Song of the Day is back again! (And yes, I am constantly singing the song that I research for several days after- it is just a hazard of the trade…) We have already looked at “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”, a sneaky song that has snuck into our hearts, and the holiday anthem, “All I Want for Christmas Is You”. I thought that this week we could turn to a childhood classic for most of us (that we secretly all love). Yes, that’s right- our Song of the Day: Frosty the Snowman!
Which Came First: The Song or the Special?
I think I speak for a lot of us (anyone born in the 1970s or later at least) when I say that Frosty the Snowman is one of the holiday movies. Yes, it is technically a television special, but it’s a holiday movie. However, it may surprise you to learn that the special was actually a later appearance.
“Frosty the Snowman” was written in 1950 and was first performed by Gene Autry. Autry was an incredibly popular country musician, and “Frosty” was actually written after he topped the charts with another holiday classic, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”. Interestingly, the song never mentions Christmas throughout, though it is closely associated with the holiday now.
Jimmy Durante’s “Frosty”
Jimmy Durante recorded his own version of “Frosty” shortly after Autry did. (Both Autry and Durante’s versions peaked at Number 7 on the US Pop Singles Chart in 1950.) However, Durante’s version lives on in our hearts and ears, as it is Durante’s version used in the 1969 Rankin/Bass Holiday special. And not only did he provide the titular song, Durante actually voiced the narrator in the movie, as well.
Are you a fan of “Frosty the Snowman”?
Cheers,
The Historian
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