Author: douglove1225

Baby It’s Cold: 1954 corn continues

1954: the Hydrogen bomb is tested and beats the atomic bomb squared. Joseph McCarthy is finally and fully censured. The Lord of the Flies and The Lord of the Rings get published. Both Ed Sullivan (Toast of the Town) and Steve Allen (The Tonight Show) get televised.

And Bill Haley and the Comets drop ‘Rock Around the Clock.’

It’s a new age.

Even the total squares of (British) pop like Alma Cogan are getting jazzy with the likes of “Christmas Cards.” It’s Glen Miller-ish, but portends girlish rock breakouts like Cathy Carr and Dodie Stevens.

The churchified country of Eddy Arnold in “Christmas Can’t Be Far Away” smacks of soulful singing like what Elvis will do. Not just gospel, but hopeful.

All that progress… despite the honky tonk whining of Sonny James in “Christmas in My Hometown.” In a couple years this Chet Atkins discovery would crossover to #1 on the pop charts (with ‘Young Love’), but for now his hillbilly dread dirge will help keep country in the outhouse.

“Christmas Bells” reveals that those who should have been breakouts, like Patti (1950’s ‘Tennessee Waltz’) Page, continued to get stuck in Lawrence Welk-y tame, lame, same ol’ same ol’. That’s a beat you can sleep to.

Arthur Godfrey’s pet sirens, The McGuire Sisters, never became the Andrew Sisters, who were pretty hip. Their “Give Me Your Heart for Christmas” hearkens backward to the ’40s pretty hard.

’54’s official Christmas Seals song “The Spirit of Christmas” by Kitty Kallen is pretty tired and by the numbers as well. I feel like it’s got subliminal tryptophan in the lyrics.

Worst of all this year, Rosemary Clooney drawls out syrup for young and uncool alike with “Let’s Give a Present to Santa Claus.” She was there, man, with 1951’s ‘Come on-a My House,’ but in ’54 she’s backsliding making the movie ‘White Christmas’ with Bing and Danny Kaye. Bored now. Want to rock.

 

Baby It’s Cold: 1953 charcoal ‘n chalk

The fusion of black doo wop and country swing hasn’t quite happened to make bona fide rock ‘n’ roll yet. So let’s check out the unsegregated part of town. It’s pretty swell.

One of the biggest deals in music overall, and a hugely successful ‘crossover’ to the white side of the music world, Louis Armstrong, churned out hits in the ’20s and ’30s. By 1953 his “Christmas Night in Harlem” and “Cool Yule” are nice enough tunes by that old guy.

For those who dig their blues unadulterated with that fancy jazz syncopation, Lightning Hopkins tears himself up for “Merry Christmas.” Damn. Look out, whites.

Phil Moore was a movie studio style acceptable black man. His Phil Moore Four had that ‘in’ and were able to keep from bleaching their sound, yet play to everyone. “The Blink Before Christmas,” b/w “Chinchy Old Scrooge” lay down the black and raise up the Beat (Generation). Xmas don’t get much cooler.

The most acceptable black man in music, Nat King Cole, plays it completely mainstream with “The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot” (featured in the documentary ‘Jingle Bell Rocks‘) (Flipside “Mrs. Santa Claus“). Poor may be read as code for black, but with NKC race is hardly an issue.

Here on the cusp of rock ‘n’ roll, we simply must give doo wop its due. 1953 is early in the meteoric rise of The Moonglows to pop iconography. Still covering Doris Day and the McGuire Sisters, they slip in some danceable yule tunes:  “Just a Lonely Christmas” and–it should be on everyone’s top twenty of happenin’ Santa songs–“Hey Santa Claus.” Dig THAT.

Country music generally recycles holiday standards tried and true from the previous decade (or century). But as we approach nascent RnR, and rockabilly is nearing the middle class, young and old are hearkening to Nashville’s original noises.

Korean War soldier Faron Young took over, when Eddie Fisher was discharged, as Army pop songster. His yodeling honky tonkin’ “You’re the Angel on My Christmas Tree” was recorded before his discharge a year later. Smooth and sultry.

Standing up for The Grand Ole Opry, Red Foley puts cowboy range (not quite a yodel up and down the octaves) with “Put Christ Back into Christmas.” Hey, it’s not just the 21st Century that disregards religious sanctity!

But, if you want to hear rock ‘n’ roll about to happen, check out Hank Snow with “The Reindeer Boogie.” The Yodeling Ranger clawed his way up to Nashville from Nova Scotia (steer clear of his horrific bio if you can) and has been credited with putting Elvis on that stage. Get your fast dancing shoes on.

Baby It’s Cold: 1953 baby boom

A good percentage of the novelty songs seem aimed at kids, but the grownups buy ’em so they have to appeal to the adult consumer as well.

Russ Carlyle’s orchestra survived WWII to continue to play ballrooms in the ’50s in the USA. Apparently cashing in on ‘Mommy Kissing’ from last year he enjoins his children, Phillis and Jeffrey Carlyle, to sing “Santa Claus Looks Like My Daddy.”  I suspect helium was huffed during the recording of this vinyl.

