Jingle Bell Rock Explained

Jingle Bell Rock
Cover:Single Bobby Helms-Jingle Bell Rock cover.jpg
Border:yes
Type:single
Artist:Bobby Helms
Recorded:October 1957
Label:Decca
Producer:Paul Cohen
Chronology:Bobby Helms
Prev Title:My Special Angel
Prev Year:1957
Next Title:Just a Little Lonesome
Next Year:1958

"Jingle Bell Rock" is an American Christmas song first released by Bobby Helms in 1957. It has received frequent airplay in the United States during every Christmas season since then, and is generally considered Helms' signature song. "Jingle Bell Rock" was composed by Joseph Carleton Beal and James Ross Boothe, although both Helms and session guitarist on the song Hank Garland disputed this (see Authorship controversy section below). Beal was a Massachusetts-born public relations professional and longtime resident of South Ocean Avenue in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Boothe was an American writer in the advertising business.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Helms recordings

"Jingle Bell Rock" has been performed by many, but Helms' first version from 1957 produced by Paul Cohen[7] is arguably the best known.[8] The song's title and some of its lyrics are an extension of the old Christmas standard, "Jingle Bells". It makes brief references to other popular songs of the 1950s, such as "Rock Around the Clock", and mentions going to a "Jingle hop". There are two recorded versions of Jingle Bell Rock. An electric guitar played by Hank Garland can be heard playing the first notes of the chorus of "Jingle Bells" in one version. In the other version, a steel guitar played by Henry Ade can be heard playing those jazzy jingle twangs. Backup singers were the Anita Kerr Singers.[9]

Helms' original version, on Decca 9-30513 from October 1957, was re-recorded by him on Kapp K-719 in 1965, and yet again in 1967 on Little Darlin' LD-0038. In 1970, Helms recorded an entire album titled Jingle Bell Rock on Certron C-7013, releasing the title track on Certron C-10021, with a picture sleeve. He again recorded the song for Gusto Records, it was subsequently released on their "Power Pak" label. In yet another re-recording, Helms released a version on Ashley AS-4200 (1978). In 1983, Helms released his last recording of "Jingle Bell Rock" on Black Rose 82713.

D-TV set this version to the Disney shorts, Once Upon a Wintertime from Melody Time and On Ice.

Personnel

Brenda Lee recording

Brenda Lee recorded the song on June 23, 1964, for her album Merry Christmas from Brenda Lee on the Decca label. It was released on October 19, 1964.[10] The album reached No. 7 on the Billboard charts with the song "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" reaching No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 in 2023. Lee's recording of "Jingle Bell Rock" has charted every year on the Billboard Top 100 since 2019.[11] [12] [13] [14]

Cover versions

Lindsay Lohan covered the song in 2022 for her Netflix film Falling for Christmas as a nod to her performance of the track in 2004's teen comedy Mean Girls.[15]

Finnish soprano Tarja Turunen covered the song in 2023 for her Christmas album Dark Christmas.[16]

Authorship controversy

Helms, as well as session guitarist on the song Hank Garland, both claimed until their deaths, that it was they, not Beal and Boothe, who wrote the song. They claimed that the original song by Beal and Boothe was called Jingle Bell Hop, and that it was given to Helms by a Decca executive to record. This song, according to Helms and Garland, had little to no resemblance to the current song. Helms did not like it, and as a result, they both proceeded to work on it, changing the music, lyrics, and tempo and also giving it a previously missing bridge. This new song, they claimed, was the one that is known today. However, neither of them received writing credit or subsequent writing royalties.[17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22]

Billy Garland, brother of Hank Garland, maintains his deceased brother's story, and has long been involved with and vocal about the issue.[17] [22]

Chart and sales performance

The original version of Helms charted at No. 13 on Billboards Most Played C&W by Jockeys chart, a predecessor to the Hot Country Songs chart. It also crossed to the pop charts, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Best Sellers in Stores chart, and at No. 11 on Cashbox magazine's Top 60 on the week ending January 11, 1958.

After the song was featured on the soundtrack album to the 1996 film Jingle All the Way, the original Bobby Helms version returned to the Billboard country singles charts in late 1996 and early 1997, reaching a peak of No. 60.

The Helms version entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart on the week ending January 9, 2016, which was the song's first entry on the chart since its last appearance on the week ending December 29, 1962.[23] On the week ending January 7, 2017, "Jingle Bell Rock" hit at number 29.[24] In January 2019, the song entered the Hot 100's top 10 for the first time reaching No. 8.[25] With this feat, Helms broke the record for the longest wait to the Hot 100's top 10 as he achieved this in 60 years, four months, and two weeks after his first entry back in 1958. Helms' recording reached a new peak of No. 3 on the chart dated January 4, 2020.[26]

Year Chart debut/re-entry
date 		Peak chart
position 		Ref.
1958 December 22 35[27]
1960 December 1236[28]
1961 December 1141[29]
1962 December 856[30]
2016January 947[31]
December 2429[32]
2018 January 350[33]
December 88[34]
2019 December 73[35]
2020 December 53[36]
2021 December 43[37]
2022 November 263[38]
2023 November 253[39]

According to Nielsen SoundScan, the digital track of Helms' original Decca recording was ninth on the list of all-time best-selling Christmas/holiday digital singles in SoundScan history in 2016 with 780,000 downloads.[40] As of December 2019, it has sold 891,000 copies in the United States.[41] Recently, the track was performed by artists like Brenda Lee and Ariana Grande.

Bobby Helms

Weekly charts

Chart (1957–2024)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Croatia (Billboard)[42] 12
Denmark (Tracklisten)[43] 6
France (SNEP)[44] 35
Greece International (IFPI)[45] 4
Iceland (Plötutíðindi)[46] 14
Italy (FIMI)[47] 3
Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan)[48] 4
Latvia (LAIPA)[49] 3
Lithuania (AGATA)[50] 3
Luxembourg (Billboard)[51] 5
Norway (VG-lista)[52] 10
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[53] 6
Singapore (RIAS)[54] 16
Slovenia (SloTop50)[55] 16
South Africa (RISA)[56] 50
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[57] 30
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[58] 4
United Arab Emirates (IFPI)[59] 12
US Holiday 100 (Billboard)[60] 2
US Best Sellers in Stores (Billboard)6
US Most Played C&W by Jockeys (Billboard)13
US Rolling Stone Top 100[61] 3
Vietnam (Vietnam Hot 100)[62] 91

Year-end charts

Chart (2020)! scope="col"
Position
Hungary (Stream Top 40)[63] 81
Chart (2021)! scope="col"
Position
Global 200 (Billboard)[64] 182
Hungary (Stream Top 40)[65] 91
Chart (2022)! scope="col"
Position
Global 200 (Billboard)[66] 167
Hungary (Stream Top 40)[67] 97
US Billboard Hot 100[68] 86
Chart (2023)! scope="col"
Position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[69] 89
Global 200 (Billboard)[70] 165
Hungary (Single Top 40)[71] 53
US Billboard Hot 100[72] 68

Brenda Lee

Chart (2019–2022)! scope="col"
Peak
position
US Holiday 100 (Billboard)89
US Holiday 100 (Billboard)68
US Holiday 100 (Billboard)90
US Holiday 100 (Billboard)76

Various artists version

Chart (2019)! scope="col"
Peak
position
US Rolling Stone Top 100[73] 48

Hall & Oates version

Hall & Oates and their band released a version in 1983 as a non-album single which peaked at number 30 on the Hot 100 Recurrents chart in 2005; it also reached number 6 on the Billboard's Holiday Airplay chart on December 13, 2008, and number 24 on the Hot Holiday Songs chart on December 10, 2011.[74] [75] There are two video versions: one with Daryl Hall and another with John Oates singing lead. Both versions feature G. E. Smith as a grandma, playing the guitar with gloves.

