Hit Parade | Chestnut Roasters, Part 1
Host: Chris Molanphy
Date: December 18, 2021
Podcast Theme: Pop chart history through the lens of seasonal, especially Christmas, hits that have overtaken the legacies of famous artists—creating what Chris calls “chestnut roasters.”
Overview
In this episode, Chris Molanphy explores how certain artists—often with long and varied careers—have become almost exclusively associated with their Christmas or holiday hits. These “chestnut roasters” find that one holiday song, often not their biggest hit at the time, comes to define their catalog in streaming and radio’s modern era. Using examples from pop, jazz, R&B, country, and rock, Molanphy charts how festive tracks have overtaken the rest of some musicians’ work in public consciousness and Billboard rankings.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
What Makes a “Chestnut Roaster”?
- Definition: Artists whose holiday hits eclipse their broader careers in enduring popularity.
- “You can call these artists Christmas careerists, holiday hitmongers. I sometimes refer to them as chestnut roasters.” (06:00)
Bing Crosby and the Ultimate Holiday Standard
- “White Christmas” (03:13)
- Best-selling single of all time, defining Crosby’s legacy above his many other hits.
- Written for Holiday Inn, won the Oscar for Best Song.
- Over 100 million sold, its 1947 re-recording is the most played version.
Notable Quote
“White Christmas defines Bing Crosby, even though he recorded dozens of other non Christmas related smash hits. But Bing is not alone.” (04:07)
Holiday Hits Outshining the Hits: Examples Across Genres
1. Nat King Cole – “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)”
- Originally known as a jazz pianist/vocalist (11:31).
- This 1946 holiday recording shifted his career to lush, orchestral pop.
- Now, most listeners associate him primarily with this song.
Notable Quote
“The Christmas Song made him a very wealthy man. But jazz aficionados still revere Nat King Cole's 1930s and 40s jazz trio records... Whereas to generations born in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, if they know Nat King Cole at all, it's as the chestnuts roasting... standard bearer.” (14:10)
2. Dean Martin – “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” & “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”
- Had several #1 hits and a serious music/film career.
- His holiday songs now far outpace the rest of his catalog on modern platforms (16:28).
3. Gene Autry – “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
- Already famous as the “Singing Cowboy” with crossover country/pop hits (18:03).
- Reluctantly recorded “Rudolph,” which became his defining song and made him a perennial holiday chart presence (21:02).
Notable Moment
“Gene Autry didn't much care for Rudolph either ... before his wife convinced him the song was sweet and cajoled him into recording it. And Autry's career, already at its height, was culturally rebooted.” (20:30)
4. Vince Guaraldi Trio – “Linus and Lucy” & “Christmas Time Is Here”
- Serious jazz musician, scored a top 40 hit with “Cast Your Fate to the Wind” (24:30).
- His A Charlie Brown Christmas music now achieves annual Billboard peaks and is as popular as pop mega-stars on vinyl sales—no longer considered children's music (25:32).
Notable Quote
“The music Guaraldi made for a primetime 1965 TV special... is now best consumed with a whiskey, rocks and a long stare out a snowy window.” (27:10)
5. Andy Williams – “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”
- 1960s crooner known for other hits like “Moon River,” but it’s his Christmas album and, in particular, this energetic standard that claims year-end Spotify and Hot 100 glory (32:55).
6. Darlene Love – “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
- Renowned session singer (the Blossoms, the Crystals).
- Her signature song was initially not even a single, but now outstreams her other hits massively (41:01).
- Became a holiday TV staple via annual Letterman performances.
Notable Quote
"Christmas isn’t officially here until Darlene wails ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).’" (Bette Midler, 41:19)
“That, by the way, is 17 times the modern radio spins for the Crystal song He's a rebel and 52 times as many streams.” (42:01)
7. José Feliciano – “Feliz Navidad”
- Known for Latin rock and a hit with “Light My Fire” cover (43:33).
