All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth
Encyclopedia
"All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" is a novelty
Christmas song
written in 1944 by Donald Yetter Gardner (b. 20 August 1913, Portland, Pennsylvania
– d. 15 September 2004, Brockton, Massachusetts
) while teaching music at public schools in Smithtown, New York
. He asked his second grade
class what they wanted for Christmas
, and noticed that almost all of the students had at least one front tooth missing as they answered in a lisp
. Gardner wrote the song in 30 minutes. In a 1995 interview, Gardner said, "I was amazed at the way that silly little song was picked up by the whole country." The song was published in 1948 after an employee of Witmark
music company heard Gardner sing it at a music teachers conference.
The song was originally recorded by Spike Jones & His City Slickers on December 6, 1948, with lead vocal by George Rock
. That version reached the top of pop charts in 1949. The song has also been recorded by numerous other singers and performers, including George Strait
, Danny Kaye
with The Andrews Sisters
, The Platters
, Dread Zeppelin
, The Kelly Family
, Nat King Cole
(reportedly Gardner's favorite version), The Chipmunks
, the Hampton String Quartet
, The Three Stooges Count von Count
of Sesame Street
.
Drag performer and singer RuPaul
parodied the song on her Christmas album Ho, Ho, Ho
. In RuPaul's version, which is an up-tempo electronica/disco style, she lists the various plastic surgery procedures she wants for Christmas, so she can, as she sings, "Look real purdy!".
Country music parodist Cledus T. Judd
parodied the song on his 2002 Christmas album Cledus Navidad
. Titled "All I Want for Christmas Is Two Gold Front Teef", Judd's parody is performed in rap.
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
Christmas song
Christmas music
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music normally performed or heard around the Christmas season, which tends to begin in the months leading up the actual holiday and end in the weeks shortly thereafter.-Early:...
written in 1944 by Donald Yetter Gardner (b. 20 August 1913, Portland, Pennsylvania
Portland, Pennsylvania
Portland is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. Portland is located in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. It is part of Pennsylvania's Slate Belt.The population of Portland was 579 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
– d. 15 September 2004, Brockton, Massachusetts
Brockton, Massachusetts
Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population was 93,810 in the 2010 Census. Brockton, along with Plymouth, are the county seats of Plymouth County...
) while teaching music at public schools in Smithtown, New York
Smithtown, New York
As of the census of 2000, there were 115,715 people, 38,487 households, and 31,482 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,159.9 people per square mile . There were 39,357 housing units at an average density of 734.6 per square mile...
. He asked his second grade
Second grade
In the United States, second grade is a year of primary education. Second grade is the second school year after kindergarten. Students are traditionally 7–8 years old, depending on when their birthday occurs....
class what they wanted for Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, and noticed that almost all of the students had at least one front tooth missing as they answered in a lisp
Lisp
A lisp is a speech impediment, historically also known as sigmatism. Stereotypically, people with a lisp are unable to pronounce sibilants , and replace them with interdentals , though there are actually several kinds of lisp...
. Gardner wrote the song in 30 minutes. In a 1995 interview, Gardner said, "I was amazed at the way that silly little song was picked up by the whole country." The song was published in 1948 after an employee of Witmark
M. Witmark & Sons
M. Witmark & Sons was a leading publisher of sheet music for the United States "Tin Pan Alley" music industry.The firm of Marcus Witmark & Sons was established in New York City in 1886...
music company heard Gardner sing it at a music teachers conference.
The song was originally recorded by Spike Jones & His City Slickers on December 6, 1948, with lead vocal by George Rock
George Rock
George Rock was a member of Spike Jones and His City Slickers.In addition to being a trumpet player, he also sang with the group from time to time, using a voice characterization that sounded like a child...
. That version reached the top of pop charts in 1949. The song has also been recorded by numerous other singers and performers, including George Strait
George Strait
George Harvey Strait is an American country music singer, actor, and music producer. Strait is referred to as the "King of Country," and critics call Strait a living legend. He is known for his unique style of western swing music, bar-room ballads, honky-tonk style, and fresh yet traditional...
, Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian...
with The Andrews Sisters
The Andrews Sisters
The Andrews Sisters were a highly successful close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews , soprano Maxene Angelyn Andrews , and mezzo-soprano Patricia Marie "Patty" Andrews...
, The Platters
The Platters
The Platters were a vocal group of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound was a bridge between the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the burgeoning new genre...
, Dread Zeppelin
Dread Zeppelin
Dread Zeppelin is an American band best known for performing the songs of Led Zeppelin in a reggae style as sung by a 300 pound Vegas Elvis impersonator. Over the years they would also perform songs originally by Elvis Presley, Bob Marley and The Yardbirds. The group toured extensively around the...
, The Kelly Family
The Kelly Family
The Kelly Family is an Irish-American-European music group consisting of a multi-generational family, who play a repertoire of rock, pop and folk music. They have had chart and concert success in Europe and other parts of the world, especially in Germany, the Benelux countries, Scandinavia, Eastern...
, Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
(reportedly Gardner's favorite version), The Chipmunks
The Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
, the Hampton String Quartet
Hampton String Quartet
The Hampton String Quartet considered by many to be one of the founders of the "alternative music" genré of chamber music is a string quartet specializing in rock music and other popular styles, playing serious chamber music arrangements of songs using classical composer influences and frequently...
, The Three Stooges Count von Count
Count von Count
Count von Count, often known simply as "The Count", is one of the Muppet characters on Sesame Street, performed by Jerry Nelson. The Count is a vampire modeled after Bela Lugosi's interpretation of Count Dracula.-Description:...
of Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
.
Drag performer and singer RuPaul
RuPaul
RuPaul Andre Charles , best known as simply RuPaul, is an American actor, drag queen, model, author, and singer-songwriter, who first became widely known in the 1990s when he appeared in a wide variety of television programs, films, and musical albums. Previously, he was a fixture on the Atlanta...
parodied the song on her Christmas album Ho, Ho, Ho
Ho, Ho, Ho
Ho, Ho, Ho is an album of Christmas music by American drag queen and singer RuPaul, released on October 28, 1997 by Rhino Records.-Album information:...
. In RuPaul's version, which is an up-tempo electronica/disco style, she lists the various plastic surgery procedures she wants for Christmas, so she can, as she sings, "Look real purdy!".
Country music parodist Cledus T. Judd
Cledus T. Judd
Barry Poole is an American country music artist who records under the name Cledus T. Judd. Known primarily for his parodies of popular country music songs, he has been called the "Weird Al" Yankovic of country music, and his albums are usually an equal mix of original comedy songs and parodies...
parodied the song on his 2002 Christmas album Cledus Navidad
Cledus Navidad
Cledus Navidad is a Christmas album released by country music artist Cledus T. Judd. The track "Merry Christmas from the Whole Fam Damily", included here, was previously on his 2000 album Just Another Day in Parodies...
. Titled "All I Want for Christmas Is Two Gold Front Teef", Judd's parody is performed in rap.