How Vince Guaraldi Made Charlie Brown Cool -- Cuepoint -- Medium

How Vince Guaraldi Made Charlie Brown Cool -- Cuepoint -- Medium

"Armed with Mendelson's story outline, Guaraldi knew he needed at least two more original compositions: something for an ice-skating sequence, and a vibrant number for a party that broke out on stage, when the kids failed to heed instructions from Charlie Brown, newly assigned director of the school Christmas play.

"The former became 'Skating,' a lyrical jazz waltz highlighted by sparkling keyboard runs that sounded precisely like children ice-skating joyously on a frozen pond. The latter emerged as 'Christmas Is Coming,' a bright bossa nova anthem with strong overtones of rock 'n' roll.

"'The cascading notes to Guaraldi's Vivaldi-like "Skating" are the most vivid representation of falling snowflakes in music,' a newspaper columnist wrote, decades later....

"'"The opening song was an instrumental,' Mendelson recalled. 'I felt we should get some lyrics, and some voices. We couldn't find anybody to write the lyrics, and I called all my Hollywood friends who were songwriters. But nobody took the assignment, so I sat down, and in about 10 minutes wrote the words to "Christmas Time Is Here" on an envelope...."