Christmas Songs For You From Elvis

Front cover of Elvis Sings The Wonderful World of Christmas.

Elvis' Christmas songs always play an important role in getting into the Christmas spirit for me. This is especially helpful when living in Gothenburg, Sweden, where rain is more common than snow in the winter. So, since the beginning of December, I have been busy playing the undubbed Christmas tracks on the recently released Elvis Back In Nashville 4-CD set featuring his 1971 Nashville recordings.

Listening to them for the first time, I was reminded of my review of the FTD's treatment of Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas, released ten years ago. I looked it up, and, among other things, this is what I had to say:

With the help of outtakes not being overdubbed in any way, it reveals a more intimate and sensitive side of the Christmas recordings that took place in Nashville during two nights in May, 1971. 

The same holds true for the Christmas masters, that without overdubs, form a softer and gentler version of the 1971 seasonal album, as my brother wisely points out in his recent review of the Elvis Back In Nashville set (the track order is the same as on Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas). One such an example is "On A Snowy Christmas Night," where an organ and some beautiful acoustic guitar playing that was buried in overdubs on the original release, lends the song a more delicate feel. 

In the same way, "It Won't Seem Like Christmas (Without You)" and "Holly Leaves And Christmas Trees" both work extremely well undubbed, sounding more sorrowful than before. Even the bombastic "If I Get Home On Christmas Day" offers a more sincere listening experience without the strings, horns and backing vocals producer Felton Jarvis used when making the overdubs 50 years ago. 

Elvis as santa on the cover of the single "Merry Christmas Baby."

One of the highlights on the original album is the blues classic "Merry Christmas Baby," and finally we get the complete unedited and undubbed version. For some inexplicable reason, the unedited version released on FTD's Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas switches to the original album master mix (with a guitar overdub) approximately four and a half minutes into the song, and then back again to the undubbed mix about one minute and ten seconds later. 

The rehearsal part found on the FTD version is also included on Elvis Back In Nashville, and this is what I wrote about it in my original review in 2011: 

Listening to Elvis saying "Yeah, just run it a couple of times and I'll come in there, you know, somewhere. Let's set the rhythm first," it's easy to imagine him in the middle of the studio with a mike in his hand, his musicians in a semi-circle around him.

Another favorite from Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas, and one that I rank among the best Christmas songs Elvis ever recorded, is Michael Jarrett's "I'll Be Home On Christmas Day." I have always had a soft spot for the bluesier June remake version, and that one is included on the Elvis Back In Nashville set as well.

This is what the songwriter Michael Jarrett had to say about Elvis approach to his song, in an interview I did with him in the beginning of 2012:

I believe he approached my song in his own special way, that is to say; he related to what the lyrics were saying and the overall sentiment the song conveyed to him during this time of his life. I believe he chose the song to record because it had personal meaning to him.

"O Come, All Ye Faithful" was the B-side of the single "Merry Christmas Baby."

One song that I actually think benefits from the overdubs Felton Jarvis did is "O Come, All Ye Faithful." Granted, the organ that is now more prominent lends the song a more sacred feel. But I miss the choir as well as the original voices that sang the song with Elvis (unidentified, but most likely Charlie Hodge and Red West). Together with the strings and horns they make the song so much more mightier and powerful.

I still remember buying Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas on cassette in the early eighties, then playing it in my room on my new cassette recorder. I shared my memories of that in a post published in Deecember, 2010:

Listening to the cassette, I was mesmerized by Elvis' singing, hearing for the first time the title track as well as the bombastic "If I Get Home On Christmas Day" and the incredible "Merry Christmas Baby."

Some 40 years have passed since I first heard Elvis singing about the wonderful world of Christmas, and every year I return to it so that Elvis can help me get into the Holiday mood. This year was no exception, but a little different, listening to it in another format without all the overdubs. It worked just as well, though, and with that I'd like to take the opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas.  

Additional reading:

• Guest Blog: Elvis Back In Nashville – A Review (November 28, 2021)
• The Making Of "I'll Be Home On Christmas Day" (January 9, 2012)
• Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas – A Review (December 17, 2011)
• Merry Christmas Baby (December 7, 2011)
• The Wonderful World Of Christmas (December 1, 2010)
• I'll Be Home On Christmas Day (December 24, 2008)

The Making Of "I'll Be Home On Christmas Day"

The other day I read on the ElvisMatters site that they had sent Michael Jarrett (writer/composer of the song “I’ll Be Home On Christmas Day”) a copy of the recent FTD release Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas. A nice gesture, as this release includes no less than 16 outtakes of the two versions Elvis did of Jarrett’s song, six of them complete.

In a reply included in the same article Michael Jarrett expresses his thanks and says, among other things, that “I love how he works on each take making [it] his own song from his heart. He sang the melody just the way I recorded it on my original demo including those high notes on the last verse and all the bluesy nuances though out the song.”

My appetite whetted, I wanted to know more about how Michael Jarrett felt about Elvis recording his song (and two times at that!). So I decided to dig a bit deeper. Writing down a couple of questions, I e-mailed them to Michael Jarrett, receiving the following answer (on Elvis birthday, no less) that I’d like to share with you:

Elvis Today: What was your overall reaction after listening to all the outtakes of "I'll Be Home On Christmas Day?"

Michael Jarrett: I think for any songwriter that has the good fortune to have Elvis record their songs and; to be able some 40 years later to hear outtakes from the sessions is truly amazing. Hearing the process -the carving out- of my song is the fun part for me especially; after all, it's Elvis!

Elvis Today: As a musician yourself, what do you think of Elvis approach to the song?

Michael Jarrett: I believe he approached my song in his own special way, that is to say; he related to what the lyrics were saying and the overall sentiment the song conveyed to him during this time of his life. I believe he chose the song to record because it had personal meaning to him.

Elvis Today: Before one of the takes, you can almost hear him cross out a couple of verses on his lyrics sheet as he mutters, "one, two, three ... let's see ..." How do you feel about him leaving out the verse about your children?

Michael Jarrett: I had to laugh when Elvis said there were 8 verses, he was only joking of course. Actually, there were only 4, and when he recorded the one about my children I was completely surprised. I didn't know that he'd recorded this verse all these years until I heard the Alt. #9 version a couple of years ago.

I'm happy the decision was made to leave out the verse about my children in the final version for two reasons: First being that; the song plays much better with just three verses with changing keys on the last verse to give the song lift and the build up to the ending with tagging the last part of the last verse; it just feels better to the listener I think. Secondly, Little John, Michele, Christine and Kelly weren't his children and leaving that verse out made the song more [his] song on a personal level ..

Elvis Today: On the remake of "I'll Be Home On Christmas Day," recorded one month later, Elvis wanted to give the song a more solid and heavy beat. How do you like the result?

Michael Jarrett: I truly love both versions for different reasons. On that Christmas eve in 1969 when I wrote the song, I wrote it on guitar; which was more like Elvis' first version he recorded.

When I was recording the demos at Gold Star recording studio in L.A.; to give to Joe Esposito, I played "I'm Leavin" on guitar and decided to try "I'll Be Home On Christmas Day" on the piano. Strangely enough, I'd never played it on the keyboard before that day and sat down to give it a shot and played it through one time in a slow bluesy shuffle.

After I'd finished, the engineer in the control room said, "come in and listen to this" .. "listen to what", I said? Unknown to me, the engineer had recorded my run through of the Christmas song without me knowing it .. [an old trick many engineers use to get the best out of a player; when they don't know they're being recorded]. After listening to the play back we felt it was a good take 'straight from the heart'. So off it went, along with "I'm Leavin" to Joe Esposito and on to Elvis.

I think they liked the original bluesy shuffle .. just a guess on my part since they went back a month later and rerecorded it in that style. I do love both versions as they are heart felt. If I had to pick between the two, I would chose the first version because it's more "up close and personal".

Elvis Today: Finally, it must be a great experience to be able to listen to Elvis working with your song, after so many years. What do you think about the idea of releasing outtakes from Elvis recording sessions like this?

Michael Jarrett: This is an easy question and very simple to answer. For this songwriter, It's exciting beyond words to hear the King himself talking about and working up a song I'd written so long ago that is now part of Elvis' history ..

Thank you Elvis for letting us eavesdrop into your world in the making of this wonderful Album of Christmas songs ..

And thank you Thomas, for helping to keep Elvis' music and memory alive for future generations ..

My best to you and all the Elvis fans and Happy Birthday to The King!!

Elvis plays Santa Claus ... with sly grin on face

The following article by James Kingsley is reprinted with permission from The Commercial Appeal, where it was originally published in December, 1971. Merry Christmas!

Elvis Presley, the multi-millionaire squire of Graceland, is well known as the “practical joker.” He pulled off one of his best at his annual Christmas Eve get-together when he usually hands out envelopes stuffed with money and sometimes gold-plated automobile keys to employers and friends. Everybody remembered that last year some of his gifts included expensive Mercedes-Benz automobiles and the usual cash gifts that he likes to share.

As Elvis began to play Santa Claus this year he was in ha happy-go-lucky mood as everyone gathered in his den and living room expecting the usual gifts and maybe a “little something special.” With a sly grin on his face, the singer turned to his father, Vernon Presley, and asked: “Where are the envelopes please?”

Vernon reached into his coat pocket and produced the envelopes. “Well, it’s been a mighty lean year,” said Elvis, whose income probably exceeded four million dollars in 1971 with two appearances at the Las Vegas Hilton International Hotel, two tours of the country, and record royalties.

He had built them up for the kill. He knew inside the envelopes was a gift that would be worth a hamburger, french fries and a soft drink. As the envelopes began to be opened, the room felt silent. His special gift for 1971 was a 50-cent gift certificate to McDonald’s Hamburgers. His joke over, Elvis later distributed his real gifts which included envelopes stuffed with cash for his employees.

Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas - A Review

One of the latest classic albums to get the FTD treatment is Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas, released timely earlier this month. With the help of outtakes not being overdubbed in any way, it reveals a more intimate and sensitive side of the Christmas recordings that took place in Nashville during two nights in May, 1971. (A remake of one of the songs, "I'll Be Home On Christmas Day," was done one month later but not used on the original album.)

Maybe it was the great big decorated Christmas tree that was placed in the middle of RCA's Studio B that got Elvis in the right mood for the session. Maybe Lamar Fike dressed up as Santa Claus did the trick. Whatever the reason Elvis seems to be having a good time from the start.

While producer Felton Jarvis and the musicians discuss the beginning of "It Won't Seem Like Christmas (Without You)" featuring a celeste, Elvis throws in a line of "Merry Christmas Baby." David Briggs follows suit, hammering away on the celeste. "I gotta hold you guys down, man," Elvis laughs.

Admittedly, he sounds a bit annoyed when the second take breaks down, complaining that the lyrics aren't written out, but then works hard through a couple of more takes before settling on take 7 as the master. The previously unreleased take number 5 is a highlight, with Elvis pushing the boundaries of the song, the result a more loose and less polished version than the master. Unintentionally or not, he even changes the line "Far too many miles are between" to "Far too many years come between" at the end of the song.

When released on the original album back in 1971, Felton Jarvis had just about used every trick in the book when it came to making overdubs on "If I Get Home On Christmas Day," adding strings, horns and a lot of backing vocals, creating what I like to call a "bombastic Elvis sound." Listening to the alternate takes, especially the early ones, you can almost be fooled into thinking it's another song, it sounds so much more intimate. No less than three complete takes are previously unreleased, all of them having Elvis singing "Somehow I know I'll get my chance this time" instead of "I know I'll get my chance with you this time" as used on the master.

Another intimate and sensitive song is the pretty "Holly Leaves And Christmas Trees," written by Red West and featuring a simple but effective arrangement for acoustic guitars and organ. The phrasing is a bit different at places on the previously unreleased takes 2 and 3. It must have been a treat for Red watching Elvis working with his song in the studio, recording no less than five complete takes of it.

One of the highlights of the album is the blues classic "Merry Christmas Baby," and here we get the complete studio performance as released on Memories Of Christmas in 1982, preceded by about 30 seconds worth of rehearsal, previously unreleased. Listening to Elvis saying "Yeah, just run it a couple of times and I'll come in there, you know, somewhere. Let's set the rhythm first," it's easy to imagine him in the middle of the studio with a mike in his hand, his musicians in a semi-circle around him.

For some unknown reason this unedited version switches to the original album master mix (with a guitar overdub) approximately four and a half minutes into the song, and then back again to the undubbed mix about one minute and ten seconds later. This was also the case on the version found on Memories Of Christmas, but not on the slightly shorter edit (7:19) included on Reconsider Baby released in 1985. It would be interesting if Ernst Jorgensen could shed some light on this.

A song that offers some interesting studio dialog and rehearsal is "Silver Bells," the last song to be recorded on the first night. Before tackling the first take Elvis says, "Charlie, why don't you guys do harmony with me and help me sing?" After a false start, Elvis tells engineer Al Pachucki that he don't want the harmony to be on the record, just hear it to get it right. In his book A Life In Music Ernst Jorgensen describes this episode as "an uncomfortable impasse," but listening closely, I don't hear anything suggesting this, Elvis sounds polite and Al doesn't seem to take offense. "OK, that's very good," he answers back, asking Charlie to turn an amplifier down.

The second night of recordings kicked off in great style with Michael Jarrett's "I'll Be Home On Christmas Day." Elvis seems relaxed and jokes around between takes. When Felton Jarvis suggests they need a sandpaper effect, one of the musicians jokingly remarks "He wants to do his fingernails!" to which Elvis responds laughingly, "Do that shit on your own time, Felton. You can get a manicure tomorrow, hell!"

As for the song itself, takes 3 (with extra verse) and 4 have been released before, on I Sing All Kinds (2007) and Platinum - A Life In Music (1997) respectively, but the studio banter between them has not. "Before we were doing eight verses, we'll cut it down to six," Elvis says, and you can almost hear him cross out a couple of them on his lyrics sheet as he mutters, "one, two, three ... let's see..."

Take 6 is previously unreleased, recorded after Elvis did his informal rendition of "The Lord's Prayer." It's a beautiful version, thankfully lacking the unnecessary overdubs found on the master. Elvis is in fine voice, conveying the message of the song perfectly. Another highlight.

The seasonal standard "Winter Wonderland" is on the other side of the spectrum. After a spiritless take 7 (the first six takes were on a reel that was erased) that finishes abruptly after the guitar solo when Elvis messes up the lyrics, laughingly throwing in some explicit language, he exclaims, "I'm getting tired of this damn song. Tired of it!" Do his credit, he then tries hard to get it right, rehearsing together with pianist David Briggs on how to come in after the solo.

Fortunately, "O Come, All Ye Faithful" proves a return to the better and a much more inspirational Christmas performance. The previously unreleased take 2 has Elvis making a mistake as he begins to sing the second verse too early, but is otherwise beautifully performed. It also runs longer than the master (take 1), featuring the first verse one more time at the end (this verse was spliced with take 1 on Memories Of Christmas). The voices singing with Elvis are unidentified, but according to the booklet it's most likely some members of Elvis' band and entourage, like Charlie Hodge and Red West. Incidentally, this is a song that I actually think benefited from the overdubbs made a little more than a month later, giving it a more "churchly" sound.

Of the remaining three Christmas songs recorded on the second night, no outtakes exists. "On A Snowy Christmas Night" was recorded on the same reel that included the first six takes of "Winter Wonderland" and was erased. And another reel, used while recording "The First Noel" and "The Wonderful World Of Christmas," is missing.

Compensation comes in the form of all the nine alternate takes (three of them complete) from the remake of "I'll Be Home On Christmas Day," recorded in June. For some reason Elvis wanted to give the song a more solid and heavy beat, the result being a bluesier version. "Rough, very rough," he exclaims after the take 2. The third take, previously unreleased, has Elvis slightly messing up the extra verse featuring Michael Jarrett's children. That doesn't stop him from delivering an enjoyable, funky version, urging the band along and telling them to add another verse. "That's a lot better like that, Elvis," Felton Jarvis can be heard saying right after the ending.

Obviously he's in a good mood here as well, kidding with the producer and the musicians. "I didn't like that, that was too good, he jokes after an abandoned intro. "Nothing went wrong so I couldn't criticize it." For some reason, he breaks up laughing during take 6, and after take 7 says, "Come to think of it, I liked the original version better," evoking laughter. It's hard to tell if he's joking this time, but the master was shelved, and not released until eleven years later on Memories Of Christmas. To finally have all the outtakes from this great remake on one release is worth the price of the album alone.

