The Chipmunks singing the song in A Chipmunk Christmas.
"The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" is a song written by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. (under his stage name, David Seville) in 1958. It is the song that marked the official debut of the Chipmunks, a fictitious singing group consisting of three chipmunks by the names of Alvin, Simon, and Theodore (inspired by the sped-up recordings of Bagdasarian's voice used in his two previous songs, "Witch Doctor" and "The Bird on My Head"). The song won the 1958 Grammy Awards for Best Comedy Performance, Best Children's Recording, and Best Engineered Record (Non-Classical).
An animated music video of the song was featured in the seventeenth episode of the Chipmunks' first animated series, The Alvin Show. The short depicts Alvin looking through various presents to find a hula hoop, even as he reluctantly sings along with his brothers. At the end of the song, Seville rewards Simon and Theodore with toy planes and Alvin with his hula hoop. The subsequent argument about singing the song again ends abruptly with their Christmas tree falling over, and Seville and the Chipmunks emerge from the mess to wish the viewers a merry Christmas.
The song was later incorporated into the plot of A Chipmunk Christmas, in the scene where the Chipmunks are recording it at the recording studio. A depressed Alvin sings along flatly at first, but then leaves the studio to give away his harmonica to a sick boy. As Dave is about to resume recording the song without Alvin, he returns in the nick of time to sing the song with the others.
The song was featured again in the Alvin and the Chipmunks episode "Merry Christmas, Mr. Carroll". In an extended dream sequence, Alvin is taken by Dave (as the Spirit of Christmas Past) to his old house in the past. There, it was revealed that Dave wrote the song because it was inspired by the gifts that the young Chipmunks gave him (an eraser, a pencil and a piece of paper).
Lyrics[]
[Speech]
Dave: All right, you Chipmunks. Ready to sing your song?
Theodore: I'll say we are!
Simon: Yeah! Let's sing it now!
Dave: Okay, Simon?
Simon: Okay!
Dave: Okay, Theodore?
Theodore: Okay!
Dave: Okay, Alvin? Alvin? ALVIN!
Alvin: OKAY!!!
Chipmunks: Christmas, Christmas time is near
Time for toys and time for cheer
We've been good, but we can't last
Hurry Christmas, hurry fast
Want a plane that loops the loop
Alvin: Me, I want a hula hoop!
Chipmunks: We can hardly stand the wait
Please Christmas, don't be late.
[Speech]
Dave: Okay fellas, get ready. That was very good, Simon.
Simon: Naturally.
Dave: Very good, Theodore.
Theodore: (giggles)
Dave: Ah, Alvin, you were a little flat, watch it. Ah, Alvin? Alvin? ALVIN!
Alvin: OKAY!!!
Chipmunks: Want a plane that loops the loop
Alvin: I still want a hula hoop
Chipmunks: We can hardly stand the wait
Please Christmas, don't be late.
We can hardly stand the wait
Please Christmas, don't be late.
[Speech]
Dave: Very good, boys.
Alvin: Let's sing it again!
Simon: Yeah, let's sing it again!
Dave: No, that's enough, lets not overdo it.
Alvin: What do you mean overdo it?
Simon: We want to sing it again!
Dave: Now wait a minute, boys!
Theodore: Why can't we sing it again?
[chipmunk chatter]
Dave: Alvin, cut that out! Theodore, just a minute! Simon, will you cut that out? Boys...
Album releases[]
- Let's All Sing with the Chipmunks (1958)
- Christmas with the Chipmunks (1961)
- The Very Best of The Chipmunks (1975)
- Disney's Christmas All-Time Favorites (1980) - Sung by Chip 'n' Dale (with Donald Duck joining in midway through).
- A Chipmunk Christmas (1981)
- The Chipmunks Greatest Hits (1992)
- A Very Merry Chipmunk (1994)
- Alvin & the Chipmunks Greatest Hits: Still Squeaky After All These Years (1999)
- The Chipmunks' Greatest Christmas Hits (1999)
- Alvin and the Chipmunks: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2007)
- The Essential Now That's What I Call Christmas (2008)
- Now That's What I Call Christmas! 4 (2010)
- My Favourite Christmas Songs (2010)
- Chipmunks Christmas (2012)
- Glee: The Music, the Christmas Album Volume 4 (2013) - Sung by the Glee Cast (Kurt, Rachel and Santana).
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