Rod Stewart – Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Live)

Nineteen Years Between Number Ones With A Live Band Behind Him

Released as part of Merry Christmas, Baby on October 30, 2012, “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” reached number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in December and remained there for five consecutive weeks, tying for the longest-leading holiday title in that chart’s history. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, selling 242,000 copies in its first weeks. But here’s the astonishing record: the achievement gave Rod Stewart a 19-year, six-month, and one-week gap between number one hits on the AC chart, the second-longest hiatus in the format’s history behind only the Eagles’ 20-year wait. His last leader had been “Have I Told You Lately” in 1993, meaning Stewart dominated Christmas 2012 radio while most of his contemporaries had retired from the charts entirely. In live performances, Stewart stripped away studio embellishments, letting his raspy voice and full band carry the swing.

The timing couldn’t have been better for Stewart’s holiday pivot. His Great American Songbook series had already moved over 20 million albums between 2002 and 2010, proving his raspy voice translated beautifully to pre-rock standards. Merry Christmas, Baby debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 with 113,000 first-week sales and eventually achieved platinum certification. The album featured heavyweight collaborations: Michael Bublé joined him on “Winter Wonderland,” Mary J. Blige tackled “We Three Kings,” Cee-Lo Green and Trombone Shorty elevated “Merry Christmas, Baby,” and Chris Botti’s trumpet accompanied Stewart’s virtual duet with Ella Fitzgerald on “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” The studio version featured Dave Koz’s smooth jazz saxophone, but live performances showcased Stewart working with his touring band, bringing raw energy and spontaneity that studio polish couldn’t capture.

The original song emerged from an unlikely source: a 1945 Hollywood heat wave. Lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Jule Styne wrote it in July during sweltering California temperatures, imagining cooler conditions while sweating through their shirts. Vaughn Monroe recorded it that fall for RCA Victor, released it after Thanksgiving, and watched it hit number one on Billboard’s Best Sellers chart for five weeks through late December into early 1946. The song makes zero mention of Christmas, focusing entirely on spending time with a loved one during a snowstorm while enjoying a fireplace and popcorn. When the singer finally leaves, feelings of love keep him warm in the cold. That lack of explicit holiday references explains why it works year-round in snowy climates, though radio stations worldwide have adopted it as Christmas material due to its winter theme and December release timing.

Recording took place during 2012 with production split between David Foster, Kevin Savigar, and Stewart himself. The studio arrangement featured Dave Koz’s saxophone weaving between verses, but Stewart’s live performances revealed the song’s true DNA as a swinging big band number. His touring band brought horn sections, piano, upright bass, and drums that transformed the track into something closer to Frank Sinatra’s live Vegas shows than smooth jazz radio. Stewart had explicitly modeled his holiday approach on Sinatra’s work, seeking that same timeless sophistication that sounded equally appropriate in 1955 or 2012. Live, he could work the audience, ad-lib, and stretch phrases with the confidence of someone who’d spent five decades commanding stages. The arrangement runs 2 minutes and 50 seconds on the album, but live versions often extended beyond four minutes as Stewart interacted with his band and the crowd.

“Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” appeared as track six on Merry Christmas, Baby, Stewart’s first holiday album despite five decades in the music industry. The album balanced 13 holiday standards with one original composition, “Red Suited Superman,” co-written by Stewart with David and Amy Foster. The set followed Stewart’s pattern of mining classic material rather than recording contemporary songs, trusting that audiences wanted to hear him interpret standards with his distinctive voice rather than chase current trends. Critics praised his restraint, noting he honored the material without drowning it in unnecessary embellishments. The album was reissued on vinyl for the first time in October 2024 as part of an anniversary edition, proving its enduring appeal extended beyond initial holiday shopping rushes. Deluxe versions added bonus tracks including “What Child Is This?” and “The Christmas Song.”

The promotional campaign emphasized Stewart’s status as rock royalty tackling holiday classics with live band energy. He performed on multiple holiday specials including NBC’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting and various morning shows throughout November and December 2012, often accompanied by his full touring band rather than lip-syncing to the studio track. These live performances brought credibility that studio versions couldn’t match, showing Stewart working the song in real-time with musicians responding to his cues and improvisations. Harry Connick Jr.’s 1993 version remained the most-played version on American radio overall, but Stewart’s rendition dominated Adult Contemporary specifically, where his Great American Songbook work had already established him as the format’s go-to interpreter of pre-rock material. The five-week run at number one equaled Josh Groban’s “Believe” from 2004 and Michael Bublé’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” from 2011, cementing Stewart’s unexpected late-career reinvention as Christmas crooner who could deliver the goods live.

Twelve years later, “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” demonstrates how older artists can dominate seasonal markets by leaning into strengths rather than chasing youth. While contemporaries struggled with declining relevance, Stewart recognized that his raspy voice, honed across five decades of blues and rock, translated perfectly to standards that required personality over perfection. The 19-year gap between number ones wasn’t a comeback story but a strategic pivot, proving radio programmers would embrace rock legends tackling holiday material provided they brought genuine respect and quality production. As Billboard noted, the achievement marked only the 14th yuletide title to top the Adult Contemporary chart, making Stewart part of an exclusive club alongside Groban, Bublé, and Mariah Carey. Sometimes the best career moves come from recognizing what your voice can do that others can’t, then finding material that showcases it perfectly with a live band that swings.

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