Blue Christmas ( song ) - wikipedia Blue Christmas ( song ) `` Blue Christmas '' Single by Elvis Presley from the album Elvis ' Christmas Album B - side `` Wooden Heart '' ( 447 - 0720 ) `` Santa Claus Is Back in Town '' ( 447 - 0647 ) Released November 9, 1964 ( 1964 - 11 - 09 ) ( 447 - 0720 ) November 26, 1965 ( 1965 - 11 - 26 ) ( 447 - 0647 ) Format 7 - inch Recorded September 5, 1957 ( 1957 - 09 - 05 ), Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California Genre Christmas rhythm and blues Length 2 : 07 Label RCA Victor 447 - 0720 RCA Victor 447 - 0647 Songwriter ( s ) Billy Hayes Jay W. Johnson Elvis Presley singles chronology `` Ai n't That Loving You Baby '' / `` Ask Me '' ( 1964 ) `` Blue Christmas '' ( 1964 ) `` Do the Clam '' / `` You 'll Be Gone '' ( 1965 ) `` Ai n't That Loving You Baby '' / `` Ask Me '' ( 1964 ) `` Blue Christmas '' ( 1964 ) `` Do the Clam '' / `` You 'll Be Gone '' ( 1965 ) Elvis ' Christmas Album track listing 12 tracks Side one `` Santa Claus Is Back in Town '' `` White Christmas '' `` Here Comes Santa Claus '' `` I 'll Be Home for Christmas '' `` Blue Christmas '' `` Santa, Bring My Baby Back ( To Me ) '' Side two `` O Little Town of Bethlehem '' `` Silent Night '' `` ( There 'll Be ) Peace in the Valley ( For Me ) '' `` I Believe '' `` Take My Hand, Precious Lord '' `` It Is No Secret ( What God Can Do ) `` Blue Christmas '' Single by The Beach Boys from the album The Beach Boys ' Christmas Album A-side `` The Man with All the Toys '' Released November 9, 1964 ( 1964 - 11 - 09 ) Format 7 - inch Recorded June 24, 1964 ( 1964 - 06 - 24 ) -- June 28, 1964 ( 1964 - 06 - 28 ) Genre Christmas pop rock Length 4 : 41 ( for both songs ) Label Capitol Records Songwriter ( s ) Billy Hayes Jay W. Johnson Producer ( s ) Brian Wilson The Beach Boys singles chronology `` Dance, Dance, Dance '' ( 1964 ) `` Blue Christmas '' ( 1964 ) `` Do You Wanna Dance ? '' ( 1965 ) `` Dance, Dance, Dance '' ( 1964 ) `` The Man with All the Toys '' ( 1964 ) `` Do You Wanna Dance ? '' ( 1965 ) `` Blue Christmas '' is a Christmas song written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson and most famously performed by Elvis Presley. It is a tale of unrequited love during the holidays and is a longstanding staple of Christmas music, especially in the country genre. Contents 1 Initial recordings and major versions 2 Other charting versions 3 References 4 External links Initial recordings and major versions The song was first recorded by Doye O'Dell in 1948, and was popularized the following year in three separate recordings : one by country artist Ernest Tubb, one by musical conductor and arranger Hugo Winterhalter and his orchestra and chorus, and one by bandleader Russ Morgan and his orchestra ( the latter featuring lead vocals by Morgan and backing vocals by singers credited as the Morganaires ). Tubb 's version spent the first week of January 1950 at No. 1 on Billboard magazine 's Most - Played Juke Box ( Country & Western ) Records chart, while Winterhalter 's version peaked at No. 9 on Billboard 's Records Most Played by Disk Jockeys chart and Morgan 's version reached No. 11 on Billboard 's Best - Selling Pop Singles chart. Both Morgan 's and Winterhalter 's versions featured a shorter pop edit of the original lyrics. Also in 1950 crooner Billy Eckstine recorded his rendition, backed by the orchestra of Russ Case, with these shortened lyrics in a variation close to what is now the common standard for this song ; the orchestral backing of this recording has often been wrongly accredited to Winterhalter. Elvis Presley cemented the status of `` Blue Christmas '' as a rock - and - roll holiday classic by recording it for his 1957 LP Elvis ' Christmas Album. Presley 's version is notable musicologically as well as culturally in that the vocal group the Jordanaires ( especially