156 Fun Facts About Christmas Songs

Bing Crosby introduced the best-selling single of all time in which 1942 musical film, built around Irving Berlin songs?

Holiday Inn gave the world 'White Christmas', which Crosby cut in 18 minutes in May 1942; it has since sold an estimated 50 million physical copies worldwide.

Which singing cowboy made the first recording of "Frosty the Snowman", in 1950?

Gene Autry recorded the first version of 'Frosty the Snowman' in 1950 as a follow-up to his earlier smash 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'; Jimmy Durante cut a rival version the same year.

Which retailer's 1939 promotional story introduced the most famous reindeer of all?

Montgomery Ward copywriter Robert L. May created Rudolph for the chain's 1939 giveaway booklet, and about 2.4 million copies were handed out that first season; the hit song came years later.

Who wrote the lyrics to "Santa Baby" with composer Philip Springer in 1953?

Joan Javits, niece of Senator Jacob Javits, wrote the lyrics to 'Santa Baby' with composer Philip Springer in 1953; the song is a wish list of a sable, a yacht and the deed to a platinum mine.

Which husband-and-wife act had the original 1979 recording of "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"?

Elmo and Patsy, veterinarian Elmo Shropshire and his wife Patsy Trigg, self-released 'Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer' on their own Oink Records label in 1979, and it was a San Francisco-area hit before going national.

"Last Christmas" was performed by which pop duo?

"Last Christmas" was released by Wham! (George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley) in 1984. Written by George Michael, it has become one of the best-selling Christmas singles worldwide.

Which lyricist wrote "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" during a July 1945 Hollywood heatwave?

Jule Styne supplied the music. The lyric never once mentions the holiday it is now played for.

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" was originally recorded by which singer in 1958?

Brenda Lee was 13 when she recorded 'Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree' for Decca in 1958; the single reached the Billboard Hot 100 top 20 in December 1960 after her pop breakthrough.

In which year did Mariah Carey's 1994 holiday single first top the Billboard Hot 100?

It took 25 years, and when it finally went to number one it did so on 45.6 million streams in a single week.

Which LP is the best-selling Christmas album of all time worldwide?

Elvis' Christmas Album, released by RCA in October 1957, has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling Christmas album ever released.

Which winter standard was published in 1857 under the title "The One Horse Open Sleigh"?

'Jingle Bells' was published by James Lord Pierpont in September 1857 as 'The One Horse Open Sleigh'; written as a sleighing song, it only later became attached to Christmas.

In "Frosty the Snowman," what brought Frosty to life?

The lyric says 'there must have been some magic in that old silk hat they found', and Frosty begins to dance around the moment the children place the silk hat on his head.

Who first recorded 'The Christmas Song', the one about chestnuts roasting on an open fire?

Nat King Cole's trio made the first recording of 'The Christmas Song' for Capitol in June 1946; Cole re-recorded it several times, and his 1961 stereo version is the one most often heard.

Which country is the original home of the carol "Silent Night"?

"Silent Night" ("Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht") was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818 at St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria.

"Jingle Bell Rock" was originally performed by which artist in 1957?

Bobby Helms released "Jingle Bell Rock" in 1957. Written by Joe Beal and Jim Boothe, it blended rock and roll with traditional Christmas themes.

'Last Christmas', long the highest-selling UK single never to reach number one, finally topped the chart in which year?

2021 came on New Year's Day; the song has entered the UK chart every year since 2007 and became Christmas number one in 2023.

Who wrote the 1979 novelty song "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"?

Randy Brooks wrote 'Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer' in 1978 and handed it to a duo he shared a Lake Tahoe bill with; their 1979 recording turned it into a perennial novelty hit.

Which animated film introduced Howard Blake's song 'Walking in the Air'?

'Walking in the Air' was written by Howard Blake for The Snowman, the 1982 Channel 4 animation of Raymond Briggs's book, where choirboy Peter Auty sang it; Aled Jones's 1985 cover reached the UK top five.

Who co-wrote the 1984 Band Aid single 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' with Midge Ure?

Bob Geldof wrote the lyric and Midge Ure the music for 'Do They Know It's Christmas?', which Band Aid recorded in a single day on 25 November 1984 with some forty British and Irish pop stars.

Who is often credited with playing "O Holy Night" on the violin during a pioneering 1906 transmission?

Reginald Fessenden said he played 'O Holy Night' on his violin during a Christmas Eve 1906 broadcast from Brant Rock, Massachusetts; the claim rests mainly on his own later account.

Which carol did Frederick Oakeley translate from its Latin original in 1841?

'O Come All Ye Faithful' is Frederick Oakeley's 1841 English translation of the Latin hymn 'Adeste Fideles', whose refrain 'Venite adoremus' means 'O come, let us adore him'.

