"The Little Drummer Boy" (originally known as "Carol of the Drum") is a popular Christmas song written by American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941.[1] First recorded in 1951 by the Austrian Trapp Family, the song was further popularized by a 1958 recording by the Harry Simeone Chorale; the Simeone version was re-released successfully for several years, and the song has been recorded many times since.[2] In the lyrics, the singer relates how, as a poor young boy, he was summoned by the Magi to the Nativity of Jesus. Without a gift for the Infant, the little drummer boy played his drum with approval from Jesus's mother, Mary, recalling, "I played my best for him" and "He smiled at me". Despite the song's popularity, the story of the drummer boy is not biblically accurate.[3]
The song was originally titled "Carol of the Drum". While speculation has been made that the song is very loosely based on the Czech carol "Hajej, nynej",[4] the chair of the music department at Davis's alma mater Wellesley College claims otherwise.[5] In an interview with Music Department Chair Claire Fontijn, the College writes:
Inspiration for "The Little Drummer Boy" came to Davis in 1941. "[One day], when she was trying to take a nap, she was obsessed with this song that came into her head and it was supposed to have been inspired by a French song, 'Patapan'," explained Fontijn. "And then 'patapan' translated in her mind to 'pa-rum-pum-pum,' and it took on a rhythm." The result was "The Little Drummer Boy".
Davis's interest was in producing material for amateur and girls' choirs: Her manuscript is set as a chorale, in which the tune is in the soprano melody with alto harmony, tenor and bass parts producing the "drum rhythm" and a keyboard accompaniment "for rehearsal only". It is headed "Czech Carol freely transcribed by K.K.D.", these initials then crossed out and replaced with "C.R.W. Robinson", a name under which Davis sometimes published.[6][7]
"Carol of the Drum" appealed to the Austrian Trapp Family Singers, who first brought the song to wider prominence when they recorded it for Decca Records in 1951 on their first album for the label. Their version was credited solely to Davis and published by Belwin-Mills.[8]
In 1957, the song was recorded with an altered arrangement by Jack Halloran for his Jack Halloran Singers on their Dot Records album Christmas Is A-Comin'. This arrangement is the one commonly sung today.[2] However, the recording was not released as a single that year. In response to this, Dot producer Henry Onorati, who left Dot to become the new head of 20th Century-Fox Records in 1958,[9] introduced the song to Harry Simeone. When 20th Century-Fox Records contracted with Simeone to record a Christmas album, Simeone hired many of the same singers who had sung in Halloran's version and made a near-identical recording with his newly created Harry Simeone Chorale.[2][10][11] It was released as a single in 1958,[10] and later on the album, Sing We Now of Christmas, later retitled The Little Drummer Boy. The only difference between Simeone's and Halloran's versions, was that Simeone's contained finger cymbals, and the song's title had been changed to "The Little Drummer Boy".[2] Simeone and Onorati claimed and received joint composition credits with Davis,[2] although the two did not actually compose or arrange it.[10][11] Halloran never received a joint writing credit for the song, something his family disagrees with.[10][11][12]
The album and the song were an enormous success,[13] with the single scoring in the top 40 of the U.S. music charts from 1958 to 1962.[10] In 1965, Simeone, who had signed with Kapp Records in 1964, re-recorded a new version of the song for his album O' Bambino: The Little Drummer Boy.[14] This version (3:18 play time) was recorded in stereo, had a slightly slower tempo, and contained different-sounding cymbals. Simeone recorded the song a third and final time in 1981 (3:08 play time), for an album, again titled The Little Drummer Boy, on the budget Holiday Records label.
Renditionsedit
"The Little Drummer Boy" has been recorded by many artists:
Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, whose version got to No. 13 in the UK charts at Christmas 1972[19]
Jazz/funk musician Stix Hooper, drummer and percussionist for the group The Crusaders, who recorded the song in 1979 as the final track on The World Within, his first album as a lead artist.[20]
Pop group Boney M., who recorded a version of the song for their 1981 Christmas Album. The single peaked at No. 20 in Germany.[21]
Also in 1981, a pop punk/hard rock version served as the final track on Joan Jett and the Blackhearts's album I Love Rock 'n Roll. Jett's version includes a modification of the traditional lyrics of "Ox and lamb" to "Ass and lamb" and another line, traditionally "Mary nodded," is rendered in apparent nonsense words. Besides these and a climactic electric guitar breakdown, the song is otherwise performed fairly earnestly.
