Frank Sinatra returns to the Billboard Hot 100 chart with his rendition of “Jingle Bells” from 1948. The song puts the late Chairman of the Board in the top twenty as it returns to its previous peak of No. 20 on the all-genre chart.
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Billboard reports that “Jingle Bells” became Sinatra’s fourth top 20 hit on the Hot 100 last year. Before that, he hadn’t had a song reach that high in the chart since “Sometin’ Stupid,” a duet with Nancy Sinatra reached No. 1 in 1967. “Strangers in the Night” topped the Hot 100 in July 1966. Later that year, “That’s Life” peaked at No. 4 on the chart.
[RELATED: Why Was Frank Sinatra Called “Chairman of the Board?”]
Old Blue Eyes’ “Jingle Bells” started climbing the chart earlier this holiday season. It will sit in the top 20 of the chart dated December 23. It’s up 8 spots from No. 28 after pulling 16.9 million streams, 15.3 radio impressions, and selling 1,000 downloads.
Today, “Jingle Bells” is a Christmas standard. Countless artists have released renditions of the song. However, Sinatra’s is the only recording of the song to reach the Hot 100. However, other artists’ versions of the song have had success on the Adult Contemporary chart, the Holiday Digital Sales chart, and the Christian Airplay chart.
[RELATED: 4 Songs You Didn’t Know Frank Sinatra Wrote]
“Jingle Bells” Wasn’t Always a Christmas Song
The details of the origin of “Jingle Bells” are lost to history. At the same time, the stories that remain contradict one another. However, it is certain that James Pierpont trademarked the song “One Horse Open Sleigh” in 1857. That song would later come to be known as “Jingle Bells.”
From there, things get a little murky. Some sources say the Massachusetts-born composer wrote the song while living in Savannah, Georgia. Others say he wrote it in Medford, Massachusetts. The purpose of the song is also debated. Some sources say he wrote it for his father’s Sunday school class to sing at a Thanksgiving program. Others claim that it was a popular drinking song in Medford’s Simpson Tavern.
No matter where Pierpont wrote the song or why, it has become a staple of the holiday season.
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