Which then-novel keyboard instrument did Tchaikovsky feature in his 1892 festive ballet score?

The celesta, patented in Paris by Auguste Mustel in 1886, produces a bell-like tone from struck metal plates; Tchaikovsky had one shipped to Russia in secret so no rival composer would use it first.

In "The Twelve Days of Christmas", which bird sits in the pear tree on the first day?

One nineteenth-century antiquarian argued the pear tree is a garbling of the French perdrix, meaning partridge, so the bird may be doubled up.

Which Christmas song did some radio stations ban from 2018 over concerns about its lyrics?

'Baby, It's Cold Outside', written by Frank Loesser in 1944 as a party duet with his wife, was dropped by Cleveland station WDOK and others in December 2018 over its consent-questioning lyric.

"Feliz Navidad" was written and performed by which Puerto Rican singer-songwriter?

Feliciano wrote its 19 words while homesick in Los Angeles. The recording entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2010.

According to legend, 'Silent Night' was written for what instrument because the organ had broken?

Franz Gruber composed the melody for guitar accompaniment on 24 December 1818, hours after Joseph Mohr brought him the verses; the broken-organ story is a later embellishment, but the guitar setting is documented.

Which songwriter wrote both "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"?

Johnny Marks wrote both songs, adapting 'Rudolph' from a story by his brother-in-law Robert L. May; he founded his own publisher, St. Nicholas Music, to handle his Christmas catalogue.

"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" uses music adapted from which famous classical composer?

Charles Wesley wrote the words in 1739; organist William Hayman Cummings fitted them to the secular Mendelssohn tune in 1855.

In "Winter Wonderland," what is the name of the snowman the couple builds?

In the 1934 lyric the couple 'pretend that he is Parson Brown', a clergyman who asks 'Are you married?'; a 1947 children's verse replaced the parson with a circus clown.

Which instrument did the Gemini 6A crew smuggle into orbit to play a festive tune in 1965?

Wally Schirra played 'Jingle Bells' on a tiny Hohner harmonica while Tom Stafford shook sleigh bells, after the Gemini 6A crew reported a 'satellite' in polar orbit piloted by a figure in a red suit.

In "The Twelve Days of Christmas", how many gifts arrive in total by the twelfth day?

Adding every repeated gift gives 364 presents in all (12 partridges, 22 turtle doves, 30 French hens and so on), one for every day of the year but one.

Which Tchaikovsky ballet features the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"?

The Nutcracker premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg in December 1892 to lukewarm reviews; one critic called the first Sugar Plum Fairy 'corpulent'.

In the carol title, what does the old phrase "God rest you merry" actually mean?

'Rest' here means 'keep' and 'merry' meant 'prosperous' or 'happy', so the line wishes 'May God grant you happiness', which is why the comma belongs after 'merry', not before it.

Which holiday standard, first recorded by Doye O'Dell in 1948, became Elvis's signature seasonal song?

'Blue Christmas', by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson, was first recorded by Doye O'Dell in 1948; Ernest Tubb's 1949 version topped the country juke-box chart before Elvis Presley's 1957 take made it a rock-and-roll perennial.

"Joy to the World" is based on which text?

Isaac Watts paraphrased Psalm 98 for his 1719 collection The Psalms of David Imitated, where 'Joy to the World' appears as the second part of that psalm, headed 'The Messiah's Coming and Kingdom'.

What did The Economist estimate in 2017 Mariah Carey earns yearly from her holiday hit?

The Economist's 2017 estimate put Mariah Carey's personal take from 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' at around $2.5 million a year, roughly $60 million in total by then.

'Carol of the Bells' grew out of a New Year folk chant from which country?

Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych built 'Shchedryk' (1916) on a four-note folk chant sung for the New Year in Ukraine; Peter Wilhousky's 1936 English lyric turned it into 'Carol of the Bells'.

Which 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' piece had Vince Guaraldi already recorded in 1964?

'Linus and Lucy' first appeared on Guaraldi's 1964 album Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown; its reuse in the 1965 special made it the de facto Peanuts theme.

"O Tannenbaum" is a traditional folk song from which country?

The fir tree stood for faithfulness long before the song became seasonal; the underlying folk tune had nothing to do with the holiday.

Whose November 1934 radio show turned "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" into an overnight hit?

Eddie Cantor sang 'Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town' on his radio show in November 1934, and orders for 500,000 copies of sheet music and 30,000 records followed within 24 hours.

Which holiday standard did Mel Torme and Bob Wells write on a sweltering July day in Los Angeles?

Bob Wells had jotted 'Chestnuts roasting on an open fire' and three more wintry lines to cool off; Mel Tormé set them and 'The Christmas Song' was finished in about 40 minutes.

