The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)

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"The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)"
Single The Chipmunks-The Chipmunk Song cover.JPG
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
ReleasedDecember 1, 1958
RecordedOctober 31, 1958
Genre
Length2:21
  • 2:15 (rock version)
Label Liberty 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
ChipmunkSong 45 1961.jpg
1961 reissue, utilizing animated makeovers for The Alvin Show

"The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" is a novelty Christmas song written by Ross Bagdasarian (under the stage name of David Seville) in 1958. Bagdasarian sang and recorded 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. The song won three Grammy Awards in 1958, for Best Comedy Performance, Best Children's Recording, and Best Engineered Record (non-classical); [1] it was also nominated for Record of the Year. [2]

Contents

Commercial performance

The song was very successful, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, becoming The Chipmunks' first (and only), as well as David Seville's second and final, No. 1 single. 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 single sold 4.5 million copies in seven weeks, according to Ross Bagdasarian Jr. [3] It eventually sold 12 million copies. [4] 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. [5]

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.

The original sheet music for The Chipmunk Song. The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) Sheet Music (1958).jpg
The original sheet music for The Chipmunk Song.

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 and was credited as "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) (2007 Version)".

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"). [6]

Track listing

Original 1958 release

No.TitleCredited artistLength
1."The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" (Ross Bagdasarian Sr.)David Seville and The Chipmunks2:17 [7]
2."Almost Good" (Ross Bagdasarian Sr., Mark McIntyre)The Music of David Seville2:02 [7]

1959 reissue

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 [8]
2."Alvin's Harmonica"David Seville and The Chipmunks2:39 [8]

1961 reissue

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 [9]
2."Alvin's Harmonica"Alvin, Simon and Theodore with David Seville2:39 [9]

Adaptation in other media

See also

Related Research Articles

The 1st Annual Grammy Awards were held on May 4, 1959. They recognized musical accomplishments by performers for the year 1958. Two separate ceremonies were held simultaneously on the same day; the first hotel in Beverly Hills, California, and the second in the Park Sheraton Hotel in New York City. Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, Domenico Modugno, Ross Bagdasarian, and Henry Mancini, each won 2 awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alvin and the Chipmunks</span> Virtual band and media franchise

Alvin and the Chipmunks, originally David Seville and the Chipmunks and billed for their first two decades as the Chipmunks, are an American animated virtual band and media franchise first created by Ross Bagdasarian for novelty records in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks named Alvin, Simon, and Theodore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Chipettes</span> Fictional girl group from Alvin and the Chipmunks

The Chipettes are a fictional girl group from the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise consisting of three female anthropomorphic chipmunk singers: Brittany, Jeanette and Eleanor, alongside their adoptive human mother, Beatrice Miller. They first appeared in the animated television series Alvin and the Chipmunks in 1983. In this and related materials, Brittany and the Chipettes served as female featured characters in their own right, starring in numerous episodes. The title of the show was changed from Alvin and the Chipmunks to simply The Chipmunks in 1988 to reflect this. In the animated television series and the 1987 animated film The Chipmunk Adventure, all of the Chipettes were voiced by their creator, Janice Karman, the wife of Ross Bagdasarian Jr.. Karman also wrote and voiced the Chipettes' dialogue on their studio albums, while studio singers Susan Boyd, Shelby Daniel and Katherine Coon provided their singing voices. In the animated television series Alvinnn!!! and the Chipmunks, Eleanor is voiced by Vanessa Bagdasarian, the daughter of Ross Bagdasarian Jr. and Janice Karman.

David "Dave" Seville is a fictional character, the adoptive father and producer and manager of the fictional singing group Alvin and the Chipmunks. The character was created by Ross Bagdasarian Sr., who had used the name "David Seville" as his stage name prior to the creation of the Chipmunks, while writing and recording novelty records in the 1950s. One of the records, recorded in 1958 under the David Seville stage name, was "Witch Doctor", featuring a sped-up high-pitched vocal technique. Bagdasarian would later use that technique in "The Chipmunk Song ", which would introduce both Alvin and the Chipmunks as a singing group and Bagdasarian's music producer "Dave". Bagdasarian would go on to create The Alvin Show, based on the Alvin and the Chipmunks group, where he voiced the semi-fictional character David Seville, based largely on himself, with Alvin based on Ross's sometimes rebellious son Adam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ross Bagdasarian</span> American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor (1919-1972)

Ross S. Bagdasarian, known professionally by his stage name David Seville, was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor, best known for creating the cartoon band Alvin and the Chipmunks. Initially a stage and film actor, he rose to prominence in 1958 with the songs "Witch Doctor" and "The Chipmunk Song ", which both became Billboard number-one singles. He produced and directed The Alvin Show, which aired on CBS in 1961–1962.

