Popular Nostalgia

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Vaughn Wilton Monroe was born October 7, 1911 and showed an early talent for the trumpet. He wanted to be an opera singer, but the Depression made that ambition impractical. Instead, he sang with several bands, among them Austin Wylie (who later worked for Artie Shaw), Larry Funk (for which he made his recording debut), [...]

Released in December 1994, this song reached number 1 in several countries although it lost out to East 17′s “Stay Another Day” in the UK. It sold eight million copies and was belted out by many a hen-night up and down the land. In December 2006 “All I Want for Christmas Is You” became the [...]

“Mistletoe and Wine” got to number one in the UK in 1988. It features a choirboy, brass band and some dodgy graphics on the video. Check out the 80′s bouffant hair and the long grey shapeless coats. Anyone who can sway with as much gusto as Cliff Richard deserves a number one. The original was [...]

“Santa Claus is Coming to Town” was written and first performed in 1934. The original was more instrumental than vocal. There is a version by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, which was one of the first covers. The best part about this song is the latitude for jazz and big band antics, which is [...]

“Stop the Cavalry” was released in 1980 for Christmas. This track was originally written as an anti-war song but a line about about a soldier wishing he was home for Christmas led the record company to add tubular bells and turn this tune into a yuletide staple. Thanks to the brass band arrangement, the track [...]

Mud’s cover of the Elvis hit was a glam rock success. Rob Davis (lead guitar) went on to write “I just can’t get you out of my head” for Kylie Minogue and “Spiller” for Groovejet. Les Gray (vocals) died in February 2004 after taking his show “Les Gray’s Mud” around the UK. Mud were big [...]

This song was released in 1987. Kirsty MacColl was drafted in for the female lyrics after Cait O’Riordan left the band. MacColl was later killed in a boating accident and Katie Melua sang the part instead on a 2007 performance for Jonathan Ross. The track reached #1 in Ireland but was kept off the top [...]

This song was kept off the top spot in 1984 by Band Aid’s “Do they know it’s Christmas?”. George Michael had still had input on that day and Wham! decided to donate all of the money from their song to the Band Aid appeal anyway to help mitigate the effects of the Ethiopian famine. “Last [...]

The story of Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer was written in 1939 by Robert L. May, a copywriter for the Chicago-based Montgomery Ward department stores, as a promotional gift for the store’s customers. May considered Rollo or Reginald before settling on Rudolph. Rudolph’s story was made into a song when May’s brother-in-law, songwriter Johnny Marks, developed [...]

First released by Gene Autry in 1950, Frosty the Snowman was later performed by the Jackson 5 and many other artists. The first version got to number 7 in the US charts and is a perennial success. Gene Autry had previous success with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. “Frosty” was written by Steve Edward Nelson and [...]

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” was sung by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical “Meet Me In St. Louis” – in which a family is distraught by the father’s plans to move to New York City for a job promotion, leaving behind their home in St. Louis, Missouri just before the long-anticipated Louisiana [...]

Nat King Cole recorded The Christmas Song for the first time in 1946 with his group The Nat King Cole Trio. The record company re-recorded it with a string section, and Cole recorded it again in 1953 with Nelson Riddle. Capitol Records released it in December of 1960. It stayed on the chart for a [...]

“Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” is a song by John Lennon, Yoko Ono and the The Plastic Ono Band. It was recorded at Record Plant Studios in New York City in late October of 1971, with the help of producer Phil Spector. The children singing in the background were from the Harlem Community Choir. This [...]

Walking in the Air is the signature song from The Snowman an animated Christmas film about a boy who makes friends with a snowman. It is shown at Christmas time every year. It was sung by St. Paul’s Cathedral choirboy, Peter Auty for only £300. He was left out of the credits in a rush [...]

It’s one of those golden oldies that gets wheeled out for four weeks of the year and results in serious torture issues for anyone working in a shop with music on repeat. Supermarket workers and Gap employees are most at risk. “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” is a song written by Bob Geldof and Midge [...]