The Christmas Waltz • Frank Sinatra / Karen Carpenter
Christmas Song of the Day: The Christmas Waltz (Today is Christmas Songs Day 2).
Day 1 was White Christmas.
Bing Crosby & the # 1 selling record of all time.
Today, Day 2, is actually a “reaction” to Day 1.
Let me explain.
After the incredible success of Bing’s White Christmas, Frank Sinatra called his friend Sammy Cahn to commission him to write him (Sinatra) a Christmas song.
Cahn recalls, "One day during a very hot spell in Los Angeles the phone rang and it was Jule Styne to say, 'Frank wants a Christmas song.'" Cahn resisted. "Jule, we're not going to write any Christmas song. After Irving Berlin’s White Christmas? The idea's just ridiculous." Styne was emphatic, however. "'Frank wants a Christmas song.'"
The two met in Styne's apartment to begin work on the project, and Cahn asked the composer, “‘Hey, Jule, has there ever been a Christmas waltz?' He said no. I said, 'Play that waltz of yours.' He did so," and Cahn began work on the lyrics of The Christmas Waltz, which many other artists have also recorded.
Referring to the line that goes, "And this song of mine, in three-quarter time," Cahn writes, "You'll notice there's an impure rhyme in that lyric, 'mine' and 'time'." He notes that another of his collaborators, Jimmy Van Heisen, would not have let him get away with such an imperfection but that Styne was not quite so rigid.
So, “The Christmas Waltz" is a Christmas song written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne for Frank Sinatra, who recorded it in 1954 as the B-side of Sinatra’s own recording of White Christmas. There was no version of The Christmas Waltz that reached any of the various Billboard charts, however, until the 2003 holiday season when Harry Connick, Jr. reached number 26 with it on the Adult Contemporary chart.
In any case, chart topper or not, another Christmas classic was born with this song. It has been covered by almost every artist on the planet.
Following are the lyrics of the song:
“Frosted windowpanes
Candles gleaming inside
Painted candy canes on the tree
Santa's on his way
He's filled his sleigh with things
Things for you and for me
It's that time of year
When the world falls in love
Ev'ry song you hear seems to say
"Merry Christmas
May your New Year dreams come true"
And this song of mine
In three-quarter time
Wishes you and yours the same thing, too”
As you can see, it is a very simple song. Unpretentious. Uncomplicated. It’s just a simple musical celebration of how magical the Christmas season is. How much Christmas causes people to feel that almost-infatuation feeling of being in love. The “trappings” of the season are so fun to engage, that we do it again every year! We love it. We sing about it. We buy gifts for people. We reflect for a moment on what really matters most in life.
And the song ends with a simple blessing — something all too rare in our graceless age (to quote Don Henley). How hungry we all are for kind words and someone to wish the best for us. It’s rather a profound message for a song with just 70 words.
"Merry Christmas.
May your New Year dreams come true"
Hope you enjoy listening to it again.
Join us tomorrow for Christmas Songs Day 3.
Here is Sinatra’s version & Christmas hits:
The Christmas Waltz • Frank Sinatra
Here is a video, but of Tony Bennett:
Here is Tony Bennett performing the song The Christmas Waltz in a television show: (There were no videos to be found of Frank Sinatra performing this song)
I also love Karen Carpenter’s version of The Christmas Waltz. (Sorry I may be doomed to compare every artist to The Carpenters — please bear with me on that) 😐
Here is her version on Spotify
(and below that the great Christmas Portrait)
The Christmas Waltz • Karen Carpenter
Carpenters • Christmas Portrait