The Dandy Warhols released their psychedelic rock version in 1994 as a double single.[23]
Jars of Clay included a version of the song on its 1995 Drummer Boy EP. The band recorded another version of the song on its 2007 album Christmas Songs.
Terry Wogan and Aled Jones recorded a cover of the 1977 David Bowie/Bing Crosby duet, "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy"; after a brief campaign amongst listeners of BBC Radio 2 instigated by Chris Evans to get the song released in support of the Children In Need charity, it was released as a single on 8 December 2008, reaching No. 3 in the UK Top 40 singles chart.[25]
Norwegian electronic musician Hans-Peter Lindstrøm recorded a 42-minute version of the song in 2009. In 2019, The Guardian placed it at number 20 on their list of the 50 greatest Christmas songs.[26]
Justin Bieber released a version of the song, simply named "Drummer Boy", with Busta Rhymes on his 2011 Christmas album, Under the Mistletoe, adding rap verses. The song is listed among the Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs chart by Billboard.[27]
The cast of Glee recorded a version that rose to number 31 on Billboard's Holiday Digital Songs chart in 2011.[28]
Pentatonix released it as a digital single, in 2013, which both debuted and peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[29][30]
^Boughton, Harrison Charles (1977). "Katherine K. Davis: life and work". Ann Arbor, Michigan: Thesis, University of Missouri, reprint by University Microfilms. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ abcdeLeigh, Spencer (5 March 2005). . The Independent. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
^"Is the little drummer boy in the Bible?". Got Questions?. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
^Crawford, Deanne. "The Little Drummer Boy: A Christmas Unit Study". Our Homeschool Forum. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
^"Wellesley Faculty Experts Provide Historical Context for Christmas Carols for WGBH, U.S. Postal Service". Wellesley College. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
^. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
^Cummings, Robert. "Katherine K. Davis biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 31 December 2011.[permanent dead link]
^"Scan of published sheet music". Photos1.blogger.com. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
^Anonymous, "20th Fox set with 1st Disk Releases". Billboard, April 21, 1958.
^ abcde. Songfacts.com. 11 September 1977. Archived from the original on 25 November 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
^"Desvelado el 'secreto' mejor guardado de Raphael sobre 'El Tamborilero', oculto durante cinco décadas". COPE (in Spanish). 24 November 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
little, drummer, this, article, about, christmas, song, 1968, stop, motion, animated, special, special, little, drummer, redirects, here, other, uses, little, drummer, disambiguation, originally, known, carol, drum, popular, christmas, song, written, american,. This article is about the Christmas song For the 1968 stop motion animated TV special see The Little Drummer Boy TV special Little Drummer Boy redirects here For other uses see Little Drummer Boy disambiguation The Little Drummer Boy originally known as Carol of the Drum is a popular Christmas song written by American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941 1 First recorded in 1951 by the Austrian Trapp Family the song was further popularized by a 1958 recording by the Harry Simeone Chorale the Simeone version was re released successfully for several years and the song has been recorded many times since 2 In the lyrics the singer relates how as a poor young boy he was summoned by the Magi to the Nativity of Jesus Without a gift for the Infant the little drummer boy played his drum with approval from Jesus s mother Mary recalling I played my best for him and He smiled at me Despite the song s popularity the story of the drummer boy is not biblically accurate 3 The Little Drummer Boy One of US single picture sleevesSingle by Harry Simeone ChoraleB side Die Lorelei ReleasedDecember 19 1958 1958 12 19 GenreChristmas popLength3 03Label20th FoxSongwriter s Harry Simeone Katherine Kennicott Davis Henry Onorati Contents 1 Origins and history 2 Renditions 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksOrigins and history editThe song was originally titled Carol of the Drum While speculation has been made that the song is very loosely based on the Czech carol Hajej nynej 4 the chair of the music department at Davis s alma mater Wellesley College claims otherwise 5 In an interview with Music Department Chair Claire Fontijn the College writes Inspiration for The