It was the song's first magnetic tape recording. Recorded at Capitol Studios at 5515 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, on August 24, 1953.
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It is available on the Cole compilation CDs Capitol Collectors Series and Christmas for Kids: From One to Ninety-Two, as well as on a CD called The Holiday Album, which has 1940s Christmas songs recorded by Cole and Bing Crosby. Issued November 1946 as Capitol 311 (78rpm). Label credit: The King Cole Trio with String Choir (Nat King Cole, vocals & piano Oscar Moore, guitarist Johnny Miller, bassist Jack "The Bear" Parker, drummer Charlie Grean, arranger and conductor of 4 string players and a harpist). Recorded at WMCA Radio Studios, New York City, August 19, 1946. Not issued until 1989, when it was (accidentally) included on the various-artists compilation Billboard Greatest Christmas Hits (1935–1954) Rhino R1 70637(LP) / R2 70637(CD). Label credit: The King Cole Trio (Nat King Cole, vocals & piano Oscar Moore, guitarist Johnny Miller, bassist). Recorded at WMCA Radio Studios, New York City, June 14, 1946. Cole's 1961 version is generally regarded as definitive, and in 2004 was the most-loved seasonal song with women aged 30–49, while the original 1946 recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1974.
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Cole again recorded the song in 1953, using the same arrangement with a full orchestra arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle, and once more in 1961, in a stereophonic version with another full orchestra arranged and conducted by Ralph Carmichael. This version became a massive hit on both the pop and R&B charts. At Cole's behest – and over the objections of his label, Capitol Records – a second recording was made in August utilizing a small string section.
The Nat King Cole Trio first recorded the song in June 1946. I wrote all the music and some of the lyrics." Forty minutes later that song was written. He said he thought if he could immerse himself in winter he could cool off.
"They started, ' Chestnuts roasting., Jack Frost nipping., Yuletide carols., Folks dressed up like Eskimos.' Bob didn't think he was writing a song lyric. "I saw a spiral pad on his (Wells's) piano with four lines written in pencil", Tormé recalled. In an effort to "stay cool by thinking cool", the most-performed (according to BMI) Christmas song was born. " The Christmas Song" (commonly subtitled " Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" or, as it was originally subtitled, " Merry Christmas to You") is a classic Christmas song written in 1945 by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé.Īccording to Tormé, the song was written in July during a blistering hot summer. For other uses, see Christmas music and Christmas Song (disambiguation). This article is about the song by Bob Wells and Mel Tormé.