After ‘Mockingbird Hill’ Les Paul and Mary Ford did well in 1953 with ‘Vaya Con Dios.’ Their wintertime single was ‘White Christmas’ backed by the childish “Jungle Bells (Dingo-Dongo-Day).” It’s one hep menagerie, cats and kittens.

Borscht Belt funnyman Red Buttons made his splash in show biz in the ’40s. By the ’50s he had his own TV show. The year in question he had a hit record with ‘Strange Things are Happening/The Ho Ho Song’ in which one side of the record one-upped the other. His Christmas entry is “Bow Wow Wants a Boy for Christmas.” Kids love Kosher schmaltz.

Mel Blanc had been a radio fixture since the 1920s. With his mastery of accents he kept us racist through the ’30s and ’40s in The Jack Benny Program, his own show briefly, and Warner Brothers’ cartoons. In 1953 he recorded “Ya Das Ist Ein Christmas Tree” with flipside “I Tan’t Wait ‘Til Quithmuth Day.” It’s all one take, folks. No splicing, no editing.

Corporate kiddie giveaway holiday records (VERY cheaply made–but FREE) start in earnest in the ’50s and i wish i could find more of the tens of thousands surely out there somewhere from a time before social media. “Merry Christmas Song” courtesy of Precision Plastics Co. has been kindly rescued by Raymond T to give us a taste. I also love a recovered freebie uncovered by Pete the Elf for which i can find no further info (could be from the ’40s, but it doesn’t sound like it). I call it “Merry Christmas from Line Materials.” You’ll know why when you hear the ending refrain. (P.S. i found out later it’s from 1960… shh, don’t tell)

Cricket Records was born out of Pickwick Sales greeting cards. In 1953 they issued dozens of 78s from ‘The Ballad of Davy Crockett,’ to “The Mexican Hat Dance,’ to ‘Jesus Loves Me.’ For Christmas another dozen mostly original songs were recorded by a stable of talent known as The Cricketone Players (no credit to the likes of Gene Autry, Dennis Day, and Boris Karloff). The album collecting these, that i grew up with, appeared in racks in 1959. It sold for $1.98. Off that album, here is “Little Christmas Stocking with a Hole in the Toe.” It’s formative stuff, gang.

Baby It’s Cold: 1953 novelty in a novel land

So what does this amazing year have to offer for novelty songs? After the tremendous humor of Freberg, the childish glee of Peevey, the gonzo goofiness of Louis Armstrong, and the earthy purr of Kitt…well, a bit more humor, glee, and goofiness.

Long after leaving Spike Jones, Homer and Jethro are still playing up their backwoods tomfoolery parodying already novelty Christmas numbers like “All I Want for Christmas is My Upper Plate” (b/w “I Saw Mommy Smoochin’ Santy Claus“). And yet, these are merely palate cleansers.

Long before the Chipmunks, Ross Bagdasarian, as David Seville, tried for a singing career. He was serious and funny at the same time. In “Let’s Have a Merry Merry Christmas” he punches up the pathos of horrible holiday times to a bit of a comic effect.

Teresa Brewer, that big pop star of the ’50s, was also known for her novelty records. Xmas 1953 featured her hit “Too Fat for the Chimney.” (flipside “I Just Can’t Wait for Christmas“). Ruby Sunshine, the hillbilly girl wonder of ‘I’m Too Old for Toys (Too Young for Boys),’ tore off a piece of that as well. Gisele Mackenzie, the Canuck girl equivalent (her UK hit this year: ‘Seven Lonely Days’) ALSO dropped this funny tune. But my favorite of this PG play on Ella’s 1950 ‘Stuck in My Chimney,’ is from human cartoon, Jerry ‘Who’s Yehudi!?’ Colonna. This stentorian Bob Hope sidekick was the voice for the March Hare in the old Disney ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and made an impression wherever he appeared. You may also recognize his imitable style from many a caricature in Bugs/Daffy cartoons.

Baby It’s Cold: 1953 not sure things

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.)

Baby It’s Cold: 1952 why so serious

’52 is a bit too serious for me. The children’s and novelty songs are not piling up in places i can find them.

This is strange, because 1952 was the year little 13-year-old Jimmy Boyd hit number one on the Billboard pop singles chart with ‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.’ Novelty Christmas songs don’t hardly do that. It’ll be a kids’ world next year, baby.

Okay. Well. Let’s see. There’s Les Baxter and orchestra with “Santa Claus’ Party.” Many a hosted cartoon show started with worse music than this.

Let’s leave it at this. Country child singer Molly Bee (later a sidekick on The Pinky Lee Show) (who was also 13 at this time) shot out another version of ‘Kissing,’ Or two. On a Capitol Records childrens release (“Bozo Approved!”), was added a flipside covering Petula Clark’s “Where Did My Snowman Go?” (That was also recorded this year by Patti Page and Spike Jones w/Linda Strangis.) Can’t a girl get a writer for an original? Well, maybe… On an additional 1952 45 of ‘Kissing’ was added “Willy Claus, Little Son of Santa Claus.” This was written by an authentic lyricist, Mel Leven. I don’t know any other version of it though. Whew.

