It’s hard to imagine the holidays without Christmas music. Do you know the history of one of the most recognized holiday hits, Blue Christmas by Elvis Presley.
In 1957, Elvis released “Elvis’ Christmas Album” which included his iconic track “Blue Christmas.” However, Elvis wasn’t initially thrilled about recording the song. It was stated that before recording, he turned to the backup singers and said “let’s just get this over with, just do anything; do something silly”. Elvis, the backup singers, band, and recording crew weren’t sure if the studio would actually release the song. But they were all proven wrong. The song itself was an instant hit, and “Blue Christmas' ' became a rock-n-roll holiday classic. Elvis’ Christmas Album, which included the track, was his first title to attain diamond certification and is also the best-selling Christmas album in the United States. Even to this day Elvis’ cover of Blue Christmas is a Top 15 pop hit and gets about as much annual play time as songs such as “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”, “Santa Baby”, “Last Christmas”, and “All I Want for Christmas is You.