Born to a Jewish family in Rochester, New York, Mitchell William Miller and his choir were famed for their campy Sing Along With Mitch television show of the 1960s. During the second season of "Sing Along with Mitch," Mitch Miller himself coined the catch phrase "All Smiles." These were preceded by the instructions to "sing along; just follow the bouncing ball" (a large dot that "bounced" above the words that were superimposed on television of the song that Mitch was singing). Miller's biggest hits with the choir were "The Yellow Rose of Texas," a drum-propelled version of the old March, and "Colonel Bogey March", then enjoying new popularity from its use in the movie The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). In addition to the television show, Miller and his choir recorded a series of best-selling albums.
One of the singers in Miller's choir, Bob McGrath, went on to a long career as one of the hosts of the PBS children's television show, Sesame Street.
As head of artists & repertory (A&R) at Mercury Records in the late forties, and Columbia Records in the fifties and early sixties, Miller gained a reputation for creating records that created what music historian Will Friedwald calls an "aural texture":
“ Miller also conceived of the idea of the pop record 'sound' per se: not so much an arrangement or a tune, but an aural texture (usually replete with extramusical gimmicks) that could be created in the studio and then replicated in live performance, instead of the other way around. Miller was hardly a rock 'n' roller, yet without these ideas there could never have been rock 'n' roll. 'Mule Train,' Miller's first major hit (for Frankie Laine) and the foundation of his career, set the pattern for virtually the entire first decade of rock. The similarities between it and, say, 'Leader of the Pack,' need hardly be outlined here. ”
— Will Friedwald noted in Sinatra: The Song Is You, Da Capo Press, 1997.
While this did not always sit well with Columbia's more established performers (Frank Sinatra, for example), Columbia had an amazing hit-to-release ratio during that time.
Miller signed and produced many important pop standards artists for Columbia, including Frankie Laine, Johnnie Ray, Ray Conniff, Percy Faith, Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, Guy Mitchell (whose pseudonym actually was based on Miller's first name), and helped direct the careers of artists who were already signed to the label, like Doris Day, Dinah Shore and Jo Stafford to just name a few. He therefore became one of the most successful pop music producers ever.
Miller is frequently (and probably unfairly) referred to by rock music historians as an "enemy" of early rock and roll. He did back John Hammond's signing of Bob Dylan to capitalize on the folk music craze. While he did ultimately lose his job as Columbia head for not signing the types of acts teenagers were buying, Miller did originally attempt to sign Elvis Presley, but balked at the amount Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, was asking.
A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Miller is also an accomplished oboe and English horn player. He supported himself in his early career in the 1930s and 1940s as a session oboist; among his more celebrated studio dates in the non-classical field were for The Voice of Frank Sinatra and bebop pioneer Charlie Parker's famous Bird With Strings albums. He played in the CBS house orchestra for the 1938 Orson Welles War of the Worlds broadcast, and he later recorded Sibelius's Swan of Tuonela with Leopold Stokowski for RCA, and the Mozart Oboe Concerto for Columbia. He has also guest-conducted many of the top American orchestras.
The Twelve Days of Christmas
Mitch Miller Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A partridge in a pear tree
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
Two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree
On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
Three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree
On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
Four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
Five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens
Two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree
On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
Six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four calling birds
Three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree
On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
Seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four calling birds
Three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree
On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
Eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five golden rings
Four calling birds, three French hens, wo turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree
On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
Nine drummers drumming, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens
Two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree
On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
Ten pipers piping, nine drummers drumming, eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four calling birds-aca
The Twelve Days of Christmas is a traditional English Christmas carol that dates back to the 18th century. The song tells the story of a series of increasingly extravagant gifts given by a true love over the course of twelve days, starting on Christmas Day. Each verse of the song adds a new gift to the previous ones, creating a cumulative effect.
The first verse begins with a partridge in a pear tree, followed by two turtle doves, three French hens, and four calling birds. On the fifth day, five golden rings are added, and subsequent gifts include six geese a-laying, seven swans a-swimming, eight maids a-milking, nine drummers drumming, ten pipers piping, and eleven ladies dancing. The twelfth and final day brings twelve lords a-leaping, for a total of 364 gifts.
The song has been interpreted in many ways over the years, with some suggesting that it has religious symbolism (for example, the partridge in a pear tree representing Jesus Christ and the turtle doves representing the Old and New Testaments). Others argue that it is simply a fun and festive song with a catchy tune that has stood the test of time.
Line by Line Meaning
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
My true love gave me a partridge in a pear tree on the first day of Christmas
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
My true love gave me two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree on the second day of Christmas
On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
My true love gave me three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree on the third day of Christmas
On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
My true love gave me four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree on the fourth day of Christmas
On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
My true love gave me five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree on the fifth day of Christmas
On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
My true love gave me six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree on the sixth day of Christmas
On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
My true love gave me seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree on the seventh day of Christmas
On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
My true love gave me eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree on the eighth day of Christmas
On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
My true love gave me nine drummers drumming, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree on the ninth day of Christmas
On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
My true love gave me ten pipers piping, nine drummers drumming, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree on the tenth day of Christmas
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JON BARRY, JON COLTON BARRY, DANNY JACOB, PIERO PILUSO, PIERO ORLANDO PILUSO, . TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Myself-yf5do
I've looked for this version ever since I was nine......I've finally found it.
@colleens1878
My grandparents would play This Record every Christmas and I've been looking for it and I couldn't remember who sang it but I remember the cover and what it looked like and this is it thank you so much for uploading
@ruthbarron625
This must be the longest Christmas carol ever written.
@user-gm9fb9ni8u
Happy Holiday🎄!Happy Birthday to Jesus Christ🎂!Amen🙏!
@THEJET52
Loved dat Mitch when I was a little girl at 5! Sat listening to record and meditating on the Partridge in dat pear tree!!
@tmaug1974
Best version of this song!
@louisef.9137
How old are we? Look at pic of album, it says STEREO on top...musta been kinda new back and exciting back then. I was seven...
@johnsegreti8367
Very best
@Jameswilliamson405
Enjoyed
@Myself-yf5do
I've heard that this song is a code for different aspects of Catholicism, which was persecuted in England in the 1600s