It’s one of the first songs that comes to mind when anyone thinks of Christmas music, but it started out as something else. In this Throwback Threesome, we’re dashing through the history of “Jingle Bells,” which is a little murky. The classic holiday song was written by James Lord Pierpont (1822–1893) purportedly at Simpson Tavern in Medford, Massachusetts. Pierpont, who was the uncle of famous financier and industrialist J. P. Morgan, originally copyrighted the song with the title “The One Horse Open Sleigh” on September 16, 1857.
“Jingle Bells” didn’t become a Christmas song until decades after it was first performed. In the 1850s, Pierpont was the music director for a Unitarian Church in Savannah, Georgia, where his song was introduce to the congregation during a Thanksgiving service. However, as a somewhat racy-for-its-time drinking song, it was a bit inappropriate for church. The lyrics describe reckless, alcohol-fueled sleigh racing. “Jingle Bells” became associated with winter and Christmas music in the 1860s and 1870s.
Did you know “Jingle Bells” was the first song played in outer space? According to Songfacts, Gemini 6 astronauts Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford played it for Mission Control on their smuggled harmonica and bells, respectively, on December 16, 1965. Both of the instruments are on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
Throwback Threesome: ‘Jingle Bells’
