Guest post by Nathan Arizona
The other day I heard a Christmas song I’d never heard before, by a composer whose songs I’ve been listening to most of my life. It turns out Burt Bacharach wrote “The Bell That Couldn’t Jingle” without much fanfare in 1962. He had just wrapped up a 6-year stint as music director for actress Marlene Dietrich’s concert performances (the music ”sucked,” he said later) and was a Brill Building songwriter who hadn’t yet started his run of hits with lyricist Hal David.
You can already hear a touch of Bacharach’s familiar style. The words were by experienced lyricist Larry Kulik. He was no Hal David, but he went on to write songs for “The Godfather,” “Romeo and Juliet” and other movies. His lyrics are a bit darker than you might expect in a bouncy tune with a title that almost seems appropriate for a novelty song. The missing clapper was replaced by Jack Frost with the bell’s frozen tear.
Kulik thought it might become a Christmas classic, but that didn’t happen. Bobby Helms released a version in 1964 that didn’t make anybody forget his earlier “Jingle Bell Rock.” The song did attract a cover by Herb Alpert for his successful 1968 Christmas album. I’ve never associated Herb Alpert with Christmas, but this album became a staple, though the song did not become one of Bacharach’s many hits.
The song mostly disappeared after that. It should get a boost this season with a cover by popster Ben Folds on his new holiday album “Sleigher.” His version begins with a brief chorus.
Bacharach himself gave it a shot in a 1968 version with anonymous female singers.
