Christmas songs introduced in theater, television, and film
Encyclopedia
Many popular Christmas songs have been introduced in theater, television, and film. These include:
- "All I Want For Christmas Is YouAll I Want for Christmas Is You"All I Want for Christmas Is You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released by Columbia Records on November 1, 1994 as the lead single from her fourth studio album, Merry Christmas. The song was written by Carey and Walter Afanasieff, both of whom were also the producers...
" – by Olivia Olsen from the film Love ActuallyLove ActuallyLove Actually is a 2003 British romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. The screenplay delves into different aspects of love as shown through ten separate stories involving a wide variety of individuals, many of whom are shown to be interlinked as their tales progress...
. - "As Long As There's Christmas" – Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted ChristmasBeauty and the Beast: The Enchanted ChristmasBeauty and The Beast: The Enchanted Christmas is a 1997 animated holiday special produced by The Walt Disney Company. It is a midquel that takes place within the timeline of the original Beauty and the Beast...
. - "Be a Santa" – from the musical Subways Are For SleepingSubways Are For SleepingSubways Are for Sleeping is a musical with a book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Jule Styne. The original Broadway production played in 1961-62....
. - "BelieveBelieve (The Polar Express song)"Believe" is a 2004 song from the Christmas-themed performance capture film The Polar Express. The words and music were written by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri, and the song was performed by Josh Groban. The song is included on the film soundtrack...
" – Josh GrobanJosh GrobanJoshua Winslow "Josh" Groban is an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. His four solo albums have been certified at least multi-platinum, and in 2007, he was charted as the number-one best selling artist in the United States with over 21 million records in that country...
from The Polar ExpressThe Polar Express (film)The Polar Express is a 2004 motion capture computer-animated film based on the children's book of the same title by Chris Van Allsburg. Written, produced, and directed by Robert Zemeckis, the human characters in the film were animated using live action performance capture technique, with the...
. - "Christmas DreamChristmas DreamChristmas Dream is a song written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice with German lyrics by Andre Heller for the 1974 Columbia film The Odessa File. It is sung by Perry Como and The London Boy Singers and is included on the album "A Perry Como Christmas"....
" – by Perry ComoPerry ComoPierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
from the film The Odessa FileThe Odessa FileThe Odessa File is a thriller by Frederick Forsyth, first published in 1972, about the adventures of a young German reporter attempting to discover the location of a former SS concentration-camp commander....
. - "Christmas Is All Around" – by Bill NighyBill NighyWilliam Francis "Bill" Nighy is an English actor and comedian. He worked in theatre and television before his first cinema role in 1981, and made his name in television with The Men's Room in 1991, in which he played the womanizer Prof...
(in the film Billy Mack) which is a cover version of "Love Is All AroundLove Is All Around"Love Is All Around" is a song composed by Reg Presley and performed by The Troggs. Purportedly inspired by a television transmission of the Joy Strings Salvation Army band, the song was first released as a single in the UK in October 1967, peaking at No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart in late November...
" and was also used in the movie Love ActuallyLove ActuallyLove Actually is a 2003 British romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. The screenplay delves into different aspects of love as shown through ten separate stories involving a wide variety of individuals, many of whom are shown to be interlinked as their tales progress...
. - "Greatest Time of YearGreatest Time of Year"Greatest Time of Year" is the first and only single from Aly & AJ's Christmas album Acoustic Hearts of Winter. The single was used for The Santa Clause 3, similar to the way Hilary Duff's song "Santa Clause Lane" was used for The Santa Clause 2, and the music video also had scenes from the film. ...
" – by Aly & AJAly & AJ78violet is a pop rock band consisting of sisters Alyson and Amanda Michalka. They were born in Torrance, California, but spent part of their childhood in Seattle, Washington. They are both actresses, singer-songwriters, and guitarists. They signed a record deal with the Disney-owned label,...
from the film The Santa Clause 3. - "Have Yourself a Merry Little ChristmasHave Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is a song introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical Meet Me in St. Louis. Frank Sinatra later recorded a version with modified lyrics, which has become more common than the original. The song was written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane...
" – by Judy GarlandJudy GarlandJudy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
from the film Meet Me in St. LouisMeet Me in St. LouisMeet Me in St. Louis is a 1944 musical film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer which tells the story of an American family living in St. Louis at the time of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition World's Fair in 1904...
. - "A Heart To Hold You" – by Keane was intended to be presented in the film Love ActuallyLove ActuallyLove Actually is a 2003 British romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. The screenplay delves into different aspects of love as shown through ten separate stories involving a wide variety of individuals, many of whom are shown to be interlinked as their tales progress...
but for some reason was retired. - "Here Comes the Fastest Man In Town" – from Here Comes the Fastest Man In Town Featuring Gloria Parker.
- "Holly Jolly Christmas" – by Burl IvesBurl IvesBurl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was an American actor, writer and folk music singer. As an actor, Ives's work included comedies, dramas, and voice work in theater, television, and motion pictures. Music critic John Rockwell said, "Ives's voice .....
from the animated television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed ReindeerRudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV special)Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a Christmas television special produced in stop motion animation by Rankin/Bass. It first aired Sunday, December 6, 1964, on the NBC television network in the USA, and was sponsored by General Electric under the umbrella title of The General Electric Fantasy Hour...
