It’s hard not to get in the holiday
spirit when you turn on Christmas
music. So let’s take a look
at some classic holiday songs to
see how the sounds have changed
through the decades.
“ Santa Claus is Coming to
Town” (1934)
From the time Eddie Cantor
sang this song on his radio show, it
was an instant hit. Since then, hundreds
of artists have recorded their
own versions, including Bing Crosby,
The Jackson Five, Fred Astaire
and Mariah Carey.
“ Have Yourself a Merry Little
Christmas” (1944)
Judy Garland first performed
this song for the movie, “Meet Me in
St. Louis.” Songwriter Hugh Martin
threw away the original melody but
tried again after some encouragement
from fellow songwriter, Ralph
Blaine. The song that almost wasn’t
has now been covered by artists such
as Garth Brooks, James Taylor and
Bob Dylan.
“ Rockin’ Around the Christmas
Tree” (1958)
This Christmas classic was recorded
by Brenda Lee when she was
just 13 years old. However, it didn’t
catch on until Lee had a few hits
under her belt in 1960. It has been
featured in movies and commercials,
6 Central Florida Lifestyle | December 2019
with the most notable being
“Home Alone” when Kevin fooled
the burglars with a fake Christmas
party featuring the song.
“ A Holly Jolly Christmas” (1962)
Written in 1962 by Johnny
Marks, this song was released
in 1964 as the title track of The
Quinto Sisters’ first album. Burl
Ives, who voiced Sam the Snowman
in the “Rudolph the Red-
Nosed Reindeer” television special,
recorded the most famous version.
It has been on and off the Hot 100
charts for decades.
“ Wonderful Christmastime”
(1979)
Paul McCartney recorded this
holiday tune on his farm, where he
was recording his “McCartney II”
album. Although fans and critics
have strong opinions of it, Forbes
has estimated that McCartney
earns $400,000 per year in royalties
from the song.
“Hard Candy Christmas” (1982)
This song was written by Carol
Hall for the musical “The Best Little
Whorehouse in Texas” and was
recorded by Dolly Parton when
she starred in the film adaptation.
Some question whether it’s truly
a Christmas song, but it has remained
a staple for holiday specials
and albums.
“ All I Want for Christmas is
You” (1994)
Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff
kept it so simple when they
co-wrote this song that they managed
to write its shell in only 15
minutes. Twenty-five years later
and that simple melody has become
one of the most popular Christmas
songs of its time.
“ Where Are You Christmas?”
(2000)
Written for the movie “How
the Grinch Stole Christmas,” this
song was originally recorded by
Mariah Carey. After a legal battle
with her now ex-husband cancelled
its release, it was re-recorded by
Faith Hill and has reached more
than 977,000 downloads.
“ Dreams of Fireflies (On a
Christmas Night)” (2012)
With their rock-opera style,
Trans-Siberian Orchestra has become
a staple of concert tours during
Christmas. This song was one of their
biggest hits in the last decade.
By Christie Fogarty
‘Tis the season for festive holiday
tunes, so take a journey through
some of the most popular songs
of the past several decades.
+ ARTS & Entertainment
The Top Songs
of Christmas Past