Which Slade member wrote "Merry Xmas Everybody" with bassist Jim Lea?

Noddy Holder wrote the lyric and Jim Lea the music for 'Merry Xmas Everybody', recorded in New York in the summer of 1973; Holder has called the song his pension plan.

Which singer recorded "Santa Baby" in 1953 with Henri Rene and His Orchestra?

Kitt's purred delivery made the song a standard, and Madonna and Kylie Minogue both later covered it.

Where was lyricist Richard B. Smith being treated when he wrote the words to "Winter Wonderland"?

Richard B. Smith wrote the lyric in 1934 while being treated for tuberculosis at the West Mountain Sanitarium in Scranton, Pennsylvania, reportedly inspired by the snowy Central Park of his hometown Honesdale.

Which Christmas song got a 2019 Guinness record for most weeks in the UK Top 10?

In December 2019 Guinness World Records certified 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' for the most weeks in the UK singles top 10 by a Christmas song, 20 at that point.

'Away in a Manger' was long, and falsely, attributed to which Protestant reformer?

Martin Luther never wrote it: the carol is American, first printed in Philadelphia in 1885, and James R. Murray's 1887 songbook headed it 'Luther's Cradle Hymn', claiming Luther composed it for his children.

Darlene Love's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" first appeared on whose 1963 holiday album?

Phil Spector released 'A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector' on 22 November 1963, applying his Wall of Sound to a dozen holiday numbers; Darlene Love's track was the album's one original song.

Which rock star joined Bing Crosby for a 1977 televised duet medley of "The Little Drummer Boy"?

David Bowie taped the duet with Bing Crosby in London in September 1977 for 'Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas'; Bowie disliked the carol, so 'Peace on Earth' was written as a counter-melody.

Which single kept Wham!'s 'Last Christmas' at number two in the UK in December 1984?

Band Aid's 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' held the 1984 Christmas number one while 'Last Christmas' sat at two; George Michael sang on Band Aid and Wham! donated their royalties to the same Ethiopian famine appeal.

Which soul singer co-wrote and recorded 'This Christmas' in 1970?

Donny Hathaway wrote 'This Christmas' with Nadine McKinnor and released it on Atco in 1970; it became a soul standard later covered by Chris Brown, Mary J. Blige and many others.

Which singer-songwriter duetted with Shane MacGowan on the Pogues' 'Fairytale of New York', released in November 1987?

Kirsty MacColl joined after a troubled two-year gestation for the song, which finally arrived in November 1987.

Which single kept 'Fairytale of New York' off the UK Christmas number one in 1987?

Pet Shop Boys' 'Always on My Mind', a synth-pop reworking of the Elvis Presley ballad, was the 1987 UK Christmas number one, holding 'Fairytale of New York' at number two.

At which London studio was the original Band Aid single recorded in a single day?

Band Aid recorded 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' at Trevor Horn's Sarm West Studios in Notting Hill on 25 November 1984, and the single sold a million copies in its first week.

Which single finally beat Band Aid's record as the fastest-selling UK single?

'Candle in the Wind 1997', Elton John's Diana tribute, sold about 1.5 million copies in its first week in September 1997, beating the million Band Aid had shifted in a week in 1984.

During the sessions for which Paul McCartney solo album was 'Wonderful Christmastime' recorded?

McCartney recorded 'Wonderful Christmastime' alone in the summer of 1979 during the home sessions that produced McCartney II, though the single, released that November, was left off the album.

Which vocal group joined the Plastic Ono Band on 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)'?

The Harlem Community Choir, about thirty children, sang the 'War is over, if you want it' counter-melody at the Record Plant in New York in October 1971, with Yoko Ono also credited.

Who sang 'You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch' in the 1966 TV special?

Thurl Ravenscroft, also the voice of Tony the Tiger, sang 'You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch' uncredited in the 1966 special; narrator Boris Karloff is often wrongly assumed to have sung it.

Which frontman wrote and produced Wizzard's 'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday'?

Roy Wood, who had founded the Move and co-founded Electric Light Orchestra before forming Wizzard, wrote and produced 'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday', released in December 1973.

What UK chart position did Wizzard's Christmas hit peak at on its original 1973 release?

'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday' peaked at number four in the UK in December 1973, kept off the top by Slade's 'Merry Xmas Everybody'.

Which UK chart position did Jona Lewie's 'Stop the Cavalry' peak at in December 1980?

'Stop the Cavalry' peaked at number three in the UK in December 1980; Jona Lewie wrote it as an anti-war song, and the line 'Wish I was at home for Christmas' made it a seasonal perennial.

'Driving Home for Christmas' first appeared as the B-side to which Chris Rea single?

'Driving Home for Christmas' first surfaced in December 1986 on the flip side of 'Hello Friend', a single from Rea's album On the Beach; it got its own A-side release in 1988.

