George Harrison was an incredible songwriter who shined with The Beatles and in his solo career. While he was a dedicated and hardworking musician, there were times when he wrote a quick single or performed a cover to get a hit record. George Harrison once released a holiday song he called the “quickest one I ever wrote.”
“Ding Dong Ding Dong” is a song George Harrison wrote as a New Year’s Eve sing-along. He released it as a single in 1974 and on his Dark Horse album. Since it’s meant to be a sing-along track, it has straightforward lyrics that are catchy and easy to memorize.
In his memoir, I, Me, Mine, Harrison said it was the “quickest” song he ever wrote, especially since some of the lyrics were already posted on the wall in his home.
“‘Ding Dong, Ding Dong’ was the quickest one I ever wrote,” He shared. “It took me three minutes, except it took me four years of looking at the thing, which was written on the wall at my home, ‘Ring out the old, ring in the new. Ring out the false, ring in the truth,’ before I realized it was a hit song. It makes me laugh because it’s so simple. That song evaded me for four years.”
Harrison had confidence the track would be a hit
George Harrison’s former bandmate, John Lennon, already had a holiday hit of his own. Lennon released “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” in 1971, and it was a massive Christmas hit for the former Beatle. While it didn’t reach No. 1 in the U.S., it’s a track that continues to be played during the holiday season, with hundreds of covers performed by other artists.
Harrison wanted to get his own holiday hit and believed “Ding Dong Ding Dong” would be the one to do it. He had so much confidence in it that he sent a letter and a demo to a business associate to keep it secret.
“It’s one of them repetitious numbers which is gonna have 20 million people, with the Phil Spector nymphomaniacs, all doing backing vocals by the end of the day, and it’s gonna be wonderful,” Harrison wrote. “But I’d appreciate it if you don’t let anybody steal it, ’cause I want the hit myself.”
How did ‘Ding Dong Ding Dong’ perform on the charts?
“Ding Dong Ding Dong” was a minor hit, but it wasn’t the iconic holiday song George Harrison wanted it to be. Many critics were unimpressed with it, including the BBC, who called it “repetitive and dull.” It was a minor hit, reaching No. 38 in the U.K. and No. 36 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. However, it did crack the top 15 in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Still, it didn’t have the staying power of “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” or Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime”. Still, it is a charming and infectious tune that could be fun to listen to ring in the new year.
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