‘Tis the season to be jolly and merry so I thought I’d have a little fun with today’s battle.
I’m pitting Christmas favorite Jingle Bell Rock featuring the Muppets against the beloved Chipmunks and their fun Christmas song.
And in this battle, the videos count in your decision. Which song and which video makes you smile more?
Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday spirit this time of year. And hope you enjoy both my battle picks:
Contender #1: Muppets Christmas – Jingle Bell Rock:
“Jingle Bell Rock” was performed by the Muppets band Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem on A Muppet Family Christmas, a Christmas television special starring Jim Henson’s Muppets. Shot in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the special was first broadcast on December 16, 1987 on ABC. Kermit and his friends spend Christmas staging a surprise visit to Fozzie Bear’s mother’s farm.
Here’s Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem performing Jingle Bell Rock:
Contender #2: Chipmunks Christmas Song – “Christmas Don’t Be Late”:
“The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)” is a novelty Christmas song written by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. (a.k.a. David Seville) in 1958. Although it was written and sung by Bagdasarian (in the form of a high-pitched chipmunk voice), the singing credits are given to The Chipmunks, a fictitious singing group consisting of three chipmunks by the names of Alvin, Simon and Theodore. The song won three Grammy Awards in 1958: Best Comedy Performance, Best Children’s Recording, and Best Engineered Record (non-classical).
The song was very successful, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, becoming The Chipmunks’ first (and only), as well as David Seville’s second and final, No. 1 single. It has the distinction of being the only Christmas record to reach No. 1 on the same chart. The single sold 4.5 million copies in seven weeks, according to Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. Ironically, before the song’s success, “The Chipmunk Song” was featured on American Bandstand’s “Rate-A-Record” segment and received the lowest possible rating of 35 across the board.
“The Chipmunk Song” is the last Christmas/holiday song to reach No. 1 on any US singles record chart totaling performance of all available records. (Source: Wikipedia).
Who knew??! Here’s Christmas Don’t Be Late by the Chipmunks: from the 2007 movie Alvin and the Chipmunks:
Time to vote! Which song/video did you like best? Let me know and tell me why you chose the way you did. Then when you’re done voting here, go visit the other BOTB participants and check out their cool battles:
- Far Away Series
- Stephen T. McCarthy’s Battle of the Bands Blog
- Tossing it Out
- Mike’s Ramblings
- Curious as a Cathy
- Book Lover
- The Sound of One Hand Typing
- dcrelief ~ Battle of the Bands
- Shady Dell Music & Memories
- Cherdo on the Flipside
- THE DOGLADY’S DEN
- Jingle Jangle Jungle
- Janie Junebug Righting and Editing
- A. Scott
- Novel Brews
- Holli’s Hoots and Hollers
- Quiet Laughter
- Your Daily Dose
I’m going to go with “Christmas Don’t Be Late,” also known as “The Chipmunk Song.” That’s the one song I really like by them.
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Thanks John. Now we have a vote for the cute little Chipmunks…
Thanks for playing!
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Has to be The Muppets for me 😀
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Got it! Thanks Jemima!
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I grew up with The Chipmunks, but the Muppets took over when I reached adulthood. I prefer the original version of “The Christmas Song”–this update was totally unnecessary.
The Muppets song was musically superior and more interesting. That’s where I’ll cast my vote.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
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I agree that the update was unnecessary but I chose this newer version for the video. It seemed to have a similar energy as that of the muppets.
I have your vote counted for the muppets. Thanks for stopping by Lee. Have a great holiday season!
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Hi, Michele!
It makes sense in this case to allow people to take both the audio and video into account. It would be hard to look the other way and not watch these whimsical characters. I was already an adult by the time The Muppets became popular. For that reason, along with the fact that I do not like puppets in general, I remained impervious to Muppetmania. The novelty records released by Ross B. and credited as Alvin and the Chipmunks were very much a part of my youth (as was his 1958 hit “Witch Doctor” as by David Seville). Isn’t it funny how the teen judges on American Bandstand’s Rate-A-Record turned thumbs down on “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late),” most likely because it didn’t have a good beat and you couldn’t dance to it. 🙂 I never heard this updated rockin’ version of “The Chipmunk Song” but I enjoyed it along with the video. I vote for Alvin & the Chipmunks!
