MUSIC CLIP - OSCAR PETERSON, “MOONGLOW”
Welcome to Afterglow, [a show of vocal jazz and popular song from the Great American Songbook], I’m your host, Mark Chilla.
It’s the holiday season, everyone, a time where the American Songbook often is featured front and center in shopping malls, car stereos, and commercials. And for our annual holiday episode of Afterglow, I’m going to explore a few songs off the snowy track. Instead of “Silent Night” and “White Christmas,” we’re going to be taking a look at some more obscure holiday tunes, as performed by songbook favorites like Ella Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby.
It’s Holiday Rarities, coming up next on Afterglow
MUSIC - BING CROSBY, "JUST WHAT I WANTED FOR CHRISTMAS"
MUSIC - NANCY WILSON, "THAT'S WHAT I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS"
Two more obscure songs about Christmas wishes, one more romantic and one more… commercial. Just now, we heard Nancy Wilson in 1963 with the romantic “That’s What I Want For Christmas,” written by Earl Lawrence. Before that, Bing Crosby in 1959 with “Just What I Wanted For Christmas,” written by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Kahn.
MUSIC CLIP - OSCAR PETERSON, "SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN"
Mark Chilla here on Afterglow. On this show, we’re celebrating the Christmas holiday with some songs of the season. However, on this particular episode, I’m going to be turning my spotlight onto some more holiday rarities.
“Rarity” is, of course, a relative term. If you’re a Christmas music obsessive, like I am… someone who purchases odd Christmas music compilations, or purchases SiriusXM just to binge the holiday channels in December… perhaps some of these songs are familiar to you.
But if you’re a casual fan, I bet you a lot of these songs will be unfamiliar to you. There will be no “White Christmas,” no “Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire,” and no “Little Drummer Boy” this hour. Instead, it’s all songs that were even somewhat new to me as I was researching the show—I’ve not featured these songs on other holiday episodes before!
I want to start with one of the figures of the season, songs about Santa Claus. Of course, you have “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas,” “Here Comes Santa Claus,” and “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.” But what about “Santa Claus Got Stuck In My Chimney” or “Shake Hands With Santa Claus.” Let’s hear those Santa songs now.
First up, here is Ella Fitzgerald in 1950 with Billy Moore and William Hardy’s “Santa Claus Got Stuck In My Chimney,” on Afterglow.
MUSIC - ELLA FITZGERALD, "SANTA CLAUS GOT STUCK (IN MY CHIMNEY)"
MUSIC - LOUIS PRIMA & HIS ORCHESTRA, "SHAKE HANDS WITH SANTA CLAUS"
Two rare Santa songs from the early 1950s. Just now, we heard Louis Prima and His Orchestra in 1951 with “Shake Hands With Santa Claus” and before that, Ella Fitzgerald in 1950 with “Santa Claus Got Stuck In My Chimney.”
You know, as I was listening to some rare Christmas tunes, I came across some very odd Santa songs. For instance, I encountered a few by the risque nightclub act Kay Martin and Her Bodyguards—songs like “Santa’s Doing The Horizontal Mambo” or “Come On Santa, Let’s Have A Ball”—that make Eartha Kitt’s flirtatious “Santa Baby” seem positively G-rated. Needless to say, I will not be featuring those this hour, but seek them out yourself if you’re curious.
Instead, I also came across a few other Santa songs—really sweet ones, in fact—that are each about drawing inspiration from Santa’s generosity this time of year.
We’ll start with Dinah Washington in 1959 with Clyde Otis’s “Ole Santa,” on Afterglow
MUSIC - DINAH WASHINGTON, "OLE SANTA"
MUSIC - THE MILLS BROTHERS, "YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A SANTA CLAUS"
Two more Santa songs, each with an uplifting holiday message. Just now, we heard the Mills Brothers in 1955 with “You Don’t Have To Be A Santa Claus,” a song about channeling Santa’s giving spirit year-round… at least I think that’s what it’s about. I’m really not quite sure what they mean by that line “when you reach down in your jeans.” Very strange. Before that, Dinah Washington in 1959 with “Ole Santa,” a song about Santa’s generosity this time of year.
These next two Christmas songs are ones that were written by some famous songwriting duos (Harry Warren and Mack Gordon, and Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn) although in my opinion, these songs have not quite caught on with singers or the public, which is why I’m considering them “rarities” today.
The first was actually a minor hit song when it was written in 1941. The tune “It Happened In Sun Valley,” written by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon for the 1941 film Sun Valley Serenade, was a Top 20 hit for Glenn Miller and His Orchestra that year (Miller and his Orchestra were even featured in the film). It’s not a Christmas song, per se, but it does make lots of references to snow and sleigh rides, which has caused it to appear on the holiday albums of artists like André Previn and Mel Tormé. Perhaps it’s a rarity today because of the word “sun” in the title—the sun is usually not something we associate with the winter months!
Here’s a version of that tune from 1956. This is Jo Stafford with Paul Weston and His Orchestra with “It Happened In Sun Valley,” on Afterglow.
MUSIC - JO STAFFORD, "IT HAPPENED IN SUN VALLEY"
MUSIC - FRANK SINATRA, "AN OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS"
Frank Sinatra and the choral group Fred Waring and His Pennsylvannians in 1964 with Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn’s “An Old Fashioned Christmas.” That originally comes from Sinatra’s 1964 album 12 Songs of Christmas. Before that, the Harry Warren and Mack Gordon wintertime song “It Happened In Sun Valley.” That was performed by Jo Stafford and the Norman Luboff choir, and featured on Stafford’s 1956 holiday album Ski Trails.
MUSIC CLIP - HOUSTON PERSON, "GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMEN"
We’ll have more holiday rarities on this Afterglow holiday special in just a bit. Stay with us.
I’m Mark Chilla, and you’re listening to Afterglow
MUSIC CLIP - BENNY GOODMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA, "JINGLE BELLS"
MUSIC CLIP - CHET BAKER, "WINTER WONDERLAND"
Welcome back to Afterglow, I’m Mark Chilla. We’ve been exploring some Holiday Rarities this hour, lesser-known holiday tunes performed by your favorite jazz and pop crooners.
Just about every major jazz and pop crooner from the mid 20th century released a holiday album of some kind: Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, for instance, all recorded wintertime LPs that all become staples.
Some of these artists, however, included newly composed holiday tunes on their album—it was nice of them to use their platform to support new songwriters trying to write a new holiday standard. However, not all of these songs have become standards.
I’ll play now two such instances of songs that never quite caught on. First up, this is a track from June Christy’s wonderful 1961 winter-themed album This Time Of Year. This is a fascinating album because there is not one single “standard” on it: it’s all original winter songs written by the songwriting team of Connie Pearce and Arnold Miller.
This is June Christy in 1961 with Peace and Miller’s “Ring A Merry Bell,” on Afterglow.
MUSIC - JUNE CHRISTY, "RING A MERRY BELL"
MUSIC - TONY BENNETT, "CHRISTMASLAND"
Tony Bennett in 1968 with “Christmasland,” a lesser-known holiday song written by Dennis and Brian Farron. That comes from Bennett’s 1968 album Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album, arranged by Dennis and Brian’s brother Robert Farron. Before that, June Christy from her 1961 wintertime album This Time Of Year with “Ring A Merry Bell,” one of the many songs on that album written by Connie Pearce and Arnold Miller.
Christmas ballads became a huge moneymaker in the mid 20th century. Songs like “White Christmas,” “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” and “The Christmas Song” were some of the biggest songs of the century, and continue to be raking in the dough for their songwriters’ respective estates well into the 21st century. So as you may imagine, lots of songwriters tried their hand at a holiday ballad, but not all of these songs (for whatever) had the staying power, or were as continuously covered, as some of our familiar favorites.
