 | |
| Music by | Leroy Anderson |
| Lyrics by | Mitchell Parish |
| Date | 1946 (music), 1948 (words) |
| Publisher | EMI Mills Music Inc. |
"Sleigh Ride" is a popular song usually associated with Christmas. It was originally written as an instrumental piece in 1946 by Leroy Anderson, who intended it to refer to any winter event, not specifically Christmas. Mitchell Parish added words later, as he did for several of Anderson's compositions. It is one of Anderson's best-known songs, and a holiday standard.
Performances[]
- "Sleigh Ride" was the opening number for the December 19, 1963 broadcast of The Jimmy Dean Show. Rowlf the Dog pops up amongst the chorus carolers to sing a solo passage, substituting "pass around the bones" for "pass around the coffee."
- Leslie Uggams sang a chorus of "Sleigh Ride" in the closing medley of A Special Sesame Street Christmas.
- Gonzo sings the song in The Muppet Show Episode 517.
- Rowlf played "Sleigh Ride" on Emily's out-of-tune piano in A Muppet Family Christmas while Fozzie Bear and the Snowman sing a variation of the tune, with some of the lyrics changed to lines about "a bear and a snowman" to fit.
- Kermit the Frog sang "Sleigh Ride" in the 1989 Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade, riding on a sleigh down Disney-MGM Studios in Walt Disney World.
- The song is performed by the Sesame Street Muppets on the album Elmo Saves Christmas: Holiday Favorites.
- The music to "Sleigh Ride" plays during a "passage of time" moment in the Dinosaurs episode "Employee of the Month."
- A pastiche of the tune underscores Elmo's own sled ride in Episode 4191 of Sesame Street.