The Volokh Conspiracy

[Orin Kerr, December 23, 2007 at 7:29pm] Trackbacks

Nat King Cole Sings "The Christmas Song":

Nathaniel Adams Coles was a tremendously talented jazz pianist and vocalist; his mid-1940s trio recordings are simply a delight. But Cole is best known for his later popular recordings, and for my money none top his singing of "The Christmas Song."

I don't know how chestnuts can roast on an open file, but if Cole says so, it must be true.

(link)

Curt Fischer:

I can't help but think of the Wong-kar Wai movie 2046 everytime I hear this...it sort has changed the mood of the the song for me.

12.23.2007 6:51pm

(link)

David Walser:

Re: "I don't know how chestnuts can roast on an open file...." I had a co-worker who used to keep his coffee warm by balancing his cup on the back of his monitor. Back in the pre-LCD days, those CRT's could get pretty hot. Perhaps that's what Cole is referring to -- a basket of chestnuts roasting on top of a CRT that's displaying some visicalc spreadsheet. What else could it be?

12.23.2007 6:54pm

(link)

dre (mail):

Here's how to roast chestnuts with or without "on an open file":
http://www.wikihow.com/Roast-Chestnuts

12.23.2007 7:38pm

(link)

Duffy Pratt (mail):

Of course this is good, but give me Sweet Lorraine any time.

12.23.2007 8:48pm

(link)

Belle Lettre (mail) (www):

Did you know that Mel Torme wrote that song (along with Robert Wells)? I have a Bing Crosby record where he intro'd the song "a couple of teenage toon smiths, Mel Torme and Bob Wells..."

I like that such things put songs in proper context and history. How much time has passed, and yet there are still the definitive recordings from that era. Everyone has done this song, and this is the best version.

Nothin' beats Nat King Cole for The Christmas Song (and The Autumn Leaves, IMO) or Ella Fitzgerald for Paper Moon.

12.23.2007 8:50pm

(link)

LM (mail):

I don't know how chestnuts can roast on an open file, but if Cole says so, it must be true

I was going to be a smart ass and point out that Cole was just repeating what he heard from Mel Torme. But it occurs to me that I'm pretty sure MT co-wrote the song with a lyracist whose name I don't recall, so you're on your own as to the lyric's credibility.

12.23.2007 8:55pm

(link)

Belle Lettre (mail) (www):

"toon" s/b "tune": I am taking care of children presently, and we are watching The Incredibles.

12.23.2007 9:07pm

(link)

Mike Keenan:

Matches the yuletide carols sung by a quile -- not sure of the spelling of that.

12.23.2007 9:21pm

(link)

lnewcomer (mail):

I happened to attend a Christmas Carol performance tonight that included a dramatic reading from "A Christmas Carol." What struck me was a line during the Christmas celebration at Bob Cratchit's house about "throwing a shovel-full of chestnuts on the fire." (I don't have the exact reference, but the book can be downloaded for free from Project Gutenberg.) It doesn't shed a lot of light on the actual process, but it sounds like it certainly was something people did.

12.23.2007 9:52pm

(link)

speedwell (mail):

Mike Keenan: "Coile" ref. "toile" and "voile"?

12.23.2007 10:02pm

(link)

Jason F:

LM, Mel Torme's lyricist was Bob Wells. There's a great story about Torme and this song here.

12.24.2007 12:05am

(link)

OrinKerr:

Thanks for the awesome link, Jason F. I love this part:

Then the gent I'd briefed said, "You know, you're not a bad singer." He actually said that to Mel Tormé.

Mel chuckled. He realized that these four young folks hadn't the velvet-foggiest notion who he was, above and beyond the fact that he'd worked on that classic carol. "Well," he said. "I've actually made a few records in my day..."

"Really?" the other man asked. "How many?"

Tormé smiled and said, "Ninety."

12.24.2007 12:39am

(link)

OrinKerr:

Oh, and I should add -- my next jazz link will be Mel. Stay tuned.

12.24.2007 12:52am

(link)

Dilan Esper (mail) (www):

When I was in London several years ago in November, I stepped outside the Topshop near Piccadilly Circus at about 8:30 p.m., and there on the street, someone had lit a fire inside a barrel and was roasting chestnuts, which were then bagged and sold.

Of course, David Letterman once noted that you can tell it is Christmas in New York because they are roasting chestnuts on an open track fire.

12.24.2007 3:34am

(link)

David Carrington (mail) (www):

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire... Sweet chestnuts of course, and they taste great.

12.24.2007 4:15am

(link)

dearieme:

I'm too young ever to have sung it, but:-

Hark the herald angel sings
Mrs Simpson's pinched our King
Peace on Earth and mercy mild
She's too old to have a child
.....

12.24.2007 1:48pm

(link)

eck: