While “Jingle Bells” is the most popular American Yuletide melody, it was originally known as the “One Horse Open Sleigh.” You may be familiar with the tune or even have its lyrics at your finger tips, but you will be surprised to know of its origin. It was composed by James Lord Pierport in 1857 for a church Thanksgiving occasion in Savannah. “Jingles Bells” is seemingly a wholesome yuletide melody, but it lyrics are racy, and it only became a holiday song later after its debut performance at Savannah by minstrels in blackface. Before that, the song was only a mere sleigh-song . However, two years after its release in 1857 it was re-copyrighted as “Jingle Bells” which orchestrated it to incremental popularity. Notably, its lyrics were modified when it was copyrighted a second time to cut-off its racy lyrics which were unacceptable to be sung by children’s church choirs.
Inspiration
“Jingle Bells” alludes to sleigh rides in Boston, Massachusetts and the rebellious attitudes of youth. It is apparent in its lyrics, that it was a secular song with references to drag-racing in the snow and adventurous fraternization that the author experienced in Boston. However, the lyrics of the song also borrow some lines from other popular minstrel songs such as the “Buckley’s Sleighing Song.”
Origin
Although it is known for sure when the song was written, “Jingle Bells” lovers are still torn as to where the song was written. There exists two theories of where Lord Pierport wrote the song. The first claims that he wrote the lyrics of the song in Medford around 1850 at the Simpson Tavern. This theory has be contradicted and debunked by a second theory in which “Jingle Bells” is said to have been written in Savannah, Georgia in 1857. The second theory has been toppled by the first according to professor Hamill’s extensive research. From her extensive research, Hamil concludes that Lord Pierpont’s wrote the song in a Boston boarding house in the summer 1857 where he stayed temporarily before moving to Savannah to work as an organist in his brother’s church.
Popularity
The acceptance of “Jingle Bells” by a mass audience is rooted in its debut performance in the church’s Thanksgiving program. As the music director, Lord Pierpont oversaw its adoption as part of the Yuletide melodies of the church after it was sung several times after the program.
Cultural Significance
The modification of the lyrics of the “Jingle Bells” lyrics to fit into a Jingle Bells nursery rhyme for children’s church choirs at Lord Pierpont’s time was meant to remove the song’s secular themes. However, the character of the bob-tailed bay strongly represent the adventure of snow rides, and which was a secular activity for the holiday fun season popular among the people of Boston.