Chip-Chip Hooray!
Fifty Years of the Chipmunks
Fifty Years of the Chipmunks
"Oo-ee, oo-ah-ah, ting-tang, walla-walla, bing-bang".
The words were just words. But when "The Witch Doctor" was released in the spring of 1958 as a novelty single, many listeners fell under its spell, and kids were singing the magic words. After reaching number one on the Billboard charts, Ross Bagdasarian (also known as David Seville) was asked by the executives at Liberty Records to release another "novelty" record.
"The Witch Doctor" was merely an introduction for the next big thing. In the fall of 1958, The Chipmunks officially debuted along "David Seville" with their first number one hit "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)". It sold more than four million copies, and stayed at the top of the Billboard charts for four weeks. It was the fastest selling single in the history of music at the time, only to be taken over by The Beatles in 1964.
In the early '60s, CBS Television aired "The Alvin Show", where the public met Alvin, Simon and Theodore for the first time. Although the show lasted for two seasons, NBC picked up the show 17 years later, as a midseason Saturday replacement, thanks to a prank caused by KMET's Disc Jockey Chuck Taylor.
Taylor played the extended version of "Call Me" from Blondie at double speed at 3:00 a.m. As a joke, Chuck announced that it was the Chipmunk's latest release. Requests for the "single" came in. In lieu of this event, Ross Bagdasarian Jr. rushed to the studio to record an album, which became "Chipmunk Punk". It was their new album since "The Chipmunks Goes To The Movies" in 1969, and the first project following the death of original producer Ross Bagdasarian Sr. in 1972. The album reached #34 on the Billboard charts, and became the Chipmunks' first gold record. This sparked another Saturday morning cartoon series, "Alvin and the Chipmunks", that aired on NBC for eight seasons.
Nevertheless, we cannot take for granted The Chipmunk's music legacy. Surprisingly enough, they are recipients of five Grammy's, recorded over 40 albums (with five hitting the top20). There was one thing missing on their résumé...movies.
It took almost 50 years for the trio to finally hit the big screen. The release of "Alvin and the Chipmunks", starring Jason Lee as "David Seville", has attracted a new generation who never knew that "chipmunks could talk" and, at the same time, regained the generation who almost forgot them. The film received disastrous reviews from movie critics, but with revenues of $215 million in the United States and over $350 million worldwide, it has proved that The Chipmunks have A List potential. "Alvin and the Chipmunks" won its first award at the 2008 Kids' Choice Awards for favorite movie.
It is with most pleasure that my blog is dedicated to those "loveable creatures" who bring us joy and laughter through their interpretation of well-known songs, and to Ross Bagdasarian Sr. who decided to spend his last $200 to bring his beloved "Chipmunks" on to the M.I.C.
The words were just words. But when "The Witch Doctor" was released in the spring of 1958 as a novelty single, many listeners fell under its spell, and kids were singing the magic words. After reaching number one on the Billboard charts, Ross Bagdasarian (also known as David Seville) was asked by the executives at Liberty Records to release another "novelty" record.
"The Witch Doctor" was merely an introduction for the next big thing. In the fall of 1958, The Chipmunks officially debuted along "David Seville" with their first number one hit "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)". It sold more than four million copies, and stayed at the top of the Billboard charts for four weeks. It was the fastest selling single in the history of music at the time, only to be taken over by The Beatles in 1964.
In the early '60s, CBS Television aired "The Alvin Show", where the public met Alvin, Simon and Theodore for the first time. Although the show lasted for two seasons, NBC picked up the show 17 years later, as a midseason Saturday replacement, thanks to a prank caused by KMET's Disc Jockey Chuck Taylor.
Taylor played the extended version of "Call Me" from Blondie at double speed at 3:00 a.m. As a joke, Chuck announced that it was the Chipmunk's latest release. Requests for the "single" came in. In lieu of this event, Ross Bagdasarian Jr. rushed to the studio to record an album, which became "Chipmunk Punk". It was their new album since "The Chipmunks Goes To The Movies" in 1969, and the first project following the death of original producer Ross Bagdasarian Sr. in 1972. The album reached #34 on the Billboard charts, and became the Chipmunks' first gold record. This sparked another Saturday morning cartoon series, "Alvin and the Chipmunks", that aired on NBC for eight seasons.
Nevertheless, we cannot take for granted The Chipmunk's music legacy. Surprisingly enough, they are recipients of five Grammy's, recorded over 40 albums (with five hitting the top20). There was one thing missing on their résumé...movies.
It took almost 50 years for the trio to finally hit the big screen. The release of "Alvin and the Chipmunks", starring Jason Lee as "David Seville", has attracted a new generation who never knew that "chipmunks could talk" and, at the same time, regained the generation who almost forgot them. The film received disastrous reviews from movie critics, but with revenues of $215 million in the United States and over $350 million worldwide, it has proved that The Chipmunks have A List potential. "Alvin and the Chipmunks" won its first award at the 2008 Kids' Choice Awards for favorite movie.
It is with most pleasure that my blog is dedicated to those "loveable creatures" who bring us joy and laughter through their interpretation of well-known songs, and to Ross Bagdasarian Sr. who decided to spend his last $200 to bring his beloved "Chipmunks" on to the M.I.C.
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