I also have to mention the booklet that displays some interesting memorabilia, such as an alternate album cover, a document ordering that "Miracle Of The Rosary" is to be deleted from the track list and a sketch stating that the title (or maybe subtitle) should be Christmas Songs For You From Elvis. Unfortunately the In And Outtakes section contains some minor errors as does the track list ("Silver Bells" doesn't include take 2, just take 1). A bit sloppy perhaps, but nothing to get upset about. The main thing is that FTD presents us with another winner in their classic album series - one that shows the 1971 Christmas recordings in a different light.

Blue Christmas UK Single Campaign

Today I spent 9 Swedish crowns (about £0.80p or US$1.20) downloading "Blue Christmas" from iTunes. The reason for this is a campaign orchestrated by the British fan clubs where the goal is to get Elvis high in the UK download singles chart in time for Christmas.

Reading on the Elvis Information Network that hopefully fans from around the world can help them achieve their objective, I decided to do my part. After downloading the song I took a peek at the UK Single Downloads Top 40, but no trace of Elvis and "Blue Christmas" yet.

I for one would be pleasantly surprised if this campaign succeeds in getting Elvis back in the charts. On the other hand: "You'll be surprised what you can do if you will only try."

• Download "Blue Christmas" from Amazon.UK
• Download "Blue Christmas" from HMW
• Download "Blue Christmas" from iTunesUK

Merry Christmas Baby

One of my all time favorite Christmas tracks with Elvis is "Merry Christmas Baby," recorded in Nashville on May 15, 1971. It also ranks high on my list over all the songs Elvis recorded. I remember reading somewhere that the song is so cool that you can enjoy it even on a hot August day.

From the first time I heard it, I've always loved the rhythm provided by bass player Norbert Putnam and drummer Jerry Carrigan, David Briggs strumming on the piano and the bluesy harmonica, courtesy of Charlie McCoy. And above it all, Elvis altogether at home with the song, delivering an impassioned performance, urging his fellow musicians along. This is how Ernst Jorgensen describes the recording in his book A Life In Music:

Pushing everyone else to eke as much emotion out of the song as he was ("Dig in, James," he cajoled; "Wake up, Putt"), he cruised through more than six minutes on the first take. There was ease and menace and delight in Elvis's after-hours performance, and the result has led more than one observer to lament that it wasn't a blues album rather than a Christmas album that had brought them together that night.

In fact, the take lasted about eight minutes, and listening to the complete studio performance as released on Memories Of Christmas (1982) it's evident that Elvis doesn't want to let go of the song, repeating the lyrics over and over. "Well, I'm feeling mighty fine," he sings, and it's obvious that he does.

When originally released on the album Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas in October 1971, "Merry Christmas Baby" was edited down to 5 minutes and 45 seconds and featured an overdubbed guitar solo by Eddie Hinton. The single release a month later (coupled with "O Come, All Ye Faithful") was a minute and a half shorter than on the album.

An edited version with strings overdubbed (2:49) was used in the movie This Is Elvis from 1981 and can be found on the soundtrack (not yet released on CD). Four years later, in 1985, "Merry Christmas Baby" closed the excellent blues compilation Reconsider Baby (1985), this time a long edit without guitar overdub running for about 7 minutes and 20 seconds. Interestingly enough, this edit was included instead of the original one when Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas was released on CD.

Later this month will see the release of the FTD version of Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas. According to the track list the second CD will include "Merry Christmas Baby" - take 1 (unedited version) with a running time of 8 minutes and 29 seconds. My guess is that those extra 30 seconds will turn out to be the studio banter described by Ernst Jorgensen in A Life In Music: "Just run through it a couple of times, Elvis told the rhythm section; "I'll come in somewhere."

Read about two other Christmas favorites with Elvis:

• "Santa Claus Is Back In Town" (posted August 26, 2011)
• "I'll Be Home On Christmas Day" (posted December 24, 2008)

Learn more about why Elvis shouted "Wake up, Putt!":

• Wake Up, Putt! (posted March 20, 2010)

No Christmas From Elvis In Hollywood 2

It totally slipped my mind while writing about Elvis films where it's snowing: there's actually another one where a first glance at the soundtrack could have you believe it had something to do with Christmas - at least if you live where I do. I'm talking about Viva Las Vegas and "Santa Lucia," a song that is closely associated with the celebration of Christmas in Sweden.


But just like Live A Little, Love A Little and Girl Happy, Christmas and snow is nowhere in sight when Elvis sings "Santa Lucia" in Italian, just summer and sun. In fact, Elvis isn't visible either, just his shadow, as he is standing behind a curtain, singing to Ann-Margret in his rival Count Elmo Mancini's hotel room.

Being a Swedish-American maybe she, for the briefest of moments, got a bit of a "christmassy feeling" while humming along, who knows? (If she did, all thoughts of Christmas must've gone out the window as Elvis then entered the room belting out "If You Think I Don't Need You.")

If you want to know more about this "missing" Christmas song, I wrote about it last December. I was happy to see that Troy Y., who's running The Mystery Train Elvis Blog, included it this year in his post Christmas Dreams 2011: An Elvis Playlist for the Holiday Season.

No Christmas From Elvis In Hollywood

Tomorrow is the first Sunday of Advent, but I cheated and started celebrating the Christmas season today, listening to my favorite Elvis Christmas compilation album If Every Day Was Like Christmas. Elvis' Christmas songs play an important role in helping me get in the "Christmas mode," and while listening to them it struck me that the same certainly can't be said about his movies.

Come to think about it, isn't it a bit strange that no Elvis movie ever took place around Christmas? After all, a lot of pictures do. But in the case of Elvis, sand was a lot more common property than snow.

At the top of my head, I can only recall two Elvis films where it's snowing, and in one of them the snow isn't even the real thing. In Live A Little, Love A Little, Elvis charachter and fashion photographer Greg Nolan has a busy time working two full-time jobs for separate magazines.

One of them is called Classic Cat Magazine, and in one scene Elvis is shooting studio photos of a lightly dressed model standing on a stump in a landscape covered in snow. Fake snowflakes are whirling around the model, thanks to a giant fan. (When Elvis orders the model's skirt raised, the guy handling the fan gets a little too excited and unintentionally sets it at full blast, leading to the destruction of the whole set.)

In Girl Happy, made four years earlier, real snow is falling down in Chicago. Rusty Wells (aka Elvis Presley) and his combo is playing at the nightclub 77 Club, and the snow is clearly visible outside the big windows as they perform the title track at the beginning of the movie.

Not that it's Christmas, though. No, it's Easter, and Elvis will soon have changed the snow for–yes, you guessed it–sand, and sunny Fort Lauderdale, Florida. There he and his three band members have to secretly chaperon the daughter of their employer, the nightclub's owner. About as far from a Christmas story as it gets.

No, if you want to get in the Christmas spirit with the help of Elvis, you'd better stick to his Christmas recordings. And while you're at it, why don't you try out Christmas Dreams 2011: An Elvis Playlist for the Holiday Season, by Troy Y. over at his The Mystery Train Blog.

Christmas Message From Elvis Today

Thank you for reading Elvis Today. I’d like to wish you a merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

/Thomas, The Elvis Today Blog

The Alternate World Of Christmas

Unfortunately Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas didn't get the FTD treatment this year. My bet is that it will be released in October 2011, when the album celebrates its 40th anniversary.

Until then (or whenever it will be) we'll have to make do with what has already been released when it comes to outtakes from the sessions that gave us Elvis' second Christmas LP. And thanks to iTunes I've been able to create my own “FTD light version” of Elvis Songs The Wonderful World Of Christmas.

THE ORIGINAL ALBUM / SIDE 1
O Come, All Ye Faithful
The First Noel
On A Snowy Christmas Night
Winter Wonderland
The Wonderful World Of Christmas
It Won't Seem Like Christmas (Without You)

THE ORIGINAL ALBUM / SIDE 2
I'll Be Home On Christmas Day
If I Get Home On Christmas Day
Holly Leaves And Christmas Trees
Merry Christmas Baby
Silver Bells

ALTERNATE MASTER
I'll Be Home On Christmas Day (remake)

SESSIONAL OUTTAKES
It Won't Seem Like Christmas (Without You) – take 3
I'll Be Home On Christmas Day – take 3
If I Get Home On Christmas Day – take 1
Holly Leaves And Christmas Trees – take 4
I'll Be Home On Christmas Day (remake) – take 2
O Come, All Ye Faithful – take 2
Silver Bells – take 1
I'll Be Home On Christmas Day – take 4
The Lord's Prayer (Informal Recording)
It Won't Seem Like Christmas (Without You) – take 6
Holly Leaves And Christmas Trees – take 8
I'll Be Home On Christmas Day (remake) – take 9

UNEDITED / UNDUBBED MASTER
Merry Christmas Baby

BONUS SONGS
The First Noel*
If I Get Home On Christmas Day*
Winter Wonderland*

* Bonus tracks from Christmas Duets, featuring additional instrumentation.

The “FTD light version” of Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas was done by using all of the alternate takes that have been officially released so far. They can be found on Memories Of Christmas, If Every Day Was Like Christmas, Platinum: A Life In Music, Today, Tomorrow And Forever, I Sing All Kinds and A Hundred Years From Now – Essential Elvis Volume 4.

I really enjoy it, and I'm looking forward to the full version. Please bring it on next year, FTD, it would make for a nice early Christmas present!

Guest Blog: Elvis Is Not Just For Christmas Anymore

Outside of Oldies stations and incidental music, I never hear Elvis on the radio here in the United States anymore - except at Christmas time. This phenomenon is not unique to Elvis, though. The same applies to Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, and many other legends who seemingly turn up in the collective consciousness only during this season. There is something universal about Christmas music that spans across generations and genres.

Non-fans in the general public often seem to enjoy Christmas music by Elvis, even if they listen to little else by him the rest of the year. As an Elvis fan, it's actually hard for me to relate to that point of view. It seems to me, if they enjoy his Christmas music, they could just as easily enjoy his other music all year long, just like we do. The next time one of your friends asks you to recommend some Elvis Christmas music, consider giving her or him both some Christmas and year-round music selections. They might be surprised to learn that Elvis is not just for Christmas anymore.

With that in mind, I started thinking of non-seasonal songs with similar vibes as his Christmas music.

• Trade "Blue Christmas" (1957) for "One Night" (1957)
• Trade "White Christmas" (1957) for "Such A Night" (1960)
• Trade "Here Comes Santa Claus" (1957) for "Treat Me Nice" (1957)
• Trade "Silent Night" (1957) for "Love Me" (1956)
• Trade "O Little Town of Bethlehem" (1957) for "Young And Beautiful" (1957)
• Trade "Santa Bring My Baby Back" (1957) for "Got A Lot O' Livin' To Do" (1957)
• Trade "Santa Claus Is Back In Town" (1957) for "Reconsider Baby" (1960)
• Trade "I'll Be Home For Christmas" (1957) for "Don't" (1957)
• Trade "Santa Lucia" (1963) for "It's Now Or Never" (1960)
• Trade "If Every Day Was Like Christmas" (1966) for "I'll Remember You" (1966)
• Trade "Blue Christmas" (Live-1968) for "One Night" (Live-1968)
• Trade "It Won't Seem Like Christmas" (1971) for "Where Did They Go, Lord" (1970)
• Trade "If I Get Home On Christmas Day" (1971) for "It's A Matter Of Time" (1972)
• Trade "Holly Leaves And Christmas Trees" (1971) for "Separate Ways" (1972)
• Trade "Merry Christmas Baby" (1971) for "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" (1971)
• Trade "Silver Bells" (1971) for "Stranger In The Crowd" (1970)
• Trade "I'll Be Home On Christmas Day" (1971) for "I'm Leavin''" (1971)
• Trade "On A Snowy Christmas Night" (1971) for "How The Web Was Woven" (1970)
• Trade "Winter Wonderland" (1971) for "Jailhouse Rock" (Live-1968)
• Trade "O Come All Ye Faithful" (1971) for "Always On My Mind" (1972)
• Trade "The First Noel" (1971) for "We Can Make The Morning" (1971)
• Trade "The Wonderful World Of Christmas" (1971) for "Help Me Make It Through The Night" (1971)

So, there you have it, a non-seasonal playlist designed to feel like Elvis' Christmas music. Maybe next year, Sony can release a double CD Christmas gift set with this kind of theme. It would give them a chance to put a slightly different twist on their annual Elvis Christmas music re-release.

My thanks to Thomas for letting me ramble on here on Elvis Today. Have a wonderful Christmas and a merry New Year, everyone!

/Troy Y., The Mystery Train Elvis Blog

Memories Of Christmas

Sixteen years after its release, I still think If Every Day Was Like Christmas is the best Christmas compilation with Elvis. Featuring all the 20 Christmas songs Elvis recorded, as well as a couple of alternate versions it's the ultimate Elvis Christmas CD.

But no one or nothing is perfect. That's why I'd like to recommend the album Memories Of Christmas as well. Released on LP back in 1982 and then on CD five years later, it has a running time of only 28 minutes, but it features some great gems not available elsewhere.

I still remember the first time I heard track number one, take 2 of "O Come, All Ye Faithful". Running more than a minute longer than the original version, it has Elvis singing the first verse one more time, to the accompaniment of an organ, lending the song an almost sacred character. And the ending is dynamic, with Elvis raising his voice one octave higher than on the original.

Another highlight on Memories of Christmas is the third track, the (then) unreleased master of the remake of "I'll Be Home On Christmas Day." I recall the feeling of listening to this track for the first time as well, it just blew me away. From then on I've always preferred this bluesier June 71 version over the one recorded a month earlier, and it has of course been released elsewhere.

A track that can't be found anywhere else is the unedited/undubbed master of "Merry Christmas Baby" running for about eight minutes and outlasting the one found on If Every Day Was Like Christmas with over two minutes. Elvis just keeps pushing the band along, and I'm amazed the song hasn't been released in this format since.

Finally, there's the unreleased version of "If Every Day Was Like Christmas," that I always thought was another take. But according to Joe Tunzi and his book Elvis Sessions III it's the master with overdubs done by David Briggs on celest. Comparing the two this evening, I have to say he's probably right. But it sound different nonetheless, more "Christmas like."

To sum it up: No doubt the longer versions of "O Come, All Ye Faithful" and "Merry Christmas Baby" will be made available when Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas gets the FTD treatment. Until then Memories Of Christmas is the only place on earth where you'll find them. And David Briggs' celest.

Santa Lucia – The Missing Christmas Song

Did you know there's one particular song missing on every Christmas compilation with Elvis? At least if you're from Sweden like I am, there is.

You see, on December 13, Saint Lucia's Day (or Lucia for short) is celebrated in Sweden. Together with Advent, it marks the beginning of the Christmas celebration, and everyone knows the (Swedish) words to the traditional song "Santa Lucia," which was recorded, among others, by a certain Elvis Presley.

Of course, he sang the original Italian lyrics, in a completely different context, in the movie Viva Las Vegas. But the fact remains that it's a song very much associated with Christmas in Sweden. With that in mind, for Swedish fans it would probably have made more sense to include "Santa Lucia" than "Mama Liked The Roses" on the re-issue of Elvis' Christmas Album in 1970.

So far I haven't seen any "new" Christmas album with Elvis featuring "Santa Lucia" and I guess I never will. But in my Christmas compilation with Elvis it has a given place. (I also included it in the Elvis Christmas program Merry Christmas Baby that I did for the Swedish Radio about ten years ago.)

Sul mare luccica
L'astro d'argento
Placida e' l'onda
Prospero e' il vento

Venite all'agile
Barchetta mia
Santa Lucia
Santa Lucia...

Christmas In May

Spending a lot of time with Elvis' 1971 Christmas recordings in December always helps me get into the Holiday mood, and this year is no exception. Of course, all the snow we have here in Sweden right now helps, too.

It must have been a lot harder for Elvis to catch the spirit of the season in 1971, arriving at RCA's Studio B on May 15 to record a new Christmas album. Not only was Christmas more than seven months away, I guess the weather was as far from snowy as it could get.

But according to Peter Guralnick Elvis' associates did their best to help Elvis along the way. This is how he describes it in his book Careless Love:

The studio had been transformed by Felton into a Christmas scene with brightly wrapped boxs (all empty) under a gaily decorated Christmas tree. Lamar even dressed up as Santa Claus, and the Colonel sent Elvis a Christmas card with
a picture of himself as Santa standing next to Frosty the Snowman...

I have no idea if this helped or not, but I do know that Elvis' 1971 Christmas recordings are played all around the globe every Christmas. Granted, the best songs are the ones that aren't strictly classic Yuletide music, like "Merry Christmas Baby" and "I'll Be Home On Christmas Day," both blues numbers Elvis obviously enjoyed singing, Christmas or not.

But that doesn't stop me from liking the more traditional Christmas material such as "Holly Leaves And Christmas Trees" and "If I Get Home On Christmas Day" as well. After all, Elvis knew what the wonderful world of Christmas was all about, and his Christmas music is the best.

The Wonderful World Of Christmas

Listening to Elvis' Christmas music, like I always do on December 1 each year, made me remember the time when I bought Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas.

It must have been in the early eighties. Christmas was a couple of months away but in my favorite record store I stumbled upon the album on cassette. I had never seen it on LP before, but the cassette version suited me just fine, as I'd just bought my very own cassette recorder. The problem was, there was just one copy of the cassette, and as I was afraid somebody else was going to buy it, I had to make my move.

Grabbing the cassette, I approached the counter and handed it over to the salesman. "Isn't it a bit early for Christmas music," he asked and smiled at me. I guess he wasn't an Elvis fan, or else he would've understood the importance of that one cassette. After all, it was the only one available in the whole of Stockholm featuring Elvis Sings The Wonderful World Of Christmas. I mumbled something inaudible, paid for my find and and left.

At home, it was my turn to smile. Listening to the cassette, I was mesmerized by Elvis' singing, hearing for the first time the title track as well as the bombastic "If I Get Home On Christmas Day" and the incredible "Merry Christmas Baby."

Since then I've picked up both the LP and the CD version of the album, the latter one featuring "If Every Day Was Like Christmas" and the remake of "I'll Be Home On Christmas Day" as bonus songs. I had been hoping for a FTD release in time for the Holidays this year, but maybe next Christmas my wish will come true.

Christmas, Elvis Style

We all know Elvis loved Christmas. And I bet he would've been happy had he known what his own Christmas music means to a lot of people this time of year. This is how he helps me get in the merry mood:

On December 1 each year, I start listening to my favorite Elvis Christmas album If Every Day Was Like Christmas. Many Christmas compilations with Elvis have come and gone during the years, but this one remains the best. Released in 1994 it includes all the songs from his two original Christmas albums plus a couple of alternate takes.

Speaking of alternate Christmas takes, six more of them were released on the excellent FTD album I Sing All Kinds from 2007. Obviously not being overdubbed in any way, they offer a more intimate Christmas feeling than the masters. This is especially true when it comes to "If I Get Home On Christmas Day" that lacks the bombastic arrangement of the original release. I also have to mention the two outtakes of "I'll Be Home On Christmas Day," the best Elvis Christmas song in my opinion. Essential Christmas listening.

Not so essential, but controversial, is Elvis Presley Christmas Duets released last year. This Christmas I decided to give it a chance (having only heard audio samples of it on the Internet earlier) and actually bought it yesterday, on Christmas Eve. I have to say that Tygrrius over at The Film Frontier expressed it well when he called Christmas Duets "a bit of a jumbled mess" in his review of the CD.

Better then to stick to the original songs. Every Christmas I always play my very first Elvis record. Fittingly enough, it's titled Blue Christmas, and is a RCA LP manufactured in Sweden in 1976. It sports the same cover as Elvis' Christmas Album from 1957 which I admit is both confusing and unimaginative. But it has a pretty good mix of songs taken from Elvis' two oroginal Christmas albums and will always have a special place in my collection.

I guess every fan has his or her way of spending Christmas, Elvis style. How do you spend yours? Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

From Elvis Today via Elvisnews.com to EIN

I was delighted the other day to see that Elvisnews.com used my blog as a source and wrote about "I'll Be Home On Christmas Day" being voted second best Christmas song in Sweden. And I was even happier when a day later I noticed that the Elvis Information Network mentioned this also. It felt great having helped spread a piece of news related to Elvis, although Elvis Today isn't a news site.

In fact, EIN went one step further, getting in touch with a the writer of the song, Michael Jarrett, who was thrilled hearing the news:

"I was reminded today that sometimes one can reach a milestone even at my age", Jarrett comments. "It was very exciting for me to hear that one of the biggest newspapers in Sweden ranked Elvis' "I'll Be Home On Christmas Day" the second best Christmas song ever! This is truly an honor for me as a songwriter. There are many wonderful Christmas songs that we all enjoy each year, and having my song chosen to be second best is quite a thrill".

Thanks to EIN I also learned that Michael Jarrett, who also wrote "I'm Leavin'" for Elvis, will be touring Europe (and Sweden!) in May 2009 as part of "The Original Elvis Tribute 2009." Jarrett will be playing keyboard and bass player Duke Bardwell will be part of the tour, too.

That's a show I gotta catch. It would be great to have Michael Jarrett autograph the "I'm Leavin'" single and telling him that the song has always been a favourite of mine. Did you know he wrote it in the shower!? Read about that here.

And before I'm leavin' this post, be sure to visit Michael Jarretts blog where he revels a bunch of stuff about "I'll Be Home On Christmas Day" that I'd never heard about. For example that the alternate verse included the names of Michael’s children, and that Jarrett didn't think Elvis had sung that verse until he heard an alternate take nearly 38 years after it was recorded. Just click here and then choose Michael's corner.

I'll Be Home On Christmas Day

Yesterday I was pleasantly surprised to see that one of the biggest daily newspapers in Sweden ranked Elvis' "I'll Be Home On Christmas Day" as the second best Christmas song ever. The article was published in Aftonbladet, and you'll find it here. 

In reality it's an impossible task to choose only one of Elvis' Christmas tracks, the writer of the article points out, and wonders how one can choose between "Blue Christmas" and "Santa Claus Is Back In Town. Or between the beautiful ballads "I'll Be Home For Christmas" and "If Every Day Was Like Christmas."

But, the choice gets to be "I'll Be Home On Christmas Day," the reason being that the song deserves more attention, the writer goes on. And because "Elvis takes the train between country, gospel and soul and creates a song that would have qualified for a place on his best album ever, From Elvis In Memphis." 

 Well, he seems to know what he's talking about. I think it's a great song, and have a soft spot for the bluesier June remake version, first released on the Memories of Christmas album. 

And thanks to Ernst Jorgensen there's a couple of more versions available, from both the May and June sessions, most of them featuring the alternate verse: "Been so long since I've seen little John, Michele, Christine and Kelly; And I almost forgot with all the presents, that I bought a purse for little sister to carry. If I could set aside my pride, I just be on my way. I'd catch that train tomorrow, I'll Be Home On Christmas Day." 

By the way, there's a photo montage video, capturing the feeling of the song, on Youtube. I found it thanks to Elvis Information Network's Youtube favourites. Be sure to pay it a visit and get in that Elvis Christmas mood.

My wish came true - part two

Looking back, I can't say I'm surprised that the Swedish Radio didn't buy my idea about a radio program dedicated to Elvis' Christmas music. After all, the script (and tape!) must have looked and sounded very amateurish to the poor bugger who opened my letter. But I still think he or she could've sent me a "no, thank you" note.

But fate can play some funny tricks, let me tell you. Nearly twenty years later I found myself working as a journalist at, yeah you guessed it, the Swedish Radio! And although my field was news reporting, I felt I had to act when one day there came a request from headquarters to come up with ideas for radio programs to be sent during the Christmas holidays.

Even though it was many years ago, I remembered my idea about an Elvis Christmas program, and came up with a synopsis that I sent to my bosses. A couple of days later I got the green light: yes I could do the programme, and yes, it was to be an one hour show broadcast on Christmas Eve at 19 PM. In other words, prime time!

I got lucky
I couldn't believe my luck and went to work writing a script that in all fairness must have been miles from the one I penned down in the early eighties. No big surprise why, I knew a lot more about Elvis now, and also a lot more about making radio.

This time around I wanted to tell the listeners not only what went on in the recording studio when Elvis cut the Christmas tracks or how the songs were received by fans and critics, but also how Elvis celebrated Christmas and certain episodes that took place during the Holidays.

I also decided to let Elvis talk about his Christmas 1956 (as featured on The Ed Sullivan Show) and getting drafted the Christmas after that (taken from a 1969 monologue from Las Vegas).

Mixed the way it should
I think the thing I was most satisfied with was how I ended the program. I first wanted to use the "Christmas Message From Elvis" followed by "Silent Night" (first issued on the Memories Of Christmas album in 1982).

But listening closely, it suddenly hit me that the intro playing under the Christmas message was the one from "I'll Be Home For Christmas" and not the one from "Silent Night". So what I did was mix it as it should be, ending with "I'll Be Home For Christmas" instead.

No live version available
The one thing that could've made the program even better was a live version of "Blue Christmas." Not a single one was available at the time, at least not officially.

So when I told the listeners about Elvis singing that particular song live during the 70's whether it was Christmas or not, I had to illustrate that with the '68 version of "Blue Christmas" instead. Now, as you all know, FTD has supplied us with quite a few live versions of Elvis' favourite Christmas song.

The track list
To wet your appetite, here is the track list for Merry Christmas Baby – Elvis Presleys julmusik (Elvis Presley's Christmas music):

Peace In The Valley (Ed Sullivan Show version)
White Christmas
Silent Night
Santa Bring My Baby Back
Blue Christmas
Santa Claus Is Back In Town
Santa Lucia (seen as a Christmas song in Sweden)
If Every Day Was Like Christmas
Santa Claus Is Back In Town ('68 version)
Mama Liked The Roses
O Come, All Ye Faithful (alternate version)
Holly Leaves and Christmas Trees
The Wonderful World Of Christmas
Merry Christmas Baby
Winter Wonderland
I’ll Be Home On Christmas Day (alternate version)
Blue Christmas ('68 version)
Christmas Message From Elvis/I'll Be Home For Christmas

I can still remember how happy and proud I felt on Christmas Eve that year when my program aired on nationwide radio (it was recorded a couple of days earlier). It was one of my greatest Elvis moments, and still is!

My wish came true - part one

Dreams do come true, at least sometimes. I'd like to tell you the true story (in two parts) about how I got to make a program about Elvis on nationwide radio, some twenty years after I first dreamed about it. Here it is:

In my teens, in the mid 80's, the Swedish Radio (SR) broadcast a couple of programs about Elvis. I remember taping them; one dealt with Elvis' career in Hollywood, another was a memorial program that went on the air the day Elvis was supposed to celebrate his 50th birthday.

Listening to these programs, I dreamt of making one of my own. So, with Christmas a few months away, I came up with the idea of a program that would be about Elvis' Christmas music.

Writing about the king
I sat in my room and penned down the songs I thought should be in the program, and then wrote a script. Thinking back, I can't remember exactly what the script was all about.

I guess it centred around which years the songs were recorded, the titles of the albums they were on and which songs were Elvis' favourites. Maybe I also mentioned the musicians who played with Elvis. Yeah, I’m pretty sure I did.

"The recording session"
Then the "session" began. In the living room, where the stereo player was, I recorded the first song that should be on the program, from vinyl to cassette. I then ran to my room where I had a cassette recorder with a built in microphone.

There I put my own voice to tape, then returned to the living room to record the next song, ran to my room again and…well, you get the picture. It was quite an operation!

When it was over, I had a program running about one hour. Listening to it in my headphones (I didn't want anyone in the family to hear it!) I was quite pleased, although looking back the mixing must have left a lot to be desired!

Hard luck
I then made a bold move. In the telephone book I looked up the address to the Swedish Radio, told them about my radio idea and included both the script and the program and hoped for the best.

I waited weeks, maybe months, but never heard a word from the Swedish Radio. Needless to say, I was greatly disappointed.

To be continued…