It might be early in the month, but tonight’s (December 3) CMA Country Christmas made it feel like the perfect time to get in the holiday spirit. Few things on earth will help even the biggest Grinch go from “bah-humbug” to “fa-la-la-la-la” like come heartfelt Yuletide tunes. Cody Johnson delivered a double shot of holiday magic tonight with performances of “White Christmas” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”
Fans know Johnson as a hit-making country singer. Tonight, though, he proved to the audience that he has range with a pair of Frank Sinatra-esque crooning performances of a pair of Christmas classics. Hearing new and original holiday songs is always great. However, classics are classics for a reason and the “Til You Can’t Singer” picked two of the most moving songs in the collection of Christmas standards.
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This isn’t the first time he’s performed these songs. Both classics also appear on the Texan’s 2021 Christmas album A Cody Johnson Christmas. “We’re singing two songs that I put on my Christmas record,” Johnson said of tonight’s performance. “The band played it to the T exactly like I recorded it. So, it was wonderful,” he added.
Cody Johnson Croons a Pair of Christmas Classics
Cody Johnson chose a pair of timeless Christmas classics for tonight’s broadcast. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “White Christmas” have long histories.
“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” was a major holiday hit in the mid-‘40s. Written by Kim Gannon and Walter Kent and originally recorded by Bing Crosby, the song is from the perspective of a soldier overseas fighting WWII. As a result, the song’s lyrics about longing to be home for the holidays touched civilians and soldiers alike.
Countless artists have covered the Christmas standard since its initial release in 1943. However, few were able to tug the heartstrings like Crosby’s original. The intersection of Crosby’s timeless voice, the touching lyrics, and the war made his version nearly untouchable.
Crosby also sang the original version of the Irving Berlin-penned “White Christmas.” However, the origin is much less emotionally heavy. Berlin wrote the song for the 1942 film Holiday Inn.
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