Free Republic

Though synonymous with Yuletide, this much-acclaimed standard was inspired by one of the hottest summers on record.The song that for many people best encapsulates the spirit of the holiday season, Nat ‘King’ Cole’s “The Christmas Song” is pretty much synonymous with Yuletide. Yet, remarkably, this winter classic was written at the height of the summer – and inspired by a heatwave. “The Christmas Song” was penned by respected singer-songwriters Mel Torme and Bob Wells, with the latter responding directly to the exceptionally hot summer of 1945. Incredibly, the two musicians wrote it in little more than an hour. Torme went...