The mystery and surprising history behind 'Jingle Bells'

Source: Washington Examiner | December 25, 2018 | J. Mark Powell

A simple song has been making the Yuletide merrier for 161 Decembers. First published under the title “One Horse Open Sleigh,” you and I know it as “Jingle Bells.” But a mystery surrounds this beloved Christmas tune. Where was it written? Two cities some 1,000 miles apart, one north and one south, each claim to be its birthplace.

Much of “Jingle Bells’” enduring appeal is its peppy simplicity. Its words and music are easy, making it the holiday song many children learn first.

The lyrics recall a happier, more innocent time. It’s difficult for 21st-century minds to imagine now, but a heavy snowfall often brought a treat to 19th-century folks. Consider these lines from a letter in my collection written in February 1865 by a Union soldier to his girlfriend in upstate New York. “I presume you did not fail to take advantage of the deep snow,” he wrote. “I imagine I see you on a cold pleasant moonlit night gliding over the crystal surface preceded by nettlesome steeds and the pleasant ringing of musical bells which seem to mock the joyous laughter of you and your companions.” After enjoying such sleigh rides, James Lord Pierpont recognized a song was just waiting to be written.

Pierpont was an interesting character. The son of a New England minister, he ran away to sea at age 14, and later returned, married, and started a family. He settled in Medford, Mass., where his father pastored a Unitarian Church. The old urge to wander returned with the 1849 California Gold Rush. Pierpont wound up in San Francisco, where had a store and a photography studio before losing both in a fire. He returned to New England flat broke.

After his wife died in 1856, his brother accepted the pastorate of a Unitarian Church in Savannah, Ga. Pierpont tagged along to serve as music minster. He wrote songs and gave organ and singing lessons on the side, all the while composing a steady stream of music himself. He became successful enough to take the daughter of Savannah’s mayor as his second wife.

In 1857, he released the song we still sing today. But “One Horse Open Sleigh” bombed so badly when it came out that he had to rebrand it. It was re-released in 1859 as “Jingle Bells.” Even then, it was far from a bestseller.

Ironically alcohol, not school kids, spread the tune. “Jingle Bells” became a popular mid-Victorian drinking song, with singers clicking glasses to imitate the sound of bells. The lyrics were even considered quite racy for the time. Sleigh-riding without a chaperone? Very risque stuff!

Despite the initial setbacks, “Jingle Bells” overcame them and stood the test of time. But one question lingers: Where exactly did Pierpont pen it?

Medford and Savannah each claim to be the song’s birthplace. A plaque in downtown Medford asserts Pierpoint wrote it at the Simpson Tavern there in 1850. It even cites a Mrs. Otis Waterman who said she remembered it.

Nonsense, Savannah’s adherents huff. Just look at the calendar. Pierpont was living in that coastal city when the song was first published. It stands to reason it was written there, too.

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