Sleigh Ride

"Sleigh Ride" is a popular light orchestral piece, composed by Leroy Anderson. The composer had the original idea for the piece during a heat wave in July, 1946; he finished the work in February, 1948. Lyrics were written by Mitchell Parish in 1950. It was first recorded in 1949 by Arthur Fiedler & The Boston Pops Orchestra. The song was a hit record on RCA Victor Red Seal 49-0515 (45 rpm) / 10-1484 (78 rpm), and has become the equivalent of a signature song for the orchestra. The 45 rpm version was originally issued on red vinyl. This original mono version has never been available on CD, although the later 1959 re-recording is available in stereo. The orchestra has also recorded the song with John Williams, their conductor from 1979 to 1995, and Keith Lockhart, their current conductor.

Leroy Anderson recorded his version of "Sleigh Ride" in 1950 on Decca 9-16000 (45 rpm) / 16000 (78 rpm). This monaural version is available on CD as well as his 1959 stereo re-recording. This recording hit the Cashbox magazine best sellers chart when re-released in 1952. Mitch Miller also did a version of this song in 1961, found in the best-selling LP "Holiday Sing Along With Mitch".

Although "Sleigh Ride" is often associated with Christmas, and often appears on Christmas compilation albums, the song's lyrics never specifically mention any holiday or religion except maybe certain "Sleigh Ride" versions (the Carpenters and Air Supply being examples).

According to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers [ASCAP] annual review of Christmas music, "Sleigh Ride" consistently ranks in the top 10 list of most performed songs during the Christmas season worldwide.

According to author Steve Metcalf in the book "Leroy Anderson: A Bio-Bibliography" [Praeger 2004] , "Sleigh Ride...has been performed and recorded by a wider array of musical artists than any other piece in the history of Western music."

