Sleigh Ride

"Sleigh Ride" is a light orchestra standard composed by Leroy Anderson. He formed the idea for the piece during a heat wave in July 1946, and finished it in February 1948. Its first performance was by the Boston Pops Orchestra, with Arthur Fiedler conducting, on May 4, 1948.

The original recordings were instrumental versions: it was first recorded in 1949 by Fiedler and the Boston Pops. As a 45 rpm version issued on red vinyl, "Sleigh Ride" was a hit record on RCA Victor Red Seal, and has become one of the orchestra's most well-known works. The Pops have recorded the piece numerous times, with Fiedler as well as John Williams, their conductor from 1979 to 1995, and Keith Lockhart, their current conductor.

The lyrics, about riding in a sleigh and other wintertime activities, were written by Mitchell Parish in 1950. Anderson also made arrangements for wind band and piano.

The Ronettes recorded a cover of "Sleigh Ride" in 1963 for Phil Spector's A Christmas Gift for You, which was commercially successful in the United States and featured in various media. The song has since been associated with the Christmas and holiday season.

Details


Leroy Anderson's own recording of "Sleigh Ride" was made on September 11, 1950, and was released on his album "Leroy Anderson Conducts His Own Compositions" on the Decca label in 1951. Also released that year as a 78-rpm single, then reissued as a 45-rpm single the following year when it reached #26 on the Cash Box bestsellers' chart.

The main melody of "Sleigh Ride" was used, but without crediting Anderson, as the main theme of Victor Young's score for the 1949 Western Streets of Laredo. Mitchell Parish worked with Young at this approximate time, writing the lyrics for Young's recording of Hoagy Carmichael's previously instrumental "Stardust." In 1950, the Andrews Sisters recorded the first vocal version of "Sleigh Ride", using the lyrics Parish had written. Although the song is often associated with Christmas and appears on Christmas compilation albums, its lyrics do not mention any holidays.

The piece is noted for the sounds of a horse clip-clopping, and a whip used to get the horse moving. In most performances, a percussionist provides these sounds on temple blocks and a slapstick, respectively. Toward the end of the piece, a trumpet imitates the sound of a horse whinnying.

According to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), "Sleigh Ride" consistently ranks as one of the top 10 most-performed songs written by ASCAP members. ASCAP named "Sleigh Ride" the most popular piece of Christmas music in the U.S. between 2009–2012 based on performance data from over 2,500 radio stations. Anderson's recording remains the most popular instrumental version, while Johnny Mathis's has become the most popular vocal version.

Biographer Steve Metcalf said, "'Sleigh Ride'... has been performed and recorded by a wider array of musical artists than any other piece in the history of Western music."

"Sleigh Ride" is written in seven-part rondo form (though performers sometimes omit the final B section, effectively rendering it a five-part rondo).

The Ronettes version
"Sleigh Ride" was covered by the American girl group the Ronettes. The Phil Spector-produced recording has become the most popular version outside the traditional pop standard genre, charting yearly in Billboard's Top Ten U.S. Holiday 100 and reaching #8 in 2023 in its 26th week in the Hot 100. After achieving a new peak of 8 in 2023, it became the group's second-highest chart hit in the US after "Be My Baby". It features the well-known "Ring-a-ling-a-ling, ding-dong-ding" background vocals, and the clip-clop and whinny of a horse at its beginning and end. Both bridge sections were omitted from this version, leaving only the refrains intact.

Background and release
Stefani released her fourth studio album, You Make It Feel Like Christmas through Interscope Records, on October 6, 2017, a collection of six original songs and six cover versions of Christmas standards. The album was preceded by the release of lead single "You Make It Feel Like Christmas", a duet with her boyfriend, American singer Blake Shelton. According to Stefani, the album's initial release generated a positive response, allowing her to return to the studio with collaborators busbee and Justin Tranter. The following year, You Make It Feel Like Christmas was reissued with five new bonus tracks and a proper music video for the title track was released.

