I remember Karen Carpenter from the 1970s. This Christmas album was released in 1978. I thought I would start "My Season Favorites song Weekend" with her "Sleigh Ride" arrangement. I really like this song. It has been song by almost every musical artist, and still remains on the top 10 for Performance for Holiday songs by artist.A little about the song; The music was written by Leroy Anderson in 1946 during a heat wave in July. I guess he wanted to cool off, you know there was no air conditioning then. Maybe that's where the "Christmas in July" phrase comes from. Then in 1950 the Lyrics were written by Mitchell Parish. It was first recorded in 1950 by Arthur Fielder and the Boston Pops. "Sleigh Ride" is often associated with Christmas, and appears on several Christmas albums. However, the song's lyrics never specifically mention any holiday or religion, except for certain "Sleigh Ride" versions like this Carpenters arrangement. The mention of pumpkin pie in the last verse might suggest an association with Thanksgiving. Therefore I thought this would be a prefect song for today. Enjoy.
I don't know this arrangement, but I really like that song. It's one of the ones that just captures the feeling of snow.
ReplyDeleteOh!!! Karen Carpenter! I have dearly loved her music through the years and still miss that sweet smile and beautiful voice. Thanks so much for the memories! Great post!!! Hugs, Coralie
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