| "Jingle Bell Rock" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Bobby Helms | ||||
| B-side | "Captain Santa Claus (and His Reindeer Space Patrol)" |
|||
| Released | 1957 | |||
| Format | 7-inch | |||
| Recorded | October 1957 | |||
| Genre | Christmas, Country, Rock and roll | |||
| Length | 2:12 | |||
| Label | Decca 9-30513 | |||
| Writer(s) | Joe Beal Jim Boothe |
|||
| Bobby Helms singles chronology | ||||
|
||||
"Jingle Bell Rock" is the name of a popular Christmas song first released by Bobby Helms in 1957. It has received frequent airplay in the United States during every Christmas time since then. "Jingle Bell Rock" was composed by Joseph Carleton Beal (1900–1967), and James Ross Boothe (1917–1976). Interestingly, the biographical drama/motion picture Crazy claimed Hank Garland to be the original writer of Jingle Bell Rock.
Beal was a Massachusetts-born public relations man and longtime resident of South Ocean Avenue in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Boothe was a Texan writer in the advertising business.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Contents |
"Jingle Bell Rock" has been performed by many, but Helms' version is the most known in the world. Its title and some of its lyrics are takeoffs on 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." An electric guitar played by Hank Garland can be heard playing the first notes to the chorus from "Jingle Bells."
Despite being titled a Jingle Bell "Rock", Helms' version of the song was performed in the crossover style known as rockabilly.
Bobby Helms' original version on Decca 9-30513 from 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 from the album the title track on Certron C-10021 with a picture sleeve. In yet another re-recording, Helms released a version on Ashley AS-4200 (year unknown). In 1983, Bobby Helms released his last recording of "Jingle Bell Rock" on Black Rose 82713.
A notable cover version of the song was recorded by Bill Haley & His Comets in 1968 for United Artists records. Intended for a seasonal single release, it was not released and it was considered lost for nearly 30 years until it was finally issued in the mid-1990s.
Brenda Lee released a version of "Jingle Bell Rock" which made the Billboard Christmas singles chart in both 1964 and 1967.
Other artists to have covered the song include: