"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" is a popular Christmas song written in 1963 by Eddie Pola and George Wyle. It was recorded and released that year by pop singer Andy Williams for his first Christmas album, The Andy Williams Christmas Album. However, it was not released as a promotional single by his record label (Columbia Records) that year, as they instead opted to promote his cover of "White Christmas" as the official promo single from the album.
Overview[]
Williams' original version of the song has since become a radio airplay standard, attaining more and more popularity with each passing holiday season since its original release. It was also selected as the theme song for Christmas Seals in both 1968 and 1976, and was featured in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. In 1986, another popular version was released by Johnny Mathis on his fourth holiday album, Christmas Eve with Johnny Mathis.
In 1999, country singer Garth Brooks became the first artist to chart a version of the song in North America, as his country remake reached #56 on Billboard Magazine's Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. His version was taken from his second holiday album, Garth Brooks and the Magic of Christmas. In 1999, Kathy Troccoli recorded it as a duet with Williams.
Most recently, a 2008 recording of the song by Harry Connick, Jr. (from his third Christmas album, What a Night! A Christmas Album) hit #9 on Billboard's Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart (the highest charting version of it to date in the United States).[1]
For years, the song was used in a humorous fashion in the Staples office supply retail chain's annual back to school advertising campaign. In the commercials, the parents joyously shop for school supplies to the song in anticipation of the upcoming school year while their children sullenly follow. ESPN also used it to promote their lineup of college football bowl games for several years, G4TV used it to promote their "stoner" programming an April 20, 2011, better known as "4/20" or "Cannibus Day", Disneyland used it in a web video to promote their Halloween events, and recently, MillerCoors used the song to use as a summer-related theme for its Miller Lite brand of alcoholic beverage.
Lyrics[]
It's the most wonderful time of the year
With the kids jingle-belling
And everyone telling you
Be of good cheer
It's the most wonderful time of the year
It's the hap-happiest season of all
With those holiday greetings
And gay happy meetings
When friends come to call
It's the hap-happiest season of all
There'll be parties for hosting
Marshmallows for toasting
And caroling out in the snow
There'll be scary ghost stories
And tales of the glories
Of Christmases long, long ago
It's the most wonderful time of the year
There'll be much mistletoeing
And hearts will be glowing
When loved ones are near
It's the most wonderful time of the year
(Instrumental break)
There'll be parties for hosting
Marshmallows for toasting
And caroling out in the snow
There'll be scary ghost stories
And tales of the glories
Of Christmases long, long ago
It's the most wonderful time of the year
There'll be much mistletoeing
And hearts will be glowing
When loved ones are near
It's the most wonderful time...
It's the most wonderful time...
Oh, the most wonderful time...
Of the year
Appearances in Christmas specials[]
- Andy Williams
- Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
- The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (2008)
- Bad Santa 2 (2016)
- Carry-On (2024) - Potential as of teaser trailer⋯
- Johnny Mathis
- Jingle All the Way (1996)
- The Simpsons: "'Tis the Fifteenth Season" (2003) - Uncredited
- Covers
- The Muppets: "Single All the Way" (2015) - The Muppet Performers and Mindy Kaling [Uncredited]
- Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas (2021)
- The Great Nickmas Tree Sliming (2022)
Album releases[]
- Elmo Saves Christmas: Holiday Favorites (1996)
- 40 Years: A Charlie Brown Christmas (2005)
- Mickey and Friends Christmas Favorites (2014)
References[]
content from Wikipedia (view authors). |