JINGLE BELLS
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'"Jingle Bells"', originally '"One Horse Open Sleigh"', is one of the best known and commonly sung, secular Christmas songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont (1822–1893) in 1857 or earlier. The song has been translated into many languages.
Various stories of the song's origins give the place of composition as Savannah, Georgia, Boston or Medford, Massachusetts.[1] An oft-repeated story is that he wrote it to be sung at a Thanksgiving program at his church in Savannah or Boston, but because of its instant popularity, it was sung again at the Christmas program. The copyright was granted in 1857, when Pierpont was serving as the organist for a Unitarian congregation in Savannah.
When it was originally published in 1857,[2] Pierpont's song had a different chorus melody, which was more classical, even Mozart-like. The 1857 lyrics differed slightly from those we know today. (The original words are given below in square brackets.) It is unknown who replaced the chorus melody and the words with those of the modern version.
The first verse and chorus are the most often sung (and remembered) section 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
:(chorus)
:|: Jingle bells, jingle bells,
:Jingle all the way;
:Oh! what fun [joy] it is to ride
:In a one-horse open sleigh. :|
Music historian James Fuld notes that the "the word ''jingle'' in the title and opening phrase is apparently an imperative verb."[3]
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 [we—we] got upsot.
:|: chorus :|
In the next verse 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, he picks up some girls, finds a faster horse, and takes off at full speed:
:Now the ground is white
:Go it while you're young,
:Take the girls along
: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 :|
==Charts ==
"Jingle Bells" was the first song broadcast from space, in a Christmas-themed prank by Gemini 6 astronauts Tom Stafford and Wally Schirra, December 16, 1965. They sent Mission Control this report:
: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" (''Smithsonian Magazine'', December 2005 pp25ff).
Like many simple, catchy, and popular melodies, "Jingle Bells" is often the subject of parody. In addition to outright parody, many Christmas-themed songs use a snippet of notes from "Jingle Bells", usually from the beginning of the chorus, to establish a holiday theme. Some of these include:
★ "Jingle Bell Rock" (Bobby Helms) - the best-known homage to "Jingle Bells", directly referencing the source song's lyrics. Originally recorded and released by Helms in a rockabilly style, "Jingle Bell Rock" has itself since become a Christmas standard.
★ "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" (Elmo & Patsy), "Christmas Balls" (The Boulder Boys), "Santa Claus Is Watching You" (Ray Stevens), "Christmas in Hollis" (Run-DMC) - these and other Christmas novelty songs use variations of the "Jingle Bells" chorus as an opening; in addition, the chorus of "Grandma" uses slightly different chord patterns.
★ An almost universally-known children's playground song uses the "Jingle Bells" melody:
:Jingle bells, Batman smells,
:Robin laid an egg;
:The Batmobile lost its wheel,
:And the Joker got away!
This song was sung by Robert Goulet in The Simpsons episode $pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling), but was circulated by children as far back as the early 1970s.
★ "The Christmas Song" (Nat King Cole), "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" (Bruce Springsteen), "Christmas at Ground Zero" ("Weird Al" Yankovic), "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells" (Bart Simpson) - these songs all close with variations of the "Jingle Bells" chorus.
★ "Rusty Chevrolet", a novelty song by Michigan musical comedy group Da Yoopers, uses the melody of "Jingle Bells". The song, originally in their 1987 album ''Culture Shock'', can also be found in their 1994 compilation ''For Diehards Only''. The group performs "Rusty Chevrolet" year-round in concert, despite it being a Christmas song.
★ In Ontario, sleigh bells are mandated by law, and persons breaking the law are subject to a $5 fine. The law states: "Every person travelling on a highway with a sleigh or sled drawn by a horse or other animal shall have at least two bells attached to the harness or to the sleigh or sled in such a manner as to give an ample warning sound".[4]
★ The "Jingle Bells" tune is used in French and German songs, although the lyrics are unrelated to the English lyrics. Both celebrate winter fun. The French song, titled ''Vive le vent'' ("Live the Wind"), was written by Francis Blanche[5][6] and contains references to Father Time, Baby New Year, and New Year's Day. There are several German versions of "Jingle Bells"; the popular Roy Black version Christkindl and Christmastime.[7]
★ Although recorded by hundreds of artists, Kimberley Locke's 2006 version was the first to ever top Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.
★ A plaque commemorating the "birthplace" of "Jingle Bells" sits on the side of a building in the center of Medford Square in Medford, Massachusetts.
PDF: for bassoon, trombone, and violin (54KB, MIME type: application/pdf, )
★ Jingle Belle
1. Stories Concerning the Origin of "Jingle Bells"
2. J. Pierpont, "One Horse Open Sleigh", Boston: Oliver Ditson & Co., deposited 1857 with Library of Congress
3. James J. Fuld, ''The Book of World-Famous Music'', Third Edition, Dover Publications (New York), p. 313.
4. Highway Traffic Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter H.8
5. "Vive le vent" (French chorus and literal English translation)
6. "Vive le vent" (with verses and augmented refrain)
7. Roy Black, "Jingle Bells" (German lyrics and literal English translation)
★ James Lord Pierpont - Discussion of the song's history
★ Complete lyrics to "Jingle Bells"
★ Story of the Singing Dogs
| Contents |
| Composition |
| Overview |
| Charts |
| In space |
| Parodies and homages |
| Trivia |
| Media |
| See also |
| Footnotes |
| External links |
Composition
Various stories of the song's origins give the place of composition as Savannah, Georgia, Boston or Medford, Massachusetts.[1] An oft-repeated story is that he wrote it to be sung at a Thanksgiving program at his church in Savannah or Boston, but because of its instant popularity, it was sung again at the Christmas program. The copyright was granted in 1857, when Pierpont was serving as the organist for a Unitarian congregation in Savannah.
