As the holiday season approaches, it’s time to hear some iconic holiday tunes. From the instant classics to the modern Christmas hit, music is one of the most important parts of the holiday season. Over the decades, countless artists have recorded their own variations of classic holiday songs, creating a tradition where the same tune can exist in dozens of distinct forms.
Unwrapping the covers
Most of the iconic holiday classics are most known by their cover variations, which is not surprising. One of the most well-known is The Quinto Sisters’ “A Holly Jolly Christmas.” Recorded for their first studio album of the same name, the version most will recognize is the version performed by Burl Ives primarily due to its association with the Rankin-Bass Christmas special “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Ives even re-recorded the song for his own 1965 Christmas album “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.”
Incidentally, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is not immune to the cover treatment. The song was originally written by songwriter Johnny Marks based on the 1939 poem of the same name, and there are many different versions of the iconic track, including versions by Dean Martin, Gene Autry and, as previously mentioned, Burl Ives. Even modern artists such as Destiny’s Child and rapper DMX have offered their own unique versions of the song, with the former’s in particular featuring an animated music video that recreates the puppets from the Rankin-Bass special.
One of the most interesting Christmas songs to cover is one that was not originally written for Christmas, that being the holiday hit “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” It was written in 1945 by lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Jule Styne during a California heat wave. Since its release however, it has been commonly associated with the holiday season due to its cozy imagery displayed within its lyrics and has been covered by multiple different artists, with some of the most well-known versions being done by Frank Sinatra and, once again, Dean Martin. There was even a cover of the song done by Boyz II Men.
A more original gift idea
In many instances, classic Christmas songs endure as artists give them new life. One of the most well-known is “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town,” first recorded by Harry Reser and his orchestra in 1934. Unlike some holiday songs whose covers stay close to the original, this track has inspired wildly different interpretations. From the jazzy instrumentation of Frank Sinatra to the pop-heavy beats of the Jackson 5 to even the rock-influenced version by Bruce Springsteen, the song has continued to live on through its different variations.
There are even examples of modern Christmas classics that continue to be played on playlists and airwaves each year without the need for a different variation. The song “Last Christmas” by Wham!, first released in 1984, continues to chart in various countries during the holiday season. Similarly, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” from her 1994 album “Merry Christmas” is the best-selling digital Christmas single of all time in the United States and broke the record for the longest gap between release and reaching No. 1 in both the United States and the United Kingdom, taking 25 and 26 years, respectively.
The world of holiday songs is a fascinating one and it goes to show that even though there may be different artists attached to them, they’re still the same songs we know and love. The different variations and reinventions of the classics keep the holidays alive.