Leroy Anderson (1908-1975) was born in Cambridge, MA. The son of Swedish immigrant parents, including a church organist mother, he began piano and organ studies early in life. He went to college at Harvard University, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music. He also led the Harvard University Band during his graduate studies. In addition to his early musical interests, he also was a prolific language learner: his PhD studies at Harvard were in German and Scandinavian languages, and he eventually became fluent in 9 languages. This unique talent led to his service as a translator and interpreter for the US military during World War II and the Korean War. The demands of his military duties left little time to contemplate music, but he devoted himself to composing as World War II drew to a close in 1945. Several of his legendary classical-pops pieces remain popular, and we are fortunate that he arranged many of them for wind band.  Among them are Sleigh Ride, The Irish Washerwoman, Bugler’s Holiday, and Belle of the Ball.

Sleigh Ride first popped into Anderson’s head during a heat wave while he was living in Woodbury, Connecticut in the summer of 1946. From the germ of an idea that began with the middle section, it became a fully-fledged orchestral piece, completed on February 10, 1948, by which time Anderson and his wife and daughter were living in Brooklyn. It was premiered by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops on May 4 of that year, and was published in both orchestral and wind band arrangements by year’s end. Lyrics were added by Mitchell Parish in 1950. Sleigh Ride has since become a ubiquitous holiday season classic, and it has been reinterpreted by artists from Johnny Mathis to Ella Fitzgerald to Gwen Stefani, not to mention every high school trumpeter who aspires to sound like a horse.

Here’s the band version, from the US Navy Band:

Anderson’s original orchestral recording:

A choir version featuring the London Contemporary Voices:

Ella Fitzgerald’s 1960 swing take:

Gwen Stefani’s 2020 version:

Here’s a metal version just for fun:

If you really like the horse whinny at the end, check out this montage of 20 recordings.

More:

LeroyAnderson.com – a treasure trove of information on the composer and his music, including a listening room.

Once Upon a Sleigh Ride – a PBS documentary about Anderson and his music.

Leroy Anderson at Wikipedia.

Sleigh Ride at the Leroy Anderson Foundation.

Sleigh Ride at LeroyAnderson.com.

And the lyrics (which, again, were written 2 years after the melody):

Just hear those sleigh bells jingling, ringting tingleing, too,
Come on, it’s lovely weather for a SLEIGH RIDE together with you,
Outside the snow is falling and friends are calling “Yoo Hoo,”
Come on, it’s lovely weather for a SLEIGH RIDE together with you.
Giddy-yap, giddy-yap,giddy-yap, let’s go,
Let’s look at the show,
We’re riding in a wonderland of snow.
Giddy-yap, giddy-yap, giddy-yap, it’s grand,
Just holding your hand,
We’re gliding along with a song of a wintery fairyland,
Our cheeks are nice and rosy, and comfy cozy are we,
We’re snuggled up together like two birds of a feather would be.
Let’s take that road before us and sing a chorus or two,
Come on, it’s lovely weather for a SLEIGH RIDE together with you.

INTERLUDE

There’s a birthday party at the home of Farmer Gray,
It’ll be the perfect ending of a perfect day,
We’ll be singing the songs we love to sing without a single stop,
At the fireplace while we watch the chestnuts pop.
Pop! Pop! Pop
There’s a happy feeling nothing in the world can buy,
When they pass around the coffee and the pumpkin pie,
It’ll nearly be like a picture print by Currier and Ives,
These wonderful things are the things we remember all through our lives!

These have been translated into many languages, including the German Schlittenfahrt.