in the soprano line, sung by Millie Kirkham ) replace many major and just minor thirds with neutral and septimal minor thirds, respectively. In addition to contributing to the overall tone of the song, the resulting `` blue notes '' constitute a musical play on words that provides an `` inside joke '' or `` quail egg '' to trained ears. `` Blue Christmas '' was also included on a 1957 45 EP ( Extended Play ) entitled Elvis Sings Christmas Songs ( EPA - 4108 ), which also included `` Santa Bring My Baby Back ( To Me ) '' on side one, with `` Santa Claus Is Back in Town '' and `` I 'll Be Home for Christmas '' on side two. Presley 's original 1957 version was released as a commercially available single for the first time in 1964. This single was also a hit in the United Kingdom, reaching No. 11 on the British singles chart during the week of 26 December 1964. The rock band The Beach Boys recorded a version featuring Brian Wilson on lead vocals, releasing it in the United States on November 16, 1964, in two separate formats simultaneously : ( a ) the B - side of `` The Man with All the Toys '' single. ( b ) a track on The Beach Boys ' Christmas Album. The Beach Boys ' version reached No. 3 on the US Christmas charts, but did not chart in the UK. Other charting versions 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 ) Following the success of Presley 's version, the song has been recorded by a host of rock and country artists, as well as some working in other genres. The following are charting recordings. 1960 : The Browns ' version peaked at No. 97 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in December 1960. 1982 : Shakin ' Stevens ' version peaked at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart 2008 : Martina McBride 's virtual duet with Elvis Presley on the album Christmas Duets reached No. 36 on the US Country Chart ( also included on a re-released version of her 2013 album White Christmas entitled The Classic Christmas Album ) References Jump up ^ Badman, Keith. The Beach Boys. The Definitive Diary of America 's Greatest Band : On Stage and in the Studio Backbeat Books, San Francisco, California, 2004. ISBN 0 - 87930 - 818 - 4 p. 72 Jump up ^ Badman, Keith. The Beach Boys. The Definitive Diary of America 's Greatest Band : On Stage and in the Studio Backbeat Books, San Francisco, California, 2004. ISBN 0 - 87930 - 818 - 4 p. 58 Jump up ^ Greene, Andy ( 30 November 2011 ). `` Readers ' Poll : The Best Christmas Songs of All Time ''. Rolling Stone. Jann S. Wenner. Retrieved 8 December 2011. Jump up ^ `` russmorganorchestra Resources and Information ''. Russmorganorchestra.com. Archived from the original on 2012 - 02 - 16. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 27. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). Christmas in the Charts ( 1920 - 2004 ). Wisconsin : Record Research Inc. p. 50, 62. ISBN 0 - 89820 - 161 - 6. Jump up ^ Billy Eckstine, All Of My Life, Jasmine 2 - CD set, 2008, featuring a photo of the actual single Jump up ^ `` Elvis SongPedia ''. Elvissongpedia.greggers.net. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 27. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2004 ). Christmas in the Charts ( 1920 - 2004 ). Wisconsin : Record Research Inc. p. 25. ISBN 0 - 89820 - 161 - 6. External links Music video featuring Elvis Presley and a superimposed Martina McBride Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Elvis Presley singles discography 1954 `` That 's All Right '' / `` Blue Moon of Kentucky '' `` Good Rockin ' Tonight '' / `` I Do n't Care if the Sun Do n't Shine '' `` You 're a Heartbreaker '' 1955 `` Baby Let 's Play House '' `` I Forgot to Remember to Forget '' / `` Mystery Train '' 1956 `` Heartbreak Hotel '' / `` I Was the One '' `` I Want You, I Need You, I Love You '' / `` My Baby Left Me '' `` Do n't Be Cruel '' / `` Hound Dog '' `` Blue Suede Shoes '' / `` Tutti Frutti '' `` Money Honey '' `` I Got a Woman '' `` Tryin ' to Get to You '' `` Blue Moon '' `` I 'll Never Let You Go ( Lil ' Darlin ' ) '' / `` I 'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry ( Over You ) '' `` Shake, Rattle and Roll '' / `` Lawdy Miss Clawdy '' `` Love Me Tender '' 1957 `` Too Much '' / `` Playing for Keeps '' `` All Shook Up '' `` Peace in the Valley `` ( Let Me Be Your ) Teddy Bear '' `` Paralyzed '' ( UK ) `` Jailhouse Rock '' `` Party '' / `` Got a Lot o ' Livin ' to Do ! '' ( UK ) 1958 `` Do n't '' `` Wear My Ring Around Your Neck '' `` Hard Headed Woman '' / `` Do n't Ask Me Why '' `` King Creole '' ( UK ) `` One Night '' 1959 `` I Need Your Love Tonight '' / `` A Fool Such as I '' `` A Big Hunk o ' Love '' 1960 `` Stuck on You '' / `` Fame and Fortune '' `` It 's Now or Never '' `` Are You Lonesome Tonight ? '' 1961 `` Surrender '' / `` Lonely Man '' `` I Feel So Bad '' / `` Wild in the Country '' `` ( Marie 's the Name ) His Latest Flame '' / `` Little Sister '' `` Ca n't Help Falling in Love '' / `` Rock - A-Hula Baby '' 1962 `` Good Luck Charm '' / `` Anything That 's Part of You '' `` She 's Not You '' `` Return to Sender '' / `` Where Do You Come from '' 1963 `` One Broken Heart for Sale '' `` ( You 're the ) Devil in Disguise '' `` Bossa Nova Baby '' / `` Witchcraft '' 1964 `` Kissin ' Cousins '' / `` It Hurts Me '' `` What 'd I Say '' / `` Viva Las Vegas '' `` Such a Night '' / `` Never Ending '' `` Ask Me '' / `` Ai n't That Loving You Baby '' `` Blue Christmas '' 1965 `` Do the Clam '' / `` You 'll Be Gone '' `` Crying in the Chapel `` ( Such an ) Easy Question '' `` I 'm Yours '' `` Puppet on a String '' / `` Wooden Heart '' 1966 `` Tell Me Why '' / `` Blue River '' `` Frankie and Johnny '' / `` Please Do n't Stop Loving Me '' `` Love Letters '' `` Spinout '' / `` All That I Am '' `` If Every Day Was Like Christmas '' 1967 `` Indescribably Blue '' `` Long Legged Girl ( With the Short Dress On ) '' / `` That 's Someone You Never Forget '' `` There 's Always Me '' / `` Judy '' `` Big Boss Man '' / `` You Do n't Know Me '' 1968 `` Guitar Man '' `` U.S. Male '' / `` Stay Away '' `` You 'll Never Walk Alone '' `` Your Time Has n't Come Yet, Baby '' / `` Let Yourself Go '' `` Almost in Love '' / `` A Little Less Conversation '' `` If I Can Dream '' / `` Edge of Reality '' 1969 `` Memories '' / `` Charro '' `` How Great Thou Art '' `` In the Ghetto '' / `` Any Day Now '' `` Clean Up Your Own Backyard '' `` Suspicious Minds '' / `` You 'll Think of Me '' `` Do n't Cry Daddy '' 1970 `` Kentucky Rain '' `` The Wonder of You '' `` I 've Lost You '' `` You Do n't Have to Say You Love Me '' / `` Patch It Up '' `` I Really Do n't Want to Know '' / `` There Goes My Everything '' 1971 `` Rags to Riches '' `` Life '' / `` Only Believe '' `` I 'm Leavin ' '' `` It 's Only Love '' `` Merry Christmas Baby '' / `` O Come All Ye Faithful '' 1972 `` Until It 's Time for You to Go '' `` He Touched Me '' `` An American Trilogy '' / `` The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face '' `` Burning Love '' / `` It 's a Matter of Time '' `` Separate Ways '' / `` Always on My Mind '' 1973 `` Steamroller Blues '' / `` Fool '' `` Raised on Rock '' / `` For Ol ' Times Sake '' `` I 've Got a Thing About You Baby '' `` If You Talk in Your Sleep '' / `` Help Me '' `` Promised Land '' / `` It 's Midnight '' `` My Boy '' / `` Thinking About You '' `` T-R-O-U-B-L-E '' `` Bringing It Back '' / `` Pieces of My Life '' 1976 `` Hurt '' / `` For the Heart '' `` Moody Blue '' 1977 `` Way Down '' `` My Way '' / `` America the Beautiful '' 1978 `` Unchained Melody '' / `` Softly as I Leave You '' Category The Beach Boys Al Jardine Mike Love Brian Wilson Carl Wilson Dennis Wilson Blondie Chaplin Ricky Fataar David