Merry Christmas (Bing Crosby album)
Encyclopedia
Merry Christmas is an album of phonograph records by Bing Crosby
, released in 1945
on Decca Records
, catalogue A-403. It has remained in print through the vinyl
and compact disc
eras, currently as the disc White Christmas on MCA Records
, a part of the Universal Music Group
, reissued in June 1995. It includes Crosby's signature song
"White Christmas
", the best-selling single ever, with sales of over 50 million copies worldwide. The album itself has sold over 15 million copies, and is the second best-selling Christmas album
of all-time behind Elvis Presley
's 1957 holiday album Elvis' Christmas Album
, which has sold more than 19 million copies worldwide.
, all of which had been previously released. Each one had a holiday theme with the exception of "Danny Boy
," paired with "I'll Be Home for Christmas" on its original record. Prior to the long-playing album era
, such assemblies were not common for popular music
, Merry Christmas instigated by the enormous popularity of the "White Christmas" record. Decca issued a second edition in this format in 1947, catalogue Decca A-550, consisting of four 78s, omitting recordings of "Danny Boy" and "Let's Start the New Year Right" from the previous release, and including new recordings of "White Christmas" and "Silent Night
" from March 19, 1947. This recording of "White Christmas," heard on every subsequent pressing, is actually a re-recording of the song as, in an unprecedented occurrence, the 1942 master
had actually worn out and was no longer usable. Decca and Crosby undertook the remake with the same orchestra and chorus, in an attempt to re-create the original May 1942 recording as closely as possible.
The 1955 vinyl LP configuration is the one extant to date, consisting of the entirety of Decca A-550 plus four additional tracks. The Andrews Sisters, often Crosby's recording partners in the 1940s, are featured on the tracks "Jingle Bells
," "Mele Kalikimaka
," and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
." It has been continually in-print longer than any other album in the history of the United States
, after the original cast recording to Oklahoma!, also from Decca Records, released in 1943
.
in 1948
, its competitors in the music industry began switching over to the new format. Decca reissued the eight song Merry Christmas album in the form of a 10-inch LP
in 1949, catalogue Decca DL-5019 with its standard brown label. The original 78 album cover had a light blue background and showed a large black and white photograph of Crosby's head. This was the same cover design that had been used on all issues of the 78 rpm album. Copies released after 1951 featured a newly-designed red and green cover.
Merry Christmas was also issued as a 45 rpm
box set in 1950, catalogue Decca 9-65. It had the same basic cover and the same four singles as the 78 rpm album A-550, and the individual records had the same catalog numbers, in this case preceded by the "9-" prefix. Several years later, the 45 box was discontinued, replaced by a 2-EP
set, catalogue Decca ED 547. This had the same cover as the second version of the 10-inch LP; each 7-inch single had two songs per side, and the sides were numbered 91123 and 91124, respectively.
When Decca (and the rest of the industry) abandoned the 10-inch LP format in 1955
, it created a 12-inch LP version of Merry Christmas, catalogue Decca DL-8128, with four additional songs and the now familiar cover with Crosby in his Santa Claus
stocking cap as pictured above. The new songs were "Silver Bells" and "Mele Kalikimaka
," both recorded in September 1950, and "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
" and "Christmas in Killarney
," both recorded on October 1, 1951. The album's track listing was also adjusted slightly, with "Faith of Our Fathers" now preceding "I'll Be Home for Christmas." This issue has remained unchanged to present; first pressings of the album were released on Decca's all-black label with the catalog number in the top left corner of the front cover.
In 1963 the album was made available in electronically re-channeled stereo (with Decca's moniker, "Enhanced for Stereo" added on the upper right corner of the cover), Decca DL-78128. Mono copies made after the introduction of stereo have "DL-8128" in the bottom left corner of the front cover. All copies from the 1960s feature the Decca rainbow label. The mono version was temporarily deleted in 1968. The re-channeled stereo mixes are considered by many to be inferior due to the addition of artificial reverb, giving the once intimate-sounding "dry" original masters a "concert-hall" sound. The reverb is particularly intrusive on tracks such as "Adeste Fideles", "White Christmas", and "Silver Bells."
