Christmas Music
Thanks to the king of rock and roll Elvis’ Christmas Album of 1957, “Blue Christmas” became a rock and roll Christmas standard. The tune had been around since 1948 and was popularized by others (for example, Russ Morgan, Hugo Winterhalter, Ernest Tubb, and Billy Eckstine), but Elvis rocked it with a blues touch. The song, written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson, tells of a man lonely from unrequited love at Christmastime.
In general, the reviewers did not receive the album well, because they felt Elvis had somehow changed the spirit of Christmas. Much of the brouhaha revolved around the rendition of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” rather than the gospel tunes that were really close to Elvis’ heart. Over the years, fans made it the best-selling Christmas album in the U.S., receiving RIAA Diamond status (i.e., more than 10,000,000 units sold). Elvis laughed all the way to the bank – if anyone ever done such a thing. Out of pure joy, Elvis decorated his recently purchased mansion, Graceland, into a rock n’ roll Christmas wonderland. His Frostee-Glow white nylon artificial tree came with red ornaments and twinkle lights; the revolving base played Christmas carols. It became known as the Presley tree.
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[…] to read about and listen to more Christmas music by Elvis Presley, please click here for “Blue Christmas,” which is on Pass The Paisley’s sister site The Daily Doo […]