- “Feliz Navidad” was a slow-burner—never a hit until decades later, but now a top 10 holiday standard with overwhelming streaming dominance.
Notable Moment
On writing the song: “He wrote it one Christmas Eve in LA when he felt homesick for his traditional Puerto Rican holiday celebrations.” (45:48)
8. Donny Hathaway – “This Christmas”
- Soul/R&B vocalist, talented songwriter.
- Wrote “This Christmas” specifically to be a “black Christmas song.”
- Took 50 years to become a pop hit (2020), but had been a staple of black radio and then mainstream Christmas playlists.
- Song now appears in films, charts, and has been remade by various artists.
Notable Quote
“In short, it took literally half a century for Donny Hathaway's Soul Perennial to become a pop hit. But it was immortal from the day he recorded it.” (58:59)
Pop Culture Connections & Traditions
- Film and TV: The impact of holiday music recurrent themes in movies (About a Boy, Love Actually) and on TV (Letterman tradition with Darlene Love, A Charlie Brown Christmas special).
- Rituals: Modern challenges like Whamageddon and the Little Drummer Boy Challenge reflect the pervasiveness of these tracks.
Data & Chart Shifts in the Streaming Era
- Billboard charts now reflect immense streaming and seasonal radio airplay, causing old holiday standards to surge past non-seasonal legacy hits annually (17:09, 32:55, 48:34).
- The modern era is marked by the flattening of careers, sometimes reducing varied artists to a single seasonal identity.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On Bing Crosby:
“This is the best, bestselling single period of all time. Bing Crosby’s White Christmas…” (03:18) - On Nat King Cole’s legacy:
“To generations born in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, if they know Nat King Cole at all, it's as the chestnuts roasting Jack Frost nipping yuletide carols…” (14:10) - Darlene Love’s Christmas legacy:
“It may well be the song that eventually got Darlene Love into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.” (41:10) - On Andy Williams’s posthumous success:
“If there is an afterlife, and Williams can see how Spotify is making him a hitmaker every December, he might indeed still regard it as the most wonderful time of the year.” (34:10) - On Donny Hathaway:
“It took literally half a century for Donny Hathaway's Soul Perennial to become a pop hit. But it was immortal from the day he recorded it.” (58:59)
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 01:20 – Introduction; theme of “chestnut roasters” defined.
- 03:13 – Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” and legacy.
- 04:41 – Artists overshadowed by Christmas hits: Wham!, Nat King Cole, Brenda Lee, etc.
- 06:55 – Brenda Lee and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”
- 11:31 – Nat King Cole’s transformation via “The Christmas Song.”
- 15:13 – Dean Martin’s pivot from pop standards to Christmas dominance.
- 18:03 – Gene Autry’s foundational country career disrupted by “Rudolph.”
- 24:30 – Vince Guaraldi’s jazz credentials vs. Charlie Brown Christmas fame.
- 28:31 – Andy Williams and the secularization of his catalog.
- 35:05 – Darlene Love’s long road from session singer to Christmas icon.
- 43:33 – José Feliciano’s “Light My Fire” and the making of “Feliz Navidad.”
- 49:57 – Donny Hathaway’s career overview and creation of “This Christmas.”
- 58:59 – Conclusion of the episode, preview of Part 2.
Flow and Tone
- Voice: Witty, rich with contextual trivia, expressed in a warm and conversational storytelling style that’s both accessible and analytical.
- Approach: Combines in-depth chart analysis, cultural anecdotes, and song snippets to tell a cohesive story about the changing face of musical legacy in the digital age.
Takeaway
Holiday hits are more than just seasonal soundtrack—they have the power to reshape an artist’s entire legacy, sometimes overshadowing decades of chart success with a single sparkling, annual chestnut. As streaming and radio habits entrench these songs further, the phenomenon of the “chestnut roaster” becomes more inevitable, redefining pop history one December at a time.
For the second half, including insights into Wham!, millennial crooners, Brenda Lee’s possible chart records, and holiday dominance by former Beatles, listen for Part 2 at the end of the month.