| "The Little Drummer Boy" | |
|---|---|
 One of US single picture sleeves | |
| Single by Harry Simeone Chorale | |
| B-side | "Die Lorelei" |
| Released | December 19, 1958 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:03 |
| Label | 20th Fox |
| Songwriter(s) |
|
"The Little Drummer Boy" (originally known as "Carol of the Drum") is a popular Christmas song written by American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis in 1941.[1] First recorded in 1951 by the Austrian Trapp Family, the song was further popularized by a 1958 recording by the Harry Simeone Chorale; the Simeone version was re-released successfully for several years, and the song has been recorded many times since.[2] In the lyrics, the singer relates how, as a poor young boy, he was summoned by the Magi to the Nativity of Jesus. Without a gift for the Infant, the little drummer boy played his drum with approval from Jesus's mother, Mary, recalling, "I played my best for him" and "He smiled at me". Despite the song's popularity, the story of the drummer boy is not biblically accurate.[3]
- ^ Boughton, Harrison Charles (1977). "Katherine K. Davis: life and work". Ann Arbor, Michigan: Thesis, University of Missouri, reprint by University Microfilms.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Leigh, Spencer (5 March 2005). "Harry Simeone Populariser of 'The Little Drummer Boy'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
- ^ "Is the little drummer boy in the Bible?". Got Questions?. Retrieved 14 April 2024.