Jingle Cats
Encyclopedia
Jingle Cats is a series of Christmas
novelty recordings from producer Mike Spalla.
, which was being recorded in a session at the time. The studio engineer, Mike Spalla, recorded the meows and adjusted the timing to the music to make the first cat singing in recorded history. The song was sent to Kiss-FM
in Los Angeles and POWER-106 where it was played on the air the next day, Christmas Day. The following year, the Jingle Cats cassette was presented at the KLOS Classic Rock Expo in Los Angeles. 1,000 cassettes were distributed by City Hall Records in San Rafael, California. KNBC (Channel 4 News) in Los Angeles broke the story on Dec. 10, 1992 and the Jingle Cats sold out in about one hour.
In all, it took more than 1,000 meows, screeches and growls to assemble 20 melodies.
", and "Deck The Halls". There are 20 songs on the album. The tagline is "Real Kittens Sing 20 Holiday Classics." All of these songs are arranged and adapted by Mike Spalla. The arrangements are copyrighted by Mike Spalla. The original source of the songs is public domain because the songs are very old Christmas Classics.
", "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
", and naturally, "Here Comes Santa Claus
". Here Comes Santa Claws also notably contained an original composition, "A Kitten's Story". The album also contained a rendition of Israel's National Anthem, "Hatikvah".
focus of previous releases, and presents a musical program of 'year-round' favorites as disparate as "Over The Rainbow
", "Dueling Banjos
", "The Star Spangled Banner", and "Happy Birthday to You
". In 2008, Jingle Cats Music www.jinglecats.com released the Jingle Cats Christmas DVD, a collection of Jingle Cats animation, and a new album by the Jingle Dogs entitled "Puppy Holidays."
' doorstep at the North Pole
, and their caroling formed the basis for the release).
, The Long Kiss Goodnight
and Mixed Nuts
. Additionally, Sony
released a role playing game for Apple
computers titled Jingle Cats: Aito Yujono Neko Monogatari, Love Para Daisakusen. This was also released on Sony PlayStation in Japan. The objective of the game was to care for and breed musical cats. At the highest level, the cats sing "Smoke on the Water
".
, first guesting on the original 1993 "Jingle Cats Medley" on Meowy Christmas, were committed to disc with their own CD and cassette on 1995's Christmas Unleashed album as well as the 2008 release Puppy Holidays. Jingle Dogs also made several appearances on Jingle Cats' 1993 debut Meowy Christmas.
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
novelty recordings from producer Mike Spalla.
Early recordings
The Jingle Cats began their recording career in December 1991, when a precocious kitten named "Cheesepuff" crawled into a Hollywood studio recording booth and began meowing along with the song Jingle BellsJingle Bells
"Jingle Bells" is one of the best-known and commonly sung winter songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont and published under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh" in the autumn of 1857...
, which was being recorded in a session at the time. The studio engineer, Mike Spalla, recorded the meows and adjusted the timing to the music to make the first cat singing in recorded history. The song was sent to Kiss-FM
KIIS-FM
KIIS-FM is a Los Angeles, California, USA-based radio station with a partial Top 40 musical format. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications. KIIS is also simulcasted on KVVS in Rosamond, at 105.5 MHz...
in Los Angeles and POWER-106 where it was played on the air the next day, Christmas Day. The following year, the Jingle Cats cassette was presented at the KLOS Classic Rock Expo in Los Angeles. 1,000 cassettes were distributed by City Hall Records in San Rafael, California. KNBC (Channel 4 News) in Los Angeles broke the story on Dec. 10, 1992 and the Jingle Cats sold out in about one hour.
In all, it took more than 1,000 meows, screeches and growls to assemble 20 melodies.
Meowy Christmas
In 1993, the album Meowy Christmas, by the Jingle Cats, was released on CD and cassette (1993) which sold over 100,000 copies in its first four weeks of release. Meowy Christmas reached number 10 on Billboard's catalog chart in 1994 and featured holiday classics such as "O Christmas Tree", "God Rest Ye Merry GentlemenGod Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen is an English traditional Christmas carol. The melody is in Aeolian mode. It was published by William B...
", and "Deck The Halls". There are 20 songs on the album. The tagline is "Real Kittens Sing 20 Holiday Classics." All of these songs are arranged and adapted by Mike Spalla. The arrangements are copyrighted by Mike Spalla. The original source of the songs is public domain because the songs are very old Christmas Classics.
Here Comes Santa Claws
1994's follow up album, Here Comes Santa Claws, co-released by BMG in Canada, capitalized on the success of Meowy Christmas to present an assortment of 20th century Christmas compositions including "The Christmas SongThe Christmas Song
"The Christmas Song" is a classic Christmas song written in 1944 by musician, composer, and vocalist Mel Tormé and Bob Wells. According to Tormé, the song was written during a blistering hot summer...
", "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer is a fictional reindeer with a glowing red nose. He is popularly known as "Santa's 9th Reindeer" and, when depicted, is the lead reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve. The luminosity of his nose is so great that it illuminates the team's path through...
", and naturally, "Here Comes Santa Claus
Here Comes Santa Claus
"Here Comes Santa Claus " is a Christmas song written by Gene Autry and Oakley Haldeman.Autry got the idea for the song after riding his horse in the 1946 Santa Claus Lane Parade in Los Angeles, during which crowds of spectators chanted, "Here comes Santa Claus". This inspired him to write a song...
". Here Comes Santa Claws also notably contained an original composition, "A Kitten's Story". The album also contained a rendition of Israel's National Anthem, "Hatikvah".
