Jingle Bells
Encyclopedia
"Jingle Bells" is one of the best-known and commonly sung winter songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont
(1822–1893) and published under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh" in the autumn of 1857. Even though it is commonly thought of as a Christmas song, it was actually written and sung for Thanksgiving
.
originally composed his song in 1850. A plaque commemorating the "birthplace" of "Jingle Bells" adorns the side of a building in Medford, Massachusetts
. Pierpont wrote the song there, at the former Simpson Tavern, now 19 High Street in the center of Medford Square. According to the Medford Historical Society, the song was inspired by the town's popular sleigh races during the 1800s.
"Jingle Bells" was originally copyrighted with the name "One Horse Open Sleigh" on September 16, 1857. It was reprinted in 1859 with the revised title of "Jingle Bells, or the One Horse Open Sleigh". The song has since passed into public domain
.
Music historian James Fuld notes that "the word jingle in the title and opening phrase is apparently an imperative verb
." However, it is commonly taken to mean a certain kind of bell
.
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:
In the next verse (which is often skipped), he falls out of the sleigh and a rival laughs at him:
In the last verse, after relating his experience, he gives equestrian advice to a friend to pick up some girls, finds a faster horse, and take off at full speed:
featuring a more classical
-style melody. The "I V vi III IV I V I" chord progression is a common theme in classical music; except for the final two chord changes, the melody as originally written follows the same pattern as Pachelbel's Canon, resembling the tune Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
, which appeared about fifty years after "Jingle Bells".
.
"Jingle Bells" was first recorded by the Edison Male Quartette in 1898 on an Edison cylinder as part of a Christmas medley entitled "Sleigh Ride Party". In 1902, the Hayden Quartet recorded "Jingle Bells".
In 1943, Bing Crosby
and the Andrews Sisters recorded "Jingle Bells" as Decca 23281 which reached No. 19 on the charts and sold over a million copies. In 1941, Glenn Miller
and His Orchestra with Tex Beneke, Marion Hutton, Ernie Caceres and the Modernaires on vocals had a No. 5 hit with "Jingle Bells" on RCA Victor, as Bluebird 11353. In 1935, Benny Goodman
and His Orchestra reached No. 18 on the charts with their recording of "Jingle Bells". In 1951, Les Paul
had a No. 10 hit with a multi-tracked
version on guitar. In 2006, Kimberley Locke
had a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart with a recording of the song.
"Jingle Bells" has been performed and recorded by a wide variety of musical artists, including Louis Armstrong
, The Beatles
, The Chipmunks
, Judy Collins
, Nat King Cole
, Perry Como
, Placido Domingo
, Duke Ellington
, Ella Fitzgerald
, Spike Jones
, Barry Manilow
, The Million Dollar Quartet (Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis), NSync, Luciano Pavarotti
, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Sex Pistols, Frank Sinatra
, Fats Waller
and Yello
, among many others.
In 1955, Don Charles, from Copenhagen, Denmark, recorded a novelty version with dogs barking to the melody of "Jingle Bells" as RCA 6344, and a version credited simply to "St. Nick" called "Jingle Bells (Laughing All the Way)" features someone laughing, rather than singing, the entire song.
and Wally Schirra
. While in space on December 16, 1965, they sent this report to Mission Control: "We have an object, looks like a satellite going from north to south, probably in polar orbit
... I see a command module and eight smaller modules in front. The pilot of the command module is wearing a red suit...." The astronauts then produced a smuggled harmonica and sleighbells and broadcast a rendition of "Jingle Bells." The harmonica, shown to the press upon their return, was a Hohner
"Little Lady", a tiny harmonica approximately one inch long, by 3/8 of an inch wide.
. "Jingle Bells, Batman
Smells" has been a well-known parody since the mid 1960s, with many variations on the lyrics. Bart Simpson
sings this version on The Simpsons
, the first time being on "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
". The Joker himself also sings it in the Batman: The Animated Series
episode "Christmas with the Joker". In addition, comedian Phil Snyder
recorded a full-length version of the song, adding new verses utilising other comic superheroes.
Another popular spoof of the song celebrates Halloween
, and is called "Pumpkin Bells", conceived by Peanuts. It is referred to as a "Pumpkin Carol" saying how fun Halloween really is with the "Great Pumpkin".
"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.
Parodies or novelty versions of the song have been recorded by many artists, including "Yogi Yorgesson
" ("Yingle Bells") and Da Yoopers
("Rusty Chevrolet").
James Pierpont (musician)
James Lord Pierpont was an American songwriter, arranger, organist, and composer, best known for writing and composing Jingle Bells in 1857, originally entitled "The One Horse Open Sleigh". He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and died in Winter Haven, Florida...
(1822–1893) and published under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh" in the autumn of 1857. Even though it is commonly thought of as a Christmas song, it was actually written and sung for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
.
Composition
James Lord PierpontJames Pierpont (musician)
James Lord Pierpont was an American songwriter, arranger, organist, and composer, best known for writing and composing Jingle Bells in 1857, originally entitled "The One Horse Open Sleigh". He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and died in Winter Haven, Florida...
originally composed his song in 1850. A plaque commemorating the "birthplace" of "Jingle Bells" adorns the side of a building in Medford, Massachusetts
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...
. Pierpont wrote the song there, at the former Simpson Tavern, now 19 High Street in the center of Medford Square. According to the Medford Historical Society, the song was inspired by the town's popular sleigh races during the 1800s.
"Jingle Bells" was originally copyrighted with the name "One Horse Open Sleigh" on September 16, 1857. It was reprinted in 1859 with the revised title of "Jingle Bells, or the One Horse Open Sleigh". The song has since passed into public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
.
Music historian James Fuld notes that "the word jingle in the title and opening phrase is apparently an imperative verb
Imperative mood
The imperative mood expresses commands or requests as a grammatical mood. These commands or requests urge the audience to act a certain way. It also may signal a prohibition, permission, or any other kind of exhortation.- Morphology :...
." However, it is commonly taken to mean a certain kind of bell
Jingle bell
A jingle bell is a type of bell which produces a distinctive 'jingle' sound, especially in large numbers. They find use in many areas as a percussion instrument, including the classic sleigh bell sound and morris dancing...
.
Lyrics
The first verse and chorus are the most well-remembered sections of "Jingle Bells":- Dashing through the snow
- In a one-horse open sleigh
- O'er the fields we go
- Laughing all the way
- Bells on bobtail ring
- Making spirits bright
- What fun it is to laugh and sing
- A sleighing song tonight!
- Jingle bells, jingle bells,
- Jingle all the way.
- Oh! what fun it is to ride
- In a one-horse open sleigh.
- Jingle bells, jingle bells,
- Jingle all the way;
- Oh! what fun it is to ride
- In a one-horse open sleigh.
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:
- 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 upsot.
- |: chorus :|
In the next verse (which is often skipped), he falls out of the sleigh and a rival laughs at him:
- 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.
- |: chorus :|
In the last verse, after relating his experience, he gives equestrian advice to a friend to pick up some girls, finds a faster horse, and take off at full speed:
- 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
- Hitch him to an open sleigh
- And crack! you'll take the lead.
- |: chorus :|
Original lyrics
The 1857 lyrics differed slightly from those we know today. It is unknown who replaced the words with those of the modern version.- Dashing through the snow
- In a one-horse open sleigh
- O'er the hills we go
- Laughing all the way.
- Bells on bobtail ring
- Making spirits bright
- Oh what sport to ride and sing
- A sleighing song tonight.
- |: chorus :|
- Jingle bells, jingle bells
- Jingle all the way!
- O what joy it is to ride
- In a one-horse open sleigh.
- A day or two ago
- I thought 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 we - we got upsot
- |: chorus :|
- 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
- |: chorus :|
- 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 is his speed
- Hitch him to an open sleigh
- And crack! You'll take the lead.
- |: chorus :|
Melody
The original 1857 "Jingle Bells" had a slightly different chorusRefrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
featuring a more classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
-style melody. The "I V vi III IV I V I" chord progression is a common theme in classical music; except for the final two chord changes, the melody as originally written follows the same pattern as Pachelbel's Canon, resembling the tune Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
"Jolly Old St. Nicholas" is a Christmas song. Its authorship is often credited to Wilf Carter. However, since the song is mentioned in earlier works , this attribution is unlikely. The song has also been credited to Benjamin Hanby, author of "Up on the House Top", at some point in the 1860s,...
, which appeared about fifty years after "Jingle Bells".
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 FameSongwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame is an arm of the National Academy of Popular Music. It was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and music publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The goal is to create a museum but as of April, 2008, the means do not yet exist and so instead it is an online...
.
"Jingle Bells" was first recorded by the Edison Male Quartette in 1898 on an Edison cylinder as part of a Christmas medley entitled "Sleigh Ride Party". In 1902, the Hayden Quartet recorded "Jingle Bells".
In 1943, Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
and the Andrews Sisters recorded "Jingle Bells" as Decca 23281 which reached No. 19 on the charts and sold over a million copies. In 1941, Glenn Miller
Glenn Miller
Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
and His Orchestra with Tex Beneke, Marion Hutton, Ernie Caceres and the Modernaires on vocals had a No. 5 hit with "Jingle Bells" on RCA Victor, as Bluebird 11353. In 1935, Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
and His Orchestra reached No. 18 on the charts with their recording of "Jingle Bells". In 1951, Les Paul
Les Paul
Lester William Polsfuss —known as Les Paul—was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He is credited with many recording innovations...
had a No. 10 hit with a multi-tracked
Multitrack recording
Multitrack recording is a method of sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create a cohesive whole...
version on guitar. In 2006, Kimberley Locke
Kimberley Locke
Kimberley Dawn Locke is an American singer-songwriter and model. She has recorded in the dance, pop and adult contemporary music genres....
had a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart with a recording of the song.
"Jingle Bells" has been performed and recorded by a wide variety of musical artists, including Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, The Chipmunks
The Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
, Judy Collins
Judy Collins
Judith Marjorie "Judy" Collins is an American singer and songwriter, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records ; and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.-Musical career:Collins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington...
, Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
, Perry Como
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
, Placido Domingo
Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...
, Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
, Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, Spike Jones
Spike Jones
Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny and other Warner Brothers cartoon characters, performed a drunken, hiccuping verse for 1942's "Clink! Clink! Another Drink"...
, Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
, The Million Dollar Quartet (Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis), NSync, Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti
right|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...
, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Sex Pistols, Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Fats Waller
Fats Waller
Fats Waller , born Thomas Wright Waller, was a jazz pianist, organist, composer, singer, and comedic entertainer...
and Yello
Yello
Yello is a Swiss electronica band consisting of Dieter Meier and Boris Blank. They are probably best known for their singles "The Race" and "Oh Yeah", which feature a mix of electronic music and manipulated vocals, as does most of their music....
, among many others.
In 1955, Don Charles, from Copenhagen, Denmark, recorded a novelty version with dogs barking to the melody of "Jingle Bells" as RCA 6344, and a version credited simply to "St. Nick" called "Jingle Bells (Laughing All the Way)" features someone laughing, rather than singing, the entire song.
First song in outer space
"Jingle Bells" was the first song broadcast from space, in a Christmas-themed prank by Gemini 6 astronauts Tom StaffordThomas Patten Stafford
Thomas Patten Stafford is a retired American Air Force lieutenant general and former NASA astronaut. He flew aboard two Gemini space flights; and in 1969 was the commander of Apollo 10, the second manned mission to orbit the Moon and the first to fly a lunar module there.In 1975, Stafford was...
and Wally Schirra
Wally Schirra
Walter Marty Schirra, Jr. was an American test pilot, United States Navy officer, and one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts chosen for the Project Mercury, America's effort to put humans in space. He is the only person to fly in all of America's first three space programs...
. While in space on December 16, 1965, they sent this report to Mission Control: "We have an object, looks like a satellite going from north to south, probably in polar orbit
Polar orbit
A polar orbit is an orbit in which a satellite passes above or nearly above both poles of the body being orbited on each revolution. It therefore has an inclination of 90 degrees to the equator...
... I see a command module and eight smaller modules in front. The pilot of the command module is wearing a red suit...." The astronauts then produced a smuggled harmonica and sleighbells and broadcast a rendition of "Jingle Bells." The harmonica, shown to the press upon their return, was a Hohner
Hohner
Hohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co. KG is a company specialising in the manufacture of musical instruments. Founded in 1857 by Matthias Hohner , Hohner is identified especially with harmonicas and accordions. The Hohner company has invented and produced many different styles, and most of the...
"Little Lady", a tiny harmonica approximately one inch long, by 3/8 of an inch wide.
Parodies and homages
Like many simple, catchy, and popular melodies, "Jingle Bells" is often the subject of parodyParody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
. "Jingle Bells, Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
Smells" has been a well-known parody since the mid 1960s, with many variations on the lyrics. Bart Simpson
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
sings this version on The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, the first time being on "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire
"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", also known as "The Simpsons Christmas Special", is the first full-length episode of The Simpsons to air despite originally being the eighth episode produced for season one. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 17, 1989...
". The Joker himself also sings it in the Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series is an American animated series based on the DC Comics character Batman. The series featured an ensemble cast of many voice-actors including Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Arleen Sorkin, and Loren Lester. The series won four Emmy Awards and was nominated...
episode "Christmas with the Joker". In addition, comedian Phil Snyder
Phil Snyder
Phil Snyder is an American actor, writer, producer, and director. He was born in Ellensburg, Washington, the sixth child in a family of ten children. He began to demonstrate his love for, and natural skills in entertainment, especially impressions, at an early age. Snyder moved to Los Angeles,...
recorded a full-length version of the song, adding new verses utilising other comic superheroes.
Another popular spoof of the song celebrates Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
, and is called "Pumpkin Bells", conceived by Peanuts. It is referred to as a "Pumpkin Carol" saying how fun Halloween really is with the "Great Pumpkin".
"Jingle Bell Rock
Jingle Bell Rock
"Jingle Bell Rock" is the name of a popular Christmas song first released by Bobby Helms in 1957. It has received frequent airplay in the United States during every Christmas time since then. "Jingle Bell Rock" was composed by Joseph Carleton Beal , and James Ross Boothe...
" by Bobby Helms
Bobby Helms
Robert Lee Helms , better known as Bobby Helms, was an American country music singer who enjoyed his peak success in 1957 with his hit, "Jingle Bell Rock". He was mostly known for the Christmas song...
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
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
style, "Jingle Bell Rock" has itself since become a Christmas standard.
Parodies or novelty versions of the song have been recorded by many artists, including "Yogi Yorgesson
Harry Stewart
Harry Stewart was an American comedian and singer, who often performed as Yogi Yorgesson, a comically exaggerated Swede....
" ("Yingle Bells") and Da Yoopers
Da Yoopers
Da Yoopers is a traveling comedy show and musical group from Ishpeming, Mich. They are known primarily for their humorous songs and skits, most of which center around life in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan...
("Rusty Chevrolet").
External links
- Lyrics to "Jingle Bells"
- An original arrangement of "The One Horse Open Sleigh" at The Library of Congress
- The Story of "Jingle Bells"
- Free arrangements for piano and voice from Cantorion.org
- James Lord Pierpont – discussion of the song's history
- Complete lyrics to "Jingle Bells"
- Story of the Singing Dogs
- Jingle Belles