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=                         Winter Wonderland                          =
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                             Introduction                             
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"Winter Wonderland" is a song written in 1934 by Felix Bernard and
lyricist Richard Bernhard Smith. Due to its seasonal theme, it is
commonly regarded as a Christmas song in the Northern Hemisphere.
Since its original recording by Richard Himber, it has been covered by
over 200 different artists. Its lyrics are about a couple's romance
during winter.

A later version of "Winter Wonderland" (which was printed in 1947)
included a "new children's lyric" that transformed it "from a romantic
winter interlude to a seasonal song about playing in the snow". The
snowman mentioned in the song's bridge was changed from Parson Brown
to a circus clown, and the promises the couple made in the final verse
were replaced with lyrics about frolicking. Singers such as Johnny
Mathis connected both versions, adding a verse and chorus.


                               History                                
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Smith, a native of Honesdale, Pennsylvania, was reportedly inspired to
write the lyrics after seeing Honesdale's Central Park covered in
snow. He wrote the lyrics while being treated for tuberculosis in the
West Mountain Sanitarium in Scranton.

In 1968, Tony Bennett recorded the song for his album 'Snowfall: The
Tony Bennett Christmas Album'. In 2008, he recorded it again with the
Count Basie Orchestra for the album 'A Swingin' Christmas', while in
2014, he recorded it as a duet with Lady Gaga, released as a
standalone promotional single.

In 1971, Elvis Presley recorded the song on his album 'Elvis Sings The
Wonderful World of Christmas'.

In 2003, Ozzy Osbourne and Jessica Simpson recorded a duet version of
the song for 'The Osbourne Family Christmas Special'. Mike Rampton of
Kerrang! called the cover "completely baffling."

In 2009, Selena Gomez & The Scene covered the song for the “All
Wrapped Up: Volume 2” EP.

In 2023, Chlöe covered the song for Amazon Music as part of their
Amazon Original Music series. The cover peaked at number 87 on the
'Billboard' Hot 100, making her version of the song the first to enter
the chart.

Also in 2023, Laufey covered the song for Spotify as part of their
Spotify Singles Holiday series. The cover became the highest-charting
version of the song in the Core Anglosphere countries, excluding the
United States.

In a November 2025 survey, 18 versions of "Winter Wonderland" were
being played on Christmas music radio stations, the second-most of any
song after "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."


                             Sheet music                              
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The sheet music for the song is in the key of E major for the verses
and chorus and G major for the first half of the bridge, with a
moderate tempo of 72 bpm and a time signature of cut-time, according
to Musicnotes.com.


                       Awards and achievements                        
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In November 2007, the American Society of Composers, Authors and
Publishers (ASCAP) listed "Winter Wonderland" as the most-played
ASCAP-member-written holiday song of the previous five years, and the
Eurythmics' 1987 version as the one most commonly played.


 Tony Bennett version 
======================
Chart (1968-2023)	 Peak position

Denmark (Tracklisten)	35


Italy (FIMI)	44
Lithuania (AGATA)	98

New Zealand (RMNZ)	39
Norway (VG-lista)	35




US Holiday 100 ('Billboard')	87


 Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga version 
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Chart (2014)	 Peak position
US Holiday Digital Song Sales ('Billboard')	20


 Bing Crosby version 
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Chart (2017-2026)	 Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	89


Latvia (DigiTop100)	27
US Holiday 100 ('Billboard')	66


 Michael Bublé version 
=======================
Chart (2017-2025)	 Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	84


Netherlands (Single Tip)	5
Portugal (AFP)	118
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	83
US Holiday 100 ('Billboard')	93


 Darlene Love version 
======================
Chart (2018-2026)	 Peak position


US Holiday 100 ('Billboard')	31
US 'Rolling Stone' Top 100	41


 Chlöe version 
===============
Chart (2023-2024)	 Peak position
US 'Billboard' Hot 100	87
US Holiday 100 ('Billboard')	57
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ('Billboard')	19


 Laufey version 
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Chart (2023-2025)	 Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	28
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)	55
France (SNEP)	106
Global 200 ('Billboard')	70
Greece International (IFPI)	33
Ireland (IRMA)	7
Lithuania (AGATA)	22
Luxembourg ('Billboard')	24
Netherlands (Single Top 100)	47
New Zealand (RMNZ)	26
Portugal (AFP)	78
Singapore Regional (RIAS)	9
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	91
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	59
UK Singles (OCC)	18
UK Independent Singles (OCC)	3
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 ('Billboard')	2
US Holiday 100 ('Billboard')	72


 License 
=========
All content on Gopherpedia comes from Wikipedia, and is licensed under CC-BY-SA
License URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Wonderland


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