Twas the morning before Christmas and all through the town, Bostonians were caroling all the songs with local ties.
Do you know Phillip Brooks? He might not be the most common name around the house, but maybe he should be, at least around his hometown. Phillip penned the lyrics of the holiday tune “O Little Town of Bethlehem” in 1865. The Mass-native attended Harvard University from 1851-1855 and taught at the Boston Latin School for a short period of time before studying seminary.
Oh what fun it is to sing along to “Jingle Bells.” This song was composed by James Pierpont, and rumor has it he wrote the holiday melody in Medford in the 1850s when sleighs were at the height of their popularity. The song was originally titled “One Horse Open Sleigh.”
Locals know how delightful a performance by the Boston Pops can be. We can sleigh the name Leroy Anderson and thank him for the song “Sleigh Ride.” The composer from Cambridge wrote this lovely number as a short orchestral rosey number in 1948. Then, just like two birds of feather, the Boston Pops Orchestra made the first recording + Mitchell Parish added the lyrics later.
A song for you, pa rum pum pum pum. “The Little Drummer Boy” was written by Wellesley College grad Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941. She also studied at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston + taught at Concord Academy. In 1955, Trapp Family Singers recorded her song so the nation could also sing along to the holiday tune.
We can’t forget about Boston’s favorite boy bands. Make it a funky kinda holiday with Dorchester-based New Kids on the Block 1990 holiday track “Funky, Funky, Xmas’’ from their holiday album Merry, Merry Christmas.
New Edition also gave everyone the gift they didn’t know they needed in 1985 with this N. E. Christmas album, which includes five songs for you to add into your holiday playlist rotation.
Honorable mention goes to the “Chanukah Song’’ — you know the one by funny man Adam Sandler, who happened to get his comedic start doing stand up in Boston.
