# Is the "Peanuts" theme (Linus and Lucy) Christmas Music? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 14, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-peanuts-theme-linus-and-lucy-christmas-music/676305 "2013-12-14T15:02:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-peanuts-theme-linus-and-lucy-christmas-music/676305/121 "2016-11-28T01:58:12Z")
For me, it will always be the Paul W Smith theme song, although it’s been some years since he’s switched. Unless he’s switched back; I’ve not heard the show in years, either. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-peanuts-theme-linus-and-lucy-christmas-music/676305/122 "2016-11-28T03:09:09Z")
How about this: Is [“Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz_f9B4pPtg) Christmas music? It’s an instrumental piece from a Christmas-themed show, too. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-peanuts-theme-linus-and-lucy-christmas-music/676305/123 "2016-11-28T03:13:35Z")
Vince Guaraldi was a fairly well-known San Francisco jazz pianist and composer; he had appeared on several Cal Tjader albums during the 1950s, and live with the Tjader mambo band at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1958. In the mid '60s he was friendly with the Grateful Dead, then living in a house near the corner of Haight and Ashbury – he sat in on keyboard during several of their early concerts. He appears in the famous back cover group photo on the 1969 album AOXOMOXOA. He’s the guy in the dark glasses, standing next to the horse in the background. Always great to hear about a jazz musician with a cash cow! ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-peanuts-theme-linus-and-lucy-christmas-music/676305/124 "2016-11-28T03:38:08Z")
> [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](#): > > Yes, it was composed for the Christmas special, but as dance music, for a scene where the gang refuses to concentrate on rehearsing the for the Christmas play. > > If Vince Guaraldi had considered it Christmas music, why would he have used it in the Halloween special? > > He wouldn’t. To use Christmas music in a Halloween pumpkin hunting scene would make no sense. Therefore Guaraldi didn’t consider it Christmas music. Therefore, it isn’t. Don’t care the he didn’t consider it a Christmas carol. It’s on the playlist of the seasonal radio station, which makes it a Christmas carol. And it makes every show or movie that it appears in a Christmas show/movie. That’s the thing about Christmasness. It spreads by contact, like a zombie virus. That’s also why _Shrek_ is now a Christmas movie (they playing “Hallelujah” by Pentatonix now, so the Jeff Buckley version transmits Christmasness to the movie). ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-peanuts-theme-linus-and-lucy-christmas-music/676305/125 "2016-11-28T03:42:36Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Vince Guaraldi was a fairly well-known San Francisco jazz pianist and composer; he had appeared on several Cal Tjader albums during the 1950s, and live with the Tjader mambo band at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1958. > > In the mid '60s he was friendly with the Grateful Dead, then living in a house near the corner of Haight and Ashbury – he sat in on keyboard during several of their early concerts. > > He appears in the famous back cover group photo on the 1969 album AOXOMOXOA. He’s the guy in the dark glasses, standing next to the horse in the background. > > Always great to hear about a jazz musician with a cash cow! Well I’ll be damned. That is some Grateful Dead trivia that I never knew. ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-peanuts-theme-linus-and-lucy-christmas-music/676305/126 "2016-11-30T15:53:06Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I don’t think we have any “winter songs” that aren’t “Christmas songs” in our culture, unless they’re specifically other religious festival songs, like “The Chanukah Song.” Cultural ooze, and a good argument for the secular nature of Santa-and-presents-Christmas, as opposed to the Christian Happy-Birthday-Jesus Christmas. Realizing that this is a response to an OLD post (and not caring …). The only one I can think of is very obscure. Spike Jones recorded “In the Winter” (in one of their rare “straight” recordings). The bass singer is Thurl Ravenscroft; a familiar voice if not a familiar name to most people. He is most noted for comments about the virtues of sugary breakfast cereal and the non-virtues of the Grinch. That’s right. Metaphysically, it’s Tony the Tiger commenting that “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” 😃 Perhaps it faded into obscurity because it **didn’t** become associated with Christmas … ---
**Author:** ![Corner\_Case](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/corner_case/32/234_2.png) [@Corner\_Case](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corner_Case)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-peanuts-theme-linus-and-lucy-christmas-music/676305/127 "2016-11-30T18:53:39Z")
“Christmas music” is whatever makes you think of Christmas. If I’m hurrying through the mall on Christmas Eve and humming the theme to “Mission Impossible”, then that can seem like Christmas music, at that moment, to me. Now, if the title had been [Is the “Peanuts” theme (Linus & Lucy) only Christmas Music?"] then the answer would not be so contentious. But then, that’s why “only” was left out and why we have such an enjoyable thread. So, as the poll may be closing, get your votes in soon … dun dun dundun dun dun dundun dun dun dundun dun dun dundun [sup]diddleduuuuuuunn[/sup] diddleduuuuuuunn [sub]diddleduuuuuuunn[/sub] dudu dundun du[sup]du[/sup][sub]du[/sub] - du[sup]duuUuuUuuUuuUuuU[/sup] ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-peanuts-theme-linus-and-lucy-christmas-music/676305/128 "2016-11-30T19:44:52Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I haven’t listened to any Christmas music yet this year, but someone mentioned Handel, so I have to listen to “For Unto Us a Child is Born,” which means I’ll be singing it (and trying to sing every part) for days. My husband will hate all of you. HA! Three years later, I don’t recall whether or not you did this. But as I’m generally filled with hate, it seems likely that you did. But I’ll throw in with the folks who feel like Linus and Lucy is Christmas music even if it wasn’t rooted in Christmas themes. It has a very strong association for me. ---