<i>The Alvin Show</i> American animated TV series

The Alvin Show is an American animated television series that aired on CBS in the early 1960s. This was the first series to feature the singing characters Alvin and the Chipmunks. The Alvin Show aired for one season, from October 4, 1961, to September 12, 1962 and was originally sponsored by General Foods through its Jell-O gelatin and Post Cereal brands. Although the series was created in color, it was initially telecast in black and white. It was later rebroadcast in color from 1962-65 for Saturday mornings on CBS and again Saturday mornings on NBC in 1979.

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A Chipmunk Christmas is a 1981 animated Christmas television special based on characters from Alvin and the Chipmunks. Produced by Bagdasarian Productions in association with Chuck Jones Enterprises, it first aired on NBC December 14, 1981, nine years after the death of Alvin and the Chipmunks creator Ross Bagdasarian Sr.. This was the first time that Alvin, Simon and David Seville were voiced by Ross Bagdasarian Jr. and the first time that Theodore was voiced by Janice Karman.

<i>Chipmunk Punk</i> 1980 studio album by The Chipmunks

Chipmunk Punk is an album by the Chipmunks, as well as being the first album released by Ross Bagdasarian Jr., after he took over the voices of the Chipmunks after the death of his father in 1972. Despite the title of the album, none of the songs listed are considered to be in the style of real punk rock music. It was released in June 1980. The album peaked at No. 34 on the Billboard 200. It was certified gold by the RIAA on October 14, 1980, becoming the Chipmunks' first gold record. In 2005, it was re-released on CD, although the CD was only available through the official Chipmunks website. In Canada, the album reached No. 59.

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<i>Lets All Sing with The Chipmunks</i> 1959 studio album by Ross Bagdasarian and Alvin and the Chipmunks

Let's All Sing With the Chipmunks is the debut album of Alvin and the Chipmunks. It is a children's novelty album. The songs on the record are a mixture between cover versions of children's songs in the public domain and customized original musical material. It contains the A-sides of the Chipmunks' first three singles: "The Chipmunk Song ", "Alvin's Harmonica" and "Ragtime Cowboy Joe". The artist credit on the original release was listed as Ross Bagdasarian.

<i>A Very Merry Chipmunk</i> 1994 studio album by Alvin and the Chipmunks

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<i>Sing Again with The Chipmunks</i> 1960 studio album by Ross Bagdasarian and Alvin and the Chipmunks

Sing Again with The Chipmunks is Alvin and the Chipmunks' second album, released by Liberty Records in January 1960. The album follows the same format as their first album, and contains the group's fifth and sixth singles—"Alvin's Orchestra" and "Comin' 'Round the Mountain". Since its initial release, Sing Again with The Chipmunks has appeared twice on CD; both releases utilized the revised 1961 cover artwork, minus the song lyrics printed on the original back cover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alvin's Harmonica</span> 1959 single by David Seville and The Chipmunks

"Alvin's Harmonica" is a song from the fictional musical group, Alvin and the Chipmunks, which also features additional vocals by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. who plays David Seville in the song. The song was released as the second single from the group's debut album, Let's All Sing with the Chipmunks in 1958. Like "Witch Doctor" and "The Chipmunk Song", it was adapted as one of the musical segments featured in The Alvin Show.

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References

  1. O'Neil, Tom (4 May 2009). "Today in 1959: First Grammy Awards handed out". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 29 Nov 2009.
  2. "1958 Grammy Winners". Recording Academy . Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  3. http://www.chipmunks.com/ History section
  4. Tyler, Don (2008). Music of the postwar era. Greenwood Press. p. 99100. ISBN   9780313341915.
  5. Clark, Dick; Robinson, Richard (1976). Rock, Roll and Remember. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company.
  6. Grein, Paul (2011-12-28). "Week Ending Dec. 25, 2011. Songs: Bringing "Sexy" Back". Yahoo! Music . Nielsen Business Media . Retrieved 2011-12-29.
  7. 1 2 "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)"/"Almost Good" at discogs.com
  8. 1 2 "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)"/"Alvin's Harmonica" (1959) at discogs.com
  9. 1 2 "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)"/"Alvin's Harmonica" (1961) at discogs.com
  10. The Alvin Show DVD/Blu-Ray release