What is the oldest Santa song?
It's generally accepted that one of the first
Scholars credit the world's oldest Christmas hymn-song to the 4th century in France and written by St. Hilary of Poitier (c310-367). The carol was “Jesus Refulsit Omnium” (“Jesus, Light of All the Nations” aka “Jesus Illuminates all”).
Among the earliest secular Christmas songs was "The Twelve Days of Christmas", which first appeared in 1780 in England (its melody would not come until 1909); the English West Country carol "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" has antecedents dating to the 1830s but was not published in its modern form until Arthur Warrell ...
The first Christmas song to feature Santa Claus was Up on the Housetop written in 1864, with lyrics by Benjamin Hanby. It is the second-oldest secular Christmas song, beaten by Jingle Bells by just seven years. Clatter the steed of Santa Claus. Ho for the little ones, Christmas joys.
It is the one and only Christmas song to reach the number one spot on the charts. It remains the only #1 Christmas song on any U.S. singles record chart totaling performance of all records. "The Chipmunk Song" was #1 on Christmas Day in 1958.
| YEAR | TITLE | ARTIST |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | WE BUILT THIS CITY | LADBABY |
| 2019 | I LOVE SAUSAGE ROLLS | LADBABY |
| 2020 | DON'T STOP ME EATIN' | LADBABY |
| 2021 | SAUSAGE ROLLS FOR EVERYONE | LADBABY FT. ED SHEERAN & ELTON JOHN |
St. Hilary of Poitiers composed the Latin carol “Jesus refulsit omnium” (“Jesus illuminates all”) in the fourth century, presumably after the first recorded Christmas celebration (336 A.D.).
History of Christmas Carols
Reportedly, one of the first known Christmas hymns is "Jesus Refulsit Omnium" ("Jesus, Light of All the Nations"), written by St.
Musical Overview. “O Holy Night” has a controversial, albeit intriguing history. The dissensions attached to it can be connected with two distinct facts - Placide Cappeau, the lyricist being an atheist, and Adolphe Adams, the composer being a Jew.
Father Christmas dates back as far as 16th century in England during the reign of Henry VIII, when he was pictured as a large man in green or scarlet robes lined with fur. He typified the spirit of good cheer at Christmas, bringing peace, joy, good food and wine and revelry.
What is Santa called in the night before Christmas?
Other Names
Santa Claus, known by the citizens of Halloween Town as "Sandy Claws", being the most iconic holiday figure, is the ruler of the holiday world Christmas Town.
Carol of the Bells (From "The Santa Clause") - song and lyrics by Wishing On A Star | Spotify.
The Beatles ruled the roost with three consecutive number ones from 1963 to 1965. The first was I Want To Hold Your Hand, the second I Feel Fine and the third Day Tripper/We Can Work It Out. Not long later, they bagged a fourth: Hello, Goodbye in 1967.
No, the most recorded song of all time is, in fact, 'Summertime' by George Gershwin. Forget the 4,000 versions of 'Yesterday' and 6,600 recordings of 'Amazing Grace' — 'Summertime' has been recorded no less than 67,591 times by the likes of Janis Joplin, Billie Holiday, and Sam Cooke.
According to Guinness World Records, Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" (1942) as performed by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single worldwide, with estimated sales of over 50 million copies.
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The Beatles had been top of the tree since 1967 with a record four Christmas number ones, although that was equalled last year when LadBaby claimed their fourth win in four years with an offering called “Sausage Rolls for Everyone”.
| # | Name | Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bing Crosby | 22382 |
| 2 | Frank Sinatra | 17979 |
| 3 | Elvis Presley | 12381 |
| 4 | Nat King Cole | 11613 |
Released in 1984, Last Christmas spent five weeks at Number 2 that year, pipped to the Official Christmas Number 1 post by Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas?. It was re-released the following year and reached Number 6.
