Uploaded December 2015 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
"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 Bob Wells and Mel Tormé.
Nat King Cole recorded the song 4 times partly due to the fact that in the first pressing of the King Cole Trio’s 1946 version, he sang the last line of the bridge: “To see if reindeers really know how to fly.” The song had already become a seasonal hit when Tormé and Wells pointed out the grammatical error.
Tormé recalled “Nat, a true gentleman, and a dogged perfectionist, stewed over this mistake, and sure enough, at the end of another recording session, with the same-sized orchestra at hand, he rerecorded our song, properly singing ‘reindeer.’ The second version is virtually identical to the first, but those early first pressings have become collectors’ items.”
Versions:
First recording: Recorded at WMCA Radio Studios, New York City, June 14, 1946. Label credit: The King Cole Trio (Nat King Cole, vocal-pianist; Oscar Moore, guitarist; Johnny Miller, bassist). 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).
Second recording: Recorded at WMCA Radio Studios, New York City, August 19, 1946. First record issue. Label credit: The King Cole Trio with String Choir (Nat King Cole, vocal-pianist, Oscar Moore, guitarist; Johnny Miller, bassist; Charlie Grean, conductor of 4 string players, a harpist and a drummer). Lacquer disc master #981. Issued November 1946 as Capitol 311 (78rpm). This is featured on a CD called The Holiday Album, which has 1940s Christmas songs recorded by Cole and Bing Crosby.
Third recording: Recorded at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, August 24, 1953. This was the song's first magnetic tape recording. Label credit: The King Cole Trio with String Choir (Actual artists: Nat King Cole, vocal; Buddy Cole, pianist; John Collins, guitarist; Charlie Harris, bassist; Nelson Riddle, orchestra conductor). Master #11726, take 11. Issued November 1953 as the "new" Capitol 90036(78rpm) / F90036(45rpm) (Capitol first issued 90036 in 1950 with the second recording). Correct label credit issued on October 18, 1954 as Capitol 2955(78rpm) / F2955(45rpm). Label credit: Nat "King" Cole with Orchestra Conducted by Nelson Riddle. This recording is available on the 1990 CD Cole, Christmas and Kids, as well as the various-artists compilation Casey Kasem Presents All Time Christmas Favorites. It was also included, along with both 1946 recordings, on the 1991 Mosaic Records box set The Complete Capitol Recordings of the Nat King Cole Trio.
Fourth recording: Recorded at Capitol Studios, New York City, March 30, 1961. This rendition, the first recorded in stereo, is widely played on radio stations during the Christmas season, and is probably the most famous version of this song. Label credit: Nat King Cole (Nat King Cole, vocal; Charles Grean and Pete Rugolo, orchestration; Ralph Carmichael, orchestra conductor). The instrumental arrangement is nearly identical to the 1953 version, but the vocals are much deeper and more focused. Originally done for The Nat King Cole Story (a 1961 LP devoted to stereo re-recordings of Cole's earlier hits), this recording was later included in a reissue of Cole's 1960 holiday album The Magic of Christmas replacing 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen'. Retitled The Christmas Song, the album was issued in 1963 as Capitol W-1967(mono) / SW-1967(stereo) and today is in print on compact disc. This recording of "The Christmas Song" is also available on numerous compilation albums. Some are Capitol pop standards Christmas compilations while others are broader-based. For example, it is available on WCBS-FM's Ultimate Christmas Album Volume 3. An alternate take of the 1961 recording, featuring a different vocal and missing the solo piano on the instrumental bridge, appears on the Deluxe Edition of the 2014 compilation The Extraordinary Nat King Cole.
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos
Everybody knows a turkey and some
Mistletoe help to make the season bright
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
Will find it hard to sleep tonight
They know that Santa's on his way
He's loaded lots of toys and goodies
On his sleigh
And every mother's
Child is gonna spy to see if
Reindeers really know how to fly
And so, I'm offering this
Simple phrase to kids from
One to ninety-two
Altho' it's been said many times
Many ways
"Merry Christmas to you"
"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 Bob Wells and Mel Tormé.
