This article was originally published on November 30, 2022. We’re rerunning it now in honor of the season.
“Jingle Bells†is, whether you like it or not, one of the most recognizable songs in the English language. It was composed by hirsute Northeasterner James Lord Pierpont and first published with the title “The One Horse Open Sleigh†in the fall of 1857. Before you think, Wait, they were doing Christmas shit too early even in 1857?! you should know that the song originally had no relation to Christmas. Details are murky on what exactly did inspire it, which was renamed “Jingle Bells†in 1859, though we do know that by the 1860s and ’70s, it was as synonymous with Christmas as Santa Claus, baby Jesus, and (much later) 1994’s Little Women.
There’s no mystery as to why the song is so enduring. The repetition and tempo make it appealing to kids, it’s easy to remember, and as Batman or Robin will attest, it’s easy to parody. Once you reach adulthood, “Jingle Bells†grows less enjoyable, but even so, among the many recordings of the song, there are a handful of winners. Kris Jenner’s version is one of the best. The cast of Glee’s is not. Here are our favorites.
10.
Kris Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, and Travis Barker
“Jingle Bells†doesn’t get more cringe than this. Momager, MasterClass instructor, and reality television icon Kris Jenner can’t carry a tune to save her life, but that’s exactly why her one-and-a-half-minute version, which was released in 2021, works. Jenner is just having a good time, evincing no interest in attempting to elevate “Jingle Bells.†The song “features†daughter Kourtney and her husband, Travis Barker, who were probably making out the whole time.
9.
Jimmy Buffett
Jimmy Buffett’s recording from his 1996 album Christmas Island sounds exactly how you think: “Jingle Bells†but beach. It’s as chill as it is cheesy and, in that way, captures the true essence of the song — despite the lyrical updates to fit Buffett’s Key West theme. (“The radio was loud, the chicken jerked and fried / And all I had to do that day was drive on the left side.â€) No other Christmas song will compel you to take off your shoes and shirt, then brave Times Square in the dead of winter to enjoy an evening of piña coladas, mediocre Florida-inspired food, and the vibes at Margaritaville.
8.
Gwen Stefani
While the Gwen Stefani big-band pop version of “Jingle Bells,†from her 2017 album You Make It Feel Like Christmas, is not ska and does not spell out any fruit, it’s pleasant easy listening, and Stefani’s smooth voice has a tinge of horniness to it. The lyrics are modified from the original version to make it more of an upbeat love song from a female perspective. “Can’t you hear those jingle bells?†she sings. “We’re laughing and we’re loving / And we’re kissing and we’re hugging / As we jingle all the way.†This is a cover of “Jingle Bells†clearly produced by an artist deeply in love with Blake Shelton at the time of recording.
7.
Frank Sinatra
You’re probably thinking, Frank Sinatra on a Christmas-song ranking? Real original! The truth is that you’re right, but the other truth is that Sinatra is the Christmas-song king, and it would be an insult to his legacy to omit his rendition of this relentless classic. While many versions of “Jingle Bells†had been already recorded before Sinatra’s, his take from 1948’s Christmas Songs by Sinatra revolutionized it a bit. He added his own touches with a choir, spelled out the word jingle — How did Gwen Stefani resist copying that? — and generally made it a little more adult.
6.
Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee’s “I Like a Sleigh Ride (Jingle Bells)†from 1960’s Christmas Carousel is best heard while lying on a chaise longue holding a long, skinny cigarette in one hand and a very dirty martini in the other. (Betty Draper cosplay, if you prefer.) Like Sinatra, Lee gave the all-too-familiar tune an adult twist with her smokey voice adding a bit of sexiness.
5.
Al Green
Finally, a “Jingle Bells†that will make you drop your ass to the floor like The White Lotus season-two theme. For his 1983 album White Christmas, Al Green took a note from Peggy Lee’s subtly sexy rendition and made a somewhat disco version that will get your body moving instead of sending your brain into a tailspin.
4.
Andrea Bocelli and the Muppets
Has there ever been a better combo in the history of music? Feel free to answer out loud. The Italian tenor first performed “Jingle Bells†with the Muppets in 2009 during a special at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, and a recording of the song is featured on Bocelli’s album My Christmas (Fireside Edition). Bocelli might have been lying when he described the song as “beautiful†to the Muppets — or maybe he knew his voice alone could make it so.
3.
Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters
It might be Stockholm syndrome, but as we approach the top spot, I’m starting to think that “Jingle Bells†is the greatest song ever written and that every single recording of “Jingle Bells†is the best song ever produced. (High School Musical 2’s “Bet on It†is a close second.) Bing Crosby’s rendition of “Jingle Bells†with the Andrews Sisters from the 1945 album White Christmas is so upbeat and fun that, nearly eight decades later, it’s still one of the most recognizable versions.
2.
Ella Fitzgerald
If Sinatra is the king of Christmas classics, Ella Fitzgerald is the queen (all respect to Mariah Carey, who is more like the empress of it all). Fitzgerald’s “Jingle Bells,†from the 1960 album Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas, is best heard with a holiday cocktail in hand and tap shoes on your feet. (Whether you attempt to tap while holding that drink is your call.) Fitzgerald’s bold voice makes her version sound so easy — like this is the way the song has always been sung.
1.
Barbra Streisand
Only a legend could make it to the top of a Christmas-song ranking as a Jewish girl from Brooklyn. For some reason, the official title of Barbra Streisand’s cinematic recording of “Jingle Bells†from 1967’s A Christmas Album contains a question mark (“Jingle Bells?â€). It’s unclear what Streisand is asking or whom she’s asking, but what’s certain is that no one has ever wanted a song to be over more than she has here. Streisand sings with the speed of the House of the Dragon timeline, and her questionable enthusiasm adds a sense of humor that makes this version of “Jingle Bells†the absolute best.