The Little Drummer Boy

Album

100 Christmas Hits

Label

20th Fox

Genre

Christmas

Duration

3:00

Composer(s)

Katherine Davis;Henry Onorati;Harry Simeone

Entered Chart

Dec 22, 1958

Peak Date

Jan 12, 1959

Released

December 19, 1958

Recorded

Unknown

Catalog #

20th Fox 121

B-Side

Die Lorelei (The Voices Of The Junior Chorale)

"Little Drummer Boy" is set around the time of Jesus' birth, when Israel was under Roman rule and the Jews were awaiting a Messiah to deliver them from bondage and become the new King of Israel (however because he didn't fulfill that prophecy, he's not considered the Messiah in Judaism). Unlike most Christmas carols about the Nativity story, such as "The First Noel," "Away In A Manger," "O Come All Ye Faithful," "Silent Night," and "O Holy Night," this one places the emphasis on a different child: the little drummer boy. When he's summoned to honor the newborn king, who lies in a manger in Bethlehem, the poor boy can't afford to buy a gift that's fit for royalty, so he offers his talent instead. He taps out a pa rum pum pum-pum rhythm on his drum, and the baby Jesus smiles. Although there's no such percussion prodigy in the biblical account of the birth, which is detailed in the gospels of Luke and Matthew, the drummer boy's determination to play his best for Jesus exemplifies passages like Colossians 3:23-24, which reads, "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men." This Christmas classic was originally a Czech song that Katherine Kennicott Davis translated to English in 1941. Under the title "Carol Of The Drum," it was covered by the Austrian Trapp Family Singers (of The Sound Of Music fame) a decade later, but a new arrangement titled "The Little Drummer Boy" was popularized by the Harry Simeone Chorale in 1958. Simeone is credited as a songwriter on the track, along with Davis and producer Henry Onorati, but one name that is noticeably absent is Jack Halloran, who actually came up with the arrangement and recorded it a year before Simeone released his version. Dawn Halloran, Jack's daughter, told Songfacts the story: "This song was originally published as 'Carol Of The Drum,' a traditional Czech carol, by Katherine K. Davis. My father, Jack Halloran, arranged it and recorded it under the same title on his 1957 Dot album, Christmas Is A-Comin'. Henry Onorati was a producer for Dot who worked on the project and took the arrangement to Harry Simeone, who had nothing to do with my father's recording. Dot was to put out the single of 'Carol Of The Drum' for the Christmas '57 season, but for unknown reasons did not get it out in time. Meanwhile, Onorati took the arrangement to Simeone, who hired the same singers, re-recorded it adding finger cymbals and cutting a difficult passage just before the last phrase. It was then put out as a single under the title 'Little Drummer Boy,' by Harry Simeone, Katherine K. Davis and Henry Onorati. I've seen the master recording of the song and it pre-dates Simeone's by a year. And for the record, no one else ever arranged 'for' my father. He was the arranger for other artists." Wellesley College, Davis' alma mater, tells a different story about the origin of the classic carol. Claire Fontijn, the chair of the college's music department, said the tune came to Davis on the edge of sleep in 1941. "[One day], when she was trying to take a nap, she was obsessed with this song that came into her head and it was supposed to have been inspired by a French song, 'Patapan,'" Fontijn explained in a 2017 interview. "And then 'patapan' translated in her mind to 'pa-rum-pum-pum,' and it took on a rhythm." Harry Simeone is a conductor and arranger from Newark, New Jersey. He worked on various Bing Crosby movies and was the conductor for a popular TV show called The Firestone Hour from 1952-1959. The album, released as Sing We Now Of Christmas but re-titled The Little Drummer Boy in 1963, was his first album with a choir. The Harry Simeone version was released around Christmas every year from 1958-1962. It made the US Top 40 all five years and became a holiday classic. Here's a trivia question for you: What song was recorded by both Johnny Cash and RuPaul? The answer is "Little Drummer Boy" - and both versions charted! Cash reached #63 with his sparsely arranged 1963 rendition, and RuPaul's more lavish take reached #113 in 1993. You can also find a funky instrumental from Moonlion that went to #95 in 1975. Report this ad One of the more interesting duets in musical history took place on September 11, 1977 during filming of Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas special, where he planned to sing "The Little Drummer Boy" with David Bowie. The show was recorded in London, and had a "Christmas in England" theme. Bowie, who was 30 years old to Bing's 73, was convinced to appear after producers agreed to air a performance of his new song "Heroes" on the show, which Crosby introduced. When Bowie got to the studio, he made it clear that he did not want to do the song, so the writers on the show whipped up a new arrangement with Bowie singing the words "Peace On Earth" and some additional lyrics as counterpoint to Crosby's vocals. The thought of pairing a crooner with a glam rocker proved to be more than a gimmick, with this unique version becoming a Christmas classic. Bing Crosby died before the Christmas special aired, which drew a lot of attention to the program. The duet could have easily died right there as well, but bootleg copies circulated and it grew in popularity. Much to Bowie's disgust, it was eventually released officially by his label RCA in 1982 and made #3 in the UK. The move soured Bowie's already strained relationship with his record label and he left RCA soon afterwards. The song was further popularized by MTV, which launched in 1981 with very few videos in its library. In particular need of Christmas videos around the holidays, MTV played the Bing/Bowie clip for many Decembers, introducing it to a new generation. In 2008 the BBC DJ Terry Wogan and former choirboy star Aled Jones recorded a new version of the revised "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" adaptation, for a charity compilation album released in aid of Children In Need. Issued as a single under the name Bandaged, it became a UK #3 hit for the duo. In the UK, this was a hit in 1959 for The Beverly Sisters as well as Michael Flanders. A version by the Pipes And Drums And Military Band Of The Royal Scots Guards was also a hit there in 1972. This song was the basis of an animated TV special in 1968, also called Little Drummer Boy. It was about an orphaned child who goes on a quest to find his camel, which he discovers when he finds the Three Wise Men. This TV special never became a holiday classic like Frosty The Snowman or Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer. This was used on The Office in the season 3 episode "A Benihana Christmas," where it's sung by Angela at the office Christmas party.

Come, they told me pa-rum pum pum pum
Our newborn King to see, pa-rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring pa-rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King pa-rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum. rum pum pum pum
So to honor Him pa-rum pum pum pum
When we come

Little Baby pa-rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too, pa-rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring pa-rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give our King pa- rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
Shall I play for you, pa-rum pum pum pum
on my drum?

Mary nodded pa-rum pum pum pum
The Ox and Lamb kept time pa-rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him pa-rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him pa -rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
Then He smiled at me pa-rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum