Christmas Island

Year: 1946

Written By: Lyle Moraine

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Lyle Moraine wrote the tropical 'Christmas Island' in 1946 and it has had a lengthy list of suitors ever since. The original recording came courtesy of the close harmony group of siblings called the Andrew Sisters. Now here is an example of a classic recording if ever we heard one and the poetry on vinyl is made all the more special by the Guy Lombardo orchestra on backing.

The Lawrence Welk Show ran on American TV for over 3 decades and in that time there were plenty Christmas editions. As you'd expect from someone whose output was described as 'champagne music' the results were glorious. His first Christmas album 'Merry Christmas From Laurence Welk' appeared in 1956 and with the Sparklers group providing the vocals and Welk arranging a delightful old time waltz 'Christmas Island' was given another winning platform.

Ella Fitzgerald's 'Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas' is a masterful entry in the canon of greatest Christmas album's and although 'Christmas Island' did not make the final cut (ending up on a b-side instead) it has found its way on the CD reissue of the same album. And lucky for us too as it is a real delight.

You'd hardly put the two together but goth band Depeche Mode recorded their own version of 'Christmas Island' for the 1986 single 'A Question of Lust'. The song was stripped of its bermuda shorts and ukulele and replaced by dark clothing and heavy eye make-up. In other words it is almost unrecognisable from Lyle Moraine's original take.

Given his predilection for the sound of the island getaway it was always an obvious choice for Jimmy Buffett to give 'Christmas Island' a whirl for his album of the same name in 1996. Bob Dylan was impressed enough to record his own version too. He may have lost some of his vocal power but on his first Christmas album in 2009 his crotchety vocals sound perfect when set against his cooing female backing singers.

There are several other non-Lyle Moraine written 'Christmas Island's, the most pleasant of which is by Portland band Lake who included their sweet 'Christmas Island' on the 2009 album 'Let's Build A Roof'.