"The Bells of St. Mary's" is a

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Fo ...

popular Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the total ...

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...

. The music was written by A. Emmett Adams, the lyrics by

Douglas Furber Douglas Furber (13 May 1885 – 20 February 1961) was a British lyricist and playwright. Furber is best known for the lyrics to the 1937 song " The Lambeth Walk" and the libretto to the musical '' Me and My Girl'', composed by Noel Gay, from whic ...

, following a visit to St. Mary's Church, Southampton, England. It was published by the London company Ascherberg, Hopwood & Crew. The song was revived in

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which Nuclear weapon, nuclear weapons Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, have been used in combat. Events Below, ...

, in the film of the same name, by Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman.

Christmas connection

Due to the inclusion in the 1945 film of a scene featuring a

Christmas pageant A Christmas pageant is a public event conducted in celebration of the Christmas holiday, typically involving an entertainment in the form of a procession (such as a Santa Claus parade), or a Nativity play or other performance. Nativity pageant ...

, both the film and the song have come to be associated with the Christmas season, although the song has no direct lyrical connection with the holiday (and, indeed, refers to the "red leaves" of autumn in the chorus).

The Drifters The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, formed in ...

recorded the song as the B-side of their 1954 " White Christmas" single, and several other artists have included it on Christmas albums; examples include Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans (''

A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector ''A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector'' (originally released as ''A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records'') is an album of Christmas songs, produced by Phil Spector, and originally released as Philles 4005 in 1963. Spector treate ...

'', 1963); Andy Williams ('' Merry Christmas'', 1965);

Aaron Neville Aaron Joseph Neville (born January 24, 1941) is a retired American R&B and soul singer. He has had four platinum albums and four Top 10 hits in the United States, including three that reached number one on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. ...

(''Aaron Neville's Soulful Christmas'', 1993); and Sheryl Crow ('' Home for Christmas'', 2008).

In popular culture

A bawdy parody, "The Balls of Sarn't Major", is based on the song. The song appears in an episode of '' Monty Python's Flying Circus''. In a skit called "Musical Mice", Ken Ewing (

Terry Jones Terence Graham Parry Jones (1 February 1942 – 21 January 2020) was a Welsh comedian, director, historian, actor, writer and member of the Monty Python comedy team. After graduating from Oxford University with a degree in English, Jones and ...

) claims to have trained mice to squeal at the specific pitches necessary to play the song (as he demonstrates with debatable success).

' version is featured in the 1990 movie ''

Goodfellas ''Goodfellas'' (stylized ''GoodFellas'') is a 1990 American biographical crime film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Nicholas Pileggi and Scorsese, and produced by Irwin Winkler. It is a film adaptation of the 1985 nonfiction book '' W ...

'', in the Christmas Eve scene with

Henry Hill Henry Hill Jr. (June 11, 1943 – June 12, 2012) was an American mobster who was associated with the Lucchese crime family of New York City from 1955 until 1980, when he was arrested on narcotics charges and became an FBI informant. Hill testi ...

and family, and the following scene where Stacks (

Samuel L. Jackson Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him ...

) is shot dead by Tommy Devito (

Joe Pesci Joseph Frank Pesci ( , ; born February 9, 1943) is an American actor and musician. He is known for portraying tough, volatile characters in a variety of genres and for his collaborations with Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese in the films ''Rag ...

). This song is also associated with

Saint Mary's College (Indiana) Saint Mary's College is a private Catholic women's liberal arts college college in Notre Dame, Indiana. Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, the name of the school refers to the Virgin Mary. Saint Mary's offers five bachelor's ...

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) is a private Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. Originally a college exclusively for women, it is now coeducational. It is the oldest Catholic college in Indiana a ...

, and

Saint Mary's College of California Saint Mary's College of California is a private Catholic college in Moraga, California. Established in 1863, it is affiliated with the Catholic Church and administered by the De La Salle Brothers. The college offers undergraduate and graduate ...

. A version of this song is the anthem of

State University of New York Maritime College State University of New York Maritime College (SUNY Maritime College) is a public maritime college in the Bronx, New York City. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Founded in 1874, the SUNY Maritime College was the fir ...

, whose first training ship was the USS ''St. Mary's''. This song is the anthem for the Brazilian school Colégio Santa Maria (São Paulo) that was created by American founders.

Notable recorded versions

Frances Alda Frances Davis Alda (31 May 1879 – 18 September 1952) was a New Zealand-born, Australian-raised operatic lyric soprano. She achieved fame during the first three decades of the 20th century due to her outstanding singing voice, fine technique ...

(

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the ...

) *

Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nashville sound, the country music ...

(

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

& 1974) * Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans (

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

) for the album ''

'' *

Webster Booth Webster Booth (21 January 1902 – 21 June 1984) was an English tenor, best remembered as the duettist partner of Anne Ziegler. He was also one of the finest tenors of his generation and was a distinguished oratorio soloist. He was a chorister ...

( 1947) * David Carroll (

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

) * Mother Maybelle Carter * Perry Como (

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wor ...

) * Bing Crosby (

, sung on film soundtrack. Commercial recording made on September 10, 1945, for Decca Records) * Sheryl Crow (2008 in music, 2008) * Vic Damone (1991 in music, 1991) *

(1954 in music, 1954) * Connie Francis (1959 in music, 1959) for her album ''My Thanks to You''. * Ted Heath (bandleader), Ted Heath and His Orchestra * Wendy Lewis * Vera Lynn recorded in 1938 and again in 1972 for the album ''Favourite Sacred Songs''. * Jane Morgan (

) for her album ''The Second Time Around''. *

(1993 in music, 1993) * Perfume Genius (2012 in music, 2012) * Jimmy Preston * Don Lee (accordionist), Don Lee (1957) as an accordion instrumental * Reno and Smiley (1960, as a banjo instrumental) * Nat Shilkret and the Victor Orchestra (1928 in music, 1928) * Sister Rosetta Tharpe * The Tokens (1965) * Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians (

) * Andy Williams (1965 in music, 1965) included in the album '' Merry Christmas'' * Ruby Winters (1967) * Kid Thomas Valentine * Big Bill Bissonnette

References

External links

''The Bells of St. Mary's''
sheet music at the Archive of Popular American Music, Music Library, UCLA Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Bells of St. Mary's, The Songs with lyrics by Douglas Furber 1917 songs British Christmas songs Bing Crosby songs Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans songs Song recordings produced by Phil Spector Song recordings with Wall of Sound arrangements