In 1973, after MCA merged all their labels (Decca, Uni, Kapp) to one corporate name, MCA Records, the album received a new catalogue number, MCA 167. This version was only available for a short time. Eventually, MCA chose to create a new numbering series for its reissued Christmas albums, and Merry Christmas was assigned MCA 15024. This exists on the black with rainbow, tan, and blue with rainbow labels. While the initial MCA pressings were in re-channeled stereo (as on the post-1963 Decca issues), the original "dry" mono mixes were restored to several of the later MCA pressings- most notably on the blue with rainbow labels.
In 1986 Merry Christmas was transferred to compact disc, MCAD-31143 and included these same twelve songs in their original mono mixes. Universal Music Group (successor to MCA Records) changed the name of the album to White Christmas, keeping the contents and the catalogue number unchanged. A new mono re-master was made in 1992 and reissued in 1995, which is the one available at present.
The entire album, minus the song "Faith of Our Fathers," can be found on the 1998 double-disc Bing Crosby: The Voice of Christmas
, a compendium of all of Crosby's Christmas recordings for Decca from 1935 to 1956.
On August 29, 2008, the "White Christmas" album was re-issued as a "Collector's Edition" by Madacy Special Products. This issue featured the original album's 12 tracks in a slightly different order and added two additional tracks ("Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Here Comes Santa Claus"). The album was packaged in a collectible tin along with the Special Edition DVD of the 1942 film "Holiday Inn." This version of the album, unfortunately, has noticeably inferior sound quality as opposed to the 12-track MCA CD release of the same name- possibly because Madacy used the rechanneled stereo mixes for many of the tracks instead of the more contained, and intimate sounding mono originals.
It's possible the original mono masters (acetates and glass masters from the 1940s and tapes from the 1950s) were destroyed in the fire on the Universal Studios lot in 2008.
The 1945 album issue Decca A-403 consisted of these previously issued 78 rpm records:
The 1947 album issue Decca A-550 consisted of these 78 rpm records, and with the exception of the two remakes, all were reissues of the earlier recordings:
The additional tracks were issued as 78 rpm and 45 rpm singles in 1950 and 1951 respectively:
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
, released in 1945
1945 in music
-Events:*The Motion Picture Daily Fame Poll designates Bing Crosby "Top Male Vocalist" for the ninth straight year.*July 26 - Composer Ernest John Moeran marries cellist Peers Coetmore.*August 19 - Dick Powell marries June Allyson....
on Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
, catalogue A-403. It has remained in print through the vinyl
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
and compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
eras, currently as the disc White Christmas on MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
, a part of the Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
, reissued in June 1995. It includes Crosby's signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
"White Christmas
White Christmas (song)
"White Christmas" is an Irving Berlin song reminiscing about an old-fashioned Christmas setting. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the version sung by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time, with estimated sales in excess of 50 million copies worldwide.Accounts vary as...
", the best-selling single ever, with sales of over 50 million copies worldwide. The album itself has sold over 15 million copies, and is the second best-selling Christmas album
Christmas Album
Christmas Album may refer to:* Christmas Album , a 1968 album by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass* Christmas Album Christmas Album may refer to:* Christmas Album (Herb Alpert album), a 1968 album by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass* Christmas Album Christmas Album may refer to:* Christmas Album (Herb...
of all-time behind Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
's 1957 holiday album Elvis' Christmas Album
Elvis' Christmas Album
Elvis' Christmas Album is the fourth album by Elvis Presley on RCA Victor Records, LOC 1035, a deluxe limited edition, released in October 1957, and recorded at Radio Recorders in Hollywood. It has been reissued in numerous different formats since its first release...
, which has sold more than 19 million copies worldwide.
