Following ‘Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire’ through Nat King Cole’s Self Covers

Before the famous 1961 version of “The Christmas Song”, written by  Mel Tormé and Robert Wells (Robert Levinson) and, there were three other recorded versions, so we can follow the evolution of this self-cover.

You can read all about it in the text below the video here:

Mel Torme (on right) and friends Embed from Getty Images

There were two similar recordings in the summer of 1946. Minimal strings.

The first in June, 1946

The second, a few months later

The Nelson Riddle arrangement in 1953.

This is called the ‘definitive’ version but it was recorded fifteen years or so after Nat’s own original rendition.