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.

Baby It’s Cold: 1951 poor music

1951.

The Catcher in the Rye, ‘The King and I,’ I Love Lucy, the 22nd Amendment (Pres. term limit), color TV, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still,’ Truman fires MacArthur, Dennis the Menace, Perry Como and Tony Bennett….

Yes… music’s all over the place as much as the USA is. Les Paul and Mary Ford break into the top ten and country music gets a boost. That Hank Williams guy is hittin’ it with ‘Hey, Good Lookin” and ‘Cold, Cold Heart.’ It starts to sound a little raucous in fact, with ‘The Shotgun Boogie’ (Tennessee Ernie Ford) and ‘Hot Rod Race’ (placing in Billboard’s Country Top Ten by four different artists). Ernest Tubb continues his ‘Blue Christmas’ sales from last year (the song first came out in 1948–no Elvis version until 1957). But may i include the first recording of Benjamin ‘Tex’ Logan’s “Christmas Time’s A-Comin‘” by Bill Monroe in full High Lonesome mode?

Country music honored the po’ white folks. For black ‘uns, gotta have the blues. Jimmy Witherspoon really spells out the problems with being poor and not white in “I Really Hate to See Xmas Come Around.” Guy can’t even pawn a radio.

Alex Ford (Aleck Miller) piggybacked off John Lee Curtis Williams’s harmonica howling in Chicago back in the ’40s by taking the same stage name: Sonny Boy Williamson (no ASCAP helping out then). Our SBW survived into the ’50s and went on to back up The Yardbirds and The Animals in the ’60s. This is Sonny Boy Williamson II with “Sonny Boy’s Christmas Blues” (and the flipside ‘Pontiac Blues’ as well). Hey now.

Baby It’s Cold: 1950 funny

Okay, my novelty search still loves to find the kooky and comedic and childish. 1950 is AFTER most of the Spike Jones holiday hoo-ha, and the sensation of Yogi Yorgesson and his Scandihoovian shenanigans. But it still sought out gleeful oddities.

Funnyman Jimmy Durante begins Act III of his career with his first TV show in 1950. But his “Christmas Wish” featured in a meh movie called The Great Rupert and run on his new show reminded us that vaudeville died kicking and screaming for the Ol’ Schnozzola.

The most popular girl group of the first half of the XXth Century were beloved but not taken too seriously. Laverne, Maxene, and Patty gave us ‘jump blues’ and iconic songs like ‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.’ While The Andrews Sisters’ ‘I’d Like to Hitch a Ride with Santa Claus‘ is not a ha-ha novelty song, it’s a cute kiddie tune–okay maybe a bit melancholy.

Let’s arm twist the year to find something truly irreverent and comic! Oh–i know, Ella Fitzgerald! The First Lady of Song was one of those talent show winners who elbowed her way into the Apollo in the ’30s with her own vocal gifts. By the ’40s she was dropping her regular band with Chick Webb, going jazz, and even sang a song in an Abbott and Costello movie. Her 1950 song “Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney” made little waves in her burgeoning career, but according to a fellow Xmas music blogger on hip christmas, it became a naughty anthem and re-releases may have been blocked by Lady Ella who didn’t see its sexuality when she first recorded it. (Although i find it more Clarence Carter anal, than Ertha Kitt missionary.) Explicate the imagery at your own prudish peril!