Content
The original album consisted of ten songs on five 78 recordsGramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
, all of which had been previously released. Each one had a holiday theme with the exception of "Danny Boy
Danny Boy
-Background:The words to "Danny Boy" were written by English lawyer and lyricist Frederic Weatherly in 1910. Although the lyrics were originally written for a different tune, Weatherly modified them to fit the "Londonderry Air" in 1913, after his sister-in-law in the U.S. sent him a copy. Ernestine...
," paired with "I'll Be Home for Christmas" on its original record. Prior to the long-playing album era
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
, such assemblies were not common for popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
, Merry Christmas instigated by the enormous popularity of the "White Christmas" record. Decca issued a second edition in this format in 1947, catalogue Decca A-550, consisting of four 78s, omitting recordings of "Danny Boy" and "Let's Start the New Year Right" from the previous release, and including new recordings of "White Christmas" and "Silent Night
Silent Night
"Silent Night" is a popular Christmas carol. The original lyrics of the song "Stille Nacht" were written in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria, by the priest Father Joseph Mohr and the melody was composed by the Austrian headmaster Franz Xaver Gruber...
" from March 19, 1947. This recording of "White Christmas," heard on every subsequent pressing, is actually a re-recording of the song as, in an unprecedented occurrence, the 1942 master
Master recording
A multitrack recording master tape, disk or computer files on which productions are developed for later mixing, is known as the multi-track master, while the tape, disk or computer files holding a mix is called a mixed master.It is standard practice to make a copy of a master recording, known as...
had actually worn out and was no longer usable. Decca and Crosby undertook the remake with the same orchestra and chorus, in an attempt to re-create the original May 1942 recording as closely as possible.
The 1955 vinyl LP configuration is the one extant to date, consisting of the entirety of Decca A-550 plus four additional tracks. The Andrews Sisters, often Crosby's recording partners in the 1940s, are featured on the tracks "Jingle Bells
Jingle Bells
"Jingle Bells" is one of the best-known and commonly sung winter songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont and published under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh" in the autumn of 1857...
," "Mele Kalikimaka
Mele Kalikimaka
"Mele Kalikimaka" is a Hawaiian-themed Christmas song that takes its title from the Hawaiian phrase, "Mele Kalikimaka," meaning "Merry Christmas." The phrase is borrowed directly from English, but, since Hawaiian has a different phonological system "Mele Kalikimaka" is a Hawaiian-themed Christmas...
," and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
"Santa Claus is Coming to Town" is a Christmas song. It was written by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie, and was first sung on Eddie Cantor's radio show in November 1934....
." It has been continually in-print longer than any other album in the history of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, after the original cast recording to Oklahoma!, also from Decca Records, released in 1943
1943 in music
-Events:*January 1 - Frank Sinatra appears at The Paramount causing a mob of hysterical bobby-soxers to flood Times Square and blocking midtown New York City traffic for hours...
.
Release history
After the introduction of the LP by Columbia RecordsColumbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in 1948
1948 in music
-Events:*May 20 - The Second International Congress of Composers and Music Critics 1948 opens in Prague.*June 5 - Opening of the first Aldeburgh Festival, founded by Benjamin Britten, Eric Crozier and Peter Pears....
, its competitors in the music industry began switching over to the new format. Decca reissued the eight song Merry Christmas album in the form of a 10-inch LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
in 1949, catalogue Decca DL-5019 with its standard brown label. The original 78 album cover had a light blue background and showed a large black and white photograph of Crosby's head. This was the same cover design that had been used on all issues of the 78 rpm album. Copies released after 1951 featured a newly-designed red and green cover.
Merry Christmas was also issued as a 45 rpm
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
box set in 1950, catalogue Decca 9-65. It had the same basic cover and the same four singles as the 78 rpm album A-550, and the individual records had the same catalog numbers, in this case preceded by the "9-" prefix. Several years later, the 45 box was discontinued, replaced by a 2-EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
set, catalogue Decca ED 547. This had the same cover as the second version of the 10-inch LP; each 7-inch single had two songs per side, and the sides were numbered 91123 and 91124, respectively.