Thank you, dear friend Michele!
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Yay! Another vote for the Chipmunks! I grew up with that zany Alvin and the other munks and they are near and dear to my heart. But I’m also a muppet fan and both these videos make me grin so I’m still not sure how I’m going to vote yet. Glad to hear you are a chipmunks fan too Shady! Thanks for playing along 🙂
Hope you have a fabulous holiday season!
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The Muppets, hands down! First, because I ADORE the Muppets, and the song, and their version of it. And second, because I cannot begin to express how the Chipmunk voices annoy me 😀
Merry Christmas, Michele!
Guilie @ Quiet Laughter
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Hahaha! I love the chipmunks. I remember listening to them and loving them as a child. I even had the Christmas album! 🙂
Merry Christmas to you too Guilie! Thanks for stopping by.
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Difficult decision, but I choose the Muppets.
Love,
Janie
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Okay Janie, gotcha down for the muppets! Thanks for stopping by! Talk soon.
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The Muppets literally always make me smile, haha
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Don’t they though?! Thanks for stopping by and voting. Gotcha down for the Muppets
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Michele – this is tough! I like both, though I prefer the original Chipmunks’ version. My vote goes to the Muppets!
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I probably should’ve posted the original Chipmunks but I liked the video with this newer version better. Gotcha down for the Muppets. Thanks for voting Dixie!
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I want to kill those chipmunks! Their voices annoy me to no end. So, of course, I am going with the Muppets because….It;s the bloody Muppets! No one can beat the funky band in all their purple haze-They get my vote. I would never kill cute chipmunks…just those ones on the screen:)
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haha. Yeah, I guess you either love or hate the Chipmunks. I adore them because they were a big part of my childhood (the original ones). Loved your comment!!!
Thanks for stopping by and voting!
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Hi, MICHELE ~
If memory serves me, Alvin was the first celebrity ever diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. Didn’t he even enter the Betty Ford Clinic in hopes of being cured of it?
Ha! OK, I gotta vote for THE MUPPETS. Too much energy to be denied!
I hope you have a magical Christmas, and we’ll see you on January 1st for the first BOTB of 2016, eh?
~ D-FensDogG
‘Loyal American Underground’
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haha! Yeah, Alvin definitely suffered from ADD! The Muppets are running away with this one. They’re band is awfully cute and crazy…
Merry Christmas to you Stephen! You have a magical season too. 🙂
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I love a good novelty song. I’m a muppets fan, but the song AND video together didn’t really wow me. I do like the chipmunks too, but not as much as the muppets. I can listen to a few songs from them, but not a lot. However, taking the video into consideration, the chipmunks shenanigans always make me laugh. Of the two songs provided, I think the Chipmunks just barely come in ahead of the muppets. Another vote for AAAAALLLLLVIIIIIIIIINNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Yay! They are funny little critters, those chipmunks. Thanks for voting Jeffrey.
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Michele, what a fun BoTB Christmas style! I absolutely love The Chipmunks so I’m giving them my vote! 😀
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Glad you enjoyed it Cathy! Another vote for those crazy Chipmunks! Thanks for voting… Merry Christmas
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Just can’t resist the Muppets!
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They are pretty darn cute!!! I love how they flip their hair and bounce around…
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The Chipmunks are cute, but they kind of get on my nerves after about 30 seconds. Therefore, give my vote to The Muppets.
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Okay Fae, another vote for the Muppets, who are running away with this one…
Thanks for stopping by!
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This was an excellent battle. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
When I was a kid I had a Christmas record of novelty songs. The Chipmunk Song was on it. Listening to it today brought back fond memories. That Alvin!!! 😉
However, I have to vote for The Muppets. The singing, the playing… that version had it all. Made me want to rock around the Christmas tree!
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Thanks for stopping by Robin. Glad to know there’s another out there who appreciates the Chipmunks from our childhood! But I do understand your vote for the Muppets. Consider it counted! Merry Christmas to you. See you in the New Year… 🙂
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I’m going with the muppets on this one!
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Thanks Mike. Merry Christmas! Thanks for voting…
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