Nat King Cole recorded the song 4 times partly due to the fact that in the first pressing of the King Cole Trio’s 1946 version, he sang the last line of the bridge: “To see if reindeers really know how to fly.” The song had already become a seasonal hit when Tormé and Wells pointed out the grammatical error.
Tormé recalled “Nat, a true gentleman, and a dogged perfectionist, stewed over this mistake, and sure enough, at the end of another recording session, with the same-sized orchestra at hand, he rerecorded our song, properly singing ‘reindeer.’ The second version is virtually identical to the first, but those early first pressings have become collectors’ items.”
Versions:
First recording: Recorded at WMCA Radio Studios, New York City, June 14, 1946. Label credit: The King Cole Trio (Nat King Cole, vocal-pianist; Oscar Moore, guitarist; Johnny Miller, bassist). 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).
Second recording: Recorded at WMCA Radio Studios, New York City, August 19, 1946. First record issue. Label credit: The King Cole Trio with String Choir (Nat King Cole, vocal-pianist, Oscar Moore, guitarist; Johnny Miller, bassist; Charlie Grean, conductor of 4 string players, a harpist and a drummer). Lacquer disc master #981. Issued November 1946 as Capitol 311 (78rpm). This is featured on a CD called The Holiday Album, which has 1940s Christmas songs recorded by Cole and Bing Crosby.
Third recording: Recorded at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, August 24, 1953. This was the song's first magnetic tape recording. Label credit: The King Cole Trio with String Choir (Actual artists: Nat King Cole, vocal; Buddy Cole, pianist; John Collins, guitarist; Charlie Harris, bassist; Nelson Riddle, orchestra conductor). Master #11726, take 11. Issued November 1953 as the "new" Capitol 90036(78rpm) / F90036(45rpm) (Capitol first issued 90036 in 1950 with the second recording). Correct label credit issued on October 18, 1954 as Capitol 2955(78rpm) / F2955(45rpm). Label credit: Nat "King" Cole with Orchestra Conducted by Nelson Riddle. This recording is available on the 1990 CD Cole, Christmas and Kids, as well as the various-artists compilation Casey Kasem Presents All Time Christmas Favorites. It was also included, along with both 1946 recordings, on the 1991 Mosaic Records box set The Complete Capitol Recordings of the Nat King Cole Trio.
Fourth recording: Recorded at Capitol Studios, New York City, March 30, 1961. This rendition, the first recorded in stereo, is widely played on radio stations during the Christmas season, and is probably the most famous version of this song. Label credit: Nat King Cole (Nat King Cole, vocal; Charles Grean and Pete Rugolo, orchestration; Ralph Carmichael, orchestra conductor). The instrumental arrangement is nearly identical to the 1953 version, but the vocals are much deeper and more focused. Originally done for The Nat King Cole Story (a 1961 LP devoted to stereo re-recordings of Cole's earlier hits), this recording was later included in a reissue of Cole's 1960 holiday album The Magic of Christmas replacing 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen'. Retitled The Christmas Song, the album was issued in 1963 as Capitol W-1967(mono) / SW-1967(stereo) and today is in print on compact disc. This recording of "The Christmas Song" is also available on numerous compilation albums. Some are Capitol pop standards Christmas compilations while others are broader-based. For example, it is available on WCBS-FM's Ultimate Christmas Album Volume 3. An alternate take of the 1961 recording, featuring a different vocal and missing the solo piano on the instrumental bridge, appears on the Deluxe Edition of the 2014 compilation The Extraordinary Nat King Cole.
