Here We Come A-wassailing is a traditional English Christmas Carol and New Year song. The song is believed to have been composed around 1850. The song was very popular in the Victorian Era. In old English the world wassaling means to sing carols door to door wishing good health. Wassailing was an ancient rite that Read More
Tag: stories behind favorite Christmas songs
Do You Hear What I Hear?
“Do You Hear What I Hear? sounds as if it came from the 19th or early 20th Century. So, I was surprised to discover the song was written in October 1962. The song was written as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis, by a married couple, Noël Regney and Gloria Shayne Baker. Read More
Jingle Bell Rock
Jingle Bell Rock was written by Joseph Carleton Beal and James Ross Boothe. Both men worked in some form of public relations and advertising. Bobby Helms first released the song in 1957, whose version is still the best known. Jingle Bell Rock is an expansion of the Christmas standard, Jingle Bells. The song references the Read More
Winter Wonderland
Richard “Dick” Smith was confined to the West Mountain Sanitarium where he battled consumption {tuberculosis} in Philadelphia. He was a Pennsylvania native, from the town Honesdale. During his time of treatment, he sent his jingles in for various contest and ads. He began to dream of all he longed to do once he was better. Read More
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad is described as a macaronic Christmas song, meaning the text uses a mixture of languages. The song was written in 1970 by José Feliciano, a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter. José Feliciano, told Billboard magazine: “If I had left in Spanish only, then I knew the English stations might not play it, so Read More