First recorded in 1948 by Doye O’Dell, it was a minor hit the next year for Ernest Tubb in (Number 1 for the first week of January 1950 on Billboard magazine’s Most-Played Juke Box (Country & Western)), Hugo Winterhalter ( No. 9 on Billboard’s Records Most Played by Disk Jockeys chart) and Russ Morgan (No. 11 on Billboard’s Best-Selling Pop Singles chart). The next year Hugo Winterhalter released an alternate version with shortened lyrics sung by Billy Eckstine that is most akin to the one that has become a holiday standard sung by Elvis on his 1957 LP Elvis’ Christmas Album. In 1974, the song was featured in the children’s Christmas special The Year Without a Santa Claus.
Presley’s version is notable because of the use of the “blue notes” (septimal minor thirds replacing the just minor thirds for you musical people), creating an added layer of depth to the songs content. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without the King singing this Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson’s tale of unrequited love.
Inertia Satori 