Mistletoe and Holly
"Mistletoe and Holly" is a 1957 Christmas song recorded and co-written by Frank Sinatra. The song was released as a single on Capitol Records. The lyrics discuss some of the traditions of celebrating Christmas: giving the tree the trim, carols by starlight, granny's pies and merry greetings from relatives you don't know.
| "Mistletoe and Holly" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Frank Sinatra | ||||
| from the album A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra | ||||
| A-side | "Mistletoe and Holly" | |||
| B-side | "The Christmas Waltz" | |||
| Released | 1957 | |||
| Recorded | Capitol Records, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California July 17, 1957 | |||
| Genre | Christmas, traditional pop | |||
| Length | 2:14 | |||
| Label | Capitol (US, 45") | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Dok Stanford, Hank Sanicola, Frank Sinatra | |||
| Producer(s) | Voyle Gilmore | |||
| Frank Sinatra singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
The song was written by Frank Sinatra, Dok Stanford and Hank Sanicola, and published by the Barton Music Corporation in New York.[1] "Mistletoe and Holly" with Orchestra Conducted by Gordon Jenkins was released as a Capitol 7" 45 single in 1957 as F3900 and as a 10" 78 backed with "The Christmas Waltz" with The Ralph Brewster Singers. The single did not chart.[2] The song was also released as a 7" 45 EP release: Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra, Parts 1–3, Capitol EAP 1-3-894, in mono. Capitol also released the song as a special 7" 45 single release as "The Christmas Seal Song" with an introduction by Sinatra as PRO 1707 in 1960.
The song was selected as the theme song for the 1960 Christmas Seals appeal.
Album appearances
The song appeared on the 1957 Capitol Christmas album A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra, the Capitol LP The Sinatra Christmas Album in 1963, the Concepts collection on Capitol in 1992, the Capitol CD album The Complete Capitol Singles Collection in 1996, and the 2002 Christmas release Christmas with the Rat Pack.
Personnel
The song was recorded on July 17, 1957 in Los Angeles. The personnel on the session were: Frank Sinatra (leader), Gordon Jenkins (conductor), Phil Ramone (producer), Allan Reuss (guitar), Nat Gangursky, John Ryan (bass), Bill Miller (piano), Kathryn Thompson (harp), Ralph Hancoll (drums), Victor Arno, Walter Edelstein, David Frisina, Sol Kindler, Joseph Livoti, Nick Pisani, Joseph Quadri, Lou Raderman, Mischa Russell, Marshall Sosson (violin), Bill Baffa, Louis Kievman, Paul Robyn, Dave Sterkin (viola), Cy Bernard, Armond Kaproff (cello), Frank Sinatra (vocal), Betty Allen, Sue Allen, Ralph Brewster, The Ralph Brewster Singers, Peggy Clark, Barbara Ford, Lee Gotch, Beverly Jenkins, Jimmy Joyce, Gene Lanham (né Eugene Prentiss Lanham; 1915–1977), Bill Lee, Ray Linn, Jr., John Mann, Thora Mathiason, Dorothy McCarty (née Dorothy Dee McCarty; 1917–2015), Loulie Jean Norman, Betty Noyes, Thurl Ravenscroft, Ginny Roos, Max Smith, Bob Stevens, Bill Thompson, Robert Wacker, Betty Wand, and Gloria Wood (chorus or choir).[4]
Charts
Other recordings
- Jack Jones – The Jack Jones Christmas Album (1964)
- The Gunter Kallmann Choir – Christmas Sing-In (1970) Medley with "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"
- Leigh Nash – Sounds of the Season NBC 2005 (2005)
- Robert Davi – Salvation Army benefit single (2011)
- Charlie Byrd – The Charlie Byrd Christmas Album (1982)
- Faith Evans – A Faithful Christmas (2005)
- Beegie Adair – Winter Romance (2009)
- Joey DeFrancesco – Home for the Holidays (2014)
- Kidz Bop Kids – Kidz Bop Christmas Wish List (2014)
References
- ^ "dbopm :: the database of popular music :: Songs written or co-written by Frank Sinatra". Dbopm.com. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "Song artist 10 - Frank Sinatra". Tsort.info. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "Throwback Thursday: Frank Sinatra - Mistletoe and Holly (Kaskade Mix)". EDM Identity. 2014-12-25. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
- ^ "Frank Sinatra - The Capitol Years". Jazzdiscography.com. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "Frank Sinatra – Mistletoe and Holly". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
Sources
- Granata, Charles L. (1999). Sessions with Sinatra: Frank Sinatra and the Art of Recording. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 1-55652-509-5
- Phasey, Chris (1995). Francis Albert Sinatra: Tracked Down (Discography). Buckland Publications. ISBN 0-7212-0935-1
- Summers, Antony and Swan, Robbyn (2005). Sinatra: The Life. Doubleday. ISBN 0-552-15331-1