Recording History

*1949 - The Boston Pops' instrumental version was the original, but Leroy Anderson himself recorded a similar instrumental version in 1959. The 1949 version was slightly slower. The Boston Pops have re-recorded the piece several times.
*1950 - Leroy Anderson. The Decca Gold Label Series singles (#16000), both 45 and 78 rpm, referenced above were not issued as individual records. They were part of the four-disc set "Leroy Anderson Conducts His Own Compositions". This is Anderson's first recording of "Sleigh Ride".
*1950 - The Andrews Sisters - notable as the first known vocal recording of the tune. [ [http://www.rockmusiclist.com/rock_anf.htm Rubiks'S Rock N Roll Reference Discography ] ]
*1950 - Merv Griffin with the Freddy Martin Orchestra
*1954 - Bing Crosby with vocal backing by Jud Conlon's Rhythmaires and the John Scott Trotter Orchestra (Decca 28463).
*1954 - George Melachrino - "Christmas in High Fidelity". The arrangement is more string-heavy; even the horse's whinny is done by the violins.
*1955 - Walter Schumann - "The Voices of Christmas"
*1956 - Jo Stafford - "Ski Trails"
*1956 - Spike Jones - "A Xmas Spectactular"
*1958 - Johnny Mathis - "Merry Christmas"
*1959 - Ray Conniff - "Christmas with Conniff"
*1959 - Andre Kostelanetz - "Joy to the World: Music for Christmas". A similar arrangement to the Leroy Anderson/Boston Pops version, but moderately faster in speed and featuring a whistle in portions of the song.
*1960 - Ella Fitzgerald - "Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas"
*1961 - Mitch Miller - "Holiday Sing-Along"
*1962 - Ferrante & Teicher - "Snowbound"
*1963 - The Ronettes - "A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector". An altered version with background vocals singing "Ring-a-ling-a-ling Ding-dong-ding" and excluding the lyrics "giddy up giddy up let's go" and "The birthday/Christmas party at the home of farmer Gray."
*1963 - Bert Kaempfert - "Christmas Wonderland"
*1964 - Jack Jones - "Christmas Album"
*1964 - Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme - "That Holiday Feeling"
*1965 - Al Hirt - "The Sound of Christmas"
*1965 - The Ventures - "Christmas Album". A surf-style instrumental, similar in beat and arrangement to their biggest hit, "Walk Don't Run". Omits the "Farmer Gray" portion of the song.
*1965 - Andy Williams - "Merry Christmas"
*1966 - The New Christy Minstrels - "Christmas with the Christies"
*1968 - Herb Alpert - "Christmas Album"
*1968 - Robert Goulet - "Wonderful World of Christmas"
*1969 - Boots Randolph - "Boots and Stockings"
*1970 - Lawrence Welk - "Merry Christmas"
*1977 - Burl Ives - "Christmas by the Bay"
*1977 - The Mormon Tabernacle Choir (and again in 1982, 1987, 2005, and 2006) [ [http://www.mormontabernaclechoir.org/products/search The Official Site of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir ] ]
*1978 - The Carpenters - "Christmas Portrait" (mentions "Christmas Party" and not "Birthday Party" as usual)
*1979 - Larry Groce - "Disney's Christmas Favorites"
*1983 - Amy Grant - "A Christmas Album"
*1987 - Air Supply - "The Christmas Album" (this mentions "Christmas Party" rather than that usual "Birthday Party" melody line for Sleigh Ride)
*1987 - The Muppets - in the television special "A Muppet Family Christmas"
*1989 - The Hampton String Quartet - "What if Mozart Wrote "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"?"
*1992 - Glen Campbell - "Christmas with Glen Campbell"
*1992 - Debbie Gibson - "A Very Special Christmas 2"
*1992 - TLC - ""
*1992 - Mel Tormé - "Christmas Songs"
*1993 - Harry Connick, Jr. - "When My Heart Finds Christmas"
*1993 - Amy Grant - "A Christmas Collection"
*1993 - Lou Rawls - "Christmas Is the Time"
*1994 - Neil Diamond - "The Christmas Album, Volume II"
*1994 - Lorrie Morgan - "Merry Christmas from London"
*1996 - Brian Setzer - from the movie "Jingle All The Way"
*1996 - Spice Girls - B Side of "2 Become 1" (similar to the Ronettes' version)
*1998 - Squirrel Nut Zippers - "Christmas Caravan"
*1999 - Kenny G - "Faith"
*2000 - The Three Tenors - "The Three Tenors Christmas"
*2000 - Vanessa L. Williams - from the movie "A Diva's Christmas Carol"
*2001 - Garth Brooks - "Call Me Claus"
*2001 - TLC - "MTV TRL Christmas"
*2002 - Hillary Duff - "Santa Claus Lane"
*2002 - Jump5 - "All the Joy in the World"
*2002 - S Club 8 - "Puppy Love/Sleigh Ride"
*2003 - Art Paul Schlosser - "Words of Cheese and Other Parrot Trees"
*2004 - Clay Aiken - "Merry Christmas with Love"
*2004 - Play - "Play Around the Christmas Tree"
*2007 - MC Einar's "Jul, Det' Cool" - a popular Danish Christmas song is based on this track.
*2007 - KT Tunstall - A target exclusive CD
*2007 - Relient K - "Let it Snow, Baby... Let it Reindeer"

Explanations

*Currier & Ives was a popular printing company in the 19th century. The company closed in 1907, 39 years before the song was composed.
*The horse whinny 5 bars from the end is made by a trumpet half-valve glissando.
*The whip cracks are made by the drummer with a slapstick or a rimshot.

Classical "Sleigh Ride" pieces

"Die Schlittenfahrt (Sleigh Ride)" is also the popular name given to one of the "Three German Dances" composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The composition is sometimes mistakenly attributed to Wolfgang's father, Leopold Mozart (whose own "Divertimento in F major" is popularly known as "Musical Sleigh Ride").

The "Winter Night" segment of Frederick Delius' "Three Small Tonepoems" is also commonly known as "Sleigh Ride".

The "Troika" from "Lieutenant Kije" by Sergei Prokofiev is also a musical sleigh ride, referring to a three-horse team drawing a carriage (troika means "group of three").

References