"Up on the House Top" is a Christmas song written by Benjamin Hanby in 1864 in the town of New Paris, Ohio. [1]. It has been recorded by a multitude of singers, among the most notable Gene Autry, who is also known for his version of the classic "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer".
| Up on the Housetop
The Airmen of Note, 2009, Jazz Version |
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According to William Studwell in The Christmas Carol Reader, "Up on the House Top" was the second-oldest secular Christmas song, outdone only by "Jingle Bells", which was written in 1857 (although the latter was originally intended as a Thanksgiving song). It is also considered the first Yuletide song to focus primarily on Santa Claus. In fact, according to Readers Digest Merry Christmas Song Book Hanby was the first to offer up the idea that Santa and his sleigh land on the roof of homes. [2] Benjamin Russell Hanby was born in 1833 near Rushville, Ohio, the son of a minister involved with the Underground Railroad. During his short life he wrote some 80 songs before dying of tuberculosis in 1867. Other than "Up on the House Top" his best-known song is "Darling Nelly Gray".
In 1992, a syndicated television special of the same name, produced by Perennial Pictures Film Corporation in Indianapolis, Indiana was released. Co-writer/co-producer/co-director G. Brian Reynolds also was the voice of Curtis Calhoun, and also composed the musical score. His creative partner, Russ Harris, co-wrote, co-produced, co-directed and also did voiceover work in this special. The special is the story of Curtis Calhoun, a miserable man who wishes that there were no Santa Claus. But then on Christmas Eve, someone is on top of the Calhouns' roof, and Curtis doesn't know if he's Saint Nick or a cat burglar.
| "Up on the Housetop" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Kimberley Locke | ||||
| from the album Christmas | ||||
| Released | 2005 | |||
| Label | Curb Records | |||
| Producer | Mike Curb, Michael Lloyd | |||
| Kimberley Locke singles chronology | ||||
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In 2005, the song was brought back to life with a new recording by Kimberley Locke. The recording broke a Billboard record when it made the largest leap into the Top 5 in the AC chart's history, moving from 32 to 5 in only a week. It was also the second longest Billboard holiday AC chart topper in the chart's history, sitting at #1 for 4 consecutive weeks.
| Kimberley Locke Version | |
|---|---|
| Chart (2005/2006) | Peak Position |
| US Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| Hot Adult Contemporary Recurrents | 15 |
| Top AC Singles of 2006 | 36 |
| Preceded by "Lonely No More" by Rob Thomas |
Billboard Adult Contemporary number-one single by December 17, 2005 - January 7, 2006 |
Succeeded by "Lonely No More" by Rob Thomas |
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