Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil
Every season brings an avalanche of covers of seasonal standards and would-be standards, as well as an avalanche of new seasonal songs hoping to join the select group. But, from time to time, a Christmas here or there will bring a reminder of a great song that you know--and that you may even have--but that you've forgotten about. A few years back, we saw the revival of a song frequently associated with Claudine Longet, but written and originally recorded by Margo Guryan--"I Don't Intend To Spend Christmas Without You". This past year, a cover version from one of Indie Pop's most endearing and (possibly) enduring groups, The Very Most, reminded everyone of a terrific, if largely forgotten, 60s winter song--"The Coldest Night of The Year".
"The Coldest Night Of The Year" was written by the same songwriting team that gave us "On Broadway" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling", the husband and wife team of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil (who also wrote "Christmas Vacation" for the Chevy Chase film of the same name). The two met at Don Kirshner's song writing mill, Aldon Music in the famous Brill Building, and married in 1961. Whatever else anyone tells you, the song was first recorded by brother and sister duo Nino Tempo & April Stevens. But Nino and April recorded "The Coldest Night Of The Year" when they were finishing up their contract with Atco, anxious to move on, and Atco was just as happy to see them go. There was no promotion for the 1965 single and it failed to chart.
Even if Nino and April recorded it first, there is no question that the definitive version of "The Coldest Night Of The Year" was recorded in 1966 by British duo Twice As Much with the help of a then unknown folk singer Vashti Bunyan.
"The Coldest Night Of The Year" was written by the same songwriting team that gave us "On Broadway" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling", the husband and wife team of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil (who also wrote "Christmas Vacation" for the Chevy Chase film of the same name). The two met at Don Kirshner's song writing mill, Aldon Music in the famous Brill Building, and married in 1961. Whatever else anyone tells you, the song was first recorded by brother and sister duo Nino Tempo & April Stevens. But Nino and April recorded "The Coldest Night Of The Year" when they were finishing up their contract with Atco, anxious to move on, and Atco was just as happy to see them go. There was no promotion for the 1965 single and it failed to chart.
Even if Nino and April recorded it first, there is no question that the definitive version of "The Coldest Night Of The Year" was recorded in 1966 by British duo Twice As Much with the help of a then unknown folk singer Vashti Bunyan.
Vashti Bunyan
London born Vashti Bunyan had studied art at Oxford but was ultimately expelled for failing to attend any classes. Inspired by the music of Bob Dylan, she decided to pursue a career in music. Vashti's delicate voice and tall and slender figure had some envisioning her as Britain's answer to Francoise Hardy. Vashti recorded a pair of singles on her own and "The Coldest Night Of The Year" with Twice As Much in the mid-60s (though the latter wasn't released until 1968). In 1970, Vashti's first full-length album was released. "Just Another Diamond Day" received some critical praise but sold only a handful of copies. Discouraged, Vashti left music entirely, moved to the countryside and raised a family.
Over time, though, and unbeknownst to Vashti, "Just Another Diamond Day" grew into a cult classic--an album that commanded as much as $2000 on eBay. By the time the album was re-released on CD in 2000, there was a full-blown Vashti renaissance underway. Vashti returned to music and finally cut her sophomore album, "Lookaftering", in 2005. 2007 saw the CD release of all of Vashti's mid 60s recordings and demos, including "The Coldest Night Of The Year".
"The Coldest Night Of The Year" was essentially a reworking of the song "Baby, It's Cold Outside", except that the male in the song is begging to stay rather than trying to trick the female into staying. I'm not the first to remark that "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is a little bit creepy and misogynist. Mann and Weil's version of the concept removes that icky aspect and, suddenly, it's truly cute and cuddle worthy. Since there weren't a lot of seasonal songs being written in that very musically distinctive period, Mann and Weil's trademark 60s Pop/R&B sound is also a plus. And what ultimately sets the Vashti Bunyan version apart from the rest is the rawness of it; it has what almost seems, in retrospect, an Indie Lo-Fi vibe. Very cool! Vashti also infuses the song with an innocence and sincerity that is unmatched before or since.
Over time, though, and unbeknownst to Vashti, "Just Another Diamond Day" grew into a cult classic--an album that commanded as much as $2000 on eBay. By the time the album was re-released on CD in 2000, there was a full-blown Vashti renaissance underway. Vashti returned to music and finally cut her sophomore album, "Lookaftering", in 2005. 2007 saw the CD release of all of Vashti's mid 60s recordings and demos, including "The Coldest Night Of The Year".
"The Coldest Night Of The Year" was essentially a reworking of the song "Baby, It's Cold Outside", except that the male in the song is begging to stay rather than trying to trick the female into staying. I'm not the first to remark that "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is a little bit creepy and misogynist. Mann and Weil's version of the concept removes that icky aspect and, suddenly, it's truly cute and cuddle worthy. Since there weren't a lot of seasonal songs being written in that very musically distinctive period, Mann and Weil's trademark 60s Pop/R&B sound is also a plus. And what ultimately sets the Vashti Bunyan version apart from the rest is the rawness of it; it has what almost seems, in retrospect, an Indie Lo-Fi vibe. Very cool! Vashti also infuses the song with an innocence and sincerity that is unmatched before or since.
Speaking of "since", there have been covers of the song though few have left a mark. Back in 1997, San Francisco's Indie Pop trio The Virgin-Whore Complex took a stab at it. Several years later, in a sort of Back To The Future maneuver, Lou Christie covered the song as a kind of companion piece for his own "Christmas In New York". The She of She & Him, Zooey Deschanel, has been known to perform the song, though it was not included on the pair's recent Christmas album (which seems an opportunity lost). As previously noted, The Very Most included a cover in their 2011 EP "Snow Covered". And we've spotted at least one more version, recorded in 2010 by Indie artists Gordon Merrick & Cilla Danone. Just as "White Christmas" will always belong to Bing, though, "The Coldest Night Of The Year" will always belong to Vashti Bunyan. Or, at least, it should.