Baby It’s Cold: 1952 Gimme Some Lovin’

The traditional songs get strong play this year (Rosemary Clooney and Gene Autry sing ‘The Night Before Christmas’ rather than recite it–finally). But Christmas is taking on a whole new feel: romance. Sure some of that jazz and doo wop has been insinuating sex for a while, but we have got to get a genre going. Frank Loesser’s ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’ started something in 1949 (everyone from Ricardo Montalbano to Bob Hope to [my favorite] Homer & Jethro [with June Carter] recorded it that year).

Love godlet Eddie Fisher alternately belts and croons JUST FOR YOU with “You’re All I Want for Christmas.” Flipside “Christmas Day” is smooove as well, but it seems to be more about Mommy than amore.

Stern looking Jo Stafford (‘You Belong to Me’) and Mr. Rhythm Frankie Laine (‘High Noon [Do Not Forsake Me]’) collaborated on this fun and flirty swing duo “Christmas Roses.” Did it start a new gift-giving craze? Dunno, but it’s sounding like rock ‘n’ roll is around the corner.

Baby It’s Cold: 1952 merry it up

1952 begins with a new Queen for England and ends with a war hero for U.S. President. In-between are military coups for Cuba and Egypt. Although, we did beat the Russkis in the Helsinki Olympics (barely). George Jorgensen lost to Christine Jorgenson this year as well (if ya know whut ah mean).

The top o’ the charts also tells a battlesome tale. Consider this playlist as a searing love lorn plot: “You Belong to Me” “Here in My Heart;” “Why Don’t You Believe,” “Blue Tango,” “Cry,” “I Went to Your Wedding,” “Auf Wiederseh’n Sweetheart.” Those darn kids and their over-emotional tunes!

In Adult Town, where the real wars are made, we denially lounge to sweet, brisk, bouncy bands.

Spike Jones is still filling ballrooms. Here he is with his band and ‘Winter‘ (check out the cool Frisky Frolics cartoon with it!).

Okay, sometimes we had a couple too many and we get a little maudlin and we start singing too loudly about the past, like Don Cornell and orchestra with “Let’s Have an Old Fashioned Christmas.” Hic, hoo boy.

No no no, no more negativity. This is the Year of Norman Vincent Peale and Positive Thinking.  We have to Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye! Chins up! Toes pointed! Marching music, please, maestro! “All Around the Christmas Tree.”

Baby It’s Cold: 1951 for the kids

Well, the baby boom is well under way now, so let’s unleash the flood of terrible children’s Christmas tunes. Sure this holiday is all about the wee ones, and we sing about The Baby… but it’s also about the chart toppers. And i know everyone grew up with some strange song continually looped through those long childish nights of list making and being good which means something special to each without meaning squat to anyone else–isn’t that what Christmas really is all about?

Trying to recapture his surprise sensation from 1949 (you know, dasher and dancer and prancer ad nauseum?) Gene Autry records a reindeer math equation: “32 Feet and 8 Little Tails of White.” Hey, where’s Rudolph?

Also hoping that silly kids’ stuff will buy him a new home Tennessee Ernie Ford chimes in with “Rootin’ Tootin’ Santa Claus.” TEF’s earthy baritone services the Lord a mite better than that merry old elf. (What did you think of his last note? yikes.)

Rosemary Clooney adds to the Winter canon of slightly-scary mythical figures with “Suzy Snowflake.” It’s not really Christmas, but that’s when it got sold.

Centaur Productions begins their truly disturbing stop-motion Christmas cartoon business this year with “The Three Little Dwarves,” more of Santa’s helpers (which are so much more Disney than elves, donchaknow). If you didn’t live in Chicago you might not have seen this every year. If you did then you might enjoy the awesome parody by TV Funhouse, “Tingles, The Christmas Tension.”

Baby It’s Cold: 1951 then v. now

As we enter our decade of prosperity and white picket fences, we still cling to our golden past of victory and nationalism. The big band dance music continues, but feels a little more jazzy. Louis Jordan and his Orchestra bless us with “May Every Day be Christmas.” It’s a thick coating of brass with a cheap organ flourish.

The Four Aces, about to become teen idols, record “There’s a Christmas Tree in Heaven” an Eddy Howard and his orchestra number. It’s a criminal move by their manager.

We continue fighting with the future by sounding like the past with thoughts of our boys on the front lines in Korea. PFC Eddie Fisher sings from there “Christmas Eve in My Home Town” complete with radio show introduction by the crooner.

Cool Tommy (‘It’s All in the Game’) Edwards is keeping it white with “Christmas is for Children,” although i would not play this dreamy, greasy night club nostalgia for children.

The worst of the running-in-place problems is the nepotism of Bing Crosby’s son, Lindsay (no, it only sounds like a daughter), warbling at thirteen years old here with “Dear Mister Santa Claus.” He later went on to form The Crosby Boys with his brothers and play night clubs and drink heavily. These boys mostly committed suicide.