Is ‘Jingle Bells’ a Christmas Song?
The Christmas season often comes with flavors of gingerbread and peppermint. Thereās plenty of sleigh bells included in songs like āSleigh Rideā and even some lyrics regarding the sweet sounds of jingle bells.Ā
The holiday song āJingle Bellsā wasnāt always about Christmas, though. Hereās what we know about the origin of this Christmas classic.Ā
There are several versions of āJingle Bellsā that ring in the holiday season
Itās a holiday classic decades old and still beloved by listeners of all ages. āJingle Bellsā tells the story of a one-horse open sleigh and dashing through the snow. It was written in the 1800s by James Lord Pierpont, who also wrote the lyrics.Ā
Although it was initially titled āOne Horse Open Sleigh,ā the name for this tune changed two years following its debut. Decades later, the song appeared in holiday movies like A Christmas Story, with some children even changing the lyrics. Award-winning artists recorded their versions of this Christmas classic.Ā
That includes Frank Sinatra for his album Ultimate Christmas and Michael BublĆ© for his album Christmas (Deluxe Special Edition.) Even Mickey Mouse and his friends have a version of āJingle Bellsā available for streaming on Spotify. However, āJingle Bellsā wasnāt initially meant to be a Christmas song.
James Lord Pierpont wrote āJingle Bellsā for another holiday other than Christmas
āJingle Bellsā has been a favorite holiday song of many listeners, although it was initially meant for a holiday other than Christmas. It was intended for the November United States-based holiday, Thanksgiving.Ā
According to History.com, some historical accounts state āJingle Bellsā was first performed for a Thanksgiving church service, with the lyrics decidedly being too risquĆ© for an āecclesiastical audience.āĀ
āGiven the songwriterās rebellious nature, it shouldnāt be surprising that āJingle Bellsā has a bit of a rebel-without-a-cause attitude,ā the website continues. āThe less-known verses of the song describe picking up girls, drag-racing on snow, and a high-speed crash.ā
Other songs took on a holiday theme, including āCarol of the Bellsā and Fleet Foxesā āWhite Winter Hymnalā
āJingle Bellsā wouldnāt be the only song with a Christmas rebranding. āWhite Winter Hymnal,ā with an a capella version popularized by Pentatonix, appears on the bandās album Thatās Christmas to Me (Deluxe Edition).
According to Business Insider, āCarol of the Bells,ā which has since been recreated for Home Alone and by the a capella group Pentatonix, wasnāt originally about Christmas.Ā
āIt was a Ukrainian folk chant called āShchedrykā that welcomed the spring and described a bird flying into someoneās house to tweet about good fortune,ā the article states. āComposer Peter Wilhousky heard the chant performed and wrote the English lyrics to the popular, fast-paced āCarol of the Bells.āā
Some versions of āJingle Bells,ā including one recorded by Bing Crosby and another by Sinatra, are available on the music streaming platform Spotify.