The Twelve Gifts of Christmas explained

The Twelve Gifts of Christmas
Type:single
Artist:Allan Sherman
Album:For Swingin' Livers Only!
B-Side:(You Came a Long Way from St. Louis) You Went the Wrong Way, Old King Louie
Released:1963
Genre:Novelty Song, Christmas Music
Label:Warner Bros. Records 5406
Producer:Jimmy Hilliard
Next Title:Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter from Camp)
Next Year:1963

"The Twelve Gifts of Christmas" is a song parody written and performed by Allan Sherman based on the classic Christmas song "The Twelve Days of Christmas". The song reached #5 on the Billboard Christmas Chart in 1963.[1] A noted jukebox record supplier stated that if the record was released earlier, it "might have been a hot number."[2] The song subsequently appeared on Sherman's 1964 album, For Swingin' Livers Only![3] The song was arranged by Lou Busch.

Lyrics

The lyrics of the song consist of a series of gifts that Sherman lists off. Unlike in the original, each gift is only mentioned once up through the final verse. In some verses, Sherman adds more details about the first gift.

For the final verse, Sherman does not add any more gifts. Instead, he declares that on the twelfth day, "I'm going to exchange," all the gifts, which he then lists off. Sherman ends the song by saying "Merry Christmas everybody."

Notes and References

  1. Book: Inc, Nielsen Business Media. Billboard. 1963-12-28. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. en.
  2. Book: Inc, Nielsen Business Media. Billboard. 1964-01-18. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. en.
  3. http://www.allmusic.com/album/for-swingin-livers-only!-mw0001149044 Allan Sherman, For Swingin' Livers Only!