Rhythm and Mews
In 2002, Rhythm and Mews was released. The album abandons the Christmas musicChristmas music
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music normally performed or heard around the Christmas season, which tends to begin in the months leading up the actual holiday and end in the weeks shortly thereafter.-Early:...
focus of previous releases, and presents a musical program of 'year-round' favorites as disparate as "Over The Rainbow
Over the Rainbow
"Over the Rainbow" is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie...
", "Dueling Banjos
Dueling Banjos
"Dueling Banjos" is an instrumental composition by Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith. The song was composed in 1955 by Smith as a banjo instrumental he called "Feudin' Banjos", which contained riffs from "Yankee Doodle". Smith recorded it playing a four-string plectrum banjo and accompanied by...
", "The Star Spangled Banner", and "Happy Birthday to You
Happy Birthday to You
"Happy Birthday to You", also known more simply as "Happy Birthday", is a song that is traditionally sung to celebrate the anniversary of a person's birth...
". In 2008, Jingle Cats Music www.jinglecats.com released the Jingle Cats Christmas DVD, a collection of Jingle Cats animation, and a new album by the Jingle Dogs entitled "Puppy Holidays."
First Meowel
In 2009, Jingle Cats Music released a brand new album by the Jingle Cats entitled, "First Meowel."Production, editing, and liner notes
The singing in Jingle Cats is the real sounds of cats which have been edited to create the illusion that real cats are singing. The albums typically feature a short story in the liner notes, explaining how the cats were discovered (in the case of Meowy Christmas, that a litter of kittens appeared at Santa ClausSanta Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
' doorstep at the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
, and their caroling formed the basis for the release).
Appearances in media
Jingle Cats and Jingle Dogs recordings have appeared in such films as Fred ClausFred Claus
Fred Claus is a 2007 Christmas family-comedy film produced and directed by David Dobkin, written by Dan Fogelman and Jessie Nelson, and starring Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti.-Plot:...
, The Long Kiss Goodnight
The Long Kiss Goodnight
The Long Kiss Goodnight is a 1996 action thriller film starring Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson, written by Shane Black and directed by Renny Harlin.-Plot:...
and Mixed Nuts
Mixed Nuts
Mixed Nuts is a motion picture comedy directed by Nora Ephron, based on the French comedy film, Le Père Noël est une ordure . Its cast includes Steve Martin, Madeline Kahn, Rita Wilson, Anthony LaPaglia, Garry Shandling, Juliette Lewis and Adam Sandler...
. Additionally, Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
released a role playing game for Apple
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
computers titled Jingle Cats: Aito Yujono Neko Monogatari, Love Para Daisakusen. This was also released on Sony PlayStation in Japan. The objective of the game was to care for and breed musical cats. At the highest level, the cats sing "Smoke on the Water
Smoke on the Water
"Smoke on the Water" is a song by the British hard rock band Deep Purple. It was first released on their 1972 album Machine Head. In 2004, the song was ranked number 426 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, and in March 2005, Q magazine placed "Smoke on the Water"...
".
Collaboration with Jingle Dogs and licensing
Jingle DogsJingle Dogs
Jingle Dogs are a singing group that began as backup singers for the Jingle Cats. Jingle Dogs' album Christmas Unleashed was released in 1995 and featured edited samples of dogs barking holiday classics. Jingle Dogs released a second album in 2009 entitled Puppy Holidays....
, first guesting on the original 1993 "Jingle Cats Medley" on Meowy Christmas, were committed to disc with their own CD and cassette on 1995's Christmas Unleashed album as well as the 2008 release Puppy Holidays. Jingle Dogs also made several appearances on Jingle Cats' 1993 debut Meowy Christmas.
Jingle Cats in pop culture
- Jingle Cats has over 1 million views on YouTube.
- Jingle Cats appear on MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann (December 10, 2008)
- In the 2007 movie Fred ClausFred ClausFred Claus is a 2007 Christmas family-comedy film produced and directed by David Dobkin, written by Dan Fogelman and Jessie Nelson, and starring Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti.-Plot:...
, the Jingle Cats and the The Singing DogsThe Singing DogsThe Singing Dogs was a musical recording project under whose name two 45rpm singles were released in the 1950s.The idea for the Singing Dogs came from Don Charles, a record producer working in Copenhagen, Denmark...
are heard on the taxi radio. - Jingle Cats seen on The Colbert Report (Dec. 2007)
- Jingle Cats appeared on the NBC Network in a holiday special on December 22, 2008.
- Jingle Cats on CNN (December 1995)
- Jingle Cats' Meowy Christmas was number 10 on Billboard Magazine's Catalog Chart (December 1994)
- Jingle Cats on Entertainment Tonight (December 1993)
External links
- Jingle Cats official site
- Jingle Cats YouTube site
- International Business Times "Jingle Cats are Purring Again"
- New York Times review of Jingle Dogs Christmas Unleashed 1995
- "Jingle Cats Came Back" Toronto Star Sat Nov 21 2009
- "Jingle Cats 3D" 2011
- http://flavorwire.com/131796/a-guide-to-unconventional-christmas-music-for-the-whole-family "Dulcet tones of the Jingle Cats" 2010
- http://www.billboard.com/artist/jingle-cats/119872#/artist/jingle-cats/chart-history/119872 "Also Charted #19 Holiday Albums" Billboard January 1, 1994
- iTunes Preview
- http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/happy-birthday/id30918057?i=30918047 "Happy Birthday" iTunes