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The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)

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"The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" is a novelty Christmas song written and recorded by Ross Bagdasarian (under the stage name of David Seville) in 1958. Bagdasarian sang the song, varying the tape speeds to produce high-pitched "chipmunk" voices, with the vocals credited to Alvin and the Chipmunks, Seville's cartoon virtual band[1] and later media franchise.[2] The song won three Grammy Awards in 1958, for Best Comedy Performance, Best Children's Recording, and Best Engineered Record (non-classical);[3] it was also nominated for Record of the Year.[4][5][6][7]

"The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)"
Picture sleeve of 1959 reissue single by Liberty Records (F-55250)
Single by Alvin and the Chipmunks and David Seville
from the album Let's All Sing with The Chipmunks
B-side
ReleasedNovember 17, 1958 source (Billboard 100 Edition Nov 17th 1958. Earliest Mention)
RecordedOctober 31, 1958
Genre
Length2:21
  • 2:15 (rock version)
LabelLiberty F-55168
Liberty F-55250
Songwriter(s)Ross Bagdasarian
Producer(s)Ross Bagdasarian
Alvin and the Chipmunks and David Seville singles chronology
"The Bird on My Head"
(1958) 		"The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)"
(1958) 		"Alvin's Harmonica"
(1959)
Alternate cover
1961 reissue, utilizing animated makeovers for The Alvin Show

After the success of "Witch Doctor" in early 1958, Liberty Records asked Bagdasarian to create another successful novelty record. He then came up with three singing chipmunks who were named, as an inside joke, after executives at Liberty Records. The chipmunks were Alvin (named after Al Bennett), Simon (named after Simon Waronker), and Theodore (Ted Keep).[8][9][10][11] The song was their first official on-scene appearance. It saved Liberty Records from near-bankruptcy.[2]

Background

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"Witch Doctor"

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Main article: Witch Doctor (song)

In 1958, Ross Bagdasarian released a novelty song (as David Seville) about being unsuccessful at love until he found a witch doctor who told him how to woo his woman; the witch doctor responds in a high-pitched squeaky voice with a nonsense incantation which creates an earworm. Seville had bought a tape recorder, experimenting recording himself at different speeds to create a duet between him and the witch doctor. The voice of the witch doctor was in fact Seville's own voice, sung slowly but recorded at half speed on the tape recorder, then played back at normal speed, thereby speeding up the voice into a high-pitched squeaky one.[12][13][14] The song was a hit, holding number one for three weeks in the Billboard Hot 100 chart,[15][16] ranked by Billboard as the No. 4 song for 1958.[17]

Context and performance

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One phrase in the chorus has Alvin wishing for a hula hoop, which was that year's hot new toy.[18][19][20] The novelty record was highly successful, selling 4.5 million copies in seven weeks.[9] It eventually sold 12 million copies.[21] Before the song's success, "The Chipmunk Song" was featured on American Bandstand's "Rate-A-Record" segment and received the lowest possible rating of 35 across the board.[22] It spent four weeks at Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart[23][24][25] from December 22, 1958, to January 12, 1959, succeeding "To Know Him Is to Love Him" at Number 1 on the same chart by the Teddy Bears, a pop group that featured Phil Spector. At the height of its popularity, Bagdasarian and three chipmunk hand-puppets appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, lip-synching the song. "The Chipmunk Song" appeared on the Chipmunks' debut album, Let's All Sing with the Chipmunks, in 1959, and was repeated on Christmas with the Chipmunks, released in 1962. The song also has been included on several compilation albums. It had the distinction of being the only Christmas record to reach No. 1 on the same chart until Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" did so 61 years later in 2019.

The song was certified Gold by the RIAA as one of the best-selling physical Christmas singles in the United States.[26] Between 1958 and 1962, the single re-entered the Hot 100 several times, peaking at No. 41 in 1958, No. 45 in 1960, and No. 39 in 1962. (Starting in 1963, Billboard would list recurrent Christmas songs on a separate chart.) The song charted on the Hot Digital Songs for the first time in 2005, peaking at No. 35. With the release and popularity of the live-action film Alvin and the Chipmunks in 2007, "The Chipmunk Song" re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 70. At the same time, a remixed version of the song that appears on the Chipmunks' 2007 album (and soundtrack to the film) Alvin and the Chipmunks: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, peaked at No. 66.

