Splash's All Star Christmas Playlist Quiz

Answer: Paul McCartney

The song was recorded by McCartney at his Scottish farmhouse.
Although none of his band Wings played on the recording, they all appeared in the music video.

It reached Number Six on the UK Singles Chart in January 1980.

Answer: Judy Garland

With words by Ralph Blane and music by Hugh Martin, Garland sang "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" in the movie "Meet Me In St. Louis"; indeed she is said to have added to the lyrics.

In the 1950s, the lyrics were changed for Frank Sinatra, who wanted a more upbeat version. This is how the song became known thereafter.

Answer: Bing Crosby

"White Christmas" was written by Irving Berlin for the 1942 movie "Holiday Inn". Crosby sang it from the point of view of a New Yorker stranded in sunny California at Christmas.

The film version is different from the single that Crosby recorded in May 1942 - before the release of the movie. The film has an opening verse that was dropped from the single.

The song reached number one on the Billboard charts in October 1942. In various releases, it was to be a Billboard regular for some 20 years and is the biggest-selling Christmas song of all time.

It won an Academy Award in 1942 and was the biggest-selling song of all time until Elton John released his tribute to Princess Diana - "Candle In The Wind." in 1997.

Answer: Wizzard

In 1973, "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" reached number four in the UK charts. It was written by Roy Wood, the larger than life lead vocalist of the band Wizzard.

The song was recorded in August 1973, and featured a school choir from Wood's native Birmingham.

Forty years on, it is one of those songs played in a loop in many shops and supermarkets every Christmas season.

By the way: Wizzard is Roy Wood's spelling of the word.

Answer: Greg Lake

"I Believe In Father Christmas" was written by Greg Lake and was a solo hit for him. It did, though, also appear on the album 'Emerson, Lake And Palmer: Works 2' (1975).

Although it reached number two in the UK, Americans, apparently did not like it: it topped out at number 95.

It was co-written with Pete Sinfield.

Lake said of the song: "For me as a child, it was the visual image of peace on earth and goodwill toward men. It was the symbol of generosity and feeling good and all those things. And that's what I think Christmas is all about."

He told 'Mojo' magazine: "I find it appalling when people say it's politically incorrect to talk about Christmas, you've got to talk about 'The Holiday Season.'
"Christmas was a time of family warmth and love. There was a feeling of forgiveness, acceptance. And I do believe in Father Christmas."

Answer: Mariah Carey

"All I Want For Christmas Is You" was co-written and co-produced by Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff. It reached number two in the UK and number seven in the US.

The lyrics were largely from Carey. Walter Afanasieff said in an interview: "She created a lyric that probably, to this day, is the only uptempo Christmas love song. I think people like this positive love song because it's interchangeable: Anybody can sing it to anybody.

"It's about everybody, and it can only mean one thing from father to child or mother to child or wife to husband. It's just, 'All I Want For Christmas Is You.'"

Answer: Slade

Just like so many people are either a Paul McCartney or a John Lennon devotee, when it comes to cheesy Christmas songs, many are either Wizzard or Slade lovers.

Slade vocalist Noddy Holder converted this to a Christmas song in 1973 from a number he wrote in 1967.

It was number one with a bullet: selling 300,000 copies on the first day of release.

In 2013, Holder told 'Q' magazine the song was originally inspired by The Beatles: "I wrote the original verse with the lyrics, 'Buy me a rocking chair, I'll watch the world go by. Bring me a mirror, I'll look you in the eye,' in 1967 in the aftermath of The Beatles' Sgt Pepper."

"I was being psychedelic. Dave (Hill) wrote another part to the song but it didn't work so we put it away. Then in 1973 he remembered my verse one day when we were trying to write a Christmas single. We changed the words to, 'Are you hanging up your stocking on the wall?' and the rest fell into place."

The song has re-entered the UK charts on several occasions and gets a lot of radio airplay each Christmas. All this adds up to a nice little pension for Mr Holder and his co-writers. In 2013, it was estimated that the single had sold over 1.2 million copies and had become the most heard song in the world. The songwriters at that time were sharing £512,000 in royalties each year.

Answer: Wham!

Okay, so it is not really a Christmas song. It is about the break-up of a relationship.

"Last Christmas" was written by George Michael, however the writers of Barry Manilow's "Can't Smile Without You" sued him for plagiarism. They claimed this song lifted its melody from their tune. Following an out-of-court settlement, Michael gave his first year's royalties to the Band Aid charity.

