The Christmas Song

This article is about the song by Bob Wells and Mel Tormé. For other uses, see Christmas music and Christmas Song (disambiguation).

"The Christmas Song"
Song
Published1945 by Burke and Van Heusen
GenreChristmas
Songwriter(s)

"The Christmas Song" (commonly subtitled "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" or, as it was originally subtitled, "Merry Christmas to You") is a classic Christmas song written in 1945[note 1] by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé.

The Nat King Cole Trio first recorded the song in June 1946. At Cole's behest – and over the objections of his label, Capitol Records – a second recording was made in August utilizing a small string section. This version became a massive hit on both the pop and R&B charts. Cole again recorded the song in 1953, using the same arrangement with a full orchestra arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle, and once more in 1961, in a stereophonic version with another full orchestra arranged and conducted by Ralph Carmichael. Cole's 1961 version is generally regarded as definitive and, in 2004, was the most-loved seasonal song with women aged 30–49;[7] while the original 1946 recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1974.[8] In 2022, the 1961 Nat King Cole recording was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."[9]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Jamestormeofficial was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference NPR1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Hutchinson, Lydia (December 5, 2016). "The Christmas Song". Performingsongwriter.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020. As Tormé relates in his autobiography, 'Improbable though it may sound, 'The Christmas Song' was completed about 45 minutes later. Excitedly, we called Carlos Gastel [manager of Nat Cole and Peggy Lee], sped into Hollywood, played it for him, then for [lyricist] Johnny Burke, and then for Nat Cole, who fell in love with the tune. It took a full year for him to get into a studio to record it [in 1946], but his record finally came out in late fall of 1946; and the rest could be called our financial pleasure.'
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Time1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Grammy1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Mel Tormé - The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)". Allmusic.com. AllMusic, Netaktion LLC. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020. Comp Date: 1944
  7. ^ Edison Media Research: What We Learned From Testing Christmas Music in 2004 Archived July 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved November 29, 2011
  8. ^ Grammy Hall of Fame Archived February 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved November 29, 2011
  9. ^ "National Recording Registry Inducts Music from Alicia Keys, Ricky Martin, Journey and More in 2022". Library of Congress. Retrieved April 13, 2022.


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