Marks Bruce Johnston Studio albums Surfin ' Safari Surfin ' U.S.A. Surfer Girl Little Deuce Coupe Shut Down Volume 2 All Summer Long The Beach Boys ' Christmas Album The Beach Boys Today ! Summer Days ( And Summer Nights ! ! ) Beach Boys ' Party ! Pet Sounds Smiley Smile Wild Honey Friends 20 / 20 Sunflower Surf 's Up Carl and the Passions -- `` So Tough '' Holland 15 Big Ones The Beach Boys Love You M.I.U. Album L.A. ( Light Album ) Keepin ' the Summer Alive The Beach Boys Still Cruisin ' Summer in Paradise Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 That 's Why God Made the Radio Live albums Beach Boys Concert Live in London The Beach Boys in Concert Good Timin ' : Live at Knebworth England 1980 Songs from Here & Back Live -- The 50th Anniversary Tour Live in Sacramento 1964 Live in Chicago 1965 Graduation Day 1966 1967 -- Live Sunshine Selected compilations Endless Summer Rarities Made in U.S.A. Lost & Found ( 1961 -- 62 ) Good Vibrations : Thirty Years of The Beach Boys The Pet Sounds Sessions Endless Harmony Ultimate Christmas Hawthorne, CA The Smile Sessions Made in California The Big Beat 1963 Keep an Eye on Summer 1964 Beach Boys ' Party ! Uncovered and Unplugged Becoming the Beach Boys : The Complete Hite & Dorinda Morgan Sessions 1967 -- Sunshine Tomorrow Films Documentaries Good Vibrations Tour ( 1976 ) An American Band ( 1985 ) Nashville Sounds ( 1996 ) Endless Harmony : The Beach Boys Story ( 1998 ) Good Timin ' : Live at Knebworth England 1980 ( 2002 ) Doin ' It Again ( 2012 ) Fictionalized The Girls on the Beach ( 1965 ) The Monkey 's Uncle ( 1965 ) An American Family ( 2000 ) Love & Mercy ( 2014 ) Places Beach Boys Historic Landmark Beach Boys Studio Brother Studios Radiant Radish United Western Recorders Influence Artists who have covered the Beach Boys California Sound Chamber pop Cultural impact Depictions in culture Vocal surf Lists Bootlegs and unreleased material Cover songs Discography Song recordings Unreleased Brian Carl Dennis Mike Unreleased Smile ( 1966 -- 67 ) Lei 'd in Hawaii ( 1967 ) Bedroom Tapes ( 1967 -- 75 ) Adult / Child ( 1977 ) Merry Christmas from the Beach Boys ( 1977 ) Andy Paley sessions ( 1992 -- 97 ) Related media Beautiful Dreamer : Brian Wilson and the Story of Smile Brian Wilson Presents Smile Caroline Now ! Four by the Beach Boys `` Goodbye Surfing, Hello God ! '' Good Vibrations ( musical ) Good Vibrations : My Life as a Beach Boy I Am Brian Wilson : A Memoir Looking Back with Love Pacific Ocean Blue Pet Sounds Live Smiling Pets Spring Would n't It Be Nice : My Own Story Other topics `` Brian Wilson is a genius '' Brother Records Collapse of Smile `` Do n't fuck with the formula '' Live performances The 50th Reunion Tour 50 Years of Good Vibrations 2017 Wild Honey World Tour Love v. Wilson Musicianship of Brian Wilson Sea of Tunes Timeline Book Category Portal The Beach Boys ' Christmas Album Songs Side one `` Little Saint Nick '' `` The Man with All the Toys '' `` Santa 's Beard '' `` Merry Christmas, Baby '' `` Christmas Day '' `` Frosty the Snowman '' Side two `` We Three Kings of Orient Are '' `` Blue Christmas '' `` Santa Claus Is Coming to Town '' `` White Christmas '' `` I 'll Be Home for Christmas '' `` Auld Lang Syne '' Outtakes `` Christmas Eve '' `` Drive - In '' `` Do n't Hurt My Little Sister '' `` Jingle Bells '' `` Little Honda '' Related articles Ultimate Christmas Keep an Eye on Summer -- The Beach Boys Sessions 1964 Merry Christmas from the Beach Boys `` Alone on Christmas Day '' `` Child of Winter ( Christmas Song ) '' The Beach Boys discography Surfin ' Safari Surfin ' U.S.A. Surfer Girl Little Deuce Coupe Shut Down Vol. 2 All Summer Long Christmas Album Today ! Summer Days ( And Summer Nights ! ! ) Party Pet Sounds Smiley Smile Wild Honey Friends 20 / 20 Sunflower Surf 's Up Carl and the Passions -- `` So Tough '' Holland 