Fascinating Christmas Music Trivia You Never Knew
Posted on 16. Dec, 2015 by Cansler Photography in Brad, He-Said-She-Said
If you think there are too many gifts under your Christmas tree imagine this. If you received every gift in the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, you’d have 364 gifts!
Bet no one dreamed this! It is estimated that the single “White Christmas” written by Irving Berlin and recorded by Bing Crosby in 1942, is the bestselling single of all time, with over 100 million sales worldwide.
“Jingle Bells” wasn’t a Christmas song? The popular Christmas song “Jingle Bells” was actually written for Thanksgiving. The song was composed in 1857 by James Lord Pierpont to play for his Boston Sunday school class during Thanksgiving as a way to commemorate the famed Medford sleigh races. Kids and adults loved the song and eventually changed the lyrics to fit Christmas. It was also the first song to be sung in space – on December 16, 1965 by astronauts Tom Stafford and Wally Schirra!
Wassail? Yum! Christmas carols began as an old English custom called “wassailing,” in which one would toast their neighbors to a long life. So when you sing Christmas carols, you’re bringing joy AND wishing good health to everyone you come across!
Bing makes them all famous. “Silent Night” was first sung as part of a church service in Austria. A guitar was used because the church organ was so badly rusted it couldn’t be played. The song has been recorded by singers from all music genres. The version sung by Bing Crosby is the third best-selling single of all-time.
One simple word can make a big difference. Jay Livingston and Ray Evans’ holiday classic “Silver Bells” was originally titled “Tinkle Bells.” They changed it when Livingston’s wife explained that “tinkle” was often a synonym for urination.
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