According to History.com, the monk who over time would evolve into Santa Claus was born in what is now modern-day Turkey in 280 A.D., making him a whopping 1,741 years old!
The Hurrian Hymn was discovered in the 1950s on a clay tablet inscribed with Cuneiform text. It's the oldest surviving melody and is over 3,400 years old. The hymn was discovered on a clay tablet in Ugarit, now part of modern-day Syria, and is dedicated the Hurrians' goddess of the orchards Nikkal.
How many Christmas songs exist?
It turns out that Christmas music is a whole mini music industry of its own. To put those 9,274 Christmas songs into context, I dug out the most popular words used in song titles to see where Christmas ranks in the hall-of-fame of common song lyrics like “love” and “baby”.
One of the earliest known ballads composed in the American colonies is "Springfield Mountain," a song about the death by snakebite of Timothy Merrick in Wilbraham, Massachusetts in 1761.
If you've ever wondered when Christmas carols first came about, the answer lies in the 14th century – although their evolution dates back even further. Even before Christianity, it is thought that midwinter songs existed to keep up people's spirits, along with dances, plays and feasts.
Some date back to the 12th century in Europe, particularly in France, Italy, and Germany. For example, classics like “Silent Night” and “O Christmas Tree” have German origins. In the 13th century, Francis of Assisi, an Italian friar and preacher, wrote down many of the carols that were sung in his church.
- “Santa Buddy“ ...
- The “Hallelujah” Chorus. ...
- Silver Bells. ...
- “Dominic The Donkey” ...
- “Do they know it's Christmas?” ...
- “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer” ...
- “The Christmas Shoes” Not murder this time, but death! ...
- “I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas” This song…This freaking song.
- Jingle Bells (Dark Piano Version) ...
- What Child Is This (Dark Piano Version) ...
- You're A Mean One, Mr. ...
- Carol of the Bells (Dark Piano Version) ...
- Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (Dark Piano Version) ...
- Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Dark Piano Version) ...
- Silent Night (Dark Piano Version)
- Let's Make Christmas Mean Something This Year - Pts. 1 & 2. ...
- Holiday in Waikiki. The Kinks.
- Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight) Ramones.
- White Christmas. Otis Redding.
- The Christmas Boogie. The Davis Sisters.
- Santa Claus. The Sonics.
- Wonderful Christmastime. The Shins.
- Purple Snowflakes.
In 1950, Jimmy Boyd sang a song that was banned by the Roman Catholic Church in Boston because it mixed Christmas and sex in the same sum. What was the song? The name of the Christmas song is “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.”
Regarded as one of the most iconic American composers of all time (he wrote “God Bless America” after all), Irving Berlin is the mastermind behind not only the most successful Christmas song of all time, but one of the most successful songs in music history, period.
In 1946, Nat King Cole became the first recording artist to wrap his lush vocals around what would become a standard of the holiday season, "The Christmas Song." But that song was written by a different crooner: Mel Tormé.
What is Santa's 1st name?
Nicholas: The Real Santa Claus. The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back hundreds of years to a monk named St. Nicholas. It is believed that Nicholas was born sometime around A.D. 280 in Patara, near Myra in modern-day Turkey.
She was the creation of James Rees in his book 1849 book “Mysteries of City Life,” which explored a variety of traditions. Rees is the first to name Mrs. Claus as well, giving her the moniker Gertrude in his stories, although pop culture has given her the name Jessica.
Nicholas was the 4th-century Greek Bishop of Myra (in present-day Turkey). Under the Roman emperor Diocletian, who persecuted Christians, Nicholas spent some five years in prison—and according to some accounts, in solitary confinement.
Claus (also known as Mrs. Santa Claus or Mrs. Santa) is the legendary wife of Santa Claus, the Christmas gift-bringer in Western Christmas tradition. She is known for making cookies with the elves, caring for the reindeer, and preparing toys with her husband.
Santa usually starts at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean and travels west. So, historically, Santa visits the South Pacific first, then New Zealand and Australia.
The Origin and History of a Christmas Legend. The story behind Santa goes back to the third century during the time of St. Nicholas, a monk, even though some sources state that he was a bishop. Nicholas was born around 280 A.D. in Patara, in modern-day Turkey.
In the film, the song is performed by Santa Claus (Kurt Russell) during a scene set at the jailhouse. Each of the band appear onscreen, including Van Zandt and Ribler as named characters Wolfie and Dusty.
The actual number? 9,274. Yep, almost ten thousand songs just on the subject of Christmas.
The only act to have four Christmas number ones are The Beatles - with three consecutive number ones starting in 1963. And in 1963 and 1967, they were the only act ever to have both the Christmas number one and number two songs (George Michael achieved this feat with two acts - Band Aid and Wham! in 1984).
However, history was corrected when the sales of the song were finally accounted for, and Don't You Want Me was declared 1981's biggest-seller. With a combined figure (including streaming) of 2,328,000 including 1.6 million sales, the song has continued to re-chart (in 1995 and 2014) albeit just not at Christmas time.
Who had the 5th Christmas number one?
The Top Five is rounded out by Mariah Carey's 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' at Number Four and Ed Sheeran and Elton John's 'Merry Christmas' at Number Five.
Numerous recordings have been used in films, sometimes as an elevator music cliché. It is believed to be the second most recorded pop song in history, after "Yesterday" by The Beatles.
It surpassed Don McLean's “American Pie” which, with its 8 minutes and 37 seconds, topped the charts for four weeks in 1972. However, “All Too Well” is only the highest of Swift's 26 new entries on the Hot 100.
According to Guinness World Records, “Yesterday” has the most cover versions of any song ever written. The song remains popular today with more than 1,600 recorded cover versions. Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) asserts that it was performed over seven million times in the 20th century alone.
Michael Jackson
As the King of Pop, it makes sense to begin the list with Michael Jackson. The legendary singer achieved fame at a young age through his musical family and their group the Jackson 5.
Abel Tesfaye, more commonly known as The Weeknd, is statistically the most popular musician on the planet, and no one else even comes close. The 33-year-old Canadian singer's success has seen him set two new Guinness World Records titles: Most monthly listeners on Spotify – 111.4 million (as of 20 March 2023)
Most recorded artist in music history - Asha Bhosle
In 1974, the Guinness Book of Records had older sister Mangeshkar (now 87) down as recording the most songs in history - a staggering 25,000.
The carol was first performed in the Nikolaus-Kirche (Church of St. Nicholas) in Oberndorf, Austria on 24 December 1818. Mohr had composed the words much earlier, in 1816, but on Christmas Eve brought them to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment for the church service.
Jesus Refulsit Omnium is often cited as the oldest known Christmas song in the world. Like many of the first Christmas songs, “Jesus Refulsit Omnium” is a Christian hymn.
| 1 | Johann Sebastian Bach | 3681 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Bing Crosby | 1462 |
| 3 | The Karaoke Channel | 1098 |
| 4 | George Frideric Handel | 903 |
| 5 | A-Type Player | 835 |
What is the oldest song in the universe?
Levy concluded: “The music of the Hurrian Hymn Text H6, therefore, is the oldest known example of a piece of actual written music dating from about 3,400 years ago, which can be interpreted and performed again today; over 3,400 years later.”
The “Song of Seikilos” (also known as the “Seikilos Epitaph”) has been dated to the 1st or 2nd century CE and is widely considered to be the oldest complete musical composition.
Spotify has really outdone themselves with this one. The longest song on their platform is also the longest song ever recorded. It's called “Symphony of the Crown” by Canadian artist Earthena. It clocks in at an impressive 48 hours, 39 minutes, and 43 seconds.
"The Christmas Song" (commonly subtitled "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" or, as it was originally subtitled, "Merry Christmas to You") is a classic Christmas song written in 1945 by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé.