Here Comes Santa Claus was inspired by a Christmas parade. In 1946, the original singing cowboy, Gene Autry, was riding Champion, his horse, down Hollywood Boulevard in the annual Christmas parade. He was placed just a few spots ahead of Santa Claus. He noticed that no one was paying any attention to him. They were Read More
Category: Thanksgiving and Christmas songs
Behind the Song: Over the River and Through the Woods
The popular children’s song, Over the River and Through the Woods, was written by Lydia Maria Child as a Thanksgiving poem. The lyrics represented in the song is often associated with cold. In the early 19th Century, New England winters were colder and had earlier winters than they do in the present day. The poem Read More
Behind the Song: Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep
Count Your Blessings {Instead of Sheep} was the last hit for the popular composer Irving Berlin. The song was written sometime around 1952. Irving Berlin tells the story best: In the book The Irving Berlin Reader, a letter from Irving Berlin to Joseph Schenck and dated September 1952 includes the following information about the writing Read More
Behind the Song: My Favorite Things
My Favorite Things is another song from a popular musical, The Sound of Music, that is often heard at Christmas although there is no mention of Christmas in the song. The popularity at Christmas is most likely due to the winter-related imagery of “snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes, silver white winters that Read More