Little Known Facts about the Christmas Holiday Season Music

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! It’s definitely “the most wonderful time of the year.” Christmas would not be the same without the music that goes with it. Some people are purists at heart. They like the old favorites while others like the pop culture versions of their favorite songs. Do you ever wonder what Christmas music will sound like in 20 years? Do you think that when Johnny Marks wrote Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer back in 1939 he believed that there would be disco, R&B, and boy band versions of it 70 years later?

In honor of the holiday season, we put together some interesting facts about holiday music that you might not know.

What are the top 10 most performed holiday songs?

10. Little Drummer Boy
9. I’ll Be Home For Christmas
8. Jingle Bell Rock
7. Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer
6. Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!
5. White Christmas
4. Winter Wonderland
3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
2. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
1. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)

Note: All of the songs on the list are the originals. Not the “new” versions.

Were all holiday songs written for the radio?

No, of the best known Christmas songs, there are three that were written for movies:

White Christmas featured in Holiday Inn (1942)
Silver Bells featured in The Lemon Drop Kid (1950)
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas featured in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

What is the most recorded and arranged holiday song?

Holiday music has been arranged and rerecorded to death but there is one that stands out from the crowd. It has more than 500 versions in dozens of languages. The song is White Christmas.

Who wrote the largest amount of famous holiday songs?

That record belongs to Johnny Marks. Oddly, Marks was Jewish but he specialized in Christmas songs. He wrote, Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, Rockin Around the Christmas Tree, A Holly Jolly Christmas, and Silver and Gold. He also wrote other, less known Christmas songs.

Were all of the most famous holiday songs actually songs?

A song can only be a song if there are lyrics. In other words, a song must involve a vocalist. Most holiday music does involve the singing of lyrics but one famous song was not written for a vocalist. Sleigh Ride was written for orchestra. It was first performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra in 1948. It became such a hit that in 1949 lyrics were added by Mitchell Parish.

Finally

Nothing highlights the season better than the music that goes with it. Find time to make it to a church service or community sing along this year. Nobody cares how good (or bad) of a singer you are. The holidays are about festivity and joy. Singing Christmas carols will bring a smile to anybody’s face. Put your problems aside and let the music we all grew up with bring blessings to you this season. And above all, have a safe, festive, and blessed holiday season!

—————————————————————————————————-