Overview
When it was originally published in 1857,[2] Pierpont's song had a different chorus melody, which was more classical, even Mozart-like. The 1857 lyrics differed slightly from those we know today. (The original words are given below in square brackets.) It is unknown who replaced the chorus melody and the words with those of the modern version.
The first verse and chorus are the most often sung (and remembered) section 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
:(chorus)
:|: Jingle bells, jingle bells,
:Jingle all the way;
:Oh! what fun [joy] it is to ride
:In a one-horse open sleigh. :|
Music historian James Fuld notes that the "the word ''jingle'' in the title and opening phrase is apparently an imperative verb."[3]
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 [we—we] got upsot.
:|: chorus :|
In the next verse 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, he picks up some girls, finds a faster horse, and takes off at full speed:
:Now the ground is white
:Go it while you're young,
:Take the girls along
: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 :|
Charts
==Charts ==
| Diana Krall Version | |
|---|---|
| Charts (2005) | Peak Position |
| US Adult Contemporary | 5 |
| Kimberley Locke Version | |
|---|---|
| Chart (2006) | Peak Position |
| US Adult Contemporary | 1 |
In space
"Jingle Bells" was the first song broadcast from space, in a Christmas-themed prank by Gemini 6 astronauts Tom Stafford and Wally Schirra, December 16, 1965. They sent Mission Control this report:
: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" (''Smithsonian Magazine'', December 2005 pp25ff).
Parodies and homages
Like many simple, catchy, and popular melodies, "Jingle Bells" is often the subject of parody. In addition to outright parody, many Christmas-themed songs use a snippet of notes from "Jingle Bells", usually from the beginning of the chorus, to establish a holiday theme. Some of these include:
★ "Jingle Bell Rock" (Bobby Helms) - the best-known homage to "Jingle Bells", directly referencing the source song's lyrics. Originally recorded and released by Helms in a rockabilly style, "Jingle Bell Rock" has itself since become a Christmas standard.
★ "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" (Elmo & Patsy), "Christmas Balls" (The Boulder Boys), "Santa Claus Is Watching You" (Ray Stevens), "Christmas in Hollis" (Run-DMC) - these and other Christmas novelty songs use variations of the "Jingle Bells" chorus as an opening; in addition, the chorus of "Grandma" uses slightly different chord patterns.
★ An almost universally-known children's playground song uses the "Jingle Bells" melody:
:Jingle bells, Batman smells,
:Robin laid an egg;
:The Batmobile lost its wheel,
:And the Joker got away!
This song was sung by Robert Goulet in The Simpsons episode $pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling), but was circulated by children as far back as the early 1970s.
★ "The Christmas Song" (Nat King Cole), "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" (Bruce Springsteen), "Christmas at Ground Zero" ("Weird Al" Yankovic), "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells" (Bart Simpson) - these songs all close with variations of the "Jingle Bells" chorus.
★ "Rusty Chevrolet", a novelty song by Michigan musical comedy group Da Yoopers, uses the melody of "Jingle Bells". The song, originally in their 1987 album ''Culture Shock'', can also be found in their 1994 compilation ''For Diehards Only''. The group performs "Rusty Chevrolet" year-round in concert, despite it being a Christmas song.
Trivia
★ In Ontario, sleigh bells are mandated by law, and persons breaking the law are subject to a $5 fine. The law states: "Every person travelling on a highway with a sleigh or sled drawn by a horse or other animal shall have at least two bells attached to the harness or to the sleigh or sled in such a manner as to give an ample warning sound".[4]
★ The "Jingle Bells" tune is used in French and German songs, although the lyrics are unrelated to the English lyrics. Both celebrate winter fun. The French song, titled ''Vive le vent'' ("Live the Wind"), was written by Francis Blanche[5][6] and contains references to Father Time, Baby New Year, and New Year's Day. There are several German versions of "Jingle Bells"; the popular Roy Black version Christkindl and Christmastime.[7]
★ Although recorded by hundreds of artists, Kimberley Locke's 2006 version was the first to ever top Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.
★ A plaque commemorating the "birthplace" of "Jingle Bells" sits on the side of a building in the center of Medford Square in Medford, Massachusetts.
Media
PDF
See also
★ Jingle Belle
Footnotes
1. Stories Concerning the Origin of "Jingle Bells"
2. J. Pierpont, "One Horse Open Sleigh", Boston: Oliver Ditson & Co., deposited 1857 with Library of Congress
3. James J. Fuld, ''The Book of World-Famous Music'', Third Edition, Dover Publications (New York), p. 313.
4. Highway Traffic Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter H.8
5. "Vive le vent" (French chorus and literal English translation)
6. "Vive le vent" (with verses and augmented refrain)
7. Roy Black, "Jingle Bells" (German lyrics and literal English translation)
External links
★ James Lord Pierpont - Discussion of the song's history
★ Complete lyrics to "Jingle Bells"
★ Story of the Singing Dogs
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