. - "It Feels Like Christmas" – from the film The Muppet Christmas CarolThe Muppet Christmas CarolThe Muppet Christmas Carol is a 1992 musical comedy film adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, starring Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge, directed by Brian Henson, produced by The Jim Henson Company, and released by Walt Disney Pictures...
. - "Merry Christmas" – by Judy GarlandJudy GarlandJudy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
, from the film In the Good Old SummertimeIn the Good Old SummertimeIn the Good Old Summertime is a 1949 musical film directed by Robert Z. Leonard. It starred Judy Garland, Van Johnson and S.Z. Sakall.The film is a musical adaptation of the 1940 film, The Shop Around the Corner, directed by Ernst Lubitsch, and starring James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan, and...
. - "The Night Before Christmas" – Carly SimonCarly SimonCarly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work...
, from the film This Is My LifeThis is My Life (film)This Is My Life is a 1992 film that marked the directorial debut of screenwriter Nora Ephron. The screenplay, written by Ephron and her sister, Delia Ephron, is based on the book, This Is Your Life, by Meg Wolitzer. The film tells the story of Dottie Ingels , who works at a cosmetics counter but...
. - "Oh, What a Merry Christmas Day" – from the Walt Disney animated film Mickey's Christmas CarolMickey's Christmas CarolMickey's Christmas Carol is a 1983 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Buena Vista Distribution Company. It was directed and produced by Burny Mattinson...
. - "Pinecones and Holly Berries" – from the musical Here's LoveHere's LoveHere's Love is a musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson.Based on the classic film Miracle on 34th Street, it tells the tale of a skeptical little girl who doubts the existence of Santa Claus. When the real Kris Kringle inadvertently is hired to represent jolly St...
. - "Second Star to the Right" – from the Walt Disney animated film Peter PanPeter Pan (1953 film)Peter Pan is a 1953 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up by J. M. Barrie. It is the fourteenth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and was originally released on February 5, 1953 by RKO Pictures...
. - "Silver Bells" – from the film The Lemon Drop KidThe Lemon Drop KidThe Lemon Drop Kid is a 1951 comedy film based on the short story of the same name by Damon Runyon, starring Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell, and directed by Sidney Lanfield.The song "Silver Bells," sung by Hope and Maxwell, was introduced in the film...
. - "Star of BethlehemStar of BethlehemIn Christian tradition, the Star of Bethlehem, also called the Christmas Star, revealed the birth of Jesus to the magi, or "wise men", and later led them to Bethlehem. The star appears in the nativity story of the Gospel of Matthew, where magi "from the east" are inspired by the star to travel to...
" and "Somewhere in My Memory" – John Williams from the film Home AloneHome AloneHome Alone is a 1990 American Christmas comedy film written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. The film stars Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, an eight-year-old boy, who is mistakenly left behind when his family flies to Paris for their Christmas vacation...
. - "Turkey Lurkey TimeTurkey Lurkey TimeTurkey Lurkey Time is a song-and-dance number from Act 1 of Promises, Promises, the Burt Bacharach/Hal David musical, with a book by Neil Simon. It was originally choreographed for the 1968 Broadway production by Michael Bennett...
" and "Christmas Day" – from the musical Promises, PromisesPromises, PromisesPromises, Promises is a musical based on the 1960 film The Apartment. The music is by Burt Bacharach, lyrics by Hal David, and book by Neil Simon. Musical numbers for the original Broadway production were choreographed by Michael Bennett; Robert Moore directed and David Merrick produced...
. - "We Need a Little ChristmasWe Need a Little Christmas"We Need a Little Christmas" is a popular Christmas song originating from Jerry Herman's Broadway musical, Mame, and first performed by Angela Lansbury in that 1966 production....
" – by Angela LansburyAngela LansburyAngela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
from the musical Mame. - "What's This?" – by Danny ElfmanDanny ElfmanDaniel Robert "Danny" Elfman is an American composer, best known for scoring music for television and film. Up until 1995, he was the lead singer and songwriter in the rock band Oingo Boingo, a group he formed in 1976...
from the film Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. - "Where Are You, Christmas?Where Are You, Christmas?"Christmas, Why Can't I Find You?" is a song co-written by James Horner and Will Jennings for the movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas in the year 2000. In the movie, it is first sung by Taylor Momsen, who played Cindy Lou Who....
" – by Faith HillFaith HillFaith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...
from the film The Grinch. - "White ChristmasWhite Christmas (song)"White Christmas" is an Irving Berlin song reminiscing about an old-fashioned Christmas setting. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the version sung by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time, with estimated sales in excess of 50 million copies worldwide.Accounts vary as...
" and "Happy Holiday" – by Irving BerlinIrving BerlinIrving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
from the film Holiday InnHoliday Inn (film)Holiday Inn is a 1942 American musical film starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, with music by Irving Berlin. The film has twelve songs written expressly for the film, the most notable being "White Christmas"...
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