Little Drummer Boy came to Davis in 1941 One day when she was trying to take a nap she was obsessed with this song that came into her head and it was supposed to have been inspired by a French song Patapan explained Fontijn And then patapan translated in her mind to pa rum pum pum and it took on a rhythm The result was The Little Drummer Boy Davis s interest was in producing material for amateur and girls choirs Her manuscript is set as a chorale in which the tune is in the soprano melody with alto harmony tenor and bass parts producing the drum rhythm and a keyboard accompaniment for rehearsal only It is headed Czech Carol freely transcribed by K K D these initials then crossed out and replaced with C R W Robinson a name under which Davis sometimes published 6 7 Carol of the Drum appealed to the Austrian Trapp Family Singers who first brought the song to wider prominence when they recorded it for Decca Records in 1951 on their first album for the label Their version was credited solely to Davis and published by Belwin Mills 8 In 1957 the song was recorded with an altered arrangement by Jack Halloran for his Jack Halloran Singers on their Dot Records album Christmas Is A Comin This arrangement is the one commonly sung today 2 However the recording was not released as a single that year In response to this Dot producer Henry Onorati who left Dot to become the new head of 20th Century Fox Records in 1958 9 introduced the song to Harry Simeone When 20th Century Fox Records contracted with Simeone to record a Christmas album Simeone hired many of the same singers who had sung in Halloran s version and made a near identical recording with his newly created Harry Simeone Chorale 2 10 11 It was released as a single in 1958 10 and later on the album Sing We Now of Christmas later retitled The Little Drummer Boy The only difference between Simeone s and Halloran s versions was that Simeone s contained finger cymbals and the song s title had been changed to The Little Drummer Boy 2 Simeone and Onorati claimed and received joint composition credits with Davis 2 although the two did not actually compose or arrange it 10 11 Halloran never received a joint writing credit for the song something his family disagrees with 10 11 12 The album and the song were an enormous success 13 with the single scoring in the top 40 of the U S music charts from 1958 to 1962 10 In 1965 Simeone who had signed with Kapp Records in 1964 re recorded a new version of the song for his album O Bambino The Little Drummer Boy 14 This version 3 18 play time was recorded in stereo had a slightly slower tempo and contained different sounding cymbals Simeone recorded the song a third and final time in 1981 3 08 play time for an album again titled The Little Drummer Boy on the budget Holiday Records label Renditions edit The Little Drummer Boy has been recorded by many artists Ray Conniff as the lead song on his 1962 album We Wish You a Merry Christmas 15 Bert Kaempfert as the lead song on his 1963 album Christmas Wonderland 16 Frank Sinatra covered the song on the 1964 album 12 Songs of Christmas 17 In Spain the song El tamborilero is associated with Raphael who sang it for the first time in 1965 for a TVE Christmas special 18 Vince Guaraldi as the 3rd track titled My Little Drum on his 1965 album A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack Royal Scots Dragoon Guards whose version got to No 13 in the UK charts at Christmas 1972 19 Jazz funk musician Stix Hooper drummer and percussionist for the group The Crusaders who recorded the song in 1979 as the final track on The World Within his first album as a lead artist 20 Pop group Boney M who recorded a version of the song for their 1981 Christmas Album The single peaked at No 20 in Germany 21 Also in 1981 a pop punk hard rock version served as the final track on Joan Jett and the Blackhearts s album I Love Rock n Roll Jett s version includes a modification of the traditional lyrics of Ox and lamb to Ass and lamb and another line traditionally Mary nodded is rendered in apparent nonsense words Besides these and a climactic electric guitar breakdown the song is otherwise performed fairly earnestly A duet by the unusual pairing of Bing Crosby and David Bowie on Crosby s final holiday TV special Bing Crosby s Merrie Olde Christmas 1977 as a medley titled Peace on Earth Little Drummer Boy In 1982 it reached No 3 on the UK chart 22 Bob Seger did a version of the song in 1987 as part of the holiday compilation album A Very Special Christmas The Dandy Warhols released their psychedelic rock version in 1994 as a double single 23 Jars of Clay included a version of the song on its 1995 Drummer Boy EP The band recorded another version of the song on its 2007 album Christmas Songs Ringo Starr included a version of the song on his 1999 holiday album I Wanna Be Santa Claus 24 Terry Wogan and Aled Jones recorded a cover of the 1977 David Bowie Bing Crosby duet Peace on Earth Little Drummer Boy after a brief campaign amongst listeners of BBC Radio 2 instigated by Chris Evans to get the song released in support of the Children In Need charity it was released as a single on 8 December 2008 reaching No 3 in the UK Top 40 singles chart 25 Norwegian electronic musician Hans Peter Lindstrom recorded a 42 minute version of the song in 2009 In 2019 The Guardian placed it at number 20 on their list of the 50 greatest Christmas songs 26 Justin Bieber released a version of the song simply named Drummer Boy with Busta Rhymes on his 2011 Christmas album Under the Mistletoe adding rap verses The song is listed among the Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs chart by Billboard 27 The cast of Glee recorded a version that rose to number 31 on Billboard s Holiday Digital Songs chart in 2011 28 Pentatonix released it as a digital single in 2013 which both debuted and peaked at No 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart 29 30 The band For King amp Country recorded a popular version of the song in which they featured on their 2017 live album Christmas Live from Phoenix as well as a studio version of the song off their 2020 album A Drummer Boy Christmas which was nominated and won a GMA Dove Award for Christmas Special Event Album of the Year 31 See also editList of Christmas carolsReferences edit Boughton Harrison Charles 1977 Katherine K Davis life and work Ann Arbor Michigan Thesis University of Missouri reprint by University Microfilms a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help a b c d e Leigh Spencer 5 March 2005 Harry Simeone Populariser of The Little Drummer Boy The Independent Archived from the original on 27 November 2019 Retrieved 12 June 2020 Is the little drummer boy in the Bible Got Questions Retrieved 14 April 2024 Crawford Deanne The Little Drummer Boy A Christmas Unit Study Our Homeschool Forum Retrieved 8 December 2020 Wellesley Faculty Experts Provide Historical Context for Christmas Carols for WGBH U S Postal Service Wellesley College Retrieved 8 December 2020 Image of original manuscript in Wellesley College Library Archived from the original on 4 January 2012 Retrieved 31 December 2011 Cummings Robert Katherine K Davis biography Allmusic Retrieved 31 December 2011 permanent dead link Scan of published sheet music Photos1 blogger com Retrieved 31 December 2011 Anonymous 20th Fox set with 1st Disk Releases Billboard April 21 1958 a b c d e The Little Drummer Boy by The Harry Simeone Chorale Songfacts Songfacts com 11 September 1977 Archived from the original on 25 November 2019 Retrieved 31 December 2011 a b c Estrella E 8 February 2019 How the Little Drummer Boy Christmas Carol Came to Be Colin Larkin ed 2002 The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music Third ed Virgin Books p 394 ISBN 1 85227 937 0 Ankeny Jason Harry Simeone Chorale AllMusic Archived from the original on 12 June 2020 Retrieved 12 June 2020 Record catalogue number KL 1450 Track 1 Length 3 18 We Wish You A Merry Christmas Ray Conniff and The Singers MP3 Downloads Amazon Retrieved 14 March 2012 The Little Drummer Boy at AllMusic Variety Variety 7 October 1964 Desvelado el secreto mejor guardado de Raphael sobre El Tamborilero oculto durante cinco decadas COPE in Spanish 24 November 2020 Retrieved 22 July 2023 The Top 20 Book Tony Jasper ISBN 0 7137 2036 0 Stix Hooper The World Within Album Reviews Songs amp More AllMusic retrieved 26 December 2022 Offizielle Deutsche Charts Zaleski Annie 30 November 2017 When David Bowie and Bing Crosby Rang in the Holidays Ultimate Classic Rock Archived from the original on 28 November 2020 Retrieved 27 December 2020 The Dandy Warhols The Little Drummer Boy Dick Discogs Ringo Starr I Wanna Be Santa Claus Mercuruy AustinChronicle com 24 December 1999 Retrieved 26 December 2022 Bandaged The Album The 50 greatest Christmas songs ranked TheGuardian com 5 December 2019 Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs Billboard Retrieved 25 November 2021 Glee Cast Chart History Holiday Digital Song Sales Billboard Retrieved 3 November 2020 Pentatonix Chart History Holiday 100 Billboard Retrieved 5 August 2021 Top 100 Songs Rolling Stone 5 August 2021 Archived from the original on 31 December 2019 Retrieved 5 August 2021 2021 Winners The 52nd Annual GMA Dove Awards Retrieved 6 December 2021 External links edit Little Drummer Boy Pentatonix Official Video on YouTube The Little Drummer Boy at IMDb nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Little Drummer Boy amp oldid 1220356368, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
