Shirley Bassey & BLAKE - The Christmas Song / Interview (2014 Graham Norton Show)

In December 2014, Dame Shirley Bassey appeared on the Graham Norton Show for the third time. She and the group BLAKE performed, "The Christmas Song (...Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire)"

It's hard to believe after over 62 years in the business that Shirley had never recorded a Christmas Album; not even a single Christmas song, UNTIL NOW! (Minor Exception: Ave Maria). A few months back, when BLAKE told Shirley they were recording a Christmas Album, she told them that she had never done one. BLAKE then asked Shirley if she would like to record a song on their new Album, and Dame Shirley said, YES, YES, YES.

Shirley has always wanted to record a Christmas Album, but said that her record producers never thought that songs like, 'Silent Night' would go over well with her high fidelity voice. How silly is that! Well, of course they were very wrong, as Shirley had the vocally rich and versatile abilities to sing a soft lullaby with the best of them. Here Dame Shirley and BLAKE perform this classic song, and they have made it uniquely their own, and new again.

ABOUT This Song:
"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 Bob Wells and Mel Tormé.

According to Tormé, the song was written during a blistering hot summer. In an effort to "stay cool by thinking cool", the most-performed (according to BMI) Christmas song was born. "I saw a spiral pad on his (Wells') piano with four lines written in pencil", Tormé recalled. "They started, 'Chestnuts roasting..., Jack Frost nipping..., Yuletide carols..., Folks dressed up like Eskimos.' Bob didn't think he was writing a song lyric. He said he thought if he could immerse himself in winter he could cool off. Forty minutes later that song was written. I wrote all the music and some of the lyrics."

LYRICS:
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos
Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe
Help to make the season bright
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
Will find it hard to sleep tonight

They know that Santa’s on his way
He’s loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh
And every mother’s child is gonna spy
To see if reindeer really know how to fly

So I’m offering this simple phrase
To kids from one to ninety-two
Although it’s been said many times, many ways
Merry Christmas to you

They know that Santa’s on his way
He’s loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh
And every mother’s child is gonna spy
To see if reindeer really know how to fly

And so I’m offering this simple phrase
To kids from one to ninety-two
Although it’s been said many times, many ways
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas to you