Nuttin’ for Christmas
The vocalist on this piece has been compared to a modern-day gangsta rapper or thug musician. That is to say that the lyrical emphasis of this piece is on the naughty things the narrator has done. Moreover, he doesn’t appear to be penitent at all.
Instead, premise-wise what he’s primarily upset about is that “somebody snitched” in terms of revealing he was the mastermind behind various evil pranks and even engaged in a violent assault “(up) on Johnny’s head”.
So now, being that the vocalist is in fact a child, he’s being punished. And said punishment is manifested in the form of his parents opting not to buy him jack sh*t or ‘nothing for Christmas’. And this being the 1950s and all, there is a moral to the story, harping back to the myth of Santa Claus.
The conclusive message being relayed from the singer to his agemates is that the receiving of Christmas gifts is nothing to take for granted. Therefore it behooves them, in the name of securing the bag, to “be good”.
Facts for “Nuttin’ for Christmas”
Art Mooney (1911-1993) was a highly regarded mid-20th century musician. And he was one of a number of artists to come out with a rendition of “Nuttin’ for Christmas” in 1955. However, his performance bested the others.
There are conflicting reports as to whether his take on this tune peaked at number 6 or topped Billboard Hot 100 (being known as the Best Sellers in Stores chart or The Top 100 back then). But either way, the track verifiably sold a million copies, being one of the biggest Christmas hits of the early days of the US music industry.
At the time of this track’s issuance, Barry Gordon was what would today probably be described as a child reality star who got his foot in the door via his singing talents and presumably youthful charisma. But he promptly transitioned over to acting, the field in which he most notably made a name for himself. In fact Gordon even presiding over the Screen Actors Guild for nearly a decade during the late-1980s/early-1990s.
The writers of this song were Roy C. Bennett and Sid Tepper. Interestingly, on top of both being Brooklynites who in their youth established a long-term friendship and musical partnership, both Bennett and Tepper were born and died in the same year, i.e. 1918-2015.
The tune of “Nuttin’ for Christmas” is said to have been influenced by an 18th century Western European folk song called “Vive La Compagnie”.
