"Up on the Housetop" is aChristmas song written byBenjamin Hanby in 1864.[1][2] It has been recorded by a multitude of singers, most notablyGene Autry in 1953.
According to William Studwell inThe Christmas Carol Reader, "Up on the Housetop" was the second-oldest secular Christmas song, outdone only by "Jingle Bells", which was written in 1857. It is also considered the first Yuletide song to focus primarily onSanta Claus. It was originally published in the magazineOur Song Birds byRoot & Cady. According toReader's Digest Merry Christmas Song Book, Hanby probably owes the idea that Santa and his sleigh land on the roofs of homes to Clement C. Moore's 1822 poem, "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (also commonly known as "The Night Before Christmas").[3] Benjamin Russell Hanby was born in 1833 nearRushville, Ohio, the son of a minister involved with theUnderground Railroad. He wrote "Up on the Housetop" while living inNew Paris, Ohio. During his short life, he wrote some 80 songs before dying of tuberculosis in 1867. Other than "Up on the Housetop", his best-known song is "Darling Nelly Gray".
In 1992, a syndicatedtelevision special of the same name, produced byPerennial Pictures Film Corporation inIndianapolis, Indiana, was released. Co-writer/co-producer/co-director G. Brian Reynolds also was the voice of Curtis Calhoun, and also composed the musical score. His creative partner, Russ Harris, co-wrote, co-produced, co-directed and also did voiceover work in this special. The special is the story of Curtis Calhoun, a miserable man who wishes that there were no Santa Claus. But then on Christmas Eve, someone is on top of the Calhouns' roof, and Curtis does not know whether he is Saint Nick or a cat burglar.[4]
| "Up on the Housetop" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byKimberley Locke | ||||
| from the albumChristmas | ||||
| Released | 2005 | |||
| Label | Curb Records | |||
| Songwriter | Benjamin Hanby | |||
| Producers | Mike Curb, Michael Lloyd | |||
| Kimberley Locke singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 2005, the song was repopularized with a new recording byKimberley Locke. The recording broke aBillboard record when it made the largest leap into the Top 5 in the AC chart's history, moving from 32 to 5 in only a week. It was also the second longestBillboard holiday AC chart topper in the chart's history, sitting at number 1 for 4 consecutive weeks.
| Kimberley Locke Version | |
|---|---|
| Chart (2005/2006) | Peak Position |
| US Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| Hot Adult Contemporary Recurrents | 15 |
| Chart (2006) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Adult Contemporary[5] | 36 |
Media related toUp on the Housetop at Wikimedia Commons