Weekly charts

Chart (1983–2024)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[76] 32
Greece International Digital Singles (IFPI)[77] 96
Ireland (IRMA)[78] 73
Lithuania (AGATA)[79] 68
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[80] 20
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)83
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[81] 51
US Holiday 100 (Billboard)[82] 24

Max Bygraves UK version

Max Bygraves released a version in 1959 with the Eric Rogers Orchestra which peaked at number 7 in the UK Top 30, released on Decca: F11176[83]

Chubby Checker & Bobby Rydell version

Chubby Checker & Bobby Rydell recorded and released a version on their album Bobby Rydell/Chubby Checker. In 1961 it reached No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, No. 3 in Canada,[84] and No. 40 on the UK Singles Chart. It was issued on Cameo Parkway C205.[85]

Certifications

Hall & Oates version

Notes and References

  1. Joseph Carleton Beal, in: Ancestry.com. Biography & Genealogy Master Index (BGMI) [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2009.
  2. Joseph Mills Carleton Beal, in: Ancestry.com. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005.
  3. Ancestry.com. Social Security Death Index [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2009.
  4. Dale V. Nobbman, Christmas Music Companion Fact Book, Hal Leonard Corporation, 2000, p. 101. .
  5. U.S. Census, 1910, State of Massachusetts, County of Norfolk, enumeration district 1083, p. 23-A, family 578.
  6. "Historical Sacrilege Issue", The Evening Standard (Uniontown, Pennsylvania), 3 October 1963, p. 14.
  7. Decca Records
  8. Web site: Jingle Bell Rock cemented legacy for Hoosier Bobby Helms. Lindquist, David. IndyStar.com. The Indianapolis Star. 5 December 2012.
  9. Web site: Bobby Helms & The Anita Kerr Singers Lyrics, Song Meanings, Videos, Full Albums & Bios. SonicHits.
  10. Web site: Jingle Bell Rock by Brenda Lee . Quentin . Bastien . December 29, 2005 . secondhandsongs.com/ . SecondHandSongs . December 6, 2022 .
  11. Web site: Holiday 100: The week of December 7, 2019. Billboard. January 2, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210818011431/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-holiday-songs/2019-12-07. August 18, 2021.
  12. Web site: Holiday 100: The week of December 5, 2020. Billboard. January 2, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210103234728/https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-holiday-songs/2020-12-05. January 3, 2021.
  13. Holiday 100 (Week of December 4, 2021). Billboard. December 4, 2021. 13 December 2021.
  14. Holiday 100 (Week of December 3, 2022). Billboard. December 3, 2022. November 30, 2022.
  15. News: Cohen. Anne. November 4, 2022. On Fridays, We Listen to Lindsay Lohan's New Jingle Bell Rock' Cover. Tudum. November 4, 2022.
  16. Web site: Tarja Turunen ALBUMS / DARK CHRISTMAS . 31 March 2024.
  17. Web site: Stuart . Devan . No Jingle in His Pockets - Orange Park guitarist sings blues about lost royalties . Jacksonville Business Journal . 10 December 2019 . https://archive.today/20191210101429/https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2001/08/27/story1.html . 10 December 2019 . en . 27 August 2001 . (Hank Garland:) 'I'm angry about it... I let it [the original version of the song] hop back to where it came from. It wasn't any good.' Hank and Helms came up with the "Jingle Bell Rock" America hears every holiday season, he (Garland) said. (David Davis, former manager for Bobby Helms:) 'Bobby and I discussed it many times. He (Bobby) said 'We [, Garland and I,] did it. We threw a bridge in, added a couple of verses, changed the words.' Basically, it was a whole new song. Bobby never tried to get royalties. He said [to me], `David, it'd be a joke. You know how the music business is.' And I do.". (Bill Whitacre, Entertainment attorney:) "What I believe happened is that they [Decca] treated this as a session where they owned it and controlled it.' (Billy Garland, Hank Garland's brother who has power of attorney over Hank Garland's estate:) 'The industry owes Garland $100 million in royalties from hits "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Sugarfoot Rag,"'.
