Holiday Song History: ‘The Christmas Song’

• Song - The Christmas Song
• Year - 1945
• Written By - Bob Wells, Mel Torme

Other Random Facts

• The song is commonly subtitled Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.
• Torme says the song was written during a blistering hot summer in an effort to "stay cool by thinking cool."
• Torme walked by Wells piano and saw a spiral notebook with the following lines written on it:
  • Chestnuts roasting...
  • Jack Frost nipping...
  • Yuletide carols...
  • Folks dressed up like Eskimos...
• Wells wasn't writing songs lyrics though. He was just trying to immerse himself in cold thoughts. But 40 minutes later, the song was written.
• Nat King Cole recorded the song multiple times through the years with different arrangements.
• Mel Torme himself also recorded multiple versions of the song.
• The song has charted with version by...
  • Christina Aguilera on the 2000 album My Kind of Christmas. The song hit number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
  • Michael Buble on the 2003 EP Let It Snow. The song hit number 6 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.