In 2011, ASCAP announced that the song was the third most played holiday song that year, behind " Sleigh Ride" and " Winter Wonderland. In 2006, ASCAP announced that it was the most-played holiday song of the previous five years, and while many artists had recorded it, Cole's version was still by far the most popular. The song became more popular than ever in the '00s, as radio stations in a variety of formats added it to their holiday playlists every year. In the UK, the song was released several times, reaching its peak chart position of #69 in 1991. Cole recorded another version (this time in stereo) in 1961, and this one was issued as a single in 1962, making #65 in the US. Capitol Records released it again in December of 1960 as part of Cole's Christmas album The Magic of Christmas. ![]() Cole recorded it again in 1953 with Nelson Riddle, who was an ace arranger at Capitol famous for his sessions with Frank Sinatra. The no-strings version was shelved (later released in 1989 on a Rhino compilation called Billboard Greatest Christmas Hits 1935-1954), and the strings version issued - it made #3 in the US and hung around the charts even after Christmas. They were the big act on Columbia Records, who had them re-record the song with a string section - the first time the trio used strings on a record. The simmering midsection is a fake-out, the singer murmuring “Got me walkin’” right before the song bursts back to life and everyone takes off like a shot once more.Nat King Cole recorded this for the first time in 1946 with his group The Nat King Cole Trio. Right on top is O’Neal, riding that pulse-racing groove by alternately swerving and stepping on the acceleration. The jazz orchestra sounds like it’s constantly straining to hold itself back, with horn flips that blast out excitedly and a bass that seems like it’s stopping itself from tiptoeing ahead of the rest of the band. Although originally not intended to be a Christmas song, the piece has become intricately tied to the holidays, making it one of the great classics. There are plenty of swing versions of “Wonderland” to be found, but few are as jumped-up as O’Neal’s. In countries with seasonal climates and cold winters, no other song conjures up images of the joys of freshly fallen snow quite like the easy melody and cheerful lyrics of Winter Wonderland. When it snows, aint it thrilling, Though your nose gets a. In the meadow we can build a snowman, And pretend that hes a circus clown Well have lots of fun with mister snowman, Until the other kiddies knock him down. Here are ten that stand out in a worthy crowd. Gone away is the bluebird, Here to stay is a new bird Hes singing a love song, As we go along, Walking in a winter wonderland. Insert the singer of your choice and it’s hard to go wrong. Since its 1934 debut, when Richard Himber’s orchestra banged out the first recording as a one-take Hail Mary at the end of a session at the urging of vocalist Joey Nash, it’s proven itself malleable enough to adapt to any number of genres (rockabilly, R&B, country, jazz, shoegaze, gospel, and heavy metal, among them) and sturdy enough to maintain its appeal even when roughly 80% of all versions fundamentally stick to some variation on the same big band arrangement. ![]() Things don’t much improve in the rewritten kid-friendly version that celebrates clown-punching and includes a word that’s increasingly understood to be offensive.īut such is the good nature of “Winter Wonderland” that, except for that last bit, none of it works to undercut the song if anything, it adds idiosyncratic charm. ![]() And even disregarding the way that our heroes specifically and unsettlingly “conspire” and “face unafraid the plans” – two very normal holiday activities – the indoor canoodling by the fireside in the third chorus is the precise opposite of walking in a winter wonderland. The first two choruses basically boil down to “Hey, it snowed, and also birds are nice,” right before a bridge where a snow golem is imbued with religious authority. Listen to enough versions of “Winter Wonderland” – say, more than 150 – and it’s hard not to start picking up on the fact that lyrically speaking, it’s a bit of an odd duck as holiday songs go.
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