  18. Web site: Jingle Bell Rock . Songfacts.com . Songfacts®, LLC . 10 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190826165237/https://www.songfacts.com/facts/bobby-helms/jingle-bell-rock . 26 August 2019 . en . Before his death, Garland filed suit against the record label, claiming that he and Helms, not Beal and Boothe, wrote the song..
  19. Book: Davis . David Ward . Brown . Lisa E. . Jingle Bell Rock . 1997 . Aalida Press USA . 978-1-892642-06-6 . 118–119 . en . 9 .
  20. Web site: Lindquist . David . 'Jingle Bell Rock' cemented legacy for Hoosier Bobby Helms . Indystar.com . IndyStar . 10 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190825023625/https://www.indystar.com/story/news/history/retroindy/2014/12/16/jingle-bell-rock-hoosier-bobby-helms/20477989/ . 25 August 2019 . en . Newspaper . 16 December 2014 . "I really didn't want to cut it because it was such a bad song. So me and one of the musicians [Hank Garland] worked on it for about an hour putting a melody to it and we put a bridge to it," said Helms [in a 1992 interview]".
  21. Web site: G O'Leary . John . Jingle bell robbery? . Businesslessonsfromrock.com . 10 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160421042534/http://businesslessonsfromrock.com/notes/2013/12/jingle-bell-robbery/ . 21 April 2016 . en . 18 December 2013 . At the very least, Helms and Garland should have been granted co-writer credit, given the new melody, verses, bridge, and lyrics..
  22. Web site: G O'Leary . John . Trouble in Jingle Bell Square . Businesslessonsfromrock.com . 10 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190222062104/http://businesslessonsfromrock.com/notes/2016/12/trouble-in-jingle-bell-square/ . 22 February 2019 . en . 7 December 2016 . This week I spoke with Hank Garland's younger brother Billy ... Neither [Garland or Helms] received any of the multi-million dollars in songwriting royalties they believed they were due. Billy has been on an indefatigable crusade for nearly six decades to vindicate his brother’s claims.
  23. Music: Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart . Billboard . 2022-12-13.
  24. Music: Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart . Billboard . 2022-12-13.
  25. Mariah Carey's 'Christmas' Climbs to No. 3 on Billboard Hot 100, Ariana Grande's 'Next' Leads for Seventh Week. Billboard. 31 December 2018. 2019-08-02.
  26. Mariah Carey Becomes First Artist at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 in Four Decades, Thanks to 'All I Want for Christmas'. Billboard. Trust. Gary. December 30, 2019. December 31, 2019.
  27. The Hot 100, Week of December 29, 1958. Billboard. December 12, 2022.
  28. The Hot 100, Week of December 26, 1960. Billboard. December 12, 2022.
  29. The Hot 100, Week of January 6, 1962. Billboard. December 12, 2022.
  30. The Hot 100, Week of December 29, 1962. Billboard. December 12, 2022.
  31. The Hot 100, Week of January 9, 2016. Billboard. December 12, 2022.
  32. The Hot 100, Week of January 7, 2017. Billboard. December 12, 2022.
  33. The Hot 100, Week of January 3, 2018. Billboard. December 12, 2022.
  34. The Hot 100, Week of January 5, 2019. Billboard. December 12, 2022.
  35. The Hot 100, Week of January 4, 2020. Billboard. December 12, 2022.
  36. The Hot 100, Week of January 2, 2021. Billboard. December 12, 2022.
  37. The Hot 100, Week of January 1, 2022. Billboard. December 12, 2022.
  38. The Hot 100, Week of December 17, 2022. Billboard. December 13, 2022.
  39. The Hot 100, Week of December 16, 2023. Billboard. December 12, 2023.
  40. Web site: . November 25, 2016 . What Are the Top-Selling Holiday Songs? . Billboard Magazine . December 2, 2016.
