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.

THE CHRISTMAS SYMPHONY

PERRY COMO
SONGWRITERS: Phil Perry; Joe Candullo & Charles Faso
COUNTRY: ITALYXU. S. A.
ALBUM: A PERRY COMO CHRISTMAS
LABEL: RCA RECORDS
GENRE: CHRISTMAS SONG
YEAR: 2001
 
                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.
           The Perry Como Christmas Album is Perry Como's 15th RCA Victor 12" long-play album.
               Como is accompanied on the album by the Ray Charles Singers and an orchestra arranged and conducted by Nick Perito. On two songs, "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", boy choristers from the Little Church Around the Corner and from Saint Thomas Church (Manhattan) also participated.

( Oooo, Oooo! )
 
The candle glow, the mistletoe, and the falling snow
Bring to me, the Christmas symphony!
 
The balsam tree, the gifts I see, and the silent night
Bring to me, the Christmas symphony!
 
The voices of Mother speaking, to little girls and boys
"Dear, if you're not sleeping, Santa can't bring you any toys!"
 
The Christmas prayer that fills the air, here and everywhere
Brings to me, the Christmas symphony!
 
Voices of Mother speaking…
To little girls and boys
"Dear, if you're not sleeping…
Santa can't bring you any toys!"
 
The Christmas prayer that fills the air, here and everywhere
Brings to me, the Christmas symphony!

HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS

ELVIS PRESLEY
SONGWRITERS: GENE AUTRY & OAKLEY HALDEMAN
COUNTRY: U. S. A.
ALBUM: BLUE CHRISTMAS
LABEL: TSK MUSIC
GENRE: CHRISTMAS SONG
YEAR: 1992
 
             Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), also known simply as Elvis, was an American singer, musician and actor. He is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century and is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King". His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, led him to great success—and initial controversy.
          Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family when he was 13 years old. His music career began there in 1954, recording at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African-American music to a wider audience. Presley, on rhythm acoustic guitar, and accompanied by lead guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, was a pioneer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage him for more than two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", was released in January 1956 and became a number-one hit in the United States. With a series of successful network television appearances and chart-topping records, he became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll.
          (…) With his rise from poverty to significant fame, Presley's success seemed to epitomize the American Dream. He is the best-selling solo music artist of all time, and was commercially successful in many genres.(…)
          "Here Comes Santa Claus (Down Santa Claus Lane)" is a Christmas song originally written and performed by Gene Autry, with music composed by Oakley Haldeman. Autry's original recording (in which he pronounces Santa Claus as "Santy Claus") was a top-10 hit on the pop and country charts; the song would go on to be covered many times in the subsequent decades.
             Autry got the idea for the song after riding his horse in the 1946 Santa Claus Lane Parade (now the Hollywood Christmas Parade) in Los Angeles, during which crowds of spectators chanted, "Here comes Santa Claus". This inspired him to write a song that Haldeman set to music. Autry's lyrics combined two veins of the Christmas tradition, the mythology of Santa Claus and the Christian origin of the holiday (most explicitly in its mention of the nativity promise of "peace on Earth" to those who "follow the light"). A demo recording was made by singer/guitarist Johnny Bond, whose recording made use of ice cubes to mimic the sound of the jingling sleigh-bells. This inspired the use of real sleigh-bells in Autry's own recording of the song.
            Autry first recorded the song in 1947; released as a single by Columbia Records, it became a Nº. 5 country and Nº. 9 pop hit. Autry performed the song in his 1949 movie The Cowboy and the Indians. He re-recorded it again for Columbia in 1953 and, once more, for his own Challenge Records label in 1957, which released it on more than one album that year.
             Other artists to record the song include Doris Day (1949), Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters (recorded May 10, 1949), Elvis Presley (1957), the Ray Conniff Singers (1959), Keely Smith (1960), Alvin and the Chipmunks (1961), Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans (1963), Hank Thompson (1964), in excerpt by The Beach Boys as part of their song "Child of Winter" (1974), Willie Nelson (1979), Glen Campbell, RuPaul, The Wiggles (1997), Billy Idol (2006), Bob Dylan (2009), Mariah Carey (2010), Chicago (2011), the Glee cast (2013), Anna Kendrick (2015), and Pentatonix (2018). In 1988, "Here Comes Santa Claus" was featured in Very Merry Christmas Songs which is part of the Disney Sing Along Songs collection. The song was also featured prominently in the popular Christmas movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation during the climax towards the end of the film. The version of the song used was Autry's 1957 Challenge Records recording. 

Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus,
Right down Santa Claus Lane.
 
Vixen, Blitzen, all his reindeer
Pulling on the reins.
Bells are ringing, children singing,
All is merry and bright.
Hang your stockings and say a prayer,
'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight.
 
Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus,
Riding down Santa Claus Lane.
 
He's got a bag that's filled with toys
For boys and girls again.
Hear those sleigh bells jingle jangle,
What a beautiful sight.
Jump in bed and cover up your head,
Because Santa Claus comes tonight.
 
Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus,
Riding down Santa Claus Lane.
 
He doesn't care if you're a rich or poor boy,
He loves you just the same.
Santa knows that we're God's children,
That makes everything right.
Fill your hears with Christmas cheer,
'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight.
 
Well, here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus,
Riding down Santa Claus Lane.
 
He'll come around when the chimes ring out
It's Christmas morn again.
Peace on Earth will come to all
If we just follow the light
Let's give thanks to the Lord above,
'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight.
'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight.