The Trailer
"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home" by Darlene Love. It was included in the 1963 compilation album "A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records". Written by Ellie Greewich and Jeff Barry with a co-creditation for producer Phil Spector. It has been covered many times by artists on their own Christmas recordings.
The Christmas Special
"It's the most wonderful time of the year" by Andy Williams. Written by Edward Pola and George Wyle, it was recorded by Andy for his first Christmas Album called "The Andy Williams Christmas Album" released in, yes, 1963. It wasn't until a re-release in 2017 that the single reached the charts in the USA (No 10) and the UK (17),
"He's So Fine" by The Chiffons. Written by Ronald Mack, it was in the spring of 1963 that the record made the very top of the Billbard 100 Chart for four weeks. However it only reached No 16 in the UK.
"Santa Baby" by Eartha Kitt. It was in 1953 that this Joan Javits and Phillip Springer composition was released and earned the singer a Gold Record.
I have yet to determine the song on the radio in Fred's home around the 25/26 minute mark. Any help would be appreciated .............
I now know it was "A Marshmallow World" by Bing Crosby It was included in "The Complete Decca Christmas Songbook". Written in 1949 by Carl Sigman (lyrics) and Peter DeRose (music), Bing recorded the song in 1950, The extract on "Call the Midwife" starts halfway through the recording with the Lee Gordon Singers who provided the backing. Many thanks to Vicki Williams for her help.
The next song took some finding (I never use song recognition software). There was something familiar about the simple melody and beat, something in a faraway corner of a memory bank from well over 50 years ago. I heard the word "bird" in the lyric and trawled through novelty songs of the early sixties. And here was "The Bird is the Word" by The Rivingtons. (1963 was fine). But comparing their song on YouTube with that on the TV soundtrack, it didn't quite fit. Their almost identical recording of "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" (1962) seemed a better, but not a perfect fit (Nothing about a bird). And there was no drum solo on either recording as there was on the soundtrack. And then ...... I found The Trashmen and their recording of "Surfin' Bird", a compilation of both the previously described songs along with that drum solo. This recording reached an unbelievable position of No 4 in the USA charts but only No 50 in the UK. Drummer and vocalist Steve Wahrer was originally credited with the composition, but this was changed after The Rivingtons successfully sued for plagiarism to that band's Al Frazier, Carl White, Sonny Harris and Turner Wilson Jr. So "Surfin' Bird" it is.
Not a song, but I have included the "Animal Magic" theme tune "Las Vegas" composed by Laurie Johnson.
"My Baby Just Cares For Me" by Nina Simone. Written by Walter Donaldson with lyrics by Gus Kahn, it originally featured in the 1930 movie version of the musical "Whoopee". But it was a UK 1987 perfume commercial that projected Nina Simone's 1958 cover version into the limelight when she sang the accompanying song.
"Frosty the Snowman" by Gene Autrey and the Cass County Boys. Written by Walter "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nelson, this was the original 1950 recording that reached No 7 in the USA charts.
Apparently there is an extract from "You're all I want for Christmas" by Frankie Lane, but I missed that completely.
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