See & Hear the Music:
Easy Christmas Cheer: Volume 2
The following ten songs are included in Easy Christmas Cheer: Volume 2. These are all available as separate singles, but you get the most value by purchasing the whole collection. All of these arrangements are appropriate for intermediates and up!
- A Holly Jolly Christmas
- Feliz Navidad
- Blue Christmas
- Christmas Time Is Here
- Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep
- I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
- It’s Beginning to Look Like Christmas
- Little Saint Nick
- It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
- Christmas Always Finds Me
🎹 Featured Favorite: “A Holly Jolly Christmas” (Burl Ives)
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“A Holly Jolly Christmas,” penned by Johnny Marks, is a beloved Christmas song famously performed by Burl Ives. This song has solidified its place among the top 25 most-performed holiday songs by ASCAP members during the early 21st century. Created in 1962, it originally appeared as the title track in The Quinto Sisters’ album “Holly Jolly Christmas.” Burl Ives lent his voice to the narrator, Sam the Snowman, in the 1964 Rankin-Bass Christmas special “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” leading to his rendition of the song in the show.
A re-recorded version emerged in 1964 as a single and was later part of Ives’ 1965 holiday album “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.” This rendition, distinguished by its twelve-string guitar introduction, gained more popularity and featured mixed-gender chorus vocals imitating Christmas bells. Over time, the song maintained its popularity, re-entering the Billboard Hot 100 chart in recent years, even reaching No. 4 in January 2020, making Ives the oldest artist to have a Top 40 hit.
🎹 Featured Favorite: “Blue Christmas” (Elvis Presley)
“Blue Christmas,” written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson, gained fame through Elvis Presley’s rendition, though it was initially recorded by Doye O’Dell in 1948. The song depicts unrequited love during the holiday season and has become a timeless element of Christmas music, particularly in the country genre.
The song’s history involves various versions. Ernest Tubb, Hugo Winterhalter and his orchestra, and Russ Morgan and his orchestra all recorded the song in 1949. Tubb’s version topped the Country & Western Records chart, while Elvis Presley’s 1957 recording for his “Elvis’ Christmas Album” solidified its rock-and-roll holiday classic status. The Jordanaires’ unique backing vocals in Presley’s version introduced musical nuances with altered thirds, creating a play on words that added depth to the song.
🎹 Featured Favorite: “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” (Andy Williams)
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“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” composed by Edward Pola and George Wyle in 1963, is a beloved Christmas song that encapsulates the joyous atmosphere of the holiday season. Pop singer Andy Williams recorded the song for his debut Christmas album, “The Andy Williams Christmas Album,” in the same year. Although not released as a promotional single by his record label that year, the song gained popularity over time. It reached No. 21 on the UK Singles Chart in 2007 and consistently entered the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the 2000s, peaking at No. 5 in 2020.
The song lyrically captures the festive spirit by describing various activities associated with Christmas, such as hosting parties, spending quality time with loved ones, enjoying winter activities like sledding, and singing carols. It also references a Victorian Christmas tradition of sharing “scary ghost stories,” which has waned over time but connects to the popularity of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” The song’s origin traces back to “The Andy Williams Show,” with George Wyle writing it for the Christmas episode in 1962. While Williams recorded multiple versions, the original 1963 rendition remains the most renowned.
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