**Author:** ![Trancephalic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trancephalic/32/380_2.png) [@Trancephalic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trancephalic)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-peanuts-theme-linus-and-lucy-christmas-music/676305/129 "2016-11-30T19:58:58Z")
You mean to tell me it’s not MetLife’s theme? ---
**Author:** ![pmwgreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@pmwgreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pmwgreen)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-peanuts-theme-linus-and-lucy-christmas-music/676305/130 "2016-11-30T22:06:20Z")
No. There are a lot of songs on the Vince Guaraldi Trio, Charlie Brown Christmas album and they are nearly all Christmas songs. That one is not. Just give the album a listen. If it’s a Christmas song, then so is Powerhouse. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-peanuts-theme-linus-and-lucy-christmas-music/676305/131 "2016-11-30T22:39:41Z")
The song is a Christmas hit. The circumstances of its birth and afterlife don’t change that. It was never used as effectively, or as anything other than a reminder that you were watching the same gang that you enjoyed at christmas. This happened because of the high quality of the drama and music aspects of the Christmas special. I grew up with it and most people my age would say “It’s christmas music” Because we didn’t grow up with boxed sets, DVDs or even VCRs. It was a big deal that it was shown on network once a year and I think I would have noticed if the song was prominent at any other time. I never knew it was til this thread. I’d be surprised if it was a major use of the theme though. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-peanuts-theme-linus-and-lucy-christmas-music/676305/132 "2016-12-01T01:38:39Z")
FWIW I grew up with it and to me it said “Charlie Brown” not “Christmas”. The other music in the special does say “Christmas”. ---
**Author:** ![Haldurson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/51bf81/32.png) [@Haldurson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haldurson)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-peanuts-theme-linus-and-lucy-christmas-music/676305/133 "2016-12-01T02:57:56Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > It’s an instrumental from a children’s Christmas classic. It’s mostly heard only at Christmas time. Yep. First of all, it’s not heard only at Christmas time – I used to play it on my radio show years ago at my college radio station. But even if you were correct, keep this in mind: The Dreidel Song IS actually heard primarily around Christmas time. And I’ve never heard anyone ever claim that that’s a Christmas song because of its proximity to Christmas. Hell, the Classic rock station around here always does a countdown show around Thanksgiving, to their inevitable number one song, “Stairway to Heaven”, making a big to-do about it, making fun of the fact that the number 2 song never ever comes close, and I’ve never heard that being called a Thanksgiving song because it is featured on a Thanksgiving radio show. What makes something a holiday song is it being about the holiday or some holiday tradition. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-peanuts-theme-linus-and-lucy-christmas-music/676305/134 "2016-12-01T03:46:51Z")
Watching the Charlie Brown Christmas special is a holiday tradition for a lot of folks. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-peanuts-theme-linus-and-lucy-christmas-music/676305/135 "2016-12-01T16:03:18Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > Three years later, I don’t recall whether or not you did this. But as I’m generally filled with hate, it seems likely that you did. And you posting about it put it back into my head! FOR unto US a child is BO-ORRRN! Unto US! A SON is GIVEN! FOR unto US a child is BOR-OR-OR-OR-OR-OR-OR-OR-OR-OR-OR-OR-OR-OR-OR-OR-OR-OR-OR-OR-RN! ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-peanuts-theme-linus-and-lucy-christmas-music/676305/136 "2016-12-01T16:06:37Z")
Yes, it is one of the greatest Christmas songs of our age. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-peanuts-theme-linus-and-lucy-christmas-music/676305/137 "2016-12-01T16:09:57Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > FWIW I grew up with it and to me it said “Charlie Brown” not “Christmas”. The other music in the special does say “Christmas”. Same here. Growing up, the song always meant Charlie Brown to me, not Christmas. It wasn’t until the last decade or so that I realized it was a staple of Christmas playlists, which is why I voted yes in this thread. While it doesn’t mean Christmas to me personally, it does seem like it does in general pop culture. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-peanuts-theme-linus-and-lucy-christmas-music/676305/138 "2016-12-01T16:45:53Z")
I think we can only find the definitive answer to this question by looking to the most reliable source of all: Charlie Brown himself. As you will recall from _A Charlie Brown Christmas_, our hero has been selected to direct the Christmas play. When he gets to the auditorium, he attempts to give his cast some basic instruction and orient them to his directing style, but soon finds that they are not paying attention. They are, instead, ignoring him in favor of dancing to the jazzy tune that we would come to know as “Linus and Lucy.” He immediately orders “Stop the music,” and valiantly attempts to get the production back on course. After parts are assigned, he asks Schroeder to set the mood for the first scene. Schroeder’s response is to strike up “Linus and Lucy” yet again. Charlie Brown instantly yells “Cut!”, and rejects the music with a frustrated “No, no, no!” Later still, asked by Lucy to give an opinion of the play, he tells her “It’s all wrong,” because it lacks the proper mood. Thus, we can see that “Linus and Lucy” is not a Christmas song, as Charlie Brown explicitly rejects it as appropriate music for a Christmas play. It is, rather than being Christmas music, presented as a distraction from the Christmas spirit, something that pulls us away from the proper celebration of the holiday rather than leading us toward it. The above is only partially serious, but generally I’m with those who argue that it’s more “Peanuts music” than “Christmas music.” It shows up in many other Peanuts specials, including the Halloween and Thanksgiving shows, and has always signified just “Peanuts” to me. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-peanuts-theme-linus-and-lucy-christmas-music/676305/139 "2016-12-01T18:47:34Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > I think we can only find the definitive answer to this question by looking to the most reliable source of all: Charlie Brown himself. > > As you will recall from _A Charlie Brown Christmas_, our hero has been selected to direct the Christmas play. When he gets to the auditorium, he attempts to give his cast some basic instruction and orient them to his directing style, but soon finds that they are not paying attention. They are, instead, ignoring him in favor of dancing to the jazzy tune that we would come to know as “Linus and Lucy.” He immediately orders “Stop the music,” and valiantly attempts to get the production back on course. > > After parts are assigned, he asks Schroeder to set the mood for the first scene. Schroeder’s response is to strike up “Linus and Lucy” yet again. Charlie Brown instantly yells “Cut!”, and rejects the music with a frustrated “No, no, no!” Later still, asked by Lucy to give an opinion of the play, he tells her “It’s all wrong,” because it lacks the proper mood. > > Thus, we can see that “Linus and Lucy” is not a Christmas song, as Charlie Brown explicitly rejects it as appropriate music for a Christmas play. It is, rather than being Christmas music, presented as a distraction from the Christmas spirit, something that pulls us away from the proper celebration of the holiday rather than leading us toward it. > > The above is only partially serious, but generally I’m with those who argue that it’s more “Peanuts music” than “Christmas music.” It shows up in many other Peanuts specials, including the Halloween and Thanksgiving shows, and has always signified just “Peanuts” to me. Well yeah except the part about how you missed the whole point of the show. The reveal at the end is the point. It was always christmas all along. Charlie Brown realizes that their celebrations are actually christmas. The same way that the Charlie Brown tree is revealed to be a great tree. Charlies annoyance at the song doesn’t mean it wasn’t a christmas song. It was part of the drama of the special, which was “Charlie Brown Christmas”. But if you watched all the shows on a box set over and over it might have another meaning. As a childhood fan I remember the specials got less and less good with each one. That is why I always think of L and L as Christmas music. The other uses were just exploitation. Can anyone give an example of the use of this song for any other dramatic purpose? The purpose was always to say “These are the kids from the Christmas special” ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-peanuts-theme-linus-and-lucy-christmas-music/676305/140 "2016-12-01T18:58:45Z")
> [@Haldurson](#): > > First of all, it’s not heard only at Christmas time – I used to play it on my radio show years ago at my college radio station. But even if you were correct, keep this in mind: The Dreidel Song IS actually heard primarily around Christmas time. And I’ve never heard anyone ever claim that that’s a Christmas song because of its proximity to Christmas. Hell, the Classic rock station around here always does a countdown show around Thanksgiving, to their inevitable number one song, “Stairway to Heaven”, making a big to-do about it, making fun of the fact that the number 2 song never ever comes close, and I’ve never heard that being called a Thanksgiving song because it is featured on a Thanksgiving radio show. > > What makes something a holiday song is it being about the holiday or some holiday tradition. Dreidel is a Hannukah song. What is your point about Dreidel? You played it? Why didn’t you ever tell us about your local thanksgiving countdown before? OK, I get it now. Stairway is a Thanksgiving song. Glad to have set that right. As long as it’s a real local station, licensed by the FCC, that should do it. L&L is an instrumental. So you are saying there can be no Christmas instrumental music? The logic here is relentless. I can only lay down and murmur surrender. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-peanuts-theme-linus-and-lucy-christmas-music/676305.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-peanuts-theme-linus-and-lucy-christmas-music/676305.md?page=8)