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You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch

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"You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" is a children's Christmas song that was originally written and composed for the 1966 cartoon special How the Grinch Stole Christmas![1]

History

The lyrics were written by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel, the music was composed by Albert Hague, and the song was performed by Thurl Ravenscroft. The song's lyrics describe the Grinch as being foul, bad-mannered and sinister, using increasingly creative put-downs, metaphors and similes, beginning with the opening line "you're a mean one, Mr. Grinch".

Because Ravenscroft was not credited in the closing credits of the special, it is often mistakenly attributed to Boris Karloff, who served as narrator and the voice of the Grinch in the special but who himself could not sing. Until Ravenscroft was publicly credited, Tennessee Ernie Ford was also speculated to be the voice behind the song.[2]

Mainstream and pop acts have covered the song, usually for holiday-themed albums. In 1992, an emerging alternative band from New Jersey named Whirling Dervishes covered the song for their Wish it Would Snow EP. Their cover version took on a cult status in the region and went on to outlast the band's existence eventually becoming one of their only breakthrough hits. The song is still requested regionally during the holidays.[3] American singer and drag queen RuPaul covered the song for his 1997 Christmas album Ho Ho Ho, which incorporated elements from funk.[4] Billboard's Melinda Newman negatively responded to RuPaul's version, writing that "he should have left [it] alone".[5] In 2013 another New Jersey band, Misfits covered the song for Christmas-themed seven-inch promotion.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ Green, Joey (2012). Weird and Wonderful Christmas: Curious and Crazy Customs and Coincidences from Around the World. Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc. p. 145. ISBN 978-1-57912-924-8.
  2. ^ McCracken, Elizabeth (2005-12-25). "Our Cereal Hero". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-12-27.
  3. ^ Acampora, Rob (2011-11-29). "Jersey Band Forever Tied to Character Who Turns 45 This Year". SOJO 104.9. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
  4. ^ Smith, Shawnee (December 1998). "RuPaul 'Vh-1 Presents RuPaul: Ho Ho Ho'". Vibe. Eldridge Industries. Archived from the original on April 10, 2017.
  5. ^ Newman, Melinda (December 6, 1997). "Fresh from Santa's Music Workshop: Some Sets For The Naughty, Most Nice". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. Archived from the original on April 10, 2017.
  6. ^ Gentile, John (2013-12-22). "Misfits cover Mr. Grinch". Punknews.org. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
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