Was there ever a style of music as dripping with sentimentality as doo-wop? Originating among Black communities in major US cities in the late 1940s, doo-wop was, right from the very beginning, the sound of longing. But it was a longing of a very specific kind.
The blues had always been about transcending suffering and drudgery. Jazz was a roaring cry for emancipation and respect. Gospel pinned the heart in supplication on God’s great altar. But doo-wop had a much simpler plea. It was just desperate to get laid. Largely performed – and listened to – by teenagers, doo-wop was the sound of hormones gone haywire, of unfulfilled desire, of a raging physical passion that wouldn’t go away. But, given the mores of the day, the kids couldn’t just come out and talk about how horny they were. Their longing was disguised in tales of thwarted romance, broken hearts and cruel jiltings.
All of which, in a strange cultural twist, made it the perfect vehicle for some of the most glorious Christmas songs ever recorded. At the height of doo-wop’s commercial popularity throughout the 1950s and into the early 1960s, young groups looking for a Christmas hit channelled the music’s fierce energy of unrequited sexual yearning into an intense festive longing. Alchemising the excessively schmaltzy sentimentality of the season, they conjured sweetly weeping tragedies of lonely holidays, unused mistletoe and gifts ungiven. It’s a downtrodden sound, lachrymose and left behind, forever watching the lucky ones’ warm, carefree festivities of the heart through a steamed-up window while our hangdog heroes stand around on street corners, collars turned up against the cold, honing their a cappella laments.
So, lets unwrap a few of these bittersweet offerings and wallow in the heartsore sound of Christmas doo-wop.
The Orioles – ‘(It’s Gonna Be) A Lonely Christmas’
Not only were Baltimore’s The Orioles one of the earliest doo-wop groups, with this 1949 hit they set the basic template for the Christmas doo-wop tune. It’s a painfully slow and plodding tale of lovelorn seasonal woe, with Sonny Til’s sad, lonely tenor bemoaning: “Last year was fine ’cause your love was mine / And I knew you’d come when I call / This year I’ll be blue and lonely listening to / The music from the party, ‘cross the hall.”
The Five Keys – ‘It’s Christmas Time’
Opening with musical-box chimes playing the ‘Jingle Bells’ melody, this 1951 classic swoons straight into the most sumptuously gorgeous vocal harmonies as The Five Keys simply sing “ding dong.” That’s the doorbell our heartbroken narrator aches to hear but which he knows will never come: “I sit alone in our dream cottage / And snow is on the ground / I’m sitting all alone and I’m wishing / That someday you’ll come around.”
The Falcons – ‘Can This Be Christmas’
An unspoken mystery seems to underpin this tune from 1957. Here, The Falcons seem taken by surprise by Christmas Day, only recognising it because “all the ground is covered in snow.” It’s a cause for celebration but, amid the joy, a note of quiet melancholy is sounded as the ephemeral nature of happiness is revealed: “How I wish that this Christmas / Would never go away / Yes, I wish that this Christmas / Was here to stay.”
The Marcels – ‘Don’t Cry For Me This Christmas’
Pittsburgh’s multi-racial doo-wop heroes The Marcels were most famous for their upbeat 1961 version of ‘Blue Moon’ but this Christmas weepy from the same year taps into a slow, ponderous sorrow. Lead singer Cornelius Harp assures his girlfriend that he’s doing his best to be home by Christmas Eve, but he isn’t making any promises. “I know it isn’t easy when the one you love’s away / Wonderin’ when he’ll be home to stay,” he croons. What’s the deal? Jail time? Military service? Try harder, Cornelius.
The Uniques – ‘Merry Christmas Darling (And A Happy New Year (Too))’
On first inspection, this cheerful 1963 seasonal treat from Chicago seems the antidote to the usual doo-wop downers. Our hero seems happy to be with his beloved. But does that spoken section in the middle seem just a little pushy? “Darling let’s make a resolution / Not just for the new year / But for a lifetime / Let’s always be together / Come what might and, Darling / Let’s stay together always / As we are tonight.” Let’s hope he still means it in the morning.
