“The Chipmunk Song”, by Alvin & The Chipmunks, is a Christmas classic.
For 3 decades now I have sung this song in every performance, regardless of the time of year, I just love it that much.
In fact, 25 years ago, I was slated to do a 15 minute set at my first corporate holiday party, but due to the way the night went, the client told me to just sing this song and they would still pay me $100.
I thought, “Wow, $100 for one song? That’s like $100 a minute! I should make a living doing this!”
Walking to the stage, bright lights and client hoping for the song to land, I sang it without any tracks, AKA “a cappella”, and the crowd went bonkers, giving me a standing ovation. It was solidified corporate holiday party gold.
It was the song with which I auditioned for the high school choir, as my teacher, Mrs. Hall, said it was “not normal” that I could actually do it, and thus began her mentorship to helping me perform throughout my life.
“The Chipmunk Song” by Ross Bagdasarian (under the stage name of David Seville), has been around since the 1950’s, raced to #1 immediately in 1958 for Christmas, and remained on the top of the charts for 13 weeks, as the song was a total phenomenon. Ross sang all 3 parts, manipulating the speed of the recording, an inside joke about Liberty Records executives named Al Bennett (Alvin), Simon Waronker, and Ted Keep (Theodore).
The song came on the heels of Bagdasarian’s popular hit, “Witch Doctor”, which saved his fledgling performing career after purchasing a tape recorder and adjusting the sounds for recordings, and eventually launched the Alvin & The Chipmunks brand, saved Liberty Records from bankruptcy, and won multiple Grammy’s at the first of it’s kind awards show.
The song saved many careers, was beloved through decades, and nearly every person who has ever heard it has tried to sing it in the high pitched voice.
It has also been voted as the most hated of all Christmas songs on multiple lists through the years.
Go figure.
With success comes the opposite, so often.
And yet, I don’t remember the last time I performed this classic song and anyone has been angry about it, all I hear is everyone singing along, especially once I hit the highest portion: “Me, I want a hula hoop!” (sidebar: the hula hoop was a new toy craze and helped the song, and the toy, reach epic popularity).
Merry Christmas to one and all, thank you to the many businesses that have brought me in through the years and had a good laugh over this very simple and silly bit. It has been fun to share with so many delighted audiences, large and intimate, and hopeful for many more to come.
~ Jason Hewlett
Inspiration Wrapped in Entertainment
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Husband, Father, Writer, Mentor, Hiker
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Speaker Hall of Fame Award-Winning Entertainer Emcee
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World’s Only Keynote Speaker utilizing entertainment, musical impressions, and comedy to teach The Promise
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Member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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Author of #1 Spiritual Self-Help book “The Promise To The One”
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Messenger & President of Cardio Miracle
