The Bells of Christmas (Greensleeves)

Cahn’s original lyric set to the centuries-old melody of “Greensleeves,” arranged by Van Heusen for Sinatra’s 1968 television special Francis Albert Sinatra Does His Thing. It’s a rare instance of Cahn working with a pre-existing melody rather than a newly composed one — and he rises to the challenge, writing a lyric that feels both timeless and distinctly his own.

Sinatra’s performance is quietly majestic, the familiar melody given new life by one of the great voices of the twentieth century.