The Christmas song - wikipedia The Christmas song This article is about the song by Bob Wells and Mel Tormé. For other uses, see Christmas music and Christmas Song ( disambiguation ). `` The Christmas Song '' Composition Published 1945 Genre Christmas Songwriter ( s ) Robert Wells, Mel Tormé `` 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. According to Tormé, the song was written during a blistering hot summer. In an effort to `` stay cool by thinking cool '', the most - performed ( according to BMI ) Christmas song was born. `` I saw a spiral pad on his ( Wells ' ) piano with four lines written in pencil '', Tormé recalled. `` They started, ' Chestnuts roasting..., Jack Frost nipping..., Yuletide carols..., Folks dressed up like Eskimos. ' Bob did n't think he was writing a song lyric. He said he thought if he could immerse himself in winter he could cool off. Forty minutes later that song was written. I wrote all the music and some of the lyrics. '' The Nat King Cole Trio first recorded the song early in 1946. At Cole 's behest -- and over the objections of his label, Capitol Records -- a second recording was made later the same year utilizing a small string section, this version becoming a massive hit on both the pop and R&B charts. Cole again recorded the song in 1953, using the same arrangement with a full orchestra arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle, and once more in 1961, in a stereophonic version with orchestra conducted by Ralph Carmichael. Cole 's 1961 version is generally regarded as definitive, and in 2004 was the most - loved seasonal song with women aged 30 -- 49, while the original 1946 recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1974. Contents 1 Nat King Cole recordings 1.1 Charts 2 Mel Tormé recordings 3 Deana Martin recording 4 Other notable renditions 5 References 6 External links Nat King Cole recordings `` The Christmas Song '' Side - A label of the US 78 RPM release ( 1946 ) Single by Nat King Cole B - side `` In the Cool of Evening '' ( Capitol 311, 1945 ) `` Laguna Mood '' ( Capitol 15201, 1948 ) `` ( All I Want for Christmas Is ) My Two Front Teeth '' ( Capitol F90036, 1953 ; Capitol F2955, 1954 ) `` The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot '' ( Capitol 3561, 1956 ) Released November 1946 ( 1946 - 11 ) November 1953 ( 1953 - 11 ) Format 10 - inch, 7 - inch Recorded August 19, 1946 ( 1946 - 08 - 19 ) August 26, 1953 ( 1953 - 08 - 26 ) Genre Jazz, pop Length 3 : 10 ( 1946 recording ) 3 : 12 ( 1953 recording ) Label Capitol Songwriter ( s ) Robert Wells, Mel Tormé 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 ; Charles Randolph Grean, conductor of 4 string players, a harpist and a drummer ). Lacquer disc master # 981. Issued November 1946 as Capitol 311 ( 78rpm ). This recording is available on the 2000 Cole compilation CD Christmas for Kids : From One to Ninety - Two, as well as 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 ( 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 Cole compilation CD Cole, Christmas, & Kids, as well as on the various - artists CD 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. This version is sometimes ( though quite rarely ) played on the radio during the Christmas season and is nearly identical to the popular 1961 recording. It is easy to tell apart from the 1961 version in that the final notes ( the Jingle Bells guitar bit ) sounds faster and more rushed. 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 has become the most popular / familiar 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. There were several covers of Nat Cole 's original record in the 1940s. The first of these was said to be by Dick Haymes on the Decca label, but his was released first -- not recorded first. The first cover of `` The Christmas Song '' was performed by pop tenor and bandleader Eddy Howard on Majestic. Howard was a big Cole fan, and also covered Nat 's versions of `` I Want to Thank Your Folks '' and `` ( I Love You ) For Sentimental Reasons '', among others. Charts Chart ( 1961 ) Peak position New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) 97 Sweden ( Sverigetopplistan ) 28 Chart ( 1991 ) Peak position UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) 51 Chart ( 2017 ) Peak position US Billboard Hot 100 37 Mel Tormé recordings Mel Tormé himself made several recordings of the song, including versions released in 1954 ( on his live Coral Records album At the Crescendo ), 1961 ( on his Verve Records album My Kind of Music ), 1970 ( on a Columbia Records Christmas single ), 1990 ( in a medley with `` Autumn Leaves '', on his live Concord Records album Mel Tormé Live at the Fujitsu -- Concord Festival 1990 ), and 1992 ( on his Telarc Records album Christmas Songs ). Tormé 's 1970 version of the song adds an opening verse, written in 1963 while Tormé was working as musical arranger for The Judy Garland Show. He first performed and introduced the opening verse as a guest for the show 's Christmas Special which aired on December 22, 1963. All through the year we waited Waited through spring