The song reached number two in the UK, and was kept off the top spot by "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid.

The song has been oft-derided: indeed a social media game called "Whamageddon"
was created, the aim being to get as far into the Christmas season as possible without hearing the song.

Answer: Johnny Mathis

The song is based on a 1974 Italian tune "Soleado" by Ciro Dammicco. Fred Jay wrote the English lyrics.

The song does not specifically mention Christmas, or even the birth of Christ - although that by implication is the subject.

The Mathis version sold 885,000 copies and was the much-coveted UK Christmas chart topper. It failed to enter the Billboard Hot 100 in the USA.

The melody, meanwhile, has been used to accompany a number of different lyrics in several languages.

Answer: The Pogues, featuring Kirsty McColl

The song borrowed a title from the book "A Fairytale of New York" by J P Donleavy.

The song was written by lead singer Shane McGowan and banjo player Jem Finer. The initial lyrics were about a sailor and a distant ocean, but Finer's wife suggested changing it to a story about a couple down on their luck. What eventually came out was the melody of the first and the story line of the second.

Initially "Fairytale Of New York" was to be a duet between McGowan and Pogues bass player Cait O'Riordan. Then Steve Lillywhite, who was producing an album for The Pogues, played the tapes for his wife Kirsty MacColl and McGowan liked the raw, hoarse quality her voice gave it.

In a television poll in 2004, this was voted the UK's favourite Christmas song of all time.

Sadly, Kirsty MacColl - the daughter of Ewan MaColl, one of Britain's finest 20th Century folk singers/composers - died in a boating accident in 2000.

Answer: Brenda Lee

In fact Brenda Lee was just 13 when she recorded "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" in 1958. It was written by Johnny Marks, the man who also penned "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer."

In an interview with the 'Chicago Tribune' in 2006, Lee said she recorded the song in July 1958 with Nashville producer Owen Bradley.

She added: "Owen had the studio all freezing cold with the air conditioning, and he had a Christmas tree all set up to kind of get in the mood just a little bit. We had a lot of fun."

The song failed to chart in 1958 or 1959, but was a Billboard Hot 100 number 14 in 1960. In reached number six in the UK.

Answer: Andy Williams

"It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" was written by George Wyle and Eddie Pola specifically for 'The Andy Williams Christmas Album' in 1963 and he performed it on the popular variety show, 'The Andy Williams Show'.

It was a Billboard Hot 100 number 16 and reached number 17 in the UK. In December 2007, the recording was used by a British supermarket for their Christmas commercial, and entered the UK charts at number 21.

Incidentally, no room for Elvis in this quiz. He did record Christmas songs, notably "Blue Christmas", but chart success eluded him.

Answer: Burl Ives

Many people tend to forget that Burl Ives was a successful folk singer before he became an equally successful actor.

"Holly Jolly Christmas" was written by Johnny Marks, who had already written "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer".

It appeared on the 1946 LP of the same name. The song, as a single, did not chart, when first released, but when Billboard began to take account of streaming it reached number 46 at the Christmas of 2016 and number 38 the following year.

Kudos to those of you who said "Burl Ives" without hesitation, equivocation or mental reservation. You know your Christmas songs!

Answer: Nat King Cole

Bob Wells started to write this song at his home in California in July 1946 and the opening words were on a piece of paper when his songwriting partner Mel Torme arrived. Together they completed the song in 35 minutes.

Two versions were recorded by the Nat King Cole Trio, one with strings and one without. The stringless version was abandoned and the other became a hit.

"The Christmas Song" song, as it is officially known, although many refer to it as "Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire", has been covered by many artists and the original recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1974.

Answer: Band Aid

The words to "Do They Know it's Christmas" were written by Bob Geldoff and the music by Midge Ure, who also produced it.

More than 40 singers took part in the recording, although to be fair, some had much smaller parts than others.

None had heard the lyrics before they arrived in the recording studio in November 1984. (Apart from Sting and Simon LeBon who recorded their parts prior to that.)

It became the biggest selling single in the UK to that time and raised $14 million for famine relief in Africa.

In 2015 Midge Ure, told songfacts.com: "It's never been a great song. It's kind of grown into a better song than it ever was. But as a recording, as a production, I'm immensely proud of it. So is Bob. Because it did its job phenomenally."