Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family when he was 13 years old. His music career began there in 1954, recording at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African American music to a wider audience. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was a pioneer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage the singer for more than two decades. Presley's first RCA single, "Heartbreak Hotel", was released in January 1956 and became a number one hit in the United States. With a series of successful network television appearances and chart-topping records, he became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll. His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, made him enormously popular—and controversial.
In November 1956, Presley made his film debut in Love Me Tender. Drafted into military service in 1958, Presley relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work. He held few concerts however, and guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of the 1960s to making Hollywood movies and soundtrack albums, most of them critically derided. In 1968, following a seven-year break from live performances, he returned to the stage in the acclaimed television comeback special Elvis, which led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a string of highly profitable tours. In 1973, Presley gave the first concert by a solo artist to be broadcast around the world, Aloha from Hawaii. Years of prescription drug abuse severely compromised his health, and he died suddenly in 1977 at his Graceland estate, just 42 years of age.
Presley is one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th century. Commercially successful in many genres, including pop, country, blues, and gospel, he is the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music. He won three competitive Grammys, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36, and has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame.
05 Blue Christmas
Elvis Presley 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 be the same dear, if you're not here with me
And when those blue snowflakes start falling
That's when those blue memories start calling
You'll be doin' all right, with your Christmas of white
You'll be doin' all right, with your Christmas of white,
But I'll have a blue, blue Christmas
"Blue Christmas" is a hauntingly sad song about missing someone during the holidays. The singer will have a blue Christmas without their loved one, who is no longer with them. They'll be so blue just thinking about the person they miss. The decorations that used to bring joy and happiness to the singer's holiday season will no longer do so because their loved one is absent. The line "Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree" is a very visual representation of how the holidays look different when someone is gone.
The second half of the song is equally as sad. The singer recognizes that the person they're missing is likely doing fine with their Christmas without them, but it doesn't change the fact that the singer is "blue, blue, blue" without them. The reference to "blue snowflakes" is a clever way to describe those moments during the holiday season when it's easy to feel melancholy and recall memories of loved ones who are no longer with us. The song ends on a sad note, with the singer acknowledging that they'll have a blue Christmas while the person they miss will have a white one, implying that they're in very different places emotionally.
Overall, "Blue Christmas" is a powerful reminder of the bittersweet emotions that can accompany the holiday season, particularly when we're missing someone we love.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll have a blue Christmas without you
I will feel unhappy during the Christmas season because you will not be with me
I'll be so blue just thinking about you
I will feel sad and melancholic by just thinking about you
Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree
The traditional and festive decor of the Christmas tree with red and green ornaments
Won't be the same dear, if you're not here with me
The holiday will be incomplete and unexciting if you are not here with me
And when those blue snowflakes start falling
When the snowflakes, symbolizing sadness, start falling
That's when those blue memories start calling
The sad memories of our time together start haunting me
You'll be doin' all right, with your Christmas of white
You will be enjoying the holiday season without me
But I'll have a blue, blue blue blue Christmas
But for me, Christmas will be a sad and depressing time without you
Lyrics © DEMI MUSIC CORP. D/B/A LICHELLE MUSIC COMPANY
Written by: Billy Hayes, Jay W Johnson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
K
Fun fact: Elvis didn't even want to do a Christmas album but was forced to by the label and after a long day of recording, Elvis' back up singer was messing around and started to make the iconic "ooo eyee ooo" sound repeatedly and they all laughed and concluded that that track would never make it on the final album. Little did they know it would become a popular xmas classic.
dan ces
ah ya good story thank you
The Horde
Wow
Bruno B. Vallelunga
I'm sorry to disagree with you Kenneth. Elvis didn't like the song when he first heard it. Elvis told his background singer to do that iconic "ooo eyee ooo" sound that you mention, hoping that it would sound "corny" and they wouldn't do it. But guess what, when it was all done, they knew they had a hit. Stay safe!
Viyo1520 rojas
good one, always wondered where it came from .
Truthinlight
@Kapersky you are correct. Millie Kirkham & Gordon Stoker were both at recording session. They gave detailed interviews about how Elvis didn't take it serious and thought it was awful. They really thought RCA might not release it, which is what Elvis wanted anyway.
I had chance to talk w/Gordon Stokes about this many years ago. He said it was a complete head-shake, bewildering and hilarious to Elvis that they all tried to sabotage song in studio, and sure no-one would like it, yet it became a hit anyway 😂
Funny. It became a Holiday classic.
But hey... More power to it.
Elvis appreciated the songs success. He didn't like it. But he was glad others enjoyed it.
Euge Kuesty
No one could sing a christmassong like Elvis did. Merry christmas to all Elvis fans all over the word. 🎅🎄
David Gibbs
And the same to you. 🎅 👑.
Infernal Machinez
Merry December!
P AR
Gracias! Mis mejores deseos también para ti en esta Navidad.