“The Ballad of Ebenezer Scrooge” explained:

Every year, just after Thanksgiving, the songs begin again. Tired, old, and repetitive. Yes, I am talking about Christmas songs. I don’t mean the religious ones, which you wouldn’t normally hear on the radio, or loudspeakers in department stores. But the usual suspects; “Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms, “Last Christmas” by Wham!, Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas is You”, and “Grandma got run over by a Reindeer” by Elmo and Patsy. There is a reason you only hear these songs during the Christmas season, most of them suck.

Could I write a better Christmas song?  I thought I would give it a shot. At the time I began this experiment I had zero musical experience or training but was determined to write my own song. A better song. I thought it should be based on the story of Scrooge. Why Scrooge? Because he is just about as Christmas as it gets, and he never had his own song. Just to remind you…

[According to Wikipedia:]

“A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, commonly known as A Christmas Carol, is a novella by Charles Dickens first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. In the process, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.”

As I said I had no musical experience, but I have written some funny parody songs. Growing up during the sixties one very recognizable “tune” was “The Ballad of Jed Clampett” from the hit T.V. show “The Beverly Hillbillies”. Anyone who lived back then would know this song – written by the late great Paul Henning. Again, a reminder….

[According to Wikipedia]

Paul William Henning (September 16, 1911 – March 25, 2005) was an American TV producer and screenwriter. Most famous for creating the television sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies, he was also crucial in developing the “rural” comedies Petticoat Junction and Green Acres for CBS.

Most popular television series

In 1962, Henning created the CBS series, The Beverly Hillbillies, a sitcom based on his past experiences while camping in the Ozarks near Branson, Missouri. He wrote or co-wrote well over 200 of the series’ 274 episodes, including every episode of seasons one, two, three, eight, and nine. (During seasons 4 through 7, he was still a frequent contributor but wrote more frequently for Petticoat Junction.) Henning also wrote the music and lyrics for the popular theme song “The Ballad of Jed Clampett”.  

So, I had the subject of my song in mind (Ebenezer Scrooge) and the tune “The Ballad of Jet Clampett” – now I just had to write the song. Easy right?

It took me years to accomplish. And once written – then what? The goal was to hear it over the radio. All I had to do was have it written into sheet music; find a band to play it, hire singers for the song, a place to record the song, but FIRST I need permission to “use” the song.

Did you know you can go to jail and/or pay huge fines for copyright infringement? That’s right!

You need to find out who owns the right to a song and ask them. Sometimes they’ll say “yes” or “no”, or they might want some type of financial arrangement (ie. Money). That is what it cost me, lots of money and a lopsided deal for royalties. While I live a frugal life, and do not do crazy stuff with my hard-earned bucks, on rare occasions I will.  At the time of working out the contract for a “Derivative Work Publishing & Co-Administration Agreement (July 10,2019)”, I said to my eleven-year son (Leo Xavier) “Leo this is going to cost me a fortune.” Without pause he said back “It’s going to make you a fortune too.”

I’m still waiting for that to happen. I’m still trying to get it on the radio. But I did do it!

 I wrote a Christmas song! I hope you like it – if not “Bah humbug to you!”

Here is who helped me in the process…

Frederick Vesci who helped me with the Sheet music and played the keyboard.

The “Narrator” by my friend Mr. Emery Lawrence.

The incredibly talented singer Ms. Leslie Aita.

Other musicians; David Marabella, Mark Buchler, and David Ruczynski.

The song was recorded by the engineers at Junction Music.

Helping me with the legal contract to use the song (Jed Clampett) was Aaron Green.

Eric Capers who set up this wonderful Web Site.

My son Leo Xavier encouraged me in the process (and did the drawings on one of the videos).

And myself; for the perseverance of sticking to the project (for years), and playing the “chains”.

“Y’all be good now Y’ here?”