Dean Martin - "Let It Snow, Let It Snow..

This week, "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" by Dean Martin makes the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time. Dean recorded two Christmas albums during his career, A Winter Romance for Capitol in 1959 and The Dean Martin Christmas Album for Reprise in 1966, and he recorded versions of the song for each album.

Both versions run around 1:54-1:55. On the 1959 Capitol version, Dean's voice is the only voice you hear. There are background singers on the 1966 Reprise version, on which Dean says "It's snowing" before the song ends.

As far as I can tell, neither version was released as a single until the 1959 Capitol version was released on one of those Capitol "For Jukeboxes Only" singles some time in the 1990s. This is also the version that appears on most, if not all, various artists compilations, including the Christmas edition in the NOW series. (The Reprise version is owned by the Dean Martin estate.) It is also the 1959 Capitol version that I have been hearing on the radio.

Paul,

Just curious but would the influx of Xmas songs on the Hot 100 be the official releases in mono, as they originally came out during that time or are they now considered stereo which are the versions that are being played on the radio stations here?

Paul C wrote: This week, "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" by Dean Martin makes the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time. Dean recorded two Christmas albums during his career, A Winter Romance for Capitol in 1959 and The Dean Martin Christmas Album for Reprise in 1966, and he recorded versions of the song for each album. Both versions run around 1:54-1:55. On the 1959 Capitol version, Dean's voice is the only voice you hear. There are background singers on the 1966 Reprise version, on which Dean says "It's snowing" before the song ends. As far as I can tell, neither version was released as a single until the 1959 Capitol version was released on one of those Capitol "For Jukeboxes Only" singles some time in the 1990s. This is also the version that appears on most, if not all, various artists compilations, including the Christmas edition in the NOW series. (The Reprise version is owned by the Dean Martin estate.) It is also the 1959 Capitol version that I have been hearing on the radio.

If you look at iTunes (where a few folks are probably buying the song) the song is available on two compilation CDs from 2013-14 "Christmas With The Rat Pack" and "Dino's Christmas" - both in stereo and on Capitol Records.

Paul Haney wrote: BTW, the main reason we're seeing higher peaks on many of these older Christmas songs is because the streaming numbers have really exploded this year.

Interesting story on just that topic: https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8491259/how-amaz on-music-alexa-helping-boost-decades-old-holiday-classics-ch arts

On Spotify, Andy Williams' hit "It's The Most Wonderful
Time Of The Year has nearly 188 million streams, his next
song has only 25 million streams (Sleigh Ride.)

Mariah Carey has near 480 million streams with "All I Want
For Christmas Is You."

Sure is a different world out there with streaming the
last few years. Those numbers are just general, not sure
where you'd get the numbers to see how many are repeat vs.
unique streams