Who Is Ross Bagdasarian, Sr.

And What Does He Contribute to Our Christmas Past?

Tommy Towery

LHS '64

During the Christmas season there are at least two radio stations here in Memphis which play only Christmas music 24/7. Among the list of songs played, there is one song which brings back memories of Huntsville and the Christmas holidays of my past. Unlike the plethora of traditional songs, it was one which emerged just a few years before we became teenagers and attended Lee Junior High. I personally remember hearing it being played on WAAY radio and buying a copy of it at the record store near the old Elk’s Theater. It is probably one of the best recognized “Baby Boomer” Christmas songs in existence. 

The song was very successful, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart. It had the distinction of being the only Christmas record to reach No. 1 on the same chart until Mariah Carey’s "All I Want for Christmas Is You" did so 61 years later in 2019. The single sold 4.5 million copies in seven weeks. It eventually sold 12 million copies. Before the song's success, it was featured on American Bandstand's "Rate-A-Record" segment and received the lowest possible rating of 35 across the board. Between 1958 and 1962, the single re-entered the Hot 100 several times, peaking at No. 41 in 1958, No. 45 in 1960, and No. 39 in 1962. As of December 25, 2011, Nielsen SoundScan estimated total sales of two versions of the digital track at 867,000 downloads, placing it third on the list of all-time best-selling Christmas/holiday digital singles in SoundScan history. 

One of the toys mentioned in the song is the hula-hoop, the most popular toy in 1958.

Do you know which song I am writing about?

"The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" is a novelty Christmas song written by Ross Bagdasarian (under the stage name of David Seville) in 1958. Bagdasarian sang and recorded the song, varying the tape speeds to produce high-pitched "chipmunk" voices, with the vocals credited to Alvin and the Chipmunks, Seville's cartoon virtual band. 

Bagdasarian's rise to prominence came with the song "Witch Doctor" in 1958, which was created after he experimented with the speed control on a tape recorder bought with $200 (around $2,000 adjusted for inflation as of 2022) from the family savings. Liberty Records released this novelty record under the David Seville name. It is a duet between his real voice and accelerated version. The record went on to become a Billboard number-one single by April 28, 1958, and further established him as a songwriter. It sold 1.5 million copies.

Bagdasarian went on to create his trio of Chipmunks and their debut song, "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" was released on November 17, 1958, and became a number one hit by New Year’s Day. The song sold 4 million records in the first few months. It topped Billboard charts the two weeks before and two weeks after New Year’s and won three Grammy Awards at the 1st Annual Grammy Awards on May 4, 1959: Best Recording for Children, Best Comedy Performance, and Best Non-Classical Engineered Song. Bagdasarian won the first two as David Seville. The song was the 23rd most performed Christmas song of the 20th century.

Bagdasarian died of a heart attack at his home in Beverly Hills on January 16, 1972, eleven days before his 53rd birthday.

I suppose this is my pre-Christmas feature, since Christmas will come before the next issue is released. I came upon the idea for this issue while listening to Christmas songs on a drive to work on the "Young Rock" TV series. This song and Snoopy vs. Red Baron *Christmas Bells* are still non-secular favorites of mine.

So...I say Merry Christmaas (not Happy Holidays) to all of you who have shared my Christmas days of the past and hope you all enjoy the holidays. I add an additional song for you to share this week. Please comment with your own Christmas song stories.

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