  41. Web site: Bjorke . Matt . Top 30 Digital Country Tracks - Pure Sales: December 9, 2019 . Rough Stock . December 8, 2019 . December 30, 2019.
  42. Bobby Helms Chart History (Croatia Songs). Billboard. 3 January 2024.
  43. Web site: Track Top-40 Uge 51, 2022. Hitlisten. December 28, 2022.
  44. Web site: Top Singles (Week 52, 2022). SNEP. French. January 2, 2023.
  45. Web site: Official IFPI Charts — Digital Singles Chart (International) — Εβδομάδα: 47/2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231130144746/https://www.ifpi.gr/digital_ien.html . November 30, 2023 . December 1, 2023 . . el.
  46. Web site: Tónlistinn – Lög. The Music – Songs. is. Plötutíðindi. December 31, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231231203410/https://plotutidindi.is/tonlistinn/. December 31, 2023.
  47. Web site: Top Singoli – Classifica settimanale WK 52. Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. it. January 1, 2022.
  48. Web site: Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of January 1, 2024. Billboard Japan. ja. January 1, 2024.
  49. Web site: Mūzikas patēriņa tops gadu mijā. lv. LAIPA. November 28, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191010095638/https://www.parmuziku.lv/muzikas-zinas/latvija/muzikas-paterina-tops-gadu-mija-7661. October 10, 2019.
  50. Web site: 2023 49-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100). AGATA. lt. December 8, 2023. December 8, 2023.
  51. Bobby Helms Chart History (Luxembourg Songs). Billboard. December 19, 2023.
  52. Web site: VG-lista – Topp 20 Single uke 51, 2022. VG-lista. December 24, 2022.
  53. Web site: OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie. OLiS. pl. January 4, 2024. Select week 22.12.2023–28.12.2023..
  54. Web site: RIAS Top Charts Week 52 (22 - 28 Dec 2023). RIAS. January 3, 2024. January 3, 2024. https://archive.today/20240103123523/https://www.rias.org.sg/rias-top-charts/.
  55. Web site: SloTop50 – Slovenian official singles chart. slotop50.si. August 28, 2018. August 28, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180828170431/https://www.slotop50.si/Glasbene-lestvice/Tedenske-lestvice/?year=2016&week=51. dead.
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  57. Web site: Top 100 Canciones: Semana 52. Productores de Música de España. January 7, 2024.
  58. Web site: Veckolista Singlar, vecka 50. Sverigetopplistan. December 16, 2022.
  59. Web site: This Week's Official UAE Chart Top 20: from 22/12/2023 to 29/12/2023. International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. January 3, 2024.
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  69. Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2023. Billboard. November 22, 2023.
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  74. http://www.billboard.com/biz/search/charts?f[0=ts_chart_artistname%3Adaryl%20hall%20%26%20john%20oates&f[1]=itm_field_chart_id%3A352&f[2]=ss_bb_type%3Achart_item&type=2&artist=daryl%20hall%20%26%20john%20oates Daryl Hall & John Oates chart history for Hot 100 Recurrents]. Billboard. May 30, 2017.
  75. Daryl Hall & John Oates - Chart history Billboard. Billboard. en. 2017-02-26.
  76. Web site: ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart. Australian Recording Industry Association. January 3, 2022. December 31, 2021.
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  79. Web site: 2021 52-os savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100). AGATA. lt. December 31, 2021. December 31, 2021.
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  81. Web site: Veckolista Singlar, vecka 52. Sverigetopplistan. January 5, 2023.
  82. Daryl Hall John Oates Chart History (Holiday 100). Billboard. June 13, 2019.
  83. Web site: Max Bygraves - Jingle Bell Rock. www.45cat.com.
  84. Web site: CHUM Hit Parade - December 25, 1961.
  85. Web site: Chubby Checker And Bobby Rydell - Jingle Bell Rock. www.45cat.com.

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