| "Joy to the World" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Three Dog Night | ||||
| from the album Naturally | ||||
| B-side | "I Can Hear You Calling" | |||
| Released | February 1971[1] | |||
| Format | 7" 45 RPM | |||
| Recorded | 1970 at American Recording Co. | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 3:17 | |||
| Label | Dunhill | |||
| Writer(s) | Hoyt Axton | |||
| Producer | Richard Podolor[1] | |||
| Certification | Gold (RIAA) | |||
| Three Dog Night singles chronology | ||||
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"Joy to the World" is a song written by Hoyt Axton, and made famous by the band Three Dog Night. The song is also popularly known by its opening words, "Jeremiah was a bullfrog". Three Dog Night originally released the song on their fourth studio album, Naturally in November 1970 (see 1970 in music) and subsequently released an edited version of the song as a single in February 1971 (see 1971 in music).[1]
The song, which has been descibed by members of Three Dog Night as a "kid's song" and a "silly song",[2] topped the main singles charts in North America, was certified gold by the RIAA, and has since been covered by multiple artists.
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Some of the words are nonsensical. Axton wanted to convince his record producers to record a new melody he had written and the producers asked him to sing any words to the tune. A member of Three Dog Night said that the original lyrics to the song were "Jeremiah was a prophet" but "no one liked that".[3]
When Hoyt Axton performed the song to the group, two of the three main vocalists – Danny Hutton and Cory Wells – rejected the song, but Chuck Negron felt that the band needed a "silly song" to help bring the band back together as a working unit. Chuck also feels that the song "wasn't even close to our best record, but it might have been one of our most honest."[2]
The song was recorded by Three Dog Night at American Recording Company, produced by Richard Podolor, and engineered by Bill Cooper.[1] Unlike most Three Dog Night songs recorded at that point, instead of having just the three main vocalists singing harmony, the song was recorded with all seven members of the band singing.[2]
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Top Singles[4] | 1 |
| Germany (Media Control AG)[5] | 17 |
| Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)[6] | 25 |
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[7] | 24 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[8] | 1 |
| Year-End Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Top Singles[9] | 1 |
The single had been out less than two months, when on April 9, 1971 "Joy to the World" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, with sales of over 500,000 units sold.[10] The record was also given a Gold Leaf award by RPM magazine for sales of over a million units.[11] The record won the award for the Best Selling Hit Single Record by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers in March 1972.[12]
In an episode of the TV series Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) and her friend Jeremiah (played by Samuel Ball) sing the "Jeremiah was a bullfrog" part of this song on the way home to Carrie's after a party.
The song was also featured in an episode of the sitcom Friends when Phoebe, Monica and Chandler have gone to a karaoke evening hosted by Phoebe's new boyfriend, Mike. Chandler stands up and opens with the line "Jeremiah was a bullfrog".
It was also referenced in a cartoon from The Far Side, where a frog says to his two friends, "Yeah, I remember Jerry. He was a good pal of mine...you know, I never understood a word he said, but he always had some mighty fine wine," parodying the first lines of the song.
In The X-Files television series, the song was referenced in the episode "Detour". Agent Mulder demands Agent Scully sing to him when they find themselves lost in a forest while attempting to capture a seemingly invisible predator. After declaring that she is unable to carry a tune, Scully proceeds to sing "Jeremiah was a bullfrog... Was a good friend of mine... Never understood a single word he said... But I helped him drink his wine...". Scully again sings a few lines to their son in the season nine episode "William".
The song was sung by a child in the bath in The Big Chill. The original Three Dog Night recording is then later played as the closing credits roll.
The song is the opening song for Raise Your Voice, and the closing song for The Big Chill. It is also found in 28 Days during one of the flashbacks of the main character's mother being drunk.
Two early-1970s clips of then-Chicago Bears coach Abe Gibron singing the song were used on NFL Films' 1981 documentary on "The NFL's Best Ever Coaches" and was recycled into 1985's "The Best of Football Follies".
The Three Dog Night version is on the game Karaoke Revolution Volume 3.
The Green Bay Bullfrogs mascot is named Jeremiah.
This song substituted for Queen's "We Are the Champions" at the end of Super Bowl XXXII at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California when the Denver Broncos won their first world championship.
This song was played as the ending song at the end of the former Finding Nemo Disney on ice show.
| Preceded by "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" by The Temptations |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single April 17, 1971 (6 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Brown Sugar" by The Rolling Stones |
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