Christmas carols and songs herald in the season of festivities and Christmas Day on which we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Today we bring you two well loved Christmas songs and tell you how they came to be.
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was written by Robert L. May. He was a copywriter with a Chicago based department store called Montgomery Ward. The store asked May to write a story which could be printed as a book or booklet and distributed to customers as a public relations or goodwill gesture. May hit upon a story of a red nosed reindeer who was laughed at by the other reindeer for his red nose.
When writing Rudolph, May was influenced by his childhood experience of being laughed at and teased. May was the smallest boy in his class and was teased for being thin and called a misfit. May also chose three names Rollo, Reginald and Rudolph for the reindeer and finally decided on Rudolph.
In 1939 Montgomery Ward distributed 2.4 million copies of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.
By end 1946 six million copies had been given out despite war time paper shortages hampering printing. May’s brother-in-law was a song writer named Johnny Marks. For 10 years he played around with the idea of doing the lyrics and melody for Rudolph and turning it into a song. He finally did so and in 1949 the first version of Johnny Mark’s Rudolph the red Nosed Reindeer was recorded.
This was sung by the famous singer Gene Autry who was also known as the 'Singing Cowboy’. The song became the second best selling Christmas song of all time beaten for the first place by Bing Crosby’s ‘White Christmas’. Bing Crosby's 1950 recording of 'Rudolph' reached #14 on the pop chart that year.
In 1964, this song was the basis for a children's TV Special which was narrated by another popular singer, Burl Ives. This is now a Christmas classic.
Today, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is a firm Christmas favourite listened to by millions of children and adults around the world. There are many versions of the song including ones by the Chipmunks, Dean Martin and Paul Anka.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen,
Comet and Cupid And Donner and Blitzen.
But do you recall the most famous reindeer of all?
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say "Rudolph with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?”
Then all the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee
"Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
You'll go down in history!”
Frosty the Snowman
Frosty the Snowman is another very popular Christmas song sung and loved across the world at Christmas time. It was written by Walter 'Jack' Rollins and Steve Nelson. Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys first recorded it in 1950, an year after he recorded the very popular Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Later, Jimmy Durante recorded Frosty as a single. Frosty has also been adapted by other media forms and there is a television special by Rankin Bass Productions.
Frosty the Snowman
Frosty the Snowman
Was a jolly happy soul
With a corncob pipe and a button nose
And his eyes made out of coal
Frosty the Snowman
Made the children laugh and play
And were they surprised when
Before their eyes
He came to life that day
There must have been some magic
In that old silk hat they found
For when they placed it on his head
He began to dance around
Frosty the Snowman
Was alive as he could be
And the children say
He could laugh and play
Just the same as you and me
Frosty the Snowman
Knew the sun was hot that day
So he said let's run
And we'll have fun
Now before I melt away
So down to the village
With a broomstick in his hand
Running here and there all around the square
Saying catch me if you can
He led them down the streets of…
Frosty the Snowman
Had to hurry on his way
But he waved goodbye
Saying don't you cry
I'll be back again some day
Thumpety thump thump
Thumpety thump thump
Look at Frosty go
Thumpety thump thump
Thumpety thump thump
Over the hills of snow