Jingle Bells
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox song
"Jingle Bells" is an American song and one of the most commonly sung<ref>Collins, Ace. Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas Template:Webarchive Zondervan, 2004. Template:ISBN. p. 104.</ref> Christmas songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont. It is an unsettled question where and when Pierpont originally composed the song that would become known as "Jingle Bells".<ref name="snopes">Template:Cite web</ref> It was published under the title "The One Horse Open Sleigh" in September 1857. Although it has no original connection to Christmas,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> it became associated with winter and Christmas in the 1860s and 1870s, and it was featured in a variety of parlor song and college anthologies in the 1880s.<ref name="joebrown">Template:Cite news</ref> It was first recorded in 1889 on an Edison cylinder; this recording, believed to be the first Christmas record, is lost, but an 1898 recording—also from Edison Records—survives.<ref name="yule" />
It has been claimed that the song was originally written to be sung by a Sunday school choir for Thanksgiving, or as a drinking song.<ref name=thanksgiving>Template:Cite web</ref> However, these claims are not supported by any primary sources. According to more recent research, the song was originally written as a minstrel song satirizing Black participation in northern winter activities.<ref name="snopes"/><ref name="Hamill">Template:Cite journal</ref>
History
Composition
James Lord Pierpont originally copyrighted the song with the name "The One Horse Open Sleigh" on September 16, 1857.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The songwriting credit given was "Song and Chorus written and composed by J. Pierpont." Possibly intended as a drinking song, it did not become a Christmas song until decades after it was first performed. Pierpont dedicated the song to John P. Ordway, Esq., an organizer of a troupe called "Ordway's Aeolians".<ref>Staff (2014, updated 2022) "10 Unusual Facts About James Lord Pierpont" Template:Webarchive New England Historical Society</ref>
It is an unsettled question where and when Pierpont originally composed the song that would become known as "Jingle Bells". A plaque at 19 High Street in the center of Medford Square in Medford, Massachusetts, commemorates the "birthplace" of "Jingle Bells", and claims that Pierpont wrote the song there in 1850, at what was then the Simpson Tavern. Previous local history narratives claim the song was inspired by the town's popular sleigh races during the 19th century.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Researcher Kyna Hamil proposes that the song was composed in Boston, before Pierpont moved to Savannah in the fall of 1857.<ref name="snopes"/>
The song was republished in 1859 by Oliver Ditson and Company, 277 Washington Street, Boston, with the new title "Jingle Bells; or, The One Horse Open Sleigh". Its sheet music cover featured a drawing of sleigh bells around the title.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Sleigh bells were strapped across the horse to make the jingle, jangle sound.Template:Citation needed
"Jingle Bells" was first performed on September 15, 1857, at Ordway Hall in Boston by blackface minstrel performer Johnny Pell.<ref name="Hamill" /> The song was in the then-popular style or genre of "sleighing songs". Pierpont's lyrics are strikingly similar to lines from many other popular sleigh-riding songs of the time; researcher Kyna Hamill argued that this, along with his constant need for money, led him to compose and release the song solely as a financial enterprise: "Everything about the song is churned out and copied from other people and lines from other songs—there's nothing original about it."<ref name="joebrown" /><ref name="Hamill" />
By the time the song was released and copyrighted, Pierpont had relocated to Savannah, Georgia, to serve as organist and music director of that city's Unitarian Church (now Unitarian Universalist), where his brother, Rev. John Pierpont Jr., served as minister. In August 1857, Pierpont married Eliza Jane Purse, daughter of the mayor of Savannah. Pierpont remained in Savannah and never returned north.<ref name="Hamill" /><ref>"James Lord Pierpont (1822–1893) Author of 'Jingle Bells'" Template:Webarchive on the Hymns and Carols of Christmas website</ref>