Who wrote Shakin' Stevens' 1985 Christmas number one 'Merry Christmas Everyone'?

Scottish songwriter Bob Heatlie wrote 'Merry Christmas Everyone'; Dave Edmunds produced it, and it was the UK Christmas number one of 1985, Shakin' Stevens' fourth and last chart-topper.

'Mistletoe and Wine' was written for a musical adapting which Hans Christian Andersen tale?

Jeremy Paul, Leslie Stewart and Keith Strachan wrote it for Scraps, a 1976 musical of Andersen's 'The Little Match Girl' set in Victorian London; Cliff Richard's reworked version was the 1988 Christmas number one.

Which glam rock band had the UK Christmas number one in 1974 with 'Lonely This Christmas'?

Mud's 'Lonely This Christmas', an Elvis-style ballad written by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, spent four weeks at UK number one from December 1974 and sold more than 750,000 copies.

Which East 17 member wrote 'Stay Another Day', the 1994 Christmas number one?

Tony Mortimer wrote 'Stay Another Day' about the death of his brother; it was East 17's only UK number one, spending five weeks at the top from December 1994.

Which Pretenders guitarist's death influenced Chrissie Hynde's '2000 Miles'?

James Honeyman-Scott, the Pretenders' original guitarist, died of a drug overdose in June 1982; Chrissie Hynde wrote '2000 Miles', released in November 1983, with his death in mind.

Which new wave band recorded 'Christmas Wrapping' in 1981?

The Waitresses, from Akron, Ohio, recorded 'Christmas Wrapping' for the 1981 ZE Records compilation A Christmas Record; Chris Butler wrote it and Patty Donahue sang it.

What was on the B-side of the Beach Boys' 1963 single 'Little Saint Nick'?

The Beach Boys backed 'Little Saint Nick' in December 1963 with an a cappella arrangement of 'The Lord's Prayer'; the A-side applies hot-rod imagery to Santa's sleigh.

Which orchestra gave the first performance of Leroy Anderson's 'Sleigh Ride' in May 1948?

Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops premiered 'Sleigh Ride' in May 1948; Leroy Anderson, the Pops' former arranger, had begun it during a July 1946 heat wave and finished it in February 1948.

Who wrote the lyrics added to 'Sleigh Ride' in 1950?

Mitchell Parish, who had earlier put words to 'Stardust', wrote the 'Sleigh Ride' lyric in 1950 for publisher Mills Music; the words never mention Christmas.

Which singer first recorded 'It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year' in 1963?

Andy Williams recorded 'It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year' for The Andy Williams Christmas Album in 1963, the first of several Christmas LPs he cut for Columbia, and it became a staple of his NBC Christmas specials.

'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' was written for which MGM musical?

Judy Garland sang 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' to her despondent little sister Tootie in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944); Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane wrote it for the film.

Who wrote 'It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas' in 1951?

Meredith Willson, later the composer of The Music Man, wrote 'It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas' in 1951; Perry Como and the Fontane Sisters had the first hit with it that year.

In which 1951 film did 'Silver Bells' debut?

In The Lemon Drop Kid (1951), William Frawley starts 'Silver Bells' before Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell take it up; Jay Livingston and Ray Evans wrote it for the film.

What was the working title of the Livingston and Evans standard 'Silver Bells'?

Jay Livingston and Ray Evans first called it 'Tinkle Bells', until Livingston's wife pointed out what 'tinkle' meant as slang; Bing Crosby and Carol Richards made the first recording in September 1950.

Which broadcaster banned 'I'll Be Home for Christmas' during World War II?

The BBC kept 'I'll Be Home for Christmas' off the air in wartime Britain, fearing its homesick lyric would lower troop morale; Bing Crosby's 1943 recording had been a top-three US hit.

Which songwriter said he wrote 'I'll Be Home for Christmas' as a poem for his mother in 1922?

Buck Ram, later the Platters' manager and songwriter, had registered a different song called 'I'll Be Home for Christmas' in 1942 and was added to the credits after a legal challenge.

Which Cold War crisis prompted the writing of 'Do You Hear What I Hear?'?

Noël Regney and Gloria Shayne, then married, wrote 'Do You Hear What I Hear?' in October 1962 as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis; Bing Crosby's 1963 recording sold over a million.

Under what title was 'The Little Drummer Boy' originally written in 1941?

Katherine Kennicott Davis wrote it; the Trapp Family recorded it first in 1951.

Which Austrian singing group made the first recording of 'The Little Drummer Boy' in 1951?

The Trapp Family Singers, the Austrian family later portrayed in The Sound of Music, made the first recording in 1951; the Harry Simeone Chorale's 1958 version turned it into a perennial chart hit.

Who wrote 'Mary's Boy Child', a 1956 hit for Harry Belafonte?

Jester Hairston, the actor, composer and choral arranger, wrote 'Mary's Boy Child' in 1956; Harry Belafonte's recording that year went on to top the UK chart in November 1957.

Which Christmas week saw Gene Autry's 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' hit US number one?

Gene Autry's 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' reached number one on the Billboard pop chart in the week of Christmas 1949 and sold about 2.5 million copies in its first year.

How does Gene Autry famously pronounce the gift-bringer's name on 'Here Comes Santa Claus'?

Autry sings 'Here comes Santy Claus, here comes Santy Claus' on the 1947 Columbia record he co-wrote with Oakley Haldeman; the drawled pronunciation became part of the song's charm.

Which blues pianist wrote and first cut 'Please Come Home for Christmas' in 1960?

Charles Brown, the Texas-born blues balladeer, co-wrote 'Please Come Home for Christmas' with Gene Redd and recorded it for King Records in 1960; the Eagles' 1978 cover is the best-known version.

Why is 'Run Rudolph Run' credited to Johnny Marks rather than Chuck Berry, who wrote it?

Berry cut it for Chess Records in 1958, but the reindeer's name belonged to Marks.

Which 1987 charity compilation featured Run-DMC's ode to Hollis, Queens?

Run-DMC's 'Christmas in Hollis' appeared on A Very Special Christmas, the 1987 A&M compilation for the Special Olympics that also featured Bruce Springsteen, Madonna and U2.

'Underneath the Tree' is the lead single from which Kelly Clarkson album?

'Underneath the Tree' led Wrapped in Red, Kelly Clarkson's 2013 Christmas album; she co-wrote it with producer Greg Kurstin in a Wall of Sound style.

At what position did Justin Bieber's 'Mistletoe' peak on the US Hot 100?

'Mistletoe' debuted and peaked at number 11 on the Hot 100 in November 2011 as the lead single from Under the Mistletoe, and reached the top ten in Canada.

Sia's 'Snowman' surged in popularity in November 2020 thanks to which platform?

'Snowman', from Sia's 2017 album Everyday Is Christmas, blew up on TikTok in November 2020 through a challenge to sing its chorus in a single breath, sending it up streaming charts worldwide.

Which comic actor plays a violin-toting Elvis impersonator in Coldplay's 'Christmas Lights' video?

Simon Pegg appears as one of the Elvis impersonators, sawing at a violin, in the 'Christmas Lights' video shot on London's Embankment; Coldplay released the single on 1 December 2010.

Joni Mitchell's 'River' appears on which album?

'River' appears on side two of Blue, released in June 1971; its piano intro quotes 'Jingle Bells' in a minor key, and Mitchell never issued it as a single.

Which French composer turned Placide Cappeau's poem into 'Cantique de Noël'?

Adolphe Adam, the composer of the ballet Giselle, set Placide Cappeau's 1843 poem 'Minuit, chrétiens' as 'Cantique de Noël' in 1847; John Sullivan Dwight's 1855 English version became 'O Holy Night'.

'The First Noel' is a traditional carol with origins in which English county?

It is number 682 in the Roud Folk Song Index.

On which day does Good King Wenceslas venture out into the snow?

The carol opens 'Good King Wenceslas looked out on the Feast of Stephen', 26 December; John Mason Neale wrote the words in 1853 to a 13th-century spring carol tune.

Who wrote 'We Three Kings' for a New York seminary Christmas pageant in 1857?

John Henry Hopkins Jr., then teaching church music at New York's General Theological Seminary, wrote both words and music of 'We Three Kings' for an 1857 Christmas pageant; it was published in 1863.

The melody of 'Deck the Halls' comes from which country's 16th-century winter carol?

The tune 'Nos Galan' got English words from Thomas Oliphant in 1862.

Which poet wrote 'In the Bleak Midwinter', published in Scribner's Monthly in 1872?

Christina Rossetti wrote 'In the Bleak Midwinter' in response to a request from Scribner's Monthly for a Christmas poem; it was published there in January 1872 and set to music only after her death.

What is the name of Gustav Holst's hymn tune for 'In the Bleak Midwinter'?

Holst's tune is named Cranham, after a Gloucestershire village near his native Cheltenham; it appeared in the 1906 English Hymnal, simple enough for congregational singing.

'Once in Royal David's City' first appeared in which 1848 collection?

Cecil Frances Alexander published the poem in her 1848 Hymns for Little Children, the same book as 'All Things Bright and Beautiful'; organist Henry Gauntlett set it to music a year later.

The melody of 'Ding Dong Merrily on High' began as what?

