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 had the distinction of being the only Christmas record to reach No. 1 on the same chart until Mariah Carey’s "All I Want for Christmas Is You" did so 61 years later in 2019. The single sold 4.5 million copies in seven weeks, according to Ross Bagdasarian Jr.[3] It eventually sold 12 million copies.[4] 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.[5]
Between 1958 and 1962, the single re-entered the Hot 100 several times, peaking at No. 41 in 1958, No. 45 in 1960, and No. 39 in 1962. (Starting in 1963, Billboard would list recurrent Christmas songs on a separate chart.) The song charted on the Hot Digital Songs for the first time in 2005, peaking at No. 35.
With the release and popularity of the live-action film Alvin and the Chipmunks in 2007, "The Chipmunk Song" re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 70. At the same time, a remixed version of the song that appears on the Chipmunks' 2007 album (and soundtrack to the film) Alvin and the Chipmunks: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, peaked at No. 66 and was credited as "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late) (2007 Version)".
The song was adapted into a musical segment in 1961 for The Alvin Show. The segment depicts Alvin sifting through various presents to find a hula hoop, even as he reluctantly sings along with the other Chipmunks. 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. This segment was released on DVD and Blu-Ray in March 2015 as part of a three-episode set of The Alvin Show.[10]
The song was resurrected for the 1981 NBC Christmas television specialA Chipmunk Christmas. A depressed Alvin sings along flatly at first (much like the 1958 original), but then leaves the studio to give away his harmonica to a sick boy. Though Seville starts to resume recording the song without Alvin, Alvin returns in the nick of time to sing the song with the others.
The song was later featured in an episode of the NBCSaturday morning seriesAlvin and the Chipmunks (1983–1990), in the episode "Merry Christmas, Mr. Carroll". In that version, Alvin is taken by Dave (as the Spirit of Christmas Past) to his old house, a cabin lodge where he saw Dave and younger versions of himself, Simon and Theodore. There, it was revealed that Dave wrote the song (called "The Christmas Song" in this episode), because it was inspired by the gifts that the young Chipmunks gave him (which were an eraser, a pencil and a piece of paper).
The song was prominently featured in the 2007 animated film Alvin and the Chipmunks. A scene similar to that of the original segment on The Alvin Show appears with Jason Lee portraying Dave Seville. The film also features the original track by Ross Bagdasarian Sr., a remake with Ross Bagdasarian Jr. as Dave, and a new rock mix with Lee as Dave, both of which appear on the film's soundtrack. The original track is played briefly during a flashback in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip.
The Chipmunks performed a smooth jazz version of the song with Kenny G on the saxophone for their 1994 album A Very Merry Chipmunk. They also performed a duet version with Jaci Velasquez for her 2001 album Christmas in which Alvin tries to flirt with Jaci in Spanish and changes the lyric "I want a hula hoop" to "I want a date with you."
On a Christmas episode of The King of Queens, the character Doug Heffernan says it's his favorite Christmas song, but his father-in-law Arthur Spooner despises it, chastising Alvin for his delays in the song, saying it "throws the other chipmunks off". However, Arthur soon takes a great liking to the song and continually plays it throughout the episode, much to Doug and his wife Carrie's annoyance.
The The (disambiguation) Ṭhē Meanings of minor planet names: 5001–6000 The Mamas & the Papas The The The Return of the King The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King The Covenant, the Sword, and the Arm of the Lord The Good, the Bad & the Queen The Good, the Bad and the Ugly The Beatles Play the Residents and the Residents Play the Beatles The Good, the Bad, the Weird The Fellowship of the Ring The Lord of the Rings The Palace of the King of the Birds The Brave and the Bold The Wicked + The Divine The House of the Dead The O2 The Sims …
The Taming of the Shrew The Guide for the Perplexed The War of the Worlds The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy The Supremes The Abandonment of the Jews The Indian in the Cupboard The Best of The Stylistics The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees The Letter for the King The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers The Bold and the Beautiful The Sheep and the Goats The Marys of the Empire The Animatrix The Good, the Bad & the Live The Independent The Keltiad The N The Passion of the Christ The House of the Dead: Overkill The Medium Is the Massage The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe The Keys to the Kingdom The Bahamas The Planets The Band The Name of the Rose The End Is the Beginning Is the End The Beatles The Bear and the Travelers The Flintstones The Supersizers... The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe The Lord of the Rings (film series) The Tales of Beedle the Bard The Waterboys The Seekers The Who Feeding the multitude The Pines & the Devil The Tortoise and the Hare The WB The Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp The Lion, the Fox & the Eagle The Picts and the Martyrs The Citadel The Shadows The Aquabats The Times The Hou