Recordings and performances
James Lord Pierpont's 1857 composition "Jingle Bells" became one of the most performed and most recognizable secular holiday songs ever written, not only in the United States, but around the world. In recognition of this achievement, James Lord Pierpont was voted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Template:Citation needed
"Jingle Bells" was first recorded by banjoist Will Lyle on October 30, 1889 (attested A T E Wangemann Logbook, p. 114), on an Edison cylinder, but no surviving copies are known to exist.<ref name=yule>Template:Cite web</ref> The earliest surviving vocal recording was made by the Edison Male Quartette in 1898, also on an Edison cylinder (and 1898 Columbia brown wax 4090), as part of a 'Christmas' medley titled "Sleigh Ride Party".<ref name=yule /> There is a version by the Hayden Quartet called Sleigh Ride Party recorded in 1901.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1902, the Hayden Quartet recorded "Jingle Bells". The song became a Christmas favorite in the early twentieth century.<ref name=joebrown />
In 1935, Benny Goodman and His Orchestra reached No. 18 on the charts with their Swing or big band recording of "Jingle Bells". In 1941, Glenn Miller and His Orchestra with Tex Beneke, Marion Hutton, Ernie Caceres, and the Modernaires on vocals had a No. 5 hit on the Billboard pop singles chart with a big band arrangement of "Jingle Bells" on RCA Victor as Bluebird 11353-A. In 1943, Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters recorded "Jingle Bells" as Decca 23281<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> which reached No. 19 on the charts<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and sold over a million copies. In 1951, Les Paul had a No. 10 hit with a multi-tracked version on guitar. In 2001, House of Mouse version, sung by Wayne Allwine, Russi Taylor, and Bill Farmer. In 2006, Kimberley Locke had a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart with a recording of the song.Template:Citation needed
First song in space
"Jingle Bells" was one of the first songs to be broadcast from space, in a Christmas-themed prank by Gemini 6 astronauts Tom Stafford and Wally Schirra. While in space on December 16, 1965, they sent this report to Mission Control: Template:Blockquote The astronauts then produced a smuggled harmonica and sleigh bells, and with Schirra on the harmonica and Stafford on the bells, broadcast a rendition of "Jingle Bells".<ref name=Smithsonian2005>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The harmonica, shown to the press upon their return, was a Hohner "Little Lady", a tiny harmonica approximately Template:Convert long, by Template:Convert wide.<ref name=Smithsonian2005/> Schirra donated the harmonica to the Smithsonian in 1967.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Lyrics
Music historian James Fuld notes that (as opposed to an adjective), "the word jingle in the title and opening phrase is apparently an imperative verb."<ref name="James J. Fuld p. 313">Fuld, James J. (2012) The Book of World-Famous Music (Fifth Edition) New York: Dover Publications, p. 313. Template:ISBN</ref> In the winter in New England in pre-automobile days, it was common to adorn horses' harnesses with straps bearing bells as a way to avoid collisions at blind intersections, since a horse-drawn sleigh in snow produces almost no audible noise. The rhythm of the tune apparently mimics that of a trotting horse's bells; however, "jingle bells" is commonly interpreted to mean a certain kind of bell.
Jingle Bells <poem> Dashing through the snow In a one-horse open sleigh O'er the fields we go Laughing all the way Bells on bob tail ring Making spirits bright What fun it is to ride and sing A sleighing song tonight!
- Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells,
- Jingle all the way.
- Oh! what fun it is to ride
- In a one-horse open sleigh. Hey!
- Jingle bells, jingle bells,
- Jingle all the way;
- Oh! what fun it is to ride
- In a one-horse open sleigh.
</poem> Although less well-known than the opening, the remaining verses depict high-speed youthful fun. In the second verse, the narrator takes a ride with a girl and loses control of the sleigh: <poem> A day or two ago I thought I'd take a ride And soon, Miss Fanny Bright Was seated by my side, The horse was lean and lank Misfortune seemed his lot He got into a drifted bank And then we got Template:Not a typo.<ref group=lower-alpha>"Upsot" is an archaic or dialectic variant of the past tense of "upset", which allows the line to rhyme with "lot".</ref>
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</poem>
In the next verse (which is often skipped), he falls out of the sleigh and a rival laughs at him: <poem> A day or two ago, The story I must tell I went out on the snow, And on my back I fell; A gent was riding by In a one-horse open sleigh, He laughed as there I sprawling lie, But quickly drove away. Ah!
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</poem> In the last verse, after relating his experience, he gives advice to a friend to pick up some girls, find a faster horse, and take off at full speed: <poem> Now the ground is white Go it while you're young, Take the girls tonight and sing this sleighing song; Just get a bobtailed bay Two forty as his speed<ref group=lower-alpha>Two forty refers to a mile in two minutes and forty seconds at the trot, or Template:Convert. This is a good speed, and suggests the desired horse of that era was a type later known as a Standardbred.</ref> Hitch him to an open sleigh And snap! You'll take the lead.
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</poem>
Notes to lyrics Template:Reflist
Original lyrics
The two first stanzas and chorus of the original 1857 lyrics differed slightly from those known today. It is unknown who replaced the words with those of the modern version.<ref name="James J. Fuld p. 313"/> Underlined lyrics are the removed lyrics from the original version. Bold lyrics are the new lyrics in the current version. <poem> Dashing thro' the snow, In a one-horse open sleigh, O'er the Template:Underline (fields) we go, Laughing all the way; Bells on bob tail ring, Making spirits bright, Template:Underline (What fun it is) to ride and sing A sleighing song tonight.
- |: chorus :|
- Jingle bells, jingle bells,
- Jingle all the way;
- Oh! what Template:Underline (fun) it is to ride
- In a one-horse open sleigh.
A day or two ago I tho't I'd take a ride And soon Miss Fannie Bright Was seated by my side. The horse was lean and lank Misfortune seemed his lot He got into a drifted bank And Template:Underline (then) we got upsot.
</poem>
Melody
Template:Listen The original 1857 version of "Jingle Bells" featured a substantially different chorus. The progression of descending chords in the original refrain (ATemplate:Music–ETemplate:Music/G–Fm–C–DTemplate:Music–ATemplate:Music/ETemplate:Music–ETemplate:Music7–ATemplate:Music; in Roman numeral analysis, I–V6–vi–V/vi–IV–ITemplate:Su–V7–I) bears some resemblance to that of Pachelbel's Canon. The verses, on the other hand, have mostly the same melody (with some minor simplifications) in modern renditions as they did in 1857. The origin of the simpler, modern refrain is unknown, but it dates back at least 1898, when the oldest surviving phonograph recording of the song was released through Edison Records.
The "Jingle Bells" tune is used in French and German songs, although the lyrics are unrelated to the English lyrics. Both songs celebrate winter fun, as in the English version. The French song, titled "Vive le vent" ("Long Live the Wind"), was written by Francis Blanche<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and contains references to Father Time, Baby New Year, and New Year's Day. There are several German versions of "Jingle Bells", including Roy Black's "Ein kleiner weißer Schneemann".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Parodies and homages
Template:External media Like many simple, catchy, and popular melodies, "Jingle Bells" is often the subject of parody. "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells" has been a well-known parody since the mid-1960s,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> with many variations on the lyrics.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It has been referenced several times in official Batman media, notably appearing in the second episode of Batman: The Animated Series, "Christmas with the Joker". It also appears in the first episode of The Simpsons, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", which led the series to be misattributed with creating the parody.<ref name="Groening">Template:Cite video</ref>
Parodies or novelty versions of "Jingle Bells" have been recorded by many artists, and include Yogi Yorgesson's "Yingle Bells", Da Yoopers' "Rusty Chevrolet",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Bucko and Champs' "Aussie Jingle Bells", The Three Stooges' "Jingle Bell Drag", and Jeff Dunham's "Jingle Bombs", performed in his "Achmed the Dead Terrorist" sketch. Another popular spoof of the song is "Pumpkin Bells", a "Pumpkin Carol" which celebrates Halloween and the "Great Pumpkin". It originated in The Peanuts Book of Pumpkin Carols,<ref>The Peanuts Book of Pumpkin Carols, Ambassador Cards</ref> a booklet based on the Peanuts comic strip and published by Hallmark Cards in the 1960s.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The Australian "Aussie Jingle Bells" written by Colin Buchanan, broadly translates the idea of the original song to the summertime Christmas of the Southern Hemisphere, making reference to a Holden ute and Kelpie.
"Jingle Bell Rock" by Bobby Helms pays homage to "Jingle Bells", directly referencing the source song's lyrics, but with a different melody. Originally recorded and released by Helms in a rockabilly style, "Jingle Bell Rock" has itself since become a Christmas standard.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
"Tintinabulations" is a novelty arrangement of the song for full orchestra by American Katherine W. Punwar.<ref name="Punwar"> "The Compostion" in J. S. Pierpont. Tintinabulations. Arranged by Katherine W. Punwar. San Diego: Neil A. Kjos Music Company, 1986. p. 2.</ref> It consists of 19th and 20th century stylistic variations of "Jingle Bells"<ref name="Punwar"/> and is sometimes performed by classical orchestras for their Christmas concerts.Template:Cn
The first notes in the chorus have become a motif that has been inserted into recordings of other Christmas songs, most notably at the beginning and end of Bing Crosby's "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"; a guitar passage at the end of Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song"; and Clarence Clemons performing a saxophone solo in the middle of Bruce Springsteen's "Merry Christmas Baby". A piano is also heard playing these notes at the end of Springsteen's version of "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town". A slow version of the chorus opening forms the conclusion of Stan Freberg's 1957 "Green Chri$tma$", interspersed with cash-register noises. Mariah Carey utilizes a bit of the melody in her song "When Christmas Comes". Joni Mitchell's 1971 song "River" begins with a melancholy version of the chorus on piano.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Charts
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Frank Sinatra version
| Chart (2013–2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 37 |
| France (SNEP)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 28 |
| Greece International (IFPI)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 29 |
| Lithuania (AGATA)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 38 |
Peter Alexander version
| Chart (1965) | Peak position |
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Judge Dread version
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Moustache version
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Hysterics version
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Confetti's version
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Yello version
| Chart (1995–2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 46 |
Johann K. version
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
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Crazy Frog version
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
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Kimberley Locke version
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
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| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 1 |
Basshunter version
| Chart (2006, 2008) | Peak position |
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Glee Cast version
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
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| Holiday Digital Song Sales (Billboard)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 10 |
Michael Bublé and the Puppini Sisters version
| Chart (2011–2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 16 |
| UK Streaming Chart (OCC)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 77 |
3js version
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
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Jim Reeves version
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
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Lauren Daigle version
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
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Sam Ryder version
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
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Meghan Trainor version
| Chart (2023–2024) | Peak position |
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Certifications
Frank Sinatra version
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Michael Bublé and the Puppini Sisters version
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See also
References
External links
Template:Commons category Template:Wikisource Template:Sister project
- Search result for recordings, AllMusic
- Sheet music of "The One Horse Open Sleigh" at the Library of Congress
- The Story of "Jingle Bells" by Roger Lee Hall, New England Song Series No. 3
- Free arrangements for piano and voice from Cantorion.org
- James Lord Pierpont—discussion of the song's history, hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com
- Complete lyrics and further details to "Jingle Bells", hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com
- Template:IMDb title, 1941 film with Gloria Jean
Template:Thanksgiving Template:Christmas Template:Barbra Streisand songs Template:Bing Crosby singles Template:Frank Sinatra singles Template:The Andrews Sisters Template:Authority control