"Little Altar Boy" is a song written by Howlett Peter Smith, in 1961 and first recorded that year by vocalist

Vic Dana Samuel Mendola (born August 26, 1942, Buffalo, New York, United States), known professionally as Vic Dana, is an American dancer and singer. Biography Discovered by Sammy Davis Jr., Dana was an excellent male dancer, particularly in tap, and w ...

for his album ''This Is Vic Dana''. In an introspective moment, Dana performs this quiet song in the 1962 musical-comedy film ''

Don't Knock the Twist ''Don't Knock the Twist'' is a 1962 comedy musical film starring Lang Jeffries, directed by Oscar Rudolph and produced by Sam Katzman for release by Columbia Pictures. It is a sequel to the 1961 film ''Twist Around the Clock'', featuring m ...

''.

Background

The song is about a man who has done wrong and goes to church for the purpose of asking the altar boy, to pray for him for his past sins and to ask for forgiveness by wanting to become holy as him. Smith later revised the title and lyrics to, "Little Holy Child", due to the situation in the Catholic Church as it pertains to priests and altar boys.

Chart performance

"Little Altar Boy" was released as a single, it reached number 45 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart.

Cover versions

*The song was also recorded by

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

on his 1965 album '' Merry Christmas'' *

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodt ...

on his 1968 album '' That Christmas Feeling'' * Jack Jones on his 1969 album ''A Jack Jones Christmas''. *A cover version by the

Carpenters Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters t ...

was released in 1984, after

Karen Carpenter Karen Anne Carpenter (March 2, 1950 – February 4, 1983) was an American singer and drummer, who formed half of the sibling duo the Carpenters alongside her older brother Richard. With a distinctive three-octave contralto range, she was praise ...

's death. The song was released as a promotional single from the Christmas album ''

An Old-Fashioned Christmas ''An Old-Fashioned Christmas'' is the second Christmas album and posthumous twelfth studio album by American music duo Carpenters, released on October 26, 1984, and after the death of singer and drummer Karen Carpenter. Background The album pro ...

''; it failed to chart. Because of Karen's death, there was no music video shot for this song.

References

{{authority control The Carpenters songs Glen Campbell songs Vic Dana songs 1984 singles 1961 songs American Christmas songs