Let’s hear a few rare Christmas ballads now. This first one comes from 1953, written (apparently) by the actor, novelist and occasional songwriter Carleton Carpenter. This is Billy Eckstine with “Christmas Eve,” on Afterglow.
MUSIC - BILLY ECKSTINE, "CHRISTMAS EVE"
MUSIC - JULIE LONDON, "I'D LIKE YOU FOR CHRISTMAS"
Brook Benton in 1960 with “This Time Of The Year,” written by Clyde Otis and Jesse Hollis. Before that, Julie London in 1957 with “I’d Like You For Christmas,” a song written by her soon-to-be-husband, songwriter Bobby Troup. And starting that set, Billy Eckstine in 1953 with “Christmas Eve,” written by Carleton Carpenter.
Some Christmas songs are jazzy, in that they incorporate some jazz elements, like Vince Guaraldi’s “Christmas Time Is Here” or Mel Tormé’s “The Christmas Song.” However, few Christmas tunes are truly jazz. Except maybe some of these next tunes, which are all associated with specific jazz artists.
This first one was written in 1955 partly by Richard M. Sherman, one half of the Sherman brothers duo that wrote a bunch of songs for Disney films. This is New Orleans jazz legend Louis Armstrong singing about “Christmas In New Orleans,” on Afterglow
MUSIC - LOUIS ARMSTRONG, "CHRISTMAS IN NEW ORLEANS"
MUSIC - MILES DAVIS, FEAT. BOB DOROUGH, "BLUE XMAS (TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN)"
MUSIC - LAMBERT, HENDRICKS AND ROSS, "DECK US ALL WITH BOSTON CHARLIE"
The jazz trio Lambert, Hendricks and Ross with their irreverent “Deck Us All With Boston Charlie,” a scat-heavy tune featured on the 1962 Columbia LP Jingle Bell Jazz. Before that, another track written for that Jingle Bell Jazz record, that was Miles Davis featuring vocalist Bob Dorough with “Blue Xmas (To Whom It May Concern),” a song that the two of them wrote. And starting that set, Louis Armstrong in 1955 with “Christmas In New Orleans.”
I have one more holiday rarity for you this hour, and this is one that is surprisingly rare, given its origin. When you think of Judy Garland singing a Christmas song in a film musical, your first thought probably goes to the Hugh Martin and Ralph Blaine song “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” for the 1944 film Meet Me In St. Louis. And why wouldn’t it? That song, according to the website Secondhand Songs, has been covered over 2000 times!
MUSIC CLIP - JUDY GARLAND, "HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS"
But did you know Garland sang another Christmas song in another film musical five years later? The song “Merry Christmas” written by Fred Spielman Janice Torre for the 1949 film In The Good Old Summertime, did not catch on in the same way as “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” and was only recorded by a handful of people, including Johnny Mathis and Bette Midler. I suppose when it came to Judy Garland Christmas songs, people thought that you can’t ring that Christmas bell twice!
Nevertheless, here is Judy Garland in 1949 with her other Christmas song “Merry Christmas,” on Afterglow.
MUSIC - JUDY GARLAND, "MERRY CHRISTMAS"
The second most popular Judy Garland Christmas song originally recorded for a film musical in the 1940s… that was “Merry Christmas” written by Fred Spielman and Janice Torre for the 1949 Judy Garland film In The Good Old Summertime.
Merry Christmas to you, if you celebrate, and thanks for tuning in to this holiday rarities edition of Afterglow.
MUSIC CLIP - GEORGE SHEARING, "HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS"
Afterglow is part of the educational mission of Indiana University and produced by WFIU Public Radio in beautiful Bloomington, Indiana. The executive producer is John Bailey.
Playlists for this and other Afterglow programs are available on our website. That’s at indianapublicmedia.org/afterglow.
I’m Mark Chilla, and join me next week for our mix of Vocal Jazz and popular song from the Great American Songbook, here on Afterglow
