Forgotten History of Christmas Carols
Dan O'Donnell tells the stories of our favorite Christmas songs.
Episodes
December 5, 2017 • 1 min
Dan O'Donnell tells the story of how a children's game became a beloved Christmas song.
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December 5, 2017 • 1 min
How did a randy New Year's Eve song become a beloved Christmas carol? Dan O'Donnell explains.
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December 5, 2017 • 59 secs
Dan O'Donnell tells the tale of how Santa Claus upstaging Gene Autry in a parade led to one of the world's best-known Christmas carols.
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December 5, 2017 • 1 min
Dan O'Donnell gives the history of a song that's so old, no one is quite sure when it was first written.
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December 5, 2017 • 1 min
Dan O'Donnell tells the story of why we should all thank a songwriter's wife for not singing about "tinkle bells" every Christmas.
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December 5, 2017 • 1 min
One of Santa's reindeer a drunk? Dan O'Donnell explains how that belief nearly prevented the release of one of the most beloved Christmas songs of all time.
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December 5, 2017 • 1 min
Dan O'Donnell explains how one of the world's most beloved Christmas carols started as merely a way for a songwriter to keep cool on a hot summer day.
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December 5, 2017 • 1 min
A record label deemed it to be too sad to be a Christmas carol, but struck a poignant chord with soldiers serving in World War II. Dan O'Donnell tells the story of "I'll Be Home for Christmas."
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December 5, 2017 • 1 min
Did you know the good king was actually a real king (well, technically the duke of Bohemia)? Dan O'Donnell tells the tale of Wenceslas I.
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December 5, 2017 • 1 min
Dan O'Donnell tells the story of how a 13 year-old girl recorded one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time.
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December 5, 2017 • 1 min
One of the most famous religious Christmas carols of all time was written by someone who wasn't religious at all. Dan O'Donnell tells the fascinating story of "O Holy Night."
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December 5, 2017 • 1 min
Dan O'Donnell tells the story of how the bestselling Christmas song of all time was recorded in just 18 minutes.
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December 5, 2017 • 1 min
A husband and wife's private love song becomes an Oscar-winning worldwide sensation. Dan O'Donnell explains how.
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December 5, 2017 • 1 min
Dan O'Donnell explains how a tune originally written for Thanksgiving eventually became the first song ever broadcast from outer space.
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December 5, 2017 • 1 min
Dan O'Donnell tells the story of how two friends, a guitar, and a broken church organ created one of the most beloved Christmas songs of all time.
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