As of December 25, 2011, Nielsen SoundScan estimated total sales of two versions of the digital track by The Chipmunks at 867,000 downloads, placing it third on the list of all-time best-selling Christmas/holiday digital singles in SoundScan history (behind Mariah Carey's 1994 hit single "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and Trans-Siberian Orchestra's 1996 track "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24").[27]

Legacy

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The Chipmunk Song is a popular Christmas song that has been featured in movies and television, and has been a staple on the Billboard charts. The song was a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 when it was released in 1958, and re-entered the chart multiple times in the 1960s. It also appeared on the Holiday 100, where it peaked at number 26 in 2015. The song has been featured in many movies and television shows, including Look Who's Talking Now! (1993),[28] Donnie Brasco (1997),[29][30] The Fate of the Furious (2017),[31] and an episode of The King of Queens (1998).[32] Bob Rivers released a parody of the song for his 2000 Christmas album Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire.[33] The song was featured in the 2007 live-action film Alvin and the Chipmunks, and a remix of the song was created for the movie and entered the Hot 100. The song helped launch the multimillion-dollar Alvin and the Chipmunks brand. It is considered one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time.[9]

Track listing

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Original 1958 release

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No.TitleCredited artistLength
1."The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" (Ross Bagdasarian Sr.)David Seville and The Chipmunks2:17
2."Almost Good" (Ross Bagdasarian Sr., Mark McIntyre)The Music of David Seville2:02

1959 reissue

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All tracks are written by Ross Bagdasarian Sr.

No.TitleCredited artistLength
1."The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)"David Seville and The Chipmunks2:17
2."Alvin's Harmonica"David Seville and The Chipmunks2:39

1961 reissue

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All tracks are written by Ross Bagdasarian Sr.

No.TitleCredited artistLength
1."The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)"Alvin, Simon and Theodore with David Seville2:17
2."Alvin's Harmonica"Alvin, Simon and Theodore with David Seville2:39

See also

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References

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  1. ^ ""The Chipmunk Song" Turns 60: Secrets of a Holiday Novelty Smash". The Hollywood Reporter. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Justice For "The Chipmunk Song": 10 Reasons It Will Always Be A Christmas Classic". Grammy Awards. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  3. ^ O'Neil, Tom (4 May 2009). "Today in 1959: First Grammy Awards handed out". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 Nov 2009.
  4. ^ "1958 Grammy Winners". Recording Academy. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  5. ^ https://www.grammy.com/news/the-chipmunk-song-christmas-dont-be-late-anniversary-legacy-facts
  6. ^ "How Much Does the Chipmunks' Christmas Song Earn Every Year?". Billboard. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  7. ^ "Sinatra To The Chipmunks: 7 Things To Know About The 1st GRAMMY Awards". Grammy Awards. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  8. ^ Pantera, Gabrielle (2009-09-29). "DVD: Alvin and the Chipmunks TV Shows". Hollywood Today. Archived from the original on 12 June 2010. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  9. ^ a b c "ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS – A SIX DECADE SUCCESS STORY" (PDF). Los Angeles City Council. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  10. ^ Korkis, Jim (2013-04-05). "Animation Anecdotes #104". Cartoon Research. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
  11. ^ "Canned Heat and The Chipmunks: A Musical Christmas Story". UNREMEMBERED. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  12. ^ Kelly, Michael Bryan (1993). Liberty Records: A History of the Recording Company and Its Stars, 1955–1971. McFarland. p. 44. ISBN 9780899507408.
  13. ^ Bronson, Fred (1997). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. Billboard Books. p. 36. ISBN 9780823076413.
  14. ^ The Oxford Handbook of Music and Virtuality. Oxford University Press. 2016. p. 132. ISBN 9780199321285.
  15. ^ "Chipmunk: Lighting Can Strike Twice". Billboard. December 1, 1958. p. 11.
  16. ^ Ripani, Richard J. (2009). The New Blue Music: Changes in Rhythm & Blues, 1950–1999. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781496801289.
  17. ^ "Number One Song of the Year: 1946–2014". Bob Borst's Home of Pop Culture. March 9, 2023.
  18. ^ "Advertisement, Los Angeles Mirror". June 16, 1958. p. 6.
  19. ^ ""New Craze Is Rock and Ring"". Liverpool Echo. August 7, 1957. p. 10.
  20. ^ ""The Cane Means Fun"". The Age (Melbourne). July 20, 1957. p. 5.
  21. ^ Tyler, Don (2008). Music of the postwar era. Greenwood Press. p. 99–100. ISBN 9780313341915.
  22. ^ Clark, Dick; Robinson, Richard (1976). Rock, Roll and Remember. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company.
  23. ^ "How 'The Chipmunk Song' became an unlikely Christmas megahit". The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  24. ^ "The Number Ones: The Chipmunks & David Seville's "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't be Late)"". 25 January 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  25. ^ "HOLIDAY FLASHBACK: 'The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't be Late)'". December 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  26. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Christmas in the Charts (1920–2004). Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 27. ISBN 0-89820-161-6.
  27. ^ Grein, Paul (2011-12-28). "Week Ending Dec. 25, 2011. Songs: Bringing "Sexy" Back". Yahoo! Music. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved 2011-12-29.
  28. ^ "Hollywood Is Seasoning Films With Holiday Gimmicks". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  29. ^ "10 Facts About 'A Chipmunk Christmas' That'll Make You Want A Hula Hoop". Throwbacks. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  30. ^ [1]
  31. ^ "Best of 2017 (Behind the Scenes): How Jason Statham and a baby stole Fate of the Furious". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  32. ^ "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't be late) performed by The Chipmunks". Pop Culture References. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  33. ^ "Bob Rivers – Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". Retrieved 2023-09-04.
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