Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 1934


Winter Wonderland

Buy Winter Wonderland now from Amazon

First, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it.

Wikipedia article




"'Winter Wonderland'" is a song written in 1934 by Felix Bernard and lyricist Richard Bernhard Smith. Due to its seasonal theme, it is often regarded as a Christmas song in the Northern Hemisphere. Since its original recording by Richard Himber, it has been covered by over 200 different artists.

The song's lyrics were about a couple's romance during the winter season. A later version of "Winter Wonderland" (which was printed in 1947) included a "new children's lyric" that transformed it "from a romantic winter interlude to a seasonal song about playing in the snow." The snowman mentioned in the song's bridge was changed from a minister to a circus clown, and the promises the couple made in the final verse were replaced with lyrics about frolicking. Singers like Johnny Mathis connected both versions of the song, giving "Winter Wonderland" an additional verse and an additional chorus.Lankford, pp. 110-111

History



Smith, a native of Honesdale, Pennsylvania, was reportedly inspired to write the lyrics after seeing Honesdale's Central Park covered in snow. Smith wrote the lyrics while being treated for tuberculosis in the West Mountain Sanitarium in Scranton.

Originally recorded in 1934 for RCA Victor. At the end of a different recording session by Himber and his Hotel Ritz-Carlton Orchestra with extra time to spare, RCA Victor suggested arranging and recording "Winter Wonderland" using some additional members of its own orchestra, which included Artie Shaw and other established New York City studio musicians.

Guy Lombardos version that same year would go on to be one of the biggest hits of 1934.

In the Swedish lyrics, "Vr vackra vita vintervrld", the word tomtar is mentioned. In Mathis' version, heard on his 1958 LP 'Merry Christmas', the introduction is sung between the first and the second refrain.

In 1960, Ella Fitzgerald recorded a jazz arrangement of the song for her Verve release, 'Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas'.

Awards and achievements



Guy Lombardo's version was the highest on the charts at the time of introduction. Johnny Mercer's version of the song placed #4 on the 'Billboard' airplay chart in 1946. The same season, a version by Perry Como hit the retail top ten; Como would re-record the song for his 1959 Christmas album.

In November 2007, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) listed "Winter Wonderland" as the most-played ASCAP-member-written holiday song of the previous five years, citing the Eurythmics' 1987 version of the song as the one most commonly played.[http://www.ascap.com/press/2007/111207_holiday.aspx ASCAP Announced Top 25 Holiday Songs]. November 12, 2007

Charts



Tony Bennett version



Darlene Love version



Certifications



Tony Bennett version



References



Category:1934 songs

Category:American Christmas songs

Category:Pop standards

Category:Songs about marriage

Category:Song recordings produced by Phil Spector

Category:Song recordings with Wall of Sound arrangements

Category:Songs with music by Felix Bernard

Category:Air Supply songs

Category:Amy Grant songs

Category:Andy Williams songs

Category:The Andrews Sisters songs

Category:Bing Crosby songs

Category:Darlene Love songs

Category:Frank Sinatra songs

Category:Guy Lombardo songs

Category:Gwen Stefani songs

Category:Johnny Mathis songs

Category:Percy Faith songs

Category:Aly & AJ songs

Buy Winter Wonderland now from Amazon

<-- Return to songs from 1934



This work is released under CC-BY-SA. Some or all of this content attributed to http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1104820520.