SMALL SANTA. Absolutely unavoidable at the end of the year, the song “Petit Papa Noël” is one of the most famous Christmas songs. But do you know everything about this piece?
Young and old have been humming it for decades: year after year, Christmas after Christmas, the song Small Santa was, is and remains indisputably the Christmas song par excellence and has not aged a bit since its creation. And the least we can say is that its history is as legendary as it is romantic. Did you know that this work was born during the war? Or that his words were initially bathed in sadness?
Small Santa has in any case become a key song of French heritage. And his hope, his gentleness and his carelessness manage to translate with a universal tone the very special atmosphere of the very old Christmas celebration. Lyrics, story… Here’s everything you need to know to be unbeatable on Small Santa.
Tino Rossi, the one nicknamed “the Napoleon of the record”, “the Emperor of romance” or even the “Nightingale of the century”, born in Ajaccio, on the island of Beauty, in 1907, therefore gave birth to a pillar of popular song, the Christmas song Small Santa. The story told by Tino Rossi’s song is not known to everyone. This sung fable features the words of a sleepy child on New Year’s Eve, when he is talking to Santa Claus. So, what works is inspired by Small Santa and on what story is its creation based? What does Tino Rossi’s flagship song actually say? What lyrics (including in English), tablatures or scores can we refer to? Discover all the secrets of Small Santa in this special page.
Also discover the origins of Christmas thanks to another of our special pages !
The song Small Santa is a popular carol that is heard by anyone who spends a merry Christmas with children. The French singer Tino Rossi remains his emblematic interpreter, and it is undoubtedly his most famous song. The only French artist to have sold more than 500 million records in the world, the native of Ajaccio sings it from 1946. The title Small Santa will allow the singer to break the record for the best-selling “single” in France and his success has never wavered since. But what is the song about? A child speaks to Father Christmas there on Christmas Eve, just before falling asleep.
If its melody and its lyrics are well known, its history is less so. Small Santa was rewritten by the French lyricist of Armenian origin Raymond Vincy from an already existing song with less happy lyrics. The latter, created by the Marseille entertainer Xavier Lemercier for an operetta during the Second World War, is already entitled Small Santa and contains the famous melody that Tino Rossi will sing two years later.
Only, what the child is asking Santa Claus here is the return of his father, a prisoner of war in Germany. Shortly after, Raymond Vincy therefore reworked the lyrics, at the request of the impresario Émile Audiffred (who launched the start of Tino Rossi’s career) and the composer Henri Martinet, who became Tino Rossi’s pianist after the Liberation. Objective: to erase any allusion to the war. For the chorus he makes his own way, the composer Vincy is inspired by the work Tiebe Payom (we sing to you) by Dmitro Bortniansky, a Russian Orthodox liturgical chant from the 19th century: bars 6 to 9 of the tenor part gave the theme of the refrain of Small Santa. A refrain that will resonate especially in the final scene of the film Fates (1946) by Richard Pottier, again sung by Tino Rossi, also an actor.
“As a child, I thought Tino Rossi was Santa Claus” (Mireille Mathieu)
“Mireille Mathieu unveils a new duet on “Petit Papa Noël””
And yet, a little longer and the children’s-favorite-anthem-sold-in-millions-of-copies would never have reached any ear… The beautiful story of Christmas is thus told in the Point: after the Second World War, the Corsican singer Tino Rossi is preparing to play in the musical film Fates. A Christmas carol is on the screenplay menu. The filming continues until the moment when the choir of black American children who were to provide the singing tour cancels. All you have to do is find something else… Problem, Tino Rossi refuses to interpret a classical song of the Catholic ritornello type. We are in 1946: the hints of Vichy are not far away. Going around the fashionable composers at the time, Tino Rossi finds himself at Henri Martinet, composer of several operettas.
As the star singer prepares to leave empty-handed, his impresario calls out to the musician: “But by the way, Henri, why don’t you show this song that you wrote for the operetta that we were never able to put on ?”. This is the famous prayer of a child to Santa Claus to see his father returned prisoner in Germany. Tino Rossi is conquered by the lullaby. Lyricist Raymond Vinci is in charge of revising the lyrics. That’s it, the song has found its place in the film Fates ! “It’s a beautiful Christmas night / the snow spreads its white coat…”.
Listening Small Santa, everyone can put themselves in the shoes of a child who believes in Santa Claus and eagerly awaits his arrival on Christmas Eve, hoping for a happy holiday season. The child’s words convey the magic and importance of this long-awaited moment. In this universal childish prayer to Santa Claus, ambiguous feelings are also perceptible when falling asleep: the fear of being forgotten (“When you come down from the sky / With toys by the thousands / Don’t forget my little shoe” ), compassion tinged with guilt for Santa Claus who is going to make such a long journey in the cold (“But, before leaving / You’ll have to cover yourself well / Outside you’re going to be so cold / It’s a bit because of me”) or the impatience to discover his gifts (“I can’t wait until the day dawns / To see if you brought me / All the beautiful toys that I see in my dream / And that I orders”). The spirit of Saint Nicolas also hovers over the end of this emblematic song, when the child confesses “I have not been very good every day” to be forgiven.
Here are the lyrics of the song:
It’s the beautiful night of Christmas
The snow spreads its white coat
And eyes raised to the sky,
On your knees, the little children,
Before closing the eyelids,
Have a last prayer.
Refrain
Small Santa
When you come down from the sky
With toys by the thousands
Don’t forget my little shoe
But, before leaving,
You will have to cover yourself well
Outside you’ll be so cold
It’s a bit because of me
I look forward as long as the day dawns
To see if you brought me
All the beautiful toys that I see in my dreams
And that I commanded you
Refrain
The sandman passed
The children are going to sleep
And you can start
With your hood on your back
To the sound of church bells
Your distribution of surprises
And when you’re on your beautiful cloud
Come first on our house
I haven’t been very good every day
But I beg your pardon
Refrain
Small Santa…
(source : paroles.net)
Small Santa can also be sung in English. A way to vary the pleasures while remaining in the melody and the theme of the song of Tino Rossi. The request “Small Santa in English” is also one of the most typed requests by Internet users who are researching the legendary song of the French singer and actor.
Little Father Christmas
It’s a beautiful Christmas night
Snow spreads its white coat
And eyes lift toward the sky
On their knees, small children
Before closing their eyelids
Say one last request
Little Father Christmas
When you come down from the sky
With toys by the thousands
Don’t forget my little shoe
But before leaving
You must cover yourself well
Outside you will be so cold
It’s a little because of me
I can’t wait for it to get light
To see if you have brought me
All the lovely toys that I see in dreams
And that I ordered from you
Little Father Christmas
When you come down from the sky
With toys by the thousands
Don’t forget my little shoe
And when you are on your beautiful cloud
Come first to our house
I wasn’t always very well behaved
But I ask for your forgiveness
Little Father Christmas
When you come down from the sky
With toys by the thousands
Don’t forget my little shoe
Little Father Christmas
(source : lyricstranslate.com)
