Song
A Holly Jolly Christmas
by Burl Ives
A Holly Jolly Christmas is a 1964 song by Burl Ives, 2:15 long, which peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. A karaoke version is available on KaraFun. It fits the Christmas song themes.
Released 1964 Hot 100 peak #4 · 51 weeks Length 2:15
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Johnny Marks song that Burl Ives sang as Sam the Snowman in the 1964 Rankin-Bass TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. This page is Ives's slower re-recording with a twelve-string guitar intro, released by Decca as a single in November 1964 and included on his 1965 album Have a Holly Jolly Christmas; it is the version most heard on radio.
Performance tips
- Channel Burl's warm, jolly, grandfatherly tone and smile the whole way through.
- Keep it relaxed and conversational; it's a light, easy melody, so don't oversing it.
- Invite the room to join the ding-dong bells in the outro.
In these themes
Karaoke versions
There's a karaoke version of this song. Most karaoke services carry it; KaraFun lists it among its catalog.
- Find karaoke versions on YouTubeOpens a YouTube search for "A Holly Jolly Christmas" karaoke
Other versions
- Holly Jolly ChristmasCover by Michael Buble2011
- Michael BubleAlso recorded this song