, warbling, crooning voice earned him dozens of hit singles, including his signature songs "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" and "Volare".
          The Dean Martin Christmas Album is a 1966 studio album by Dean Martin arranged by Ernie Freeman and Bill Justis.
           This was Martin's only album of Christmas music released on Reprise Records (his only other Christmas album, A Winter Romance, having been released in 1959 on Capitol Records). It was reissued on CD by Hip-O Records in 2008, retitled A Very Cool Christmas.
             Ricci James Martin, Martin's son, wrote in a biography of his father that The Dean Martin Christmas Album was the only one of his father's albums that was played in the Martin household, his parents seldom listening to Dean Martin's music.
            This was the fourth of five albums Martin released in 1966. Billboard magazine reported in its December 3, 1966 issue that The Dean Martin Christmas Album was on top of its "Best Bets for Christmas" chart.
           The release of The Dean Martin Christmas Album in October and The Dean Martin TV Show in November 1966 were accompanied by what Billboard described as a "merchandising avalanche" by Reprise Records and their parent company Warner Music. Billboard described Martin as running the "hottest streak of his career" and said that Reprise planned to sell $4 million of his records over the Christmas sales period. Billboard later reported that Martin had sold 850,000 albums in December 1966. 

The jingle bells are jingling
The streets are white with snow
The happy crowds are mingling
But there's no one that I know
 
I'm sure that you'll forgive me
If I don't enthuse
I guess I've got the Christmas blues
 
I've done my window shopping
There's not a store I've missed
But what's the use of stopping
When there's no one on your list
You'll know the way I'm feeling
When you love and you lose
I guess I've got the Christmas blues
 
When somebody wants you
Somebody needs you
Christmas is a joy of joy
But friends when you're lonely
You'll find that it's only
A thing for little girls and little boys
 
May all your days be merry
Your seasons full of cheer
But 'til it's January
I'll just go and disappear
Oh Santa may have brought you some stars for your shoes
But Santa only brought me the blues
Those brightly packaged tinsel covered Christmas blues
 
Oh Santa may have brought you some stars for your shoes
But Santa only brought me the blues
Those brightly packaged tinsel covered Christmas blues.

SILVER BELLS

BRING CROSBY & ROSEMARY CLOONEY
SONGWRITERS: JAY LIVINGSTON & RAYMOND EVANS
COUNTRY: U. S. A.
ALBUM: WHITE CHRISTMAS
LABEL: COLLECTOR’S GOLD
GENRE: CHRISTMAS SONG
YEAR: 2010
 
         The Bing Crosby – Rosemary Clooney Show commonly referred to as just The Crosby – Clooney Show was an American old-time talk radio program.
             In 1960, entertainers Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney teamed together for The Bing Crosby – Rosemary Clooney Show on CBS. This was a 20-minute show aimed at female listeners and was broadcast at 11:40 a.m. daily.
                 Crosby and Clooney would tape the dialogue weeks in advance and songs from the substantial library built up with Buddy Cole and his Trio would be interpolated. The songs would usually feature the singers singing separate solos and often a duet. Songs were repeated on many occasions. Murdo MacKenzie served as the producer. The shows commenced on February 29, 1960 and continued without a break until September 28, 1962 officially ending Crosby's 31-year association with radio.
       Variety listened to the first show and commented, inter alia, "CBS is forever trying to revive the good old days of radio, and this time, by some magic of economics or persuasiveness, they’ve got a highly respected pair of performers to help them... Program was not inspired but it was fun, and might just attract a respectable audience."
            Murray Schumach of The New York Times looked at the series in depth in an article published on October 8, 1961. The article commenced, "Bing and Rosemary have worked out an almost foolproof system of parlaying work into fun and fun into money. Periodically they sit down in some pleasant environment and turn out material for some weeks of the 20 minute radio shows which are heard five days a week on the CBS network. The approach to these taping sessions is informal, just as it sounds on the air. There is a script, it is true. There are also numerous commercials which Rosemary usually rattles off whilst Bing grins smugly or stares stonily. By the time each of these meetings is ended, the floor is carpeted with pages of scripts and only the tape recorders know what is said..."
                Amongst the diverse sponsors were Norcross Greeting Cards, Fels & Company, GE light bulbs, Cheerios, Eastern Products Corporation, Squirt (the drink with the happy taste), Sara Lee, D-zerta, The Saturday Evening Post, Four-Way cold tablets, Cat’s Paw Shoe Repairers, Matey, Del Monte, Wrigley’s Spearmint Gum, Ry-Krisp, DuPont, Dacron, Royal Edge and Royal Lining Paper, U.S. Steel and Good Housekeeping.

City sidewalks, busy sidewalks
Dressed in holiday style
In the air
There's a feeling like Christmas
Children laughing, people passing
Meeting smile after smile
And on every street corner you hear
 
Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be Christmas day
 
Strings of street lights
Even stop lights
Blink a bright red and green
As the shopper’s rush home
With their treasures
Hear the snow crunch
See the kids bunch
This is Santa's big scene
And above all
The bustle you hear
 
Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be Christmas day.