“Let It Snow” is a song I’ve come to appreciate more the longer I’ve lived in southern states. I grew up with very cold winters up north and, despite the hassles it can cause, I miss the snowy weather. Apparently, so did the writers of the classic holiday tune, as we’ll learn in this Throwback Threesome.
New York-born lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Jule Styne, who grew up in Chicago, came up with “Let It Snow” during a Hollywood heatwave in July 1945. Sweltering in the southern California sun, Cahn and Styne were clearly dreaming of frostier conditions as they wrote of snow that “doesn’t show signs of stopping.”
The song was first recorded in the fall of 1945 by singer, trumpeter, and big band leader Vaughn Monroe. It was released just after Thanksgiving and became a hit by Christmas. That’s probably why it has always been associated with the holiday even though there’s no mention of it in the lyrics. Technically, it’s a song about taking shelter from frigid weather. In the Southern Hemisphere, it should be played during the winter months of July and August!
Since its original release, the seasonal favorite has been recorded by Frank Sinatra (1950), Dean Martin (1959), Bing Crosby (1962), Garth Brooks (1999), Jessica Simpson (2004), Rod Stewart (2012), and Goo Goo Dolls (2020), just to name a few. According to Songfacts, Harry Connick Jr.’s 1993 version is the most popular on American radio. Unfortunately, he never made a video for it but I found three others. So grab “some corn for popping” and let’s enjoy!
Throwback Threesome: “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”
