Haley was blinded in his left eye as a child due to a botched operation. According to biographer John Swenson, Haley later adopted his distinctive spit-curl hairstyle to distract attention from his blind eye. The spit-curl caught on as a 50's style signature, although Haley and others had worn the hairstyle much earlier.
In 1946, Haley joined his first professional group, a Pennsylvania-based western swing band called The Down Homers run by Kenny Roberts. It has often been reported in musical reference works that Haley's first professional recordings were made with the Down Homers on a pair of singles released in 1946 by Vogue Records. This was later debunked by Roberts and others, stating Haley had already left the group by the time the singles were made. In the early 2000s, however, a set of 1946 radio recordings by the Down Homers were discovered and Haley is definitely present as he is identified by name and sings a solo number "She Taught Me to Yodel"; these recordings were commercially released for the first time in 2006.
After gaining experience with the Down Homers, Haley set out on his own, forming several groups such as the Range Drifters and the Four Aces of Western Swing. With the Four Aces, he made a number of regionally successful country music singles in the late 1940s for Cowboy Records while working as a touring musician and later a radio DJ at WPWA. (Many of Haley's early recordings from this period would not be released until after his death.) After disbanding the Four Aces and briefly trying a solo career using the names Jack Haley and Johnny Clifton (as chronicled in the biography Sound and Glory), Haley formed a new group called The Saddlemen in either 1949 or 1950 (sources vary as to the exact year); this new group recorded for several labels, including one single for Atlantic Records, Haley's first exposure to a major national record company. In 1951, Haley was signed to Dave Miller's Philadelphia-based Holiday Records and began to change musical styles, recording cover versions of "Rocket "88"" (previously recorded by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats), and in, 1952, "Rock the Joint", previously recorded by several bands including Jimmy Preston and His Prestonians. (By the time of "Rock the Joint", Haley had graduated from Holiday Records to Miller's larger Essex label.) The relative success of these recordings (both sold in the 75,000-100,000 copy range in the Pennsylvania-New England region) convinced Haley that his new and as-yet officially unnamed hybrid of country and rhythm and blues could be a commercial success.and some of his family lives in oklahoma and there is a road named after his family.
Blue Christmas
Bill Haley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll be so blue just thinking about you
Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree
Won't mean a thing, if you're not here with me
And when those blue snowflakes start fallin'
That's when those blue memories start callin'
You'll be doin' all right, with your Christmas of white,
I'll have a Blue Christmas that's certain
And when that blue heartache starts hurtin'
You'll be doin' all right, with your Christmas of white,
But I'll have a blue, blue, blue, blue Christmas
The lyrics of Bill Haley's song "Blue Christmas" express the deep sense of sadness and longing felt during the holiday season when a loved one is absent. The singer laments that they will have a "Blue Christmas" without their significant other, emphasizing the emotional pain and desolation that comes with their absence. The use of the color blue as a symbol of sadness is repeated throughout the lyrics, underscoring the melancholy mood of the song.
The imagery of a traditional Christmas setting with decorations of red on a green tree is juxtaposed with the overwhelming feeling of emptiness without the presence of the loved one. The decorations, typically symbols of joy and celebration, lose their meaning in the absence of the person the singer is longing for. This contrast highlights the emotional contrast between external holiday cheer and internal heartache.
The reference to "blue snowflakes" and "blue memories" falling evokes a sense of nostalgia and sadness. The memories of past Christmases spent together come rushing back, intensifying the singer's feelings of loneliness and yearning. The mention of a "Christmas of white" for the absent loved one further emphasizes the singer's emotional isolation in contrast to the potential happiness of the other person.
The repetition of the phrase "blue, blue Christmas" at the end of the song reinforces the overwhelming sadness and poignancy of the singer's feelings. Despite knowing that the absent loved one may be doing well elsewhere, the singer cannot escape their own blue Christmas, marked by heartache and longing. The song encapsulates the bittersweet nature of the holiday season when it is tinged with the pain of missing someone special, creating a poignant and poignant reflection on love and loss during Christmas.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll have a Blue Christmas without you
I will experience a sad and lonely Christmas in your absence
I'll be so blue just thinking about you
I will feel melancholy as thoughts of you fill my mind
Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree
The festive decorations on the Christmas tree do not bring joy without you
Won't mean a thing, if you're not here with me
The holiday celebrations lose their significance without your presence
And when those blue snowflakes start fallin'
As winter approaches, memories of you bring sadness
That's when those blue memories start callin'
During snowy moments, haunting memories of our time together resurface
You'll be doin' all right, with your Christmas of white,
You may be content with your holiday festivities, but I will be feeling blue
But I'll have a blue, blue Christmas
My Christmas will be marked by sadness and longing
I'll have a Blue Christmas that's certain
It is definite that my Christmas will be colored by sadness without you
And when that blue heartache starts hurtin'
The pain of missing you during the holiday season will be deeply felt
But I'll have a blue, blue, blue, blue Christmas
The overwhelming sense of sadness and longing will be my reality this Christmas
Lyrics © DEMI MUSIC CORP. D/B/A LICHELLE MUSIC COMPANY, EMI Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HUGH MARTIN, RALPH BLANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ginger1959able
Comets all the year round!