10. The Christmas Song by Mel Torme (1944)
Who doesn’t know this song? Who hasn’t sung “chestnuts roasting on an open fire”? Bob Wells and Mel Torme, who were known at the time as The Velvet Fog, composed the song in 1944 as an effort to get relief from the overwhelming California heat. The song is surrounded with irony because Mel Torme, who finished up the lyrics to the song, was Jewish and he wrapped up the song in 45 minutes on a hot and sunny California day.
The song was first performed by Nat King Cole in 1946, and it became an instant hit on both the R & B and pop charts. It is estimated that Wells and Torme earned $19 million from their song.
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