{"id":15204,"date":"2024-12-25T14:36:04","date_gmt":"2024-12-25T14:36:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/?p=15204"},"modified":"2024-12-25T14:36:04","modified_gmt":"2024-12-25T14:36:04","slug":"facts-about-famous-holiday-songs-we-just-learned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/?p=15204","title":{"rendered":"Facts About Famous Holiday Songs We Just Learned"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nWe all have our favorite holiday song. Some of us go for a classic, like \u201cIt’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year\u201d or \u201cWhite Christmas.\u201d Some of us prefer those ’80s hits, like \u201cLast Christmas\u201d or \u201cDo They Know It’s Christmas?\u201d <\/p>\n

Then there are those of us who love a newer hit, like Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath the Tree” or Ariana Grande’s \u201cSanta Tell Me.\u201d <\/p>\n

Behind all of these songs is a story \u2014 and some of these stories are pretty surprising. For instance, a few holiday staples had very dark origins, like the Cuban Missile Crisis or the loss of a child. Another song was used as a code for a mass evacuation after the Vietnam War. And on a lighter note, some songs were just so full of holiday cheer that they instigated a spontaneous truce on the battlefields of World War I. <\/p>\n

Ring in the holiday season with some of our favorite facts about holiday hits.
\nIt’s difficult to put the holiday spirit into words: it’s something that just happens around the holidays. And it seems the holiday spirit was very much present on the front lines of World War I battlefields.
\nWhen the war had started in August 1914, many soldiers were convinced it would be over by Christmas. (Sadly, the war wouldn’t conclude for four more years.) And when one of the first snows of the year happened to fall on Christmas Eve, the troops were reminded even more of their Christmas traditions and those who were back at home.
\nThis led to several battlefields calling an unorganized truce, instigated by the Germans in several places. When both sides were sure it wasn’t a trick, everyone enjoyed a much-needed evening of rest. Germans were singing \u201cSilent Night\u201d while the Brits belted \u201cThe First Noel.” Some soldiers even shared whiskey with the other side, walking out to \u201cno man’s land\u201d and shaking hands with their adversaries. <\/p>\n

‘O Holy Night’ Was The First Piece Of Music Ever Broadcast Over The Radio
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\nTo date, there are roughly 1,600 iterations (in English and the original French) of \u201cO Holy Night,” making it one of the most popular holiday tunes.
\nThe song also holds a special title: it was the first piece of music to be broadcast over the radio. This was thanks to Reginald Fessenden, one of the pioneers of radio technology.
\nOn Christmas Eve in 1906, it’s said that Fessenden decided to read the Nativity story from the Gospel of Luke into his newly-created microphone. Then, he played \u201cO Holy Night\u201d on his violin. This would end up being the very first radio broadcast in history.
\nAnd it turns out that Fessenden had an audience: some pretty gobsmacked sailors of the United Fruit Company who were sailing in the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
\nIn 1975, ‘White Christmas’ Was Used By The US Military As A Secret Signal To Begin Evacuating Saigon
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\nMost of the United States military pulled out of Vietnam after the 1973 Paris Peace Accords, but roughly 1,000 Americans stayed behind in Saigon to assist the locals and tie up loose ends. However, in April 1975, North Vietnamese troops began bombing the Saigon airport.
\nThis meant that the only way for the Americans – and some 6,000 at-risk Vietnamese – to escape was by helicopter.
\nNot wanting to give away the timing of this evacuation, the US military came up with a code to signal the beginning of the evacuation:
\nWhen the evacuation is ordered, the code will be read on Armed Forces Radio. The code is: \u201cThe temperature in Saigon is 105 degrees and rising.\u201d This will be followed by the playing of \u201cI\u2019m Dreaming of a White Christmas.\u201d
\nHarrison Ford Corrected Adam Sandler After Sandler Claimed Ford Was ‘A Quarter Jewish’ In ‘The Chanukah Song’
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\nOne of the most well-known Hanukkah songs has to be the one Adam Sandler first played on Saturday Night Live in 1994.
\nAppropriately named \u201cThe Chanukah Song,\u201d Sandler famously names off celebrities who are Jewish throughout his comedic song. This includes:
\nDavid Lee Roth lights the menorah
\nSo do James Caan, Kirk Douglas, and the late Dinah Shore-ah
\nGuess who eats together at the Carnegie Deli?
\nBowzer from Sha Na Na and Arthur Fonzarelli
\nLater in the song, Sandler sings \u201cHarrison Ford’s a quarter Jewish, not too shabby.\u201d
\nIt turns out that Sandler wasn’t able to fully fact-check his name drops before he had to perform the number. So when he saw Ford after the song was released, Ford quickly corrected him. Sandler recalls,<\/p>\n

Brenda Lee Became The Oldest Woman To Lead The Hot 100 When ‘Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree’ Hit #1 On Its 65th Anniversary
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