When Decca (and the rest of the industry) abandoned the 10-inch LP format in 1955
1955 in music
-Events:*January 1 – RCA Victor announces a marketing plan called "Operation TNT." The label drops the list price on LPs from $5.95 to $3.98, EPs from $4.95 to $2.98, 45 EPs from $1.58 to $1.49 and 45's from $1.16 to $.89...
, it created a 12-inch LP version of Merry Christmas, catalogue Decca DL-8128, with four additional songs and the now familiar cover with Crosby in his Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
stocking cap as pictured above. The new songs were "Silver Bells" and "Mele Kalikimaka
Mele Kalikimaka
"Mele Kalikimaka" is a Hawaiian-themed Christmas song that takes its title from the Hawaiian phrase, "Mele Kalikimaka," meaning "Merry Christmas." The phrase is borrowed directly from English, but, since Hawaiian has a different phonological system "Mele Kalikimaka" is a Hawaiian-themed Christmas...
," both recorded in September 1950, and "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
"It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" is a classic Christmas song written in 1951 by Meredith Willson. The song was originally titled "It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas"...
" and "Christmas in Killarney
Christmas in Killarney
"Christmas in Killarney" is an Irish Christmas song written by John Redmond, James Cavanaugh and Frank Weldon, copyright 1950. This song has been performed by many artists, most notably Bing Crosby on his album Merry Christmas. The singer Ruby Murray also recorded a version during the 1950s, as did...
," both recorded on October 1, 1951. The album's track listing was also adjusted slightly, with "Faith of Our Fathers" now preceding "I'll Be Home for Christmas." This issue has remained unchanged to present; first pressings of the album were released on Decca's all-black label with the catalog number in the top left corner of the front cover.
In 1963 the album was made available in electronically re-channeled stereo (with Decca's moniker, "Enhanced for Stereo" added on the upper right corner of the cover), Decca DL-78128. Mono copies made after the introduction of stereo have "DL-8128" in the bottom left corner of the front cover. All copies from the 1960s feature the Decca rainbow label. The mono version was temporarily deleted in 1968. The re-channeled stereo mixes are considered by many to be inferior due to the addition of artificial reverb, giving the once intimate-sounding "dry" original masters a "concert-hall" sound. The reverb is particularly intrusive on tracks such as "Adeste Fideles", "White Christmas", and "Silver Bells."
In 1973, after MCA merged all their labels (Decca, Uni, Kapp) to one corporate name, MCA Records, the album received a new catalogue number, MCA 167. This version was only available for a short time. Eventually, MCA chose to create a new numbering series for its reissued Christmas albums, and Merry Christmas was assigned MCA 15024. This exists on the black with rainbow, tan, and blue with rainbow labels. While the initial MCA pressings were in re-channeled stereo (as on the post-1963 Decca issues), the original "dry" mono mixes were restored to several of the later MCA pressings- most notably on the blue with rainbow labels.
In 1986 Merry Christmas was transferred to compact disc, MCAD-31143 and included these same twelve songs in their original mono mixes. Universal Music Group (successor to MCA Records) changed the name of the album to White Christmas, keeping the contents and the catalogue number unchanged. A new mono re-master was made in 1992 and reissued in 1995, which is the one available at present.
The entire album, minus the song "Faith of Our Fathers," can be found on the 1998 double-disc Bing Crosby: The Voice of Christmas
Bing Crosby: The Voice of Christmas
Bing Crosby: The Voice of Christmas: The Complete Decca Christmas Songbook is a two-disc audio CD collection of Bing Crosby's Christmas music recorded for the Decca label between 1935 and 1956. It was released by Universal Music Group on the Decca label on October 6, 1998...
, a compendium of all of Crosby's Christmas recordings for Decca from 1935 to 1956.
On August 29, 2008, the "White Christmas" album was re-issued as a "Collector's Edition" by Madacy Special Products. This issue featured the original album's 12 tracks in a slightly different order and added two additional tracks ("Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Here Comes Santa Claus"). The album was packaged in a collectible tin along with the Special Edition DVD of the 1942 film "Holiday Inn." This version of the album, unfortunately, has noticeably inferior sound quality as opposed to the 12-track MCA CD release of the same name- possibly because Madacy used the rechanneled stereo mixes for many of the tracks instead of the more contained, and intimate sounding mono originals.
