"The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" is a classic Christmas song, written in 1944 by vocalist Mel Tormé and Bob Wells. The 1995 re-release album cover of White Christmas A Christmas song is a song which is normally sung during the Christmas period, and usually has lyrical content addressing the holiday, the winter season, or both. ... Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... Melvin Howard Tormé (September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999), nicknamed The Velvet Fog, is best known as one of the great male jazz singers. ...

The Nat King Cole Trio first recorded the song early in 1946. At Cole's behest (and over the objections of his label, Capitol Records), a second recording was made the same year utilizing a small string section, this version becoming a massive hit on both the pop and R&B charts. Cole re-recorded the song in 1953 and again in 1961, using the same arrangement with a full orchestra. Mel Tormé himself eventually recorded his own versions in 1954 and again in 1965. However, the 1961 recording by Cole is generally regarded as definitive and continues to receive considerable radio airplay each holiday season. Cole's version of this song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1974.^[1] Nathaniel Adams Coles, known professionally as Nat King Cole (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965) was a popular American singer, songwriter, and jazz pianist. ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nathaniel Adams Coles, known professionally as Nat King Cole (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965) was a popular American singer, songwriter, and jazz pianist. ... Capitol Records is a major United States-based record label, owned by EMI. // The Capitol Records company was founded by the songwriter Johnny Mercer in 1942, with the financial help of movie producer Buddy DeSylva and the business acumen of Glenn Wallichs, (1910-1971) (owner of Music City, at the... The string section of an orchestra is the section containing bowed string instruments. ... Rhythm and blues (or R & B) is a musical marketing term introduced in the United States in the late 1940s by Billboard magazine. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the song titled Orchestra, see The Servant (band). ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Definitive is a show on MTV2. ... See also: Grammy Grammy Hall of Fame Award List of Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients E-I List of Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients J-P List of Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Q-Z Alphabetical listing by title Categories: Lists of people | Grammy Hall of Fame... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ...

Recording Details

First recording: Recorded at WMCA Radio Studios, New York City, June 14, 1946. Not issued until 1989 on the album Billboard Greatest Christmas Hits (1935-1954) Rhino R1 70637(LP) / R2 70637(CD). The King Cole Trio: Nat King Cole, vocal-pianist; Oscar Moore, guitarist; Johnny Miller, bassist. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Second recording: Recorded at WMCA Radio Studios, New York City, August 19, 1946. First record issue. Label credit: The King Cole Trio with String Choir (Nat King Cole, vocal-pianist, Oscar Moore, guitarist; Johnny Miller, bassist; Charlie Grean, conductor of 4 string players, a harpist and a drummer) Lacquer disc master #981. Issued November 1946 as Capitol 311(78rpm). This is featured on a CD called The Holiday Album which has 1940s Christmas songs recorded by Cole and Bing Crosby. Charles Randolph Grean (October 1, 1913-December 20, 2003) was a producer and composer known for writing Quentins Theme for Dark Shadows. ... Harry Lillis Bing Crosby (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer and actor whose career lasted from 1926 until his death in 1977. ...

Third recording: Recorded at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, August 24, 1953. This was the song's first magnetic tape recording. Label credit: The King Cole Trio with String Choir (Actual artists: Nat King Cole, vocal-pianist, Nelson Riddle, orchestra conductor) Master #11726, take 11. Issued November 1953 as the "new" Capitol 90036(78rpm) / F90036(45rpm) (Capitol first issued 90036 in 1950 with the second recording). Correct label credit issued on October 18, 1954 as Capitol 2955(78rpm) / F2955(45rpm). Label credit: Nat "King" Cole with Orchestra Conducted by Nelson Riddle. Nelson Smock Riddle, Jr. ...

Fourth recording: 1961. This rendition, the first recorded in stereo, is widely played on radio stations during the Christmas season, and is probably the most famous version of this song. Label credit: Nat King Cole (Nat King Cole, vocal-pianist; Charles Grean & Pete Rugolo, orchestration). Recorded for a career retrospective called The Nat King Cole Story, this recording was later appended to a reissue of Cole's 1960 holiday album The Magic of Christmas. Retitled The Christmas Song, the album was issued in 1963 as Capitol W-1967(mono) / SW-1967(stereo) and today is in print on compact disc. This version is also available on half a dozen compilation albums. Some are Capitol pop standards Christmas compilations while others are broader based. It's available on WCBS-FM's Ultimate Christmas Album Volume 3, for example. Stereophonic means having two channels of audio. ... For other uses, see Christmas (disambiguation). ... Pete Rugolo (born December 25, 1915) is an Italian-born composer and arranger. ... WCBS-FM (101. ...

Covers

In addition to the Cole and Tormé recordings, "The Christmas Song" has been covered by numerous artists, including the following:

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Footnotes

External links

• Mark Evanier on Tormé and "The Christmas Song"
• The Christmas Song played on guitar and ukulele