Today is the ninth day of twelve days of classic Christmas songs, and our classic Christmas song of the day is “Sleigh Ride.” This classic was a hit for multiple artists, most notably Johnny Mathis and, in a much more contemporary version, the Ronettes.
“Sleigh Ride” was composed by Leroy Anderson (who also wrote “The Syncopated Clock,” which you might remember) back in the ’40s. He started writing “Sleigh Ride” during a heat wave in 1946 and finished it up in 1948. The first releases were all instrumentals, starting with a recording by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra in 1949 with a more famous version by Anderson himself in 1950.
That same year famed lyricist Mitchell Parish (“Stardust,” “Volare,” “Deep Purple,” and more) added words to the original instrumental. That led to many, many versions being recorded by well-known vocalists, including the Andrews Sisters, Ella Fitzgerald, Amy Grant, Spice Girls, Mariah Carey, and Gwen Stefani.
Of those vocal versions, Johnny Mathis’ was the one that stuck. He released his version of “Sleigh Ride” in 1958, for his album of holiday tunes imaginatively titled Merry Christmas. His version hewed close to Anderson’s instrumental version with plenty of sleigh bells and wood blocks and a big orchestral backing. This is probably the version to which your parents listened.
The absolute number-one very best version of “Sleigh Ride,” however, was recorded by the Ronettes in 1963, Phil Spector producing with the full Wall of Sound effect for his legendary A Christmas Gift for You album. Jack Nitzsche did the arrangement, complete with the “Ring-a-ling-a-ling Ding-dong-ding” background vocals and charmingly stiff straight-eighths string break (against the driving shuffle rhythm section) in the middle. Backing was provided by the best musicians on the West Coast, those guys who called themselves the Wrecking Crew, driven by the ever-present Hal Blaine on drums. It’s all topped off by Ronnie Spector’s wonderfully cloying vocals, her voice sliding effortlessly around the beat, just owning the joint.
(Actually, I’m not sure whether all the Ronettes were in the studio for this one; I’m pretty sure Darlene Love, the Blossoms, and Cher were singing backup.)
Spector’s version of “Sleigh Ride” was so popular that pretty much every version of the song produced after this one copped the same elements. This recording is a combination of joyful sounds that you can’t help but tap and clap and sing along to—and it’s just one of the many glorious tunes on this terrific album, as you’ll see in days to come.
