Who even cares what’s going on in the world?! Stalin dies, but USSR has the bomb. Hillary (+ Norgay) tops Mt. Everest, but we ‘don’t win’ the Korean War. Hemingway wins a Pulitzer Prize. Gah!
What matter is this is the year of “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” by Gail Peevey. And “Christmas Dragnet” by Stan Freberg. And “‘Zat You, Santa Claus?” by Louis Armstrong. And “Santa Baby” by Ertha Kitt. Wowza. The novelties of ’53 are standards of today.
The new holiday pop songs by big stars that should have become standards are largely forgettable. And so is singer Joni James. Signed to MGM pretty much right out of high school she hit big with ‘Why Don’t You Believe Me?’ in 1952 (no later hit would make it to #1). In 1953 she made the top ten with ‘My Love, My Love.’ Her Christmas entry “Christmas and You” b/w “Nina Non (A Christmas Lullaby)” only snailed up to #27. But, hey, it’s in French!
Peggy Lee spent the 1940s with the Benny Goodman band, even married one of the players. But her 1953 wad of corn “It’s Christmas Time Again” is not a hit. You’ve gotta wait until 1960 when a later Advent album of hers has terrific original numbers.
Rosemary Clooney already got some play for 1951’s ‘Suzy Snowflake.’ And her ’50s kiddie songs (like ‘Punky Punkin’ and ‘Eggbert the Easter Rabbit’) do seem child-unfriendly scary in the worst way. Later this decade she’ll explode with adult fare such as ‘Come On-a My House’ and ‘Mambo Italiano.’ 1953’s condescending smarm is “Happy Christmas, Little Friend.” That’s what Scarface’s mama sang to him, no?
Dean Martin’s been recording since ’46. Here in ’53 he hits big with ‘That’s Amore.’ But he’s still saddled with Jerry Lewis in movies and onstage. His “The Christmas Blues” this year captures the slick persona that will help his solo career later in the decade. This fusion of pop and blues (what some will label lounge music) sung with his crooning yodel will help rock and rollers yet to come to learn how to evoke girlish screeches of glee. (Sorry about the newer version.)