Christmas Madness-Part VIII

Andy Williams

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year is a popular Christmas song written in 1963 by Eddie Pola and George Wyle. It was recorded and released that year by pop singer Andy Williams for his first Christmas album, The Andy Williams Christmas Album. However, the song was not released as a promotional single by Williams's record label (Columbia Records) that year, as they instead opted to promote his cover of White Christmas as the official promo single from the album.

The original version of It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Andy Williams has since become a radio airplay standard, attaining more and more popularity with each passing holiday season since the song's original release. It was also selected as the theme song for Christmas Seals in both 1968 and 1976.

In 1986, another popular version was released by Johnny Mathis on his fourth holiday album, Christmas Eve with Johnny Mathis.


In 1999, country singer Garth Brooks became the first artist to chart a version of the song in North America, as his country remake reached #56 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Garth's version was taken from his second holiday album, Garth Brooks and the Magic of Christmas. Also in 1999, Kathy Troccoli recorded the song as a duet with Williams.


Most recently, a 2008 recording of the song by Harry Connick, Jr. (from his third Christmas album, What a Night! A Christmas Album) hit #9 on Billboard's Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart (the highest charting version of the song to date in the United States).


The cast of the Fox TV series Glee has also recorded a version of this song. It can be heard on Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album.


For years, the song was used in a humorous fashion in the Staples office supply retail chain's annual back to school advertising campaign. In the commercials, the parents joyously shop for school supplies to this song in anticipation of the upcoming school year while their children sullenly follow.


Watch the Staples commercial for a little Christmastime levity.