15 Big Ones Love You M.I.U. Album L.A. ( Light Album ) Keepin ' the Summer Alive The Beach Boys Still Cruisin ' Summer in Paradise Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 That 's Why God Made the Radio Andrea Bocelli Discography Awards and nominations Teatro del Silenzio Studio albums Il Mare Calmo della Sera ( 1994 ) Bocelli ( 1995 ) Viaggio Italiano ( 1996 / 1997 ) Aria : The Opera Album ( 1998 ) Sogno ( 1999 ) Sacred Arias ( 1999 ) Verdi ( 2000 ) Cieli di Toscana ( 2001 ) Sentimento ( 2002 ) Andrea ( 2004 ) Amore ( 2006 ) Incanto ( 2008 ) My Christmas ( 2009 ) Passione ( 2013 ) Cinema ( 2015 ) Live albums Under the Desert Sky ( 2006 ) Vivere Live in Tuscany ( 2008 ) Concerto : One Night in Central Park ( 2011 ) Compilations Romanza ( 1997 ) The Best of Andrea Bocelli : Vivere ( 2007 ) Opera ( 2012 ) Romanza ( 20th Anniversary Edition ) ( 2016 ) Other albums Carmen : Duets & Arias ( 2010 ) Notte Illuminata ( 2011 ) Singles `` Il mare calmo della sera '' `` Con te partirò '' / `` Vivere '' `` Vivo per lei '' `` Time to Say Goodbye '' `` The Prayer '' `` Canto della Terra '' `` Ave Maria '' `` Melodramma '' `` Mille Lune Mille Onde '' `` Dell'amore non si sa '' `` Un nuovo giorno '' `` Somos Novios ( It 's Impossible ) '' `` Because We Believe '' `` White Christmas / Bianco Natale '' `` What Child Is This '' `` E Più Ti Penso '' `` Bridge over Troubled Water '' Video albums A Night in Tuscany ( 1998 ) Sacred Arias : The Home Video ( 2000 ) Tuscan Skies ( Cieli di Toscana ) ( 2002 ) Credo : John Paul II ( 2006 ) Under the Desert Sky ( 2006 ) Vivere Live in Tuscany ( 2008 ) Incanto : The Documentary ( 2008 ) My Christmas Special ( 2009 ) Concerto : One Night in Central Park ( 2011 ) Love in Portofino ( 2013 ) Cinema ( 2015 ) Category Clay Walker singles Clay Walker `` What 's It to You '' `` Live Until I Die '' `` Where Do I Fit in the Picture '' `` Dreaming with My Eyes Open '' If I Could Make a Living `` If I Could Make a Living '' `` This Woman and This Man '' `` My Heart Will Never Know '' Hypnotize the Moon `` Who Needs You Baby '' `` Hypnotize the Moon '' `` Only on Days That End in `` Y '' '' `` Bury the Shovel '' Rumor Has It `` Rumor Has It '' `` One, Two, I Love You '' `` Watch This '' `` Then What ? '' Greatest Hits `` Ordinary People '' `` You 're Beginning to Get to Me '' Live, Laugh, Love `` She 's Always Right '' `` Live, Laugh, Love '' `` The Chain of Love '' `` Once in a Lifetime Love '' Say No More `` Say No More '' `` If You Ever Feel Like Lovin ' Me Again '' A Few Questions `` A Few Questions '' `` I Ca n't Sleep '' `` Jesus Was a Country Boy '' Fall `` ' Fore She Was Mama '' `` Fall '' `` She Likes It in the Morning '' She Wo n't Be Lonely Long `` She Wo n't Be Lonely Long '' `` Where Do I Go from You '' `` Like We Never Said Goodbye '' `` Jesse James '' Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blue_Christmas_(song)&oldid=824530925 '' Categories : 1948 songs 1964 singles American Christmas songs Elvis Presley songs The Beach Boys songs Andrea Bocelli songs Capitol Records singles Ernest Tubb songs RCA Victor singles Rockabilly songs Song recordings produced by Brian Wilson The Browns songs The Partridge Family songs Hidden categories : Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters Articles with hAudio microformats All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from December 2013 Articles with unsourced statements from November 2016 Articles needing additional references from November 2016 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia Dansk Bahasa Indonesia Italiano Norsk Norsk nynorsk Polski Русский Simple English Suomi Svenska 3 more Edit links This page was last edited on 7 February 2018, at 22 : 14. 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Question: who wrote i'll have a blue christmas
Answer: Billy Hayes