The tune is the 'Branle de l'Official', a French dance printed in Thoinot Arbeau's 1589 manual Orchésographie; George Ratcliffe Woodward wrote the carol's words in 1924.

'What Child Is This?' is set to which traditional English tune?

William Chatterton Dix wrote the words in 1865 and they were fitted to 'Greensleeves', the 16th-century English tune; the carol is more popular in the United States than in Britain.

In the carol 'I Saw Three Ships', where do the three ships sail into?

The carol answers its own question, 'Pray whither sailed those ships all three?', with 'O they sailed into Bethlehem', despite the town being landlocked; Sandys printed the text in 1833.

The famous version of 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas' comes from which part of England?

The familiar version is a West Country carol: Bristol composer Arthur Warrell arranged it for his University of Bristol Madrigal Singers in 1935, and his publication popularised it.

Which tune do American congregations use for 'O Little Town of Bethlehem'?

American congregations sing it to 'St. Louis', composed in 1868 by Lewis Redner, organist at Phillips Brooks's Philadelphia church; Britain uses 'Forest Green', a folk tune collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Edmund Sears, who wrote 'It Came Upon the Midnight Clear', was a pastor of which denomination?

Edmund Sears was a Unitarian minister in Wayland, Massachusetts, when he wrote the words in 1849; Richard Storrs Willis's 1850 tune 'Carol' is the one American congregations use.

Which biblical event does the 'Coventry Carol' lament?

The lullaby 'Lully, lullay' is sung by the Bethlehem mothers for the children Herod ordered killed, the Massacre of the Innocents, in the Coventry Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors, a 16th-century mystery play.

Which folk-song collector noted the popular version of 'The Holly and the Ivy' in 1909?

Cecil Sharp noted the familiar tune from Mary Clayton at Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, in 1909 and printed it in his 1911 English Folk-Carols.

'Go Tell It on the Mountain' originated as what kind of song?

It is an African-American spiritual dating to at least 1865; John Wesley Work Jr. of Fisk University published it in his 1907 collection Folk Songs of the American Negro.

'In dulci jubilo' is a macaronic carol mixing Latin with which language?

'In dulci jubilo' alternates Latin lines with medieval German ones and is traditionally credited to the 14th-century mystic Heinrich Seuse; J. M. Neale's 1853 English version is 'Good Christian Men, Rejoice'.

'Gaudete' was published in which 1582 collection of Finnish and Swedish sacred songs?

Piae Cantiones, printed in Greifswald in 1582 for Finnish and Swedish schools, contains 'Gaudete'; Steeleye Span's a cappella recording reached the UK top 20 in 1973.

The Wexford Carol is also named after which town in County Wexford?

The Wexford Carol is also called the Enniscorthy Carol after the County Wexford town where William Grattan Flood, organist at St Aidan's Cathedral, Enniscorthy, noted it down around 1900.

Whose 1521 Christmasse Carolles printed the version of the 'Boar's Head Carol' still sung?

Wynkyn de Worde, Caxton's successor at his Westminster press, printed the version in his 1521 Christmasse Carolles; the carol is sung each year at Queen's College, Oxford, as the boar's head is carried in.

The 'Cherry-Tree Carol' is unusual for also being one of which ballad collection?

It is Child Ballad number 54.

In the original Catholic text of 'Es ist ein Ros entsprungen', the rose symbolises whom?

The original 16th-century text says 'Das Röslein, das ich meine... ist Maria die reine', making the rose the Virgin Mary; later Protestant versions reworked the verse so the rose became Jesus.

'Ríu Ríu Chíu' is what type of Spanish song?

'Ríu Ríu Chíu' is a villancico, the Spanish Renaissance song form with refrain and verses, printed in the 1556 Cancionero de Upsala; its lyric pictures Mary's Immaculate Conception as a lamb kept from a wolf.

Who recorded 'The Chipmunk Song' in 1958 under the stage name David Seville?

Ross Bagdasarian Sr., an Armenian-American songwriter, recorded 'The Chipmunk Song' as David Seville in 1958, creating Alvin, Simon and Theodore by speeding up tapes; it won three Grammys.

Which singer recorded 'Dominick the Donkey' in 1960?

Lou Monte, the Italian-American novelty singer later known for 'Pepino the Italian Mouse', recorded 'Dominick the Donkey' in 1960; the song's donkey helps Santa over the hills of Italy.

Which songwriting team wrote the 1955 novelty 'Nuttin' for Christmas'?

Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett, who later wrote dozens of Elvis Presley film songs, wrote 'Nuttin' for Christmas'; Barry Gordon's version with Art Mooney's orchestra sold a million copies in 1955.

How old was Gayla Peevey when she sang 'I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas' in 1953?