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos
Everybody knows a turkey and some
Mistletoe help to make the season bright
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
Will find it hard to sleep tonight
They know that Santa's on his way
He's loaded lots of toys and goodies
On his sleigh
And every mother's
Child is gonna spy to see if
Reindeers really know how to fly
And so, I'm offering this
Simple phrase to kids from
One to ninety-two
Altho' it's been said many times
Many ways
"Merry Christmas to you"
![The Ramsey Lewis Trio - The Sound of Christmas [Full Album] (Argo Records 1961)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/o-pbp70zWbI/mqdefault.jpg "The Ramsey Lewis Trio - The Sound of Christmas [Full Album] (Argo Records 1961)
Sound of Christmas is an album of Christmas music by Ramsey Lewis Trio featuring tracks recorded in 1961 and released on the Argo label.
Lewis recorded a second seasonal album, More Sounds of Christmas, in 1964.
Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. (May 27, 1935 – September 12, 2022) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and radio personality. Lewis recorded over 80 albums and received five gold records and three Grammy Awards in his career. His album The In Crowd earned Lewis critical praise and the 1965 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance. His best known singles include The In Crowd, Wade in the Water, and Sun Goddess. Until 2009, he was the host of the Ramsey Lewis Morning Show on the Chicago radio station WNUA.
Lewis was also active in musical education in Chicago. He founded the Ramsey Lewis Foundation, established the Ravinias Jazz Mentor Program, and served on the board of trustees for the Merit School of Music and The Chicago High School for the Arts.
The trio started as primarily a jazz unit and released their first album, Ramsey Lewis and the Gentlemen of Swing, in 1956. Following their 1965 hit The In Crowd (the single reached No. 5 on the pop charts, and the album No. 2) they concentrated more on pop material. Young and Holt left in 1966 to form Young-Holt Unlimited and were replaced by Cleveland Eaton and Maurice White. White left to form Earth, Wind & Fire and was replaced by Morris Jennings in 1970. Later, Frankie Donaldson and Bill Dickens replaced Jennings and Eaton; Felton Crews also appeared on many 1980s releases.")
![Fred Waring & His Pennsylvanians - The Sounds of Christmas [Full Album] (Capitol Records 1959)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/otsdF0QCHek/mqdefault.jpg "Fred Waring & His Pennsylvanians - The Sounds of Christmas [Full Album] (Capitol Records 1959)
For generations of baby boomers, year-end festivities would not have been the same without Fred Waring & His Pennsylvanians. This compilation is derived from the classic Now Is the Caroling Season (1957) and Caroling, Caroling (1959) collections, the former bearing the distinction of heralding in the era of the holiday music long-player. Waring initially assembled a group he christened the Collegians during his tenure at Penn State. He incongruously arrived at the moniker the Pennsylvanians after the band relocated to Michigan. The lineup was an instantly recognizable fixture from numerous appearances on radio as well as the silver screen. When television was introduced, Waring and company were the first combo to have their own show. All that exposure guaranteed that when they began to release albums, the platters were sure to become instant best-sellers. True to form, Now Is the Caroling Season reached the upper tiers of the charts in 1957 and 1958. The highlights included here aptly represent what makes those original recordings so very special. The material is drawn from sacred and secular titles, with longtime Waring arrangers Robert Shaw, Roy Ringwald, Jack Best, and Hawley Ades adapting the traditional tunes. The opening track has been renamed from Now Is the Caroling Season to Caroling, Caroling. Regardless, it immediately evokes the romanticism and nostalgia inherent in the customary celebration. There is a discernible innocence in White Christmas and The Christmas Song (aka Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) that has escaped most other versions. The robust vocal blend and tastefully discreet orchestrations are flawless. That similarly translates into the placidity and reverence of O Holy Night and Angels, from the Realms of Glory. Sadly, they dont make em like this anymore, but luckily these repackagings remain readily available for interested parties.
Fredrick Malcolm Waring (June 9, 1900 – July 29, 1984) was a musician, bandleader, and radio and television personality, sometimes referred to as Americas Singing Master and The Man Who Taught America How to Sing. He was also a promoter, financial backer and eponym of the Waring Blendor, the first modern electric blender on the market.")
