the thirties to the beginnings of the sixties writing Christmas songs was almost a profession . Some authors specialized in this field that, especially after the invention of the TV, was much followed, advertised and loved. Every year tens of Christmas authors proposed their works to the record companies. Getting them recorded by famous singers was a guarantee of success. America, both catholic and protestant one, has always loved Christmas. Bing Crosby , who really wrote many songs, became a favorite of the public with White Christmas and thanks to this popular song became an authentic star. From the thirties to the forties, the period of swing, jazz and a still baby rock, Christmas songs were sparkling, happy and with dancing tones. It was only later on, in the fifties, that they became more melodic and suggestive, fitting better a dreaming and prig society, to which the revival of the good feelings represented a certain type of traditional family. However, Rocking around the Christmas tree brought a gust of joy and dynamism, but still keeping the recall to the harmony of the domestic heart that was so dear to the American people.
Here is the text.
Rocking around the Christmas tree
At the Christmas party hop
Mistletoe hung where you can see
Every couple tries to stop
Rocking around the Christmas tree,
Let the Christmas spirit ring
Later we’ll have some pumpkin pie
And we’ll do some caroling.
You will get a sentimental
Feeling when you hear
Voices singing let’s be jolly,
Deck the halls with boughs of holly
Rocking around the Christmas tree,
Have a happy holiday
Everyone dancing merrily
In the new old-fashioned way
PICTURE 4. Here is the cover of the original record of 1958, with a childish and smiling Brenda Lee. The record, produced by Decca, was quite successful. The singer, thirteen year old at the time, was on the wake of the new born rock and roll but still winking to the tradition of the family Christmas . She was the only interpreter of the song for almost thirty years, she was then outdone by the 1987 version by Kim Wild/Mel Smith, that reached the third place of the English Hits of the year . We still have in mind the rock version of the then chaste Miley Cyrus, that in 2006 caught the attention of millions of spectators.
As you can see that’s a text that looks light at a first sight but it presents interesting sparks . The word rocking introduces the rock suggestion, as it had already happened for another, maybe more famous, Christmas song: Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms . The presence of the rock, even though without its usual hardness, was a brand new thing for the Christmas songs and, strangely enough, was welcome even by the very traditional old generations, who saw in the new born rock a symbol of the decay of the society. Was it the magic of Christmas?
FOTO 5. A child prodigy, Brenda Lee started her career at the age of 6, reaching the first place in a school talent show, whose prize was a live exhibition on a very successful radio program, Starmakers Revue . Her family was very poor and thanks to the several exhibitions of the child on the local radios managed to make a living . She was very short, approximately 4ft9, but her voice was so gushing that she earned the name of “Miss Dynamite”. She didn’ t obtain the success with Rocking Around the Clock but with I’m Sorry of 1960, that earned her the Grammy Award. People considered her a pop singer but Brenda Lee was a famous representative of rockabilly and rock’n roll, one of the very few women at the time .
The song is actually immediately “forgiven”, as it underlies the standard themes of the tradition: the kiss under the mistletoe, the happy voices, the spirit of Christmas and… - a masterful touch!- the union old-new, quoting the refrain of the very famous DECK THE HALLS, a song that was the symbol of the average adult American . The piece was composed by Johnny Marks in 1957 and DECCA let it sing by the then 14 year old Brenda Lee , who recorded it twice, in the 1958 and 1959. It seems that the song at the beginning had a more country style but it was then adapted to the Lee vocal and singing characteristics . It was a successful experiment, if we consider that the Brenda Lee recording was almost the only one for this song!
Johnny Marks ( 1909-1985) had started his career as Christmas songs composer in 1947 with the song Rudolph, the red-nosed Reindeer , based on the poem of the same name written by his brother Robert.. It was an unprecedented boom that earned him rights for 30 million copies and that in 1964 gave birth to a much appreciated TV movie of the same name! The song was also recorded by Gene Auntry , a very famous singer of that time.
Director of the ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, & Publishers) from 1959 to 1961 and founder of the equally famous ST. NICHOLAS MUSIC in 1949, he wrote many songs that I invite you to listen to. I just mention some of them: THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1952) then interpreted by the magical duet Gene Autry-Rosemarie Clooney, another star of the period, RUN, RUDOPLPH, RUN (1958)interpreted by the rock icon CHUCK BERRY, I HEARD THE BELL ON CHRISTMAS DAY (1956) an opera that takes place during the civil war and that had many important voices such Harry Belafonte, Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and many more. In conclusion a lot of beautiful music that is worth listening and remembering.
For the record: Johnny Marks was awarded by the International Society of Santa Claus with the CHRISTMAS SPIRIT prize together with another great composer: Irving Berlin , author of WHITE CHRISTMAS and other beautiful songs we will talk about in one of the next chapters.
PICTURE 6. Here is a mature Johnny Marks in an almost intimate picture of the seventies.
The song was recorded in the July of ’58 in one of the Decca offices with the Nashville producer Owen Bradley. It was one of the most muggy summers of the last years and the singer and the orchestra didn’ t manage to concentrate. Owen then set the air conditioning to the maximum and made shoot artificial snowballs to cool the air, he set up a big Christmas tree, with balls and colored lights, in the recording studios, to get a Christmas atmosphere for the singer and the whole staff. It seems that the idea worked perfectly and everybody had lots of fun, to the point that two only recording sessions were enough to finish the single. In 2014 the NPR, interviewing an old Brenda Lee, asked her playfully in what direction one should rock around the Christmas tree . The answer of the singer was immediate: ”South. Following the path of the sun”. Even though he had Jewish origins, as his famous colleague Irving Berlin, Johnny Marks reached the fame as a composer of Christmas songs. In one of his many interviews he openly confessed to the question if he was happy of his success: : " Well, I’m not very happy to be remembered just for some Eve’s folk songs! "