Gayla Peevey, born in March 1943, was 10 when she recorded John Rox's song in October 1953; a fund-raising drive then bought her hometown Oklahoma City Zoo a real hippo, Matilda.

Donald Gardner wrote 'All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth' after asking whom?

Gardner, a music teacher in Smithtown, New York, asked his second-grade class in 1944 what they wanted for Christmas, noticed nearly every child lisped through a missing tooth, and wrote the song in half an hour.

Which group joined Bing Crosby on an early 1950 recording of 'Mele Kalikimaka'?

Bing Crosby cut 'Mele Kalikimaka' with the Andrews Sisters for Decca in 1950, a year after R. Alex Anderson wrote it; the title is a Hawaiian rendering of 'Merry Christmas'.

Choristers from which California church sang on 'Christmas Time Is Here'?

The children's choir of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in San Rafael sang on the 1965 recording of 'Christmas Time Is Here', which Vince Guaraldi and producer Lee Mendelson wrote for A Charlie Brown Christmas.

'Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24' is a medley of 'Carol of the Bells' and which carol?

The instrumental pits 'God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen' against 'Carol of the Bells'; Savatage first released it on the 1995 album Dead Winter Dead, a year before Trans-Siberian Orchestra's version.

Which real cellist inspired the story behind 'Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24'?

Vedran Smailović, the 'Cellist of Sarajevo', played in the ruins during the 1990s siege; Paul O'Neill's liner-note story of a cellist playing carols in the bombed city draws on him.

Which percussionist founded Mannheim Steamroller in 1974?

Chip Davis, an Omaha drummer who co-wrote C.W. McCall's trucker hit 'Convoy', founded Mannheim Steamroller in 1974; its first Christmas album followed in 1984.

Who duets with Michael Bublé on 'White Christmas' on his 2011 album Christmas?

Shania Twain sings 'White Christmas' with Bublé on Christmas, his 2011 album that also pairs him with the Puppini Sisters on 'Jingle Bells' and Thalía on 'Mis Deseos/Feliz Navidad'.

Which TV competition did Pentatonix win in 2011?

Pentatonix, formed in Arlington, Texas, won the third season of NBC's a cappella contest The Sing-Off in November 2011, taking $200,000 and a Sony Music contract.

Josh Groban's Noël was the best-selling US record for all of which year?

Noël, released in October 2007, sold 3,699,000 copies in the US that calendar year per Nielsen SoundScan, making it 2007's best-selling album.

Which label originally released A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector in November 1963?

Spector put the album out on his own Philles label, co-founded with Lester Sill, on 22 November 1963; the Kennedy assassination that same day dampened its initial sales.

Who wrote the lyrics of 'Mary, Did You Know?' in 1984?

Mark Lowry, the comedian-singer later of the Gaither Vocal Band, wrote the words in 1984 for a church Christmas play; Buddy Greene set them in 1991 and Michael English recorded it first.

Who sings 'Where Are You Christmas?' on the 2000 Grinch soundtrack, after Mariah Carey's version was shelved?

Faith Hill recorded 'Where Are You Christmas?' for the 2000 film soundtrack after a legal dispute involving co-writer Mariah Carey's ex-husband Tommy Mottola kept Carey's own version off the release.

Josh Groban's 'Believe' comes from which 2004 film?

'Believe', by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri, plays over the closing credits of The Polar Express (2004) and was nominated for the Best Original Song Oscar.

Britney Spears' 'My Only Wish (This Year)' appeared on which 2000 compilation?

'My Only Wish (This Year)', written by Brian Kierulf and Josh Schwartz, appeared on Platinum Christmas, the holiday compilation Jive Records issued in November 2000.

Katy Perry's 'Cozy Little Christmas' was inspired by time spent with family in which city?

Perry said the song grew out of a low-key family Christmas in Copenhagen; it launched as an Amazon Music exclusive in November 2018 and got a wide release a year later.

Which producer worked with Taylor Swift on 'Christmas Tree Farm'?

Swift co-produced 'Christmas Tree Farm' with British producer Jimmy Napes, best known for Sam Smith's 'Stay with Me'; she wrote it on 1 December 2019 and released it five days later.

Leona Lewis's 'One More Sleep' is styled after which record label's sound?

'One More Sleep', co-written by Leona Lewis and Richard 'Biff' Stannard, deliberately recreates the Motown girl-group sound of the 1960s; it led her 2013 album Christmas, with Love.

'Merry Christmas' with Elton John was which of Ed Sheeran's UK number ones?

'Merry Christmas' entered at number one on 10 December 2021, giving Ed Sheeran his twelfth UK chart-topper; the pair donated profits to the Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Which two Queen members wrote 'Thank God It's Christmas'?

Brian May and Roger Taylor wrote 'Thank God It's Christmas', released as a stand-alone single in November 1984; it peaked at number 21 and only reached an album on Greatest Hits III in 1999.

