Blue Christmas (song)

"Blue Christmas"
Single by Elvis Presley
from the album Elvis' Christmas Album
B-side
Released1964 (as a single)
RecordedSeptember 5, 1957 (1957-09-05)
StudioRadio Recorders, Hollywood
Genre
Length2:07
LabelRCA Victor 447-0720
RCA Victor 447-0647
Songwriter(s)
  • Billy Hayes
  • Jay W. Johnson
Elvis Presley singles chronology
"Ain't That Loving You Baby" / "Ask Me"
(1964) 		"Blue Christmas"
(1964) 		"Do the Clam" / "You'll Be Gone"
(1965)
Official audio
"Blue Christmas" on YouTube
"Blue Christmas"
Single by The Beach Boys
from the album The Beach Boys' Christmas Album
A-side"The Man with All the Toys"
ReleasedNovember 9, 1964 (1964-11-09)[1]
RecordedJune 24–28, 1964[2]
Genre
Length4:41 (for both songs)
LabelCapitol
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)

"Blue Christmas" is a Christmas song written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson and most famously recorded by Elvis Presley, although it was first recorded by Doye O'Dell in 1948. It is a tale of unrequited love during the holidays and is a longstanding staple of Christmas music, especially in the country genre.

History

Initial recordings and major versions

The song was originally recorded by Doye O'Dell in 1948[3] 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).[4] 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.[5] 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.[6]

Elvis Presley cemented the status of "Blue Christmas" as a rock-and-roll holiday classic[7] by recording it for his 1957 LP Elvis' Christmas Album. Presley's version is notable musicologically as well as culturally in that the backing 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.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] "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 December 26, 1964.[8]

In December 2023, the British Phonographic Industry certified the single with a platinum award, reflecting sales and streams in the UK in excess of 600,000 units since its release in 2004. On Billboard magazine's January 5, 2019 edition, the song reached the number 40 position inside the Billboard Hot 100, the latter for the first time since its release in 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: as the B-side of "The Man with All the Toys" single and as a track on The Beach Boys' Christmas Album. The song also appears in the 1974 Rankin/Bass animated special, The Year Without a Santa Claus. In the cartoon, Santa is considering skipping Christmas one year, thinking no one believes in him, and there is very little good will on the planet. Children around the world respond by sending Santa presents, and one little girl sends him a letter, telling Santa it will be a "blue Christmas" without him, while the song plays, and is sung by a little girl.

Personnel

Elvis Presley versions

Original 1957 version

Sourced from Keith Flynn.[9]

1968 live version

Sourced from Keith Flynn.[10]

Other charting versions

Charts

Chart performance for the Elvis Presley rendition of "Blue Christmas"
Chart (1964–2024) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[13] 42
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[14] 70
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[15] 14
France (SNEP)[16] 154
Germany (GfK)[17] 95
Global 200 (Billboard)[18] 26
Greece International (IFPI)[19] 39
Hungary (Stream Top 40)[20] 24
Ireland (IRMA)[21] 38
Italy (FIMI)[22] 77
Lithuania (AGATA)[23] 53
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[24] 29
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[25] 40
Norway (VG-lista)[26] 38
Portugal (AFP)[27] 47
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[28] 86
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[29] 25
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[30] 41
UK Singles (OCC)[31] 11
US Christmas Singles (Billboard)[5] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[32] 18
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[33] 55
US Holiday 100 (Billboard)[34] 12
US Rolling Stone Top 100[35] 14

Certifications

Certifications for the Elvis Presley rendition of "Blue Christmas"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[36] Gold 35,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[37] Gold 45,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[38] Gold 50,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[39]
Sales since 2004 		Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[40] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ 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
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ Greene, Andy (November 30, 2011). "Readers' Poll: The Best Christmas Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 17, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  4. ^ "russmorganorchestra Resources and Information". Russmorganorchestra.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2004). Christmas in the Charts (1920-2004). Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 50,54,62. ISBN 0-89820-161-6.
  6. ^ Billy Eckstine, All Of My Life, Jasmine 2-CD set, 2008, featuring a photo of the actual single
  7. ^ "Elvis SongPedia". Elvissongpedia.greggers.net. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  8. ^ "Song artist 2 - Elvis Presley". Tsort.info. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  9. ^ "Elvis Presley Recording Sessions". Keithflynn.com. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  10. ^ "Elvis Presley Recording Sessions". Keithflynn.com. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  11. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Christmas in the Charts (1920-2004). Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 25. ISBN 0-89820-161-6.
  12. ^ "The Hot 100, Week of January 7, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  13. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. January 1, 2024. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  14. ^ "Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  15. ^ "Elvis Presley Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  16. ^ "Top Singles (téléchargement + streaming)". Syndicat National de l'édition Phonographique. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  17. ^ "Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  18. ^ "Elvis Presley Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  19. ^ "Official IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) - Week 52/2023". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  20. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  21. ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  22. ^ "Top Singoli – Classifica settimanale WK 52" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  23. ^ "2023 52-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. December 29, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  24. ^ "Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  25. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. December 30, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  26. ^ "VG-lista – Topp 20 Single uke 52, 2018". VG-lista. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  27. ^ "Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  28. ^ "Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  29. ^ "Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  30. ^ "Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  31. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2019-01-01.
  32. ^ "Elvis Presley Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  33. ^ "Elvis Presley Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  34. ^ "Elvis Presley Chart History (Holiday 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  35. ^ "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. December 24, 2019. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  36. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2020 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  37. ^ "Danish single certifications – Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  38. ^ "Italian single certifications – Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  39. ^ "British single certifications – Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  40. ^ "American single certifications – Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas/Santa Claus Is Back in Town". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  • Music video featuring Elvis Presley and a superimposed Martina McBride

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