In 2019, Stefani duetted with Shelton again on "Nobody but You", a new track recorded for his compilation album, Fully Loaded: God's Country. The song was released as a single and distributed to US country radio outlets on January 21, 2020. It became a hit, topping Billboard's Country Airplay and Digital Songs charts and becoming Stefani's highest-charting effort on the Billboard Hot 100 since 2007. In late 2020, rumors of new solo music from Stefani circulated after it was announced she would be returning as a judge to the American television series The Voice. Stefani then confirmed plans to release new music during a promotional advertisement made for the show. Her cover of "Sleigh Ride" was announced as a surprise to her fans on October 12, 2020, the day before its scheduled release. It is expected to appear as the eighteenth track on an upcoming reissue of You Make It Feel Like Christmas, due for release later in 2020.

"Sleigh Ride" was produced by American musicians Brent Kutzle and Brandon Collins. It is the first track from You Make It Feel Like Christmas that was not produced by busbee or Eric Valentine; busbee had previously co-written all of the original songs on the parent album with Stefani and Tranter, but died in September 2019 after a battle with glioblastoma. Stefani's cover of "Sleigh Ride" credits Anderson and Parish as composers. The song was released to music retailers for digital download and streaming on October 13, 2020, through Interscope Records. A promotional audio video of the song was uploaded to Stefani's YouTube channel the same day of its release. It serves as first solo release since the rest of You Make It Feel Like Christmas. Alongside the release of "Sleigh Ride", Stefani teased that there was "more to come" the following week.

Composition
Stefani's version of "Sleigh Ride" has been described as a holiday-themed song with a "lushly" arranged orchestra. American musician Ryan Tedder contributes as a vocal producer of the song, and Stefani is accompanied by American singer Laura Cooksey for background vocals.

Critical reception
Sophie Smith from the entertainment website uDiscover Music was positive about Stefani's cover, calling it a "cheery" and "festive" new track. A contributor to WSRW felt that Stefani got "in the holiday spirit" with her cover, but felt that it was released too early before the holiday season.

Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from AllMusic.


 * Gwen Stefani – primary artist
 * Brandon Collins – producer, strings contractor
 * Brent Kutzle – producer, keyboards
 * Leroy Anderson – composer
 * Mitchell Parish – composer
 * Ryan Tedder – vocal producer
 * John Nathaniel – vocal producer, mixing
 * Grant Pittman – engineer, keyboards
 * Doug Sarrett – engineer
 * Tyler Spry – engineer
 * Mike Wilson – engineer
 * Chris Gehringer – mastering engineer
 * Laura Cooksey – background vocals
 * Luke Sullivant – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
 * Matt Melton – bass
 * Paul Nelson – cello
 * Jon Hyrkas – drums
 * Betsy Lamb – viola, violin
 * David Angell – violin
 * David Davidson – violin

Other notable recordings

 * 1949 – Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops, RCA Victor Red Seal 10-1484 (78 rpm) and 49-01515 (45 rpm). The original hit recording, this version was unavailable on CD until its inclusion on the 2023 Real Gone Music compilation The Ultimate Pops Christmas Party.
 * 1951 – Leroy Anderson and His "Pops" Concert Orchestra, Decca Gold Label Series 16000 (78 rpm) 9-16000 (45 rpm). Released both individually and as part of the 10" album Leroy Anderson Conducts His Own Compositions. This version receives frequent airplay during the holiday season and has appeared on various compilations. Anderson re-recorded "Sleigh Ride" in stereo for the 1959 Decca LP Leroy Anderson Conducts Leroy Anderson.
 * 1950 – The Andrews Sisters (the first vocal version)
 * 1952 – Bing Crosby, included on 1998's The Voice of Christmas
 * 1958 – Johnny Mathis – Merry Christmas
 * 1959 – Andre Kostelanetz and His Orchestra – Joy to the World: Music for Christmas. This version subsequently appeared on his 1963 LP Wonderland of Christmas, as well as on numerous compilations.
 * 1960 – Ella Fitzgerald – Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas; this version was later featured in the 2003 film Elf.
 * 1965 – Andy Williams – Merry Christmas
 * 1978 – The Carpenters – Christmas Portrait
 * 1987 – Air Supply – The Christmas Album
 * 1998 – Squirrel Nut Zippers – Christmas Caravan
 * 2012 – Sufjan Stevens released a version of the song as part of the ninth volume of the Silver & Gold Christmas box set. Stevens uses many different gadgets to make sounds, reminiscent of the style of Spike Jones, who recorded the song in 1956.

Mariah Carey version
In 2020, American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey recorded a cover of "Sleigh Ride" for her second soundtrack album, Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special (2020).