December 5, 2023 • 3 mins
On this episode of Christmas Merry and Bright, Raymond Arroyo, an award-winning broadcaster, New York Times best-selling author and acclaimed vocalist, unveils the hidden backstory of "Jingle Bells." Written by James Lord Pierpont in a tavern in 1857.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'm Raymond Arroyo, and this is a very special presentation Christmas.
Mary and Bright play backstories where we reveal the hidden
origins of some of your favorite Christmas songs. This next
tune is probably the most familiar and maybe beloved of Christmas.
As kids, we sang it. But I'm sorry to report
(00:22):
it's not what you think. This song was written by
a rebel with a cause. His cause was girls. Now
the song you probably noticed jingle bells. But I'm going
to ask this question now and I'll answer it later.
Why are the bells jingling? Now? Hold on? James Lord
(00:43):
Pierpont wrote the song. He was the uncle of J. P. Morgan.
And this guy was a scamp. He chased gold out west.
He abandoned his children and wife. He later married the
mayor of Savannah's daughter where this song premiered. Peer Pont
likely wrote the song though in a tavern in Medford, Massachusetts,
(01:06):
in eighteen fifty seven. Apparently he was nursing a drink
at the time. There's even a plaque in Medford commemorating
the spot where the tavern once stood. A woman at
the bar where else at tests that James Lord Pierpont
wrote this song in that tavern, which is hardly a
stretch given the randy nature of this tune. I know
(01:29):
I was as shocked as you are to discover this.
Two things you need to know about Medford, Massachusetts. In
the nineteenth century, when it snowed, sleigh drag races commenced
right down the middle of Salem Street, and Medford was
known for making rum So to put the song you're
about to hear in context, this was originally a drag racing,
(01:53):
chasing girls drinking song. Legend has it that the song
was first performed at a church run by Pierpont's brother
or father. All I can say is that had to
be some kind of church. But if you doubt my interpretation,
listen to the seldom sung last verse. The song was
(02:13):
published as one Horse, Open Sleigh, but you know it
by that other title. You'll never hear jingle bells the
same way. Look, I'm shocked, too, but this is history.
You want to know the truth or not. We don't
call it Christmas, Mary and Bright playback stories for nothing.
It's right there in the last verse. Now the ground
is white, Go it while you're young. Take the girls
(02:35):
tonight and sing this slaying song. And I have to
ask this question, why was the girl in the sleighs
name Fanny Bright? Just asking mean, it could have been
Sarah Jones or Wilma Bright, but why Fanny Bright. I'll
let you ponder that jingle bells incidentally were important when
racing in the dark, otherwise you would collide with the
other drivers along with the girl by your side. I'll
(02:58):
bet there were a lot of accidents and a few
sleigh crashes too. By the way, jingle Bells was first
recorded by a banjo player named will Lyle on an
Edison wax cylinder in eighteen eighty nine. Did you know
Thomas Edison had the first record label in America? He did.
I've been in the room. There's actually a music room
(03:19):
at the Edison Lab. And the man who created the
microphone as well as the audio speaker that we use
on the telephone and all audio speakers was Thomas Edison.
So we have to think of him at Christmas as well.
I'm Raymond Royo Christmas Merry and Bright playback stories continue
in a moment
I'm Raymond Arroyo, and this is a very special presentation Christmas.
Mary and Bright play backstories where we reveal the hidden
origins of some of your favorite Christmas songs. This next
tune is probably the most familiar and maybe beloved of Christmas.
As kids, we sang it. But I'm sorry to report
(00:22):
it's not what you think. This song was written by
a rebel with a cause. His cause was girls. Now
the song you probably noticed jingle bells. But I'm going
to ask this question now and I'll answer it later.
Why are the bells jingling? Now? Hold on? James Lord
(00:43):
Pierpont wrote the song. He was the uncle of J. P. Morgan.
And this guy was a scamp. He chased gold out west.
He abandoned his children and wife. He later married the
mayor of Savannah's daughter where this song premiered. Peer Pont
likely wrote the song though in a tavern in Medford, Massachusetts,
(01:06):
in eighteen fifty seven. Apparently he was nursing a drink
at the time. There's even a plaque in Medford commemorating
the spot where the tavern once stood. A woman at
the bar where else at tests that James Lord Pierpont
wrote this song in that tavern, which is hardly a
stretch given the randy nature of this tune. I know
(01:29):
I was as shocked as you are to discover this.
Two things you need to know about Medford, Massachusetts. In
the nineteenth century, when it snowed, sleigh drag races commenced
right down the middle of Salem Street, and Medford was
known for making rum So to put the song you're
about to hear in context, this was originally a drag racing,
(01:53):
chasing girls drinking song. Legend has it that the song
was first performed at a church run by Pierpont's brother
or father. All I can say is that had to
be some kind of church. But if you doubt my interpretation,
listen to the seldom sung last verse. The song was
(02:13):
published as one Horse, Open Sleigh, but you know it
by that other title. You'll never hear jingle bells the
same way. Look, I'm shocked, too, but this is history.
You want to know the truth or not. We don't
call it Christmas, Mary and Bright playback stories for nothing.
It's right there in the last verse. Now the ground
is white, Go it while you're young. Take the girls
(02:35):
tonight and sing this slaying song. And I have to
ask this question, why was the girl in the sleighs
name Fanny Bright? Just asking mean, it could have been
Sarah Jones or Wilma Bright, but why Fanny Bright. I'll
let you ponder that jingle bells incidentally were important when
racing in the dark, otherwise you would collide with the
other drivers along with the girl by your side. I'll
(02:58):
bet there were a lot of accidents and a few
sleigh crashes too. By the way, jingle Bells was first
recorded by a banjo player named will Lyle on an
Edison wax cylinder in eighteen eighty nine. Did you know
Thomas Edison had the first record label in America? He did.
I've been in the room. There's actually a music room
(03:19):
at the Edison Lab. And the man who created the
microphone as well as the audio speaker that we use
on the telephone and all audio speakers was Thomas Edison.
So we have to think of him at Christmas as well.
I'm Raymond Royo Christmas Merry and Bright playback stories continue
in a moment
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Nikki Glaser Podcast
Every week comedian and infamous roaster Nikki Glaser provides a fun, fast-paced, and brutally honest look into current pop-culture and her own personal life.