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Tom MacInnes Dec 3, 2024

Christmas Stories To Be Shared By a Fire: The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole

“The Christmas Song” was written in the summer of 1945, just as World War II was coming to an end. It was written by six-time Emmy nominated songwriter Robert Wells, in collaboration with the Velvet Fog himself, Mel Torme. “The Christmas Song” was easily the most popular song written by either man throughout their highly successful individual careers. In fact, it is widely regarded as being one of the most popular songs of the holiday season ever recorded. The 1961 orchestral rendition as performed by singer Nat King Cole is generally regarded as the definitive version of this classic song. It is that version that we hear so often during the holiday season.

But what song is this exactly? “The Christmas Song” is a fairly generic and all-encompassing title that could mean almost anything when it comes to Christmas. However, this song is so famous and so ingrained in our minds as being an essential part of Christmas that I am willing to guess that you can name that tune if I supply just the very first word. Here we go! “The Christmas Song” begins with the word chestnuts. If you need a further hint, the second word is roasting. That’s right! “The Christmas Song” written by Mel Torme and Robert Wells and sung by Nat King Cole is the song that begins:

“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire

Jack Frost nipping at your nose.

Yuletide carols being sung by a choir

And folks dressed up like Eskimos…”

When this song was written, the times were certainly different than they are today. Seventy five years ago, no one batted an eye when it came to including a term such as “Eskimos” in such a popular commercial song. However, in the time that has passed, we have come to learn that the people who reside in the far north of Canada refer to themselves, generally speaking, as being Inuit. The word “Eskimo” is usually recognized as being a term developed and used by those who colonized Canada and, as such, many now find its use to be culturally offensive. For anyone who reads these words and seeks to respond with a hue and a cry about “political correctness” and “woke culture” run amok, I will simply reply that I have no issue with addressing others by how they wish to be addressed. The Inuit Peoples of my country is what they have asked to be referred to as so “Inuit” is the term I will use, this classic song notwithstanding.

But like I said, back in the day when “The Christmas Song” was first written, cultural awareness was not a prerequisite to being able to create music that touched people’s hearts. In 1945, the war was entering its final stages. Many families had experienced a form of separation due to fathers and sons enlisting in the armed forces to serve in distant lands. There was a sense that reunions that had long been prayed for were closer to becoming a more distinct possibility. Those dreams of family and warmth and love that were about to be realized throughout the western world helped provide fertile ground for a piece of music like “The Christmas Song” to take root and become a holiday institution. If you pay attention to the lyrics of this song, there are numerous references to sounds, flavours, sensory aspects of heat and cold. But most of all, the song is about families being together at Christmas time. In the decades that have followed, the ideals expressed in “The Christmas Song” of being with the ones you love during the holidays have become synonymous with the holidays themselves.

I will close with three bits of trivia for you when it comes to “The Christmas Song”.

1- A research marketing company conducted an extensive study of the popularity of certain holiday-themed songs and how that correlated with ratings on radio stations which featured Christmas formats during the holidays. *(A link to their findings can be read here). The finding that relates most to this post was that “The Christmas Song” as sung by Nat King Cole from his orchestral recording made in 1961 was the single most beloved holiday song among that demographic group known as mothers. No explanation was provided for this finding but it seems to me that it may have something to do with the desire from moms of wanting to have their family together for the holidays being given voice by the lyrics of this song.

2- Just like another holiday staple that you may have heard of called “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey *(You can read about that song here), the lyrics to “The Christmas Song” were conceived during the heat of the summer. Apparently the summer of 1945 was a hot one in America. On the day that “The Christmas Song” was written, temperatures were reaching record levels and had been high for quite some time without any relief in sight. Lyricist Robert Wells decided to cope with the heat by employing psychology. In order to distract himself, he began jotting down words and phrases that reminded him of colder times with “Jack Frost nipping at your nose” being just one example. When songwriting partner Mel Torme arrived, he took a look at what Wells had been writing down and immediately sensed a lyrical connection between the phrases. According to Torme, the song about one of the coldest times of the year was completely written on one of the hottest days of the year.

Nat King Cole

3- “The Christmas Song” was written to be a singer’s song. By that I mean it was written as an a capella or acoustic song. There was no lush orchestration created originally. It is no surprise that some of the greatest crooners of the 1940s and 50s took a crack at recording this song when it was first released. Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Frank Sinatra and Mel Torme, himself, were just a few of the great singers who recorded popular versions of this song. However, it was Nat King Cole who is primarily responsible for updating the song to include the lush stringed accompaniment we have come to expect today. Initially, Nat King Cole simply sang the song as it was written back in the 1940s when it was released. However, he actually updated his own recorded version four different times. In each case, he broadened the scope of the song by adding increasingly larger elements of orchestration in the background. He did this as recording capabilities advanced over time. In 1961, Nat King Cole recorded his fourth rendition of the song. This time, he did so with a full orchestra. While all of his recordings were popular, it was the 1961 version that has become so beloved today and the one you will most likely hear multiple times as December rolls along.

Being together with the ones you love most is a blessing of the highest order. It is a gift to be as one during the holidays but it is a rule that also applies throughout the year as well. Giving the gift of self to others by being present in their lives is something that no amount of Black Fridays and Cyber Mondays can top. If all goes well for the remainder of the month, I will spend Christmas Day with my family intact and together. My daughter will be coming home from university. Her presence will make our family complete once again. She will, no doubt, bring gifts home for us in her suitcase but little does she realize that having her home with us is the only gift that matters. That having been said, I am curious to see what her increasingly independent and creative mind has conjured up for us in the form of gifts that will end up under our tree. As for my mother, she will wake up on the 25th in all likelihood unaware that it is Christmas. Unbeknownst to her, I will be seeing her two weeks later on my actual birthday. I have no illusion that she will know that it is my birthday on that day any more than she will realize that December 25th was Christmas but I will know. I will bring her a hot cup of tea and we will have ourselves as full a chat as circumstances will allow. My birthday will be our Christmas. We will get to spend some time together which is the only gift that really matters. May all of you who read this post be as lucky as I hope to be and be able to spend some time with those you truly love.

Summer of 2024: Ma and me.

Happy Holidays to you all.

The link to the video for the song “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole can be found here. ***The lyrics version is here.

The link to the official website for Nat King Cole can be found here.

The link to a video that demonstrates how to properly roast chestnuts over an open fire can be found here.

***As always, all original content contained within this post remains the sole property of the author. No portion of this post shall be reblogged, copied or shared in any manner without the express written consent of the author. ©2024 http://www.tommacinneswriter.com

#ChestnutsRoasting #Christmas #Family #NatKingCole #TheChristmasSong