<p id=”par-1_41″>One of the most enduring Christmas <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/music/”>songs</a> of the past 60 years is <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/mariah-carey-wont-sing-christmas-song-doesnt-think-anyone-can-justice.html/”>Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas.”</a> Hathaway’s drummer once said the track was designed to resonate with Black audiences. He also contrasted it with previous holiday hits by Black artists. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-donny-hathaway-s-this-christmas-was-written-for-the-sake-of-representation”>Donny Hathaway’s ‘This Christmas’ was written for the sake of representation</h2>
<p id=”par-2_61″>“This Christmas” was not the first Yuletide song by a Black singer to hit it big. For example, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/why-eartha-kitts-santa-baby-was-once-banned-in-the-south.html/”>Eartha Kitt’s “Santa Baby,”</a> Chuck Berry’s “Run Rudolph Run,” and Stevie Wonder’s “Someday at Christmas” each precede it. However, those tunes were all pop or rock tunes. “This Christmas” might be the first Christmas hit that was an R&B song through and through.</p>
<p id=”par-3_102″>During a 2009 interview with the <a href=”https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/12/9/22166092/donny-hathaway-this-christmas-50th-anniversary-new-video-chicago-holidays” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Chicago Sun-Times</a>, Hathaway’s drummer, Ric Powell, discussed the singer’s intentions with “This Christmas.” “Donny was very upbeat during the session,” Powell recalled. “He knew what he wanted to do musically and the impact he wanted to make with this song. Up until then African-American music wasn’t represented in Christmas. There was Nat King Cole and Charles Brown’s ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas.’ During the mid-1960s, James Brown was also cutting holiday tracks like ‘Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto,’ but they were more in the self-contained funky spirit of the Godfather of Soul than Christmas.”</p>
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<iframe title=”Donny Hathaway – This Christmas (Official Music Video)” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/PhKVSZsRxQM?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-this-christmas-had-a-huge-impact-on-other-celebrities”>‘This Christmas’ had a huge impact on other celebrities</h2>
<p id=”par-4_67″>Since the original “This Christmas” became popular, it spawned numerous covers. Icons who have taken a crack at it include Diana Ross, Patti LaBelle, Sabrina Carpenter, NSYNC, The Temptations, Aretha Franklin, and Usher. In addition, the tune inspired a movie of the same title starring Chris Brown. The ultimate sign of a holiday song’s popularity is when it gets adapted into <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/5-best-christmas-horror-movies-ever.html/?swcfpc=1″>a Christmas movie</a> or television special.</p>
<p id=”par-5_71″>“This Christmas” is not one of my personal favorite Christmas songs. I prefer Christina Aguilera’s cover from her album<em> My Kind of Christmas</em> to the original. However, I can see the importance of the track in letting more R&B-inspired sounds into the Christmas canon. Who knows if we would have other classics like “Christmas in Hollis” by Run-DMC or The Jackson 5’s “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” without “This Christmas?” </p>
<p id=”par-6_62″>“This Christmas” also stands out because it’s so classy. Numerous Christmas songs like “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” by Jimmy Boyd and Elmo & Patsy’s “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” are ridiculous novelty tracks that aren’t very appealing to anyone over the age of eight. “This Christmas,” on the other hand, manages to be interesting without sacrificing its dignity.</p>
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<iframe title=”RUN DMC – Christmas In Hollis (Official HD Video)” width=”925″ height=”694″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/OR07r0ZMFb8?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
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The Best Christmas Song Was Written by a Murderer </a>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-donny-hathaway-s-daughter-discussed-the-impact-of-the-song”>Donny Hathaway’s daughter discussed the impact of the song</h2>
<p id=”par-7_84″>During a 2021 interview with <a href=”https://www.grammy.com/news/donny-hathaway-this-christmas-50-year-anniversary” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Grammy.com</a>, Hathaway’s daughter, Donnita Hathaway, discussed the importance of “This Christmas.” “It’s absolutely amazing to have ‘This Christmas’ celebrated every holiday season for the last 50 years,” she said. “It’s humbling that this original song performed by my father and written by my godmother has that impact every year. And this year, in the midst of a pandemic, it’s so special to feel the love from people saying that they’re cuing up the song as a way to celebrate.”</p>
<p id=”par-8_26″>Hathaway had a huge legacy in the world of R&B/soul music — and “This Christmas” proves he had a huge impact on Christmas music as well.</p>