Frosty the Snowman

By Jack Rollins and Steve Nelson
1950

If you'll indulge me with a belated Christmas standard, I'd like to place the (not-too-hot) spotlight on "Frosty the Snowman", mainly due to my two-year-old son's current obsession with both the song and the 1969 Rankin-Bass animated special narrated by Jimmy Durante. Introduced by the great singing cowboy Gene Autry, Frosty was a follow-up to Autry's mega-hit of the previous Christmas, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". In addition to the song, which has become a modern Christmas classic, the snowman's popularity has endured due to a series of animated cartoons based on him, most notably the aforementioned 1969 chestnut, as well as a beloved Little Golden Book edition of the story, also published in 1950. The lyrics supposedly takes place in Armonk, New York, a town which has an annual parade in Frosty's honor to this day.

Lyrics:

Frosty the Snowman
Was a jolly happy soul
With a corncob pipe and a button nose
And his eyes made out of coal

Frosty the Snowman
Made the children laugh and play
And were they surprised when
Before their eyes
He came to life that day

There must have been some magic
In that old silk hat they found
For when they placed it on his head
He began to dance around

Frosty the Snowman
Was alive as he could be
And the children say
He could laugh and play
Just the same as you and me

Frosty the Snowman
Knew the sun was hot that day
So he said let's run
And we'll have fun
Now before I melt away

So down to the village
With a broomstick in his hand
Running here and there all around the square
Saying catch me if you can

He led them down the streets of town
Right to the traffic cop
And he only paused a moment when
He heard him holler stop

Frosty the Snowman
Had to hurry on his way
But he waved goodbye
Saying don't you cry
I'll be back again some day

Thumpety thump thump
Thumpety thump thump
Look at Frosty go
Thumpety thump thump
Thumpety thump thump

Over the hills of snow

Recorded By:

Nat King Cole
Perry Como
Guy Lombardo
Jimmy Durante
The Ronettes

South of the Border

By Jimmy Kennedy & Michael Carr
1939

A unique composition, in which the breezy, swinging melody is in direct contrast to the rueful lyrics, in which a man regrets his deception of a Mexican beauty he returns to when it's too late. It was written for "singing cowboy" Gene Autry, for the film of the same name. Frank Sinatra would record the most famous version nearly 20 years later.

Lyrics:

South of the border, down Mexico way,
That's where I fell in love, where the stars above came out to play.
And now as I wander, my thoughts ever stray
South of the border, down Mexico way.

She was a picture in old Spanish lace.
Just for a tender while, I kissed a smile upon her face.
'Cause it was fiesta, and we were so gay,
South of the border, down Mexico way.

Then she smiled as she whispered, "Manana,"
Never dreaming that we were parting.
Then I lied as a whispered, "Manana,"
'Cause our tomorrow never came.

South of the border, I went back one day.
There in a veil of white, by the candle light, she knelt to pray.
The mission bells told me that I mustn't stay
South of the border, down Mexico way.

Recorded By:

Patsy Cline
Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass
Chris Isaak
Charlie Parker
Tommy Dorsey