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“Dashing Through The Snow In A One Horse Open Sleigh.” The familiar lyrics of this song bring to mind visions of snow covered landscapes and horse drawn sleighs with their riders bundled up under fur blankets – “laughing all the way”.
Jingle Bells is one of the best-known and commonly sung winter songs in the world. Originally composed by James Lord Pierpont in 1850 under the name “One Horse Open Sleigh”, it was actually written and sung for Thanksgiving. Copyrighted with this name in 1857, it was reprinted in 1859 with the revised title of “Jingle Bells”. Pierpont wrote the song at the former Simpson Tavern in Medford, MA, where a plaque commemorating the birthplace of Jingle Bells adorns the side of the building. According to the Medford historical Society, the song was inspired by the town’s popular sleigh races during the 1800s.The first verse and chorus are the most familiar sections of “Jingle Bells”:
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Dashing through the snow In a one horse open sleigh O'er the fields we go Laughing all the way Making spirits bright What fun it is to laugh and sing A sleighing song tonight |
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 We got into a drifted bank And then we got upsot |
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Oh, 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 |
Oh, 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 |
Jingle Bells has been one of the most performed and most recognizable holiday songs ever written. It was first recorded by the Edison Male Quartette in 1898. In 1902, the Hayden Quartet recorded it. In 1943, Bing Crosby and the Andrews sisters recorded it, reaching #19 on the charts and selling over a million copies. In 1941, Glen Miller and His Orchestra had a #5 hit and in 1951, Benny Goodman and His Orchestra reached #18. In 1951, Les Paul had a #10 hit and in 2006 Kimberley Locke had a #1 hit on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart! A complete list of artists who recorded Jingle Bells can be found here.
Jingle Bells was the first song broadcast from space in a prank by astronauts Tom Stafford and Wally Schirra. While in space, they sent a report to Mission Control that they had an object which looked like a satellite going from north to south with eight smaller modules in front and a pilot wearing a red suit. They then broadcast a rendition of Jingle Bells on a small harmonica that they had smuggled aboard the space craft.
While listening to this and other great holiday songs this season, check us out at www.agordon.com.
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