and fall To hear silver bells ringing, see wintertime bringing The happiest season of all Additionally, his recordings typically include a coda adapted from `` Here We Come A-wassailing '' : Love and joy come to you And to you your Christmas too And God bless you and send you a happy New Year And God send you a happy New Year Deana Martin recording Deana Martin recorded `` The Christmas Song '' on her 2011 album, White Christmas, released by Big Fish Records. Other notable renditions This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( November 2016 ) `` The Christmas Song '' CeCe Peniston recorded the composition for the Merry Arizona II : Desert Stars Shine at Christmas compilation in 1996. Problems playing this file ? See media help. `` The Christmas Song '' has been covered by numerous artists from a wide variety of genres. It has charted by the following : Christina Aguilera on the 2000 album, My Kind of Christmas : No. 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart ; No. 22 on the Canadian RPM Top 100 Singles chart Michael Bublé in 2003 : No. 6 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart ) - included on the EP Let It Snow ( EP ) Also, covered by Joan `` The Big Mama of Music '' ( Feat. Joey Sontz ) in 2017 : Released as a Charity Single for The American Cancer Society ( Digital Single ). References Jump up ^ Wook Kim ( Dec 17, 2012 ). `` Yule Laugh, Yule Cry : 10 Things You Did n't Know About Beloved Holiday Songs ( With holiday cheer in the air, TIME takes a closer look at some of the weird stories behind our favorite seasonal tunes ) ''. TIME. - `` The Christmas Song '' ( p. 4 ) Jump up ^ Edison Media Research : What We Learned From Testing Christmas Music in 2004 Archived 2011 - 07 - 10 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 29, 2011 Jump up ^ Grammy Hall of Fame Retrieved November 29, 2011 Jump up ^ `` Charts.org.nz -- NAT KING COLE -- THE CHRISTMAS SONG ( MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ) ''. Top 40 Singles. Jump up ^ `` Swedishcharts.com -- NAT KING COLE -- THE CHRISTMAS SONG ( MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ) ''. Singles Top 100. Jump up ^ `` Nat King Cole : Artist Chart History ''. Official Charts Company. Jump up ^ `` Nat King Cole Chart History ( Hot 100 ) ''. Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2017. External links Update page with link to `` Mark Evanier on Tormé and ' The Christmas Song ' '' PerformingSongwriter.com - The Story Behind `` The Christmas Song '' Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Nat King Cole Studio albums The King Cole Trio Nat King Cole at the Piano King Cole for Kids Penthouse Serenade Nat King Cole Sings for Two in Love The Piano Style of Nat King Cole After Midnight Just One of Those Things Love Is the Thing Cole Español St. Louis Blues The Very Thought of You To Whom It May Concern Welcome to the Club A Mis Amigos Tell Me All About Yourself Every Time I Feel the Spirit Wild Is Love The Magic of Christmas The Nat King Cole Story The Touch of Your Lips Nat King Cole Sings / George Shearing Plays Ramblin ' Rose Dear Lonely Hearts More Cole Español Those Lazy - Hazy - Crazy Days of Summer Where Did Everyone Go ? Nat King Cole Sings My Fair Lady Let 's Face the Music ! I Do n't Want to Be Hurt Anymore L-O-V-E Compilation albums Top Pops Harvest of Hits Unforgettable 10th Anniversary Album Ballads of the Day This Is Nat King Cole The Beautiful Ballads For Sentimental Reasons Love Songs Tribute albums All for You : A Dedication to the Nat King Cole Trio Dear Mr. Cole Inspiration : A Tribute to Nat King Cole The Nat King Cole Songbook P.S. Mr. Cole A Tribute to the Great Nat `` King '' Cole With Respect to Nat You 're Lookin ' at Me ( A Collection of Nat King Cole Songs ) Songs `` Mona Lisa '' `` Night Lights '' `` To the Ends of the Earth '' `` Unforgettable '' `` The Christmas Song '' Related articles Discography Maria Cole ( wife ) Carole Cole ( daughter ) Natalie Cole ( daughter ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Christmas_Song&oldid=819245357 '' Categories : American Christmas songs Capitol Records singles 1945 songs 1999 singles 2009 singles 2012 singles Glen Campbell songs Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Mel Tormé songs Nat King Cole songs Songs written by Mel Tormé Songs written by Robert Wells ( songwriter ) Lotta Engberg songs Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Articles with hAudio microformats Singlechart usages for New Zealand Singlechart usages for Sweden Singlechart usages for UKsinglesbyname Singlechart called without song Singlechart usages for Billboardhot100 Articles needing additional references from November 2016 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia Dansk Español فارسی Français 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Polski Português Русский Simple English Svenska Türkçe Tiếng Việt Edit links This page was last edited on 8 January 2018, at 08 : 11. 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Question: when was chestnuts roasting on an open fire written
Answer: 1945