Blue Christmas (song)

"Blue Christmas" is a Christmas song written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson and most famously performed by Elvis Presley; it was first recorded by Doye O'Dell in 1948. It is a tale of unrequited love during the holidays and is a longstanding staple of Christmas music, especially in the country genre.

"Blue Christmas"
Single by Elvis Presley
from the album Elvis' Christmas Album
B-side
ReleasedNovember 9, 1964 (1964-11-09) (447-0720)
November 26, 1965 (1965-11-26) (447-0647)
RecordedSeptember 5, 1957 (1957-09-05), Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California
Genre
Length2:07
LabelRCA Victor 447-0720
RCA Victor 447-0647
Songwriter(s)
  • Billy Hayes
  • Jay W. Johnson
Elvis Presley singles chronology
"Ain't That Loving You Baby" / "Ask Me"
(1964)		 "Blue Christmas"
(1964)		 "Do the Clam" / "You'll Be Gone"
(1965)
Music video
"Blue Christmas" (audio only)
"Blue Christmas" ('68 Comeback Special)
on YouTube
"Blue Christmas"
Single by The Beach Boys
from the album The Beach Boys' Christmas Album
A-side"The Man with All the Toys"
ReleasedNovember 9, 1964 (1964-11-09)[1]
RecordedJune 24, 1964 (1964-06-24) – June 28, 1964 (1964-06-28)[2]
Genre
Length4:41 (for both songs)
LabelCapitol Records
Songwriter(s)
  • Billy Hayes
  • Jay W. Johnson
Producer(s)Brian Wilson
The Beach Boys singles chronology
"Dance, Dance, Dance"
(1964)		 "Blue Christmas"
(1964)		 "Do You Wanna Dance?"
(1965)

Initial recordings and major versions

The song was first recorded by Doye O'Dell in 1948,[3] and was popularized the following year in three separate recordings: one by country artist Ernest Tubb, one by musical conductor and arranger Hugo Winterhalter and his orchestra and chorus, and one by bandleader Russ Morgan and his orchestra (the latter featuring lead vocals by Morgan and backing vocals by singers credited as the Morganaires).[4] Tubb's version spent the first week of January 1950 at No. 1 on Billboard magazine's Most-Played Juke Box (Country & Western) Records chart, while Winterhalter's version peaked at No. 9 on Billboard's Records Most Played by Disk Jockeys chart and Morgan's version reached No. 11 on Billboard's Best-Selling Pop Singles chart.[5] Both Morgan's and Winterhalter's versions featured a shorter pop edit of the original lyrics. Also in 1950 crooner Billy Eckstine recorded his rendition, backed by the orchestra of Russ Case, with these shortened lyrics in a variation close to what is now the common standard for this song; the orchestral backing of this recording has often been wrongly accredited to Winterhalter.[6]

Elvis Presley cemented the status of "Blue Christmas" as a rock-and-roll holiday classic[7] by recording it for his 1957 LP Elvis' Christmas Album. Presley's version is notable musicologically as well as culturally in that the vocal group the Jordanaires (especially in the soprano line, sung by Millie Kirkham) replace many major and just minor thirds with neutral and septimal minor thirds, respectively. In addition to contributing to the overall tone of the song, the resulting "blue notes" constitute a musical play on words that provides an "inside joke" or "quail egg" to trained ears. "Blue Christmas" was also included on a 1957 45 EP (Extended Play) entitled Elvis Sings Christmas Songs (EPA-4108), which also included "Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me)" on side one, with "Santa Claus Is Back in Town" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas" on side two. Presley's original 1957 version was released as a commercially available single for the first time in 1964. This single was also a hit in the United Kingdom, reaching No. 11 on the British singles chart during the week of 26 December 1964.[8]

On January 1, 2021, the British Phonographic Industry certified the single with a Gold award, reflecting sales in the UK in excess of 400,000 copies since its release in 2004. On Billboard magazine's January 5, 2019, edition the song reached the #40 position inside the Billboard Hot 100, the latter for the first time since its release in 1964.

The rock band The Beach Boys recorded a version featuring Brian Wilson on lead vocals, releasing it in the United States on November 16, 1964, in two separate formats simultaneously:
(a) the B-side of "The Man with All the Toys" single.
(b) a track on The Beach Boys' Christmas Album.

Personnel

original 1957 version

Sourced from Keith Flynn.[9]

1968 live version

Sourced from Keith Flynn.[10]

Other charting versions

Following the success of Presley's version, the song has been recorded by a host of rock and country artists, as well as some working in other genres. The following are charting recordings.

Charts

Elvis Presley version

Chart (1964–2021) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[12] 53
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[13] 25
France (SNEP)[14] 154
Billboard Global 200[15] 67
Greece International Digital Singles (IFPI)[16] 63
Hungary (Stream Top 40)[17] 24
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18] 29
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19] 40
Norway (VG-lista)[20] 38
Portugal (AFP)[21] 76
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[22] 86
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[23] 25
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[24] 46
UK Singles (OCC)[25] 11
US Christmas Singles (Billboard)[5] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[26] 33
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[27] 55
US Holiday 100 (Billboard)[28] 12
US Rolling Stone Top 100[29] 14

Certifications

Elvis Presley version

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[30] Gold 35,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[31]
Sales since 2004 		Gold 400,000

sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References
  1. Badman, Keith. The Beach Boys. The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band: On Stage and in the Studio Backbeat Books, San Francisco, California, 2004. ISBN 0-87930-818-4 p. 72
  2. Badman, Keith. The Beach Boys. The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band: On Stage and in the Studio Backbeat Books, San Francisco, California, 2004. ISBN 0-87930-818-4 p. 58
  3. Greene, Andy (30 November 2011). "Readers' Poll: The Best Christmas Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Jann S. Wenner. Archived from the original on 17 May 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
  4. "russmorganorchestra Resources and Information". Russmorganorchestra.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-16. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
  5. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Christmas in the Charts (1920-2004). Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 50,54,62. ISBN 0-89820-161-6.
  6. Billy Eckstine, All Of My Life, Jasmine 2-CD set, 2008, featuring a photo of the actual single
  7. "Elvis SongPedia". Elvissongpedia.greggers.net. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
  8. "Song artist 2 - Elvis Presley.tsort".
  9. "Elvis Presley Pages".
  10. "Elvis Presley Pages".
  11. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Christmas in the Charts (1920-2004). Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 25. ISBN 0-89820-161-6.
  12. "ARIA Chart Watch #557". auspOp. December 28, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  13. "Elvis Presley Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  14. "Top Singles (téléchargement + streaming)". Syndicat National de l'édition Phonographique. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  15. "Elvis Presley Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  16. "Official IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) – Week: 52/2018". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on January 14, 2019. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  17. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  18. "Dutchcharts.nl – Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  19. "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. December 30, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  20. "VG-lista – Topp 20 Single uke 52, 2018". VG-lista. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  21. "Portuguesecharts.com – Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  22. "Spanishcharts.com – Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  23. "Swedishcharts.com – Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas". Singles Top 100. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  24. "Swisscharts.com – Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  25. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2019-01-01.
  26. "Elvis Presley Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  27. "Elvis Presley Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  28. "Elvis Presley Chart History (Holiday 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  29. "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. December 24, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  30. "ARIA Chart Watch #558". auspOp. January 4, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  31. "British single certifications – Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
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