Written by Meredith Wilson

 

“It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” was a holiday classic written in 1951 by Meredith Wilson. 1951 saw the song become a hit for Perry Como & The Fontane Sisters with Mitchell Ayres & His Orchestra. Another famous version was released in the early fifties by Bing Crosby. In the next decades, “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” became an evergreen with covers by dozens of artists like Johnny Mathis, Harry Connick, Jr., Dean Martin and Pentatonix.

In 2011, Canadian superstar Michael Bublè  released a festive cd titled Christmas. It was an out-of-the-box smash reaching #1 in many countries and eventually selling over 12 million copies worldwide. A good portion of  Christmas was produced by David Foster.  Among other goodies, Foster conceived a fantastic rendition of “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” as the album’s opening number. Needless to say, it only took a few seconds of Bublè’s swinging to get listeners in the holiday mood. From the day of its original release, this cover has become a perennial favorite with millions and millions of plays. The song has been perfectly crafted by Foster who also wrote the orchestral arrangement with Alan Broadbent. Bublè’s vocal is absolutely flawless. His assured tone fits the song like a glove and the instrumental back-up is top-notch. Band performances are done by jazz greats like Peter Erskine on drums, Chuck Berghofer on bass and Alan Pasqua on piano.

Released as the second single from Christmas, “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” met immediate success on the international charts. The song’s unique appeal resulted in a lasting commercial power that brought it to more chart success. In 2022 “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” reached #6 on the UK’s singles chart and the song just recently went Top 20 on Billboard’s Hot 100, thus becoming one of Bublè’s bigger hits ever in the US. 

• Lead Vocals: Michael Bublè
• Piano: Alan Pasqua
• Keyboards: David Foster
• Bass: Chuck Berghofer
• Drums: Peter Erskine
• Guitar: Graham Dechter
• Synth Programming & Sound Design: Jochem van der Saag

• Orchestral Arrangement by David Foster & Alan Broadbent
• Produced & Arranged by David Foster

Lyrics

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Everywhere you go
Take a look at the five and ten, it’s glistening once again
With candy canes and silver lanes that glow

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Toys in every store
But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be
On your own front door

A pair of Hopalong boots and a pistol that shoots
Is the wish of Barney and Ben
Dolls that’ll talk and will go for a walk
Is the hope of Janice and Jen
And Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Everywhere you go
There’s a tree in the Grand Hotel, one in the park as well
It’s the sturdy kind that doesn’t mind the snow

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Soon the bells will start
And the thing that’ll make ’em ring is the carol that you sing
Right within your heart

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Toys in every store
But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be
On your own front door

Sure, it’s Christmas once more