Which band's 'Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)' was the 2003 UK Christmas runner-up?

The Darkness released 'Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End)' on 15 December 2003 and finished second in the Christmas race to Michael Andrews and Gary Jules's 'Mad World'.

How many consecutive UK Christmas number ones did LadBaby score with their sausage-roll singles?

LadBaby's sausage-roll novelties topped the Christmas chart five years running, 2018 to 2022, passing the Beatles' total of four Christmas number ones; the couple then retired from the race.

A 2009 campaign against The X Factor made which Rage Against the Machine song Christmas number one?

'Killing in the Name' sold about 500,000 downloads in a week to take the 2009 Christmas number one, beating X Factor winner Joe McElderry; it had peaked at 25 on its original 1993 UK release.

Whose seven-single run of UK number ones did Bob the Builder end at Christmas 2000?

Westlife's first seven singles had all gone to number one; 'What Makes a Man' stalled at two behind 'Can We Fix It?', sung by Neil Morrissey as Bob, the UK's biggest seller of 2000.

By 2012, how many UK Christmas number ones had Paul McCartney appeared on across various acts?

Eight: four with the Beatles, then Wings' 'Mull of Kintyre' (1977), Band Aid (1984), Band Aid 20 (2004) and the Justice Collective's 'He Ain't Heavy' (2012).

In which two years did the Beatles hold both the UK Christmas number one and number two?

In 1963 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' sat above 'She Loves You', and in 1967 'Hello, Goodbye' topped the Magical Mystery Tour EP; the Beatles were the first act to take both Christmas spots.

Which sponsor presented the 1964 Rudolph TV special under its 'Fantasy Hour' banner?

General Electric sponsored the Rankin/Bass stop-motion special as the 'General Electric Fantasy Hour', first shown on NBC on 6 December 1964, with the elves pitching GE appliances in the ad breaks.

Which country singer wrote 'Pretty Paper', a 1963 hit for Roy Orbison?

Willie Nelson wrote 'Pretty Paper' about a disabled street vendor he saw selling paper and pencils outside Leonards department store in Fort Worth; Roy Orbison's 1963 recording reached the US top 20.

Which singer is most associated with Johnny Marks's 'A Holly Jolly Christmas'?

Burl Ives sang 'A Holly Jolly Christmas' as Sam the Snowman in the 1964 Rudolph TV special and released his own recording as a single in 1965.

Which producer co-wrote every original track on Mariah Carey's 1994 album Merry Christmas?

Walter Afanasieff co-wrote and co-produced the album's three originals with Carey, including 'All I Want for Christmas Is You', and produced her versions of the standards.

Who arranged and conducted Ella Fitzgerald's 1960 album Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas?

Frank DeVol arranged and conducted the 1960 Verve sessions; Fitzgerald's other Christmas album, 1967's Ella Fitzgerald's Christmas of hymns and carols, was made for Capitol.

Kylie Christmas was released in 2015 through a one-album deal with which label?

After leaving Parlophone in 2014 for a period under Roc Nation management, Minogue returned to Parlophone on a one-album deal to release Kylie Christmas in November 2015.

On which album did Dan Fogelberg include 'Same Old Lang Syne'?

'Same Old Lang Syne', a top-ten hit in early 1981, appeared on The Innocent Age, Fogelberg's double album released later that year; the lyric recounts a real Christmas Eve meeting in Peoria.

Melanie Thornton's 'Wonderful Dream (Holidays Are Coming)' was recorded for which brand's Christmas campaign?

Melanie Thornton recorded 'Wonderful Dream (Holidays Are Coming)' in 2001 for Coca-Cola's German Christmas-truck campaign; she died in a plane crash that November, days after performing it.

Which October 1978 release was the Carpenters' first holiday album?

Christmas Portrait, the Carpenters' ninth studio album, was released in October 1978; Karen's vocals from its sessions were later reused on the posthumous An Old-Fashioned Christmas in 1984.

Which department store commissioned 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus' to promote its 1952 Christmas card?

Saks Fifth Avenue commissioned Tommie Connor's song to promote its 1952 Christmas card, which carried a sketch by New Yorker artist Perry Barlow; 13-year-old Jimmy Boyd's recording hit number one that December.

Jimmy Boyd's 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus' was reportedly condemned by the Catholic Church and banned in which city as adulterous?

Boston's ban was lifted, the story goes, after Boyd met the Archdiocese to explain the joke; the song was written by Briton Tommie Connor.

Gene Autry got the idea for 'Here Comes Santa Claus' riding his horse in a 1946 Christmas parade in which city?

Los Angeles crowds at what is now the Hollywood Christmas Parade chanted 'Here comes Santa Claus' as Autry rode past.