"You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" is a

Christmas song Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or, in the case of carols or songs, may employ lyrics whose subject ma ...

that was originally written and composed for the 1966 animated special '' Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!''.

History

The lyrics were written by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel, the music was composed by

Albert Hague Albert Hague (born Albert Marcuse, October 13, 1920 – November 12, 2001) was a German–born American songwriter and actor. Early life Hague was born to a Jewish family in Berlin, Germany. His father, Harry Marcuse, was a psychiatrist ...

, and the song was performed by

Thurl Ravenscroft Thurl Arthur Ravenscroft (; February 6, 1914May 22, 2005) was an American actor and bass singer. He was known as one of the booming voices behind Kellogg's Frosted Flakes animated spokesman Tony the Tiger for more than five decades. He was al ...

. Because Ravenscroft was not credited in the closing credits of the special, it is often mistakenly attributed to

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established h ...

, who served as narrator and the voice of the Grinch in the special but who himself was not a trained singer. Until Ravenscroft was publicly credited, Tennessee Ernie Ford was also speculated to be the voice behind the song. The soundtrack to the special won the Grammy Award for Best Album for Children at the

10th Annual Grammy Awards The 10th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 29, 1968, at Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville and New York. They recognized accomplishments of musicians for the year 1967. Award winners *Record of the Year **Johnny Rivers & Marc Gordon (produc ...

. The song has been incorporated into most other adaptations of the story. In the 2000 live-action film,

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy te ...

performs the song in character as the Grinch, singing about himself. The stage musical adaptation included the song in the score, among several other original numbers composed specifically for that production. The 2018 CGI animated film features a substantially updated version of the song from Tyler, the Creator featuring an orchestral arrangement by

Danny Elfman Daniel Robert Elfman (born May 29, 1953) is an American film composer, singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the singer-songwriter for the new wave band Oingo Boingo in the early 1980s. Since the 1990s, Elfman has garnered internation ...

. The song was also covered by New Jersey alternative rock band

the Whirling Dervishes Sama ( tr, Sema, Persian, Urdu and ar, سَمَاع - ''samā‘un'') is a Sufi ceremony performed as part of the meditation and prayer practice dhikr. Sama means "listening", while dhikr means "remembrance".During, J., and R. Sellheim. "Sama ...

. Writer Chris Jordan of the ''Asbury Park Press'' called their version "wonderfully depraved in the best of holiday ways" and noted that their version had "become a Jersey classic." Other artists who have recorded versions include

Cee Lo Green Cee or CEE may refer to: * C, third letter of the Latin alphabet * Cee, Spain, A Coruña, Galicia * Center for Excellence in Education, US * Central and Eastern Europe * Centre for Environment Education * Centre for the Economics of Education, Lon ...

with Straight No Chaser,

Aimee Mann Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyr ...

Pentatonix Pentatonix (abbreviated PTX) is an American a cappella group from Arlington, Texas, currently consisting of vocalists Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee. Characterized by their pop-style arrangements ...

and Lindsey Stirling.

Charts

''Glee'' cast version

Thurl Ravenscroft version

References

External links

Lyrics to "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" (TV version)
{{Authority control American Christmas songs Works by Dr. Seuss 1966 songs Christmas novelty songs Songs about fictional male characters Songs written for films Music based on short fiction Tyler, the Creator songs The Grinch (franchise)