It's possible the original mono masters (acetates and glass masters from the 1940s and tapes from the 1950s) were destroyed in the fire on the Universal Studios lot in 2008.
The 1945 album issue Decca A-403 consisted of these previously issued 78 rpm records:
- “Silent Night” / “Adeste Fideles” (Decca 18510)
- “White Christmas” / “Let’s Start the New Year Right” (Decca 18429)
- “I'll Be Home for Christmas” / “Danny Boy” (Decca 18570)
- “Faith of Our Fathers” / “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” (Decca 18511)
- “Jingle Bells” / “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” (Decca 23281)
The 1947 album issue Decca A-550 consisted of these 78 rpm records, and with the exception of the two remakes, all were reissues of the earlier recordings:
- “Silent Night” (1947 remake) / “Adeste Fideles” (Decca 23777),
- “White Christmas” (1947 remake) / “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” (23778)
- “I'll Be Home for Christmas” / “Faith of Our Fathers” (Decca 23779),
- “Jingle Bells” / “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” (Decca 23281).
The additional tracks were issued as 78 rpm and 45 rpm singles in 1950 and 1951 respectively:
- "Mele Kalikimaka" (Decca 27228) (Decca L-5830)
- "Silver Bells" (Decca 27229) (Decca L-5832)
- "Christmas in Killarney" / "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" (Decca 27831) (Decca L-6462 and L-6463)
Track listing
- "Silent Night", recorded March 19, 1947 with John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra and the Ken Darby Singers.
- "Adeste FidelesAdeste Fideles"Adeste Fideles" is a hymn tune attributed to English hymnist John Francis Wade . The text itself has unclear beginnings, and may have been written in the 13th century by John of Reading, though it has been concluded that Wade was probably the author.The original four verses of the hymn were...
", recorded June 8, 1942 with John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra and Max Terr's Mixed Chorus. - "White ChristmasWhite Christmas (song)"White Christmas" is an Irving Berlin song reminiscing about an old-fashioned Christmas setting. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the version sung by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time, with estimated sales in excess of 50 million copies worldwide.Accounts vary as...
", recorded March 19, 1947 with John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra and the Ken Darby Singers. - "God Rest Ye Merry GentlemenGod Rest Ye Merry GentlemenGod Rest You Merry, Gentlemen is an English traditional Christmas carol. The melody is in Aeolian mode. It was published by William B...
", recorded June 8, 1942 with John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra and Max Terr's Mixed Chorus. - "Faith of Our FathersFaith of Our Fathers (hymn)Faith of our Fathers is an English Catholic hymn, written in 1849 by Frederick William Faber in memory of the Catholic martyrs from the time of the establishment of the Church of England by Henry VIII. Faber wrote two versions of the hymn: with seven stanzas for Ireland and with four for England...
", recorded June 8, 1942 with John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra and Max Terr's Mixed Chorus. - "I'll Be Home for Christmas", recorded October 1, 1943 with John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra.
- "Jingle BellsJingle Bells"Jingle Bells" is one of the best-known and commonly sung winter songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont and published under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh" in the autumn of 1857...
", recorded September 29, 1943 with the Andrews Sisters and Vic SchoenVic SchoenVictor "Vic" Schoen was an American bandleader, arranger, and composer whose career spanned from the 1930s until his death in 2000...
and His Orchestra. - "Santa Claus Is Coming to TownSanta Claus Is Coming to Town"Santa Claus is Coming to Town" is a Christmas song. It was written by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie, and was first sung on Eddie Cantor's radio show in November 1934....
", recorded September 29, 1943 with the Andrews Sisters and Vic SchoenVic SchoenVictor "Vic" Schoen was an American bandleader, arranger, and composer whose career spanned from the 1930s until his death in 2000...
and His Orchestra. - "Silver Bells", recorded September 8, 1950 with Carole Richards and John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra.
- "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like ChristmasIt's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" is a classic Christmas song written in 1951 by Meredith Willson. The song was originally titled "It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas"...
", recorded October 1, 1951 with John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra and Jud Conlon's Rhythmaires. - "Christmas in KillarneyChristmas in Killarney"Christmas in Killarney" is an Irish Christmas song written by John Redmond, James Cavanaugh and Frank Weldon, copyright 1950. This song has been performed by many artists, most notably Bing Crosby on his album Merry Christmas. The singer Ruby Murray also recorded a version during the 1950s, as did...
", recorded October 1, 1951 with John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra and Jud Conlon's Rhythmaires. - "Mele KalikimakaMele Kalikimaka"Mele Kalikimaka" is a Hawaiian-themed Christmas song that takes its title from the Hawaiian phrase, "Mele Kalikimaka," meaning "Merry Christmas." The phrase is borrowed directly from English, but, since Hawaiian has a different phonological system "Mele Kalikimaka" is a Hawaiian-themed Christmas...
", recorded September 7, 1950 with the Andrews Sisters and Vic SchoenVic SchoenVictor "Vic" Schoen was an American bandleader, arranger, and composer whose career spanned from the 1930s until his death in 2000...
and His Orchestra.
White Christmas
Delta Music also released an album in 1992 on the LaserLight label titled White Christmas often confused with the newer Decca imprint.- "The Christmas SongThe Christmas Song"The Christmas Song" is a classic Christmas song written in 1944 by musician, composer, and vocalist Mel Tormé and Bob Wells. According to Tormé, the song was written during a blistering hot summer...
" - "Jingle BellsJingle Bells"Jingle Bells" is one of the best-known and commonly sung winter songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont and published under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh" in the autumn of 1857...
" - "Silent Night, Holy Night"
- "God Rest Ye Merry GentlemenGod Rest Ye Merry GentlemenGod Rest You Merry, Gentlemen is an English traditional Christmas carol. The melody is in Aeolian mode. It was published by William B...
" - "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow"
- "I'll Be Home For Christmas"
- "Adeste FidelesAdeste Fideles"Adeste Fideles" is a hymn tune attributed to English hymnist John Francis Wade . The text itself has unclear beginnings, and may have been written in the 13th century by John of Reading, though it has been concluded that Wade was probably the author.The original four verses of the hymn were...
" - "White ChristmasWhite ChristmasA white Christmas refers to the presence of snow on Christmas Day. This phenomenon is most common in the northern countries of the Northern Hemisphere...
" - "Joy to the WorldJoy to the World"Joy to the World" is a Christian Christmas carol.The words are by English hymn writer Isaac Watts, based on Psalm 98 in the Bible. The song was first published in 1719 in Watts' collection; The Psalms of David: Imitated in the language of the New Testament, and applied to the Christian state and...
" - "The First NoelThe First NoëlThe First Nowell is a traditional classical English carol, most likely from the 18th century, although possibly earlier...
" - "Good King WenceslasGood King Wenceslas"Good King Wenceslas" is a popular Christmas carol about a king who goes out to give alms to a poor peasant on the Feast of Stephen . During the journey, his page is about to give up the struggle against the cold weather, but is enabled to continue by following the king's footprints, step for step,...
" - "Away In a MangerAway in a Manger"Away in a Manger" is a Christmas carol first published in 1885 in Philadelphia and used widely throughout the English-speaking world. In Britain it is one of the most popular carols, a 1996 Gallup Poll ranking it joint second.-History of the lyrics:...
" - "Deck the Halls"
- "O Little Town of BethlehemO Little Town of Bethlehem"O Little Town of Bethlehem" is a popular Christmas carol. The text was written by Phillips Brooks , an Episcopal priest, Rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia. He was inspired by visiting the Palestinian city of Bethlehem in 1865. Three years later, he wrote the poem for his...
" - "Silver Bells"