Re-recorded Oink #2984 45 copies appeared on a white label, not a cream-colored label, however. But this time, Oink chose to handle all nationwide product distribution themselves, ending the old NSD-Soundwaves agreement. In 1982, the duo both re-recorded and re-released the song as a single, again as Oink #2984. Shropshire credited KSFO in San Francisco, California with helping give the record major exposure. Oink Records, still based in Windsor, California, continued distribution of the 45 rpm record in the western U.S., with "Nationwide Sound Distributors" (NSD) of Nashville, Tennessee, pressing and distributing the song on its Soundwaves Records in the eastern U.S., peaking at #92 on the country singles charts. By the early 1980s, the song was becoming a seasonal hit, first on country stations and then on Top 40 stations. Meanwhile, the duo's names were moved to the bottom of the label, below the song title. Once initial copies had sold out, later-pressed #2984 cream-colored 45 label copies retained the same pig sketch, but decided to both move the sketch, and add the word "Oink", to the top of the 45's label. Initial copies appeared on a cream-colored label, with a sketch of a pig clearly visible, at left. ![]() The song was originally self-released in San Francisco by the Shropshires in 1979 on their own record label (on "Elmo 'n' Patsy" #2984), with the B-side titled "Christmas". Wendell and Shropshire opted to bypass the record stores when selling the records, fearing it would go unnoticed compared to bigger stars, instead opting for pharmacies that would sell the record as seasonal merchandise. A year later, they were selling 45s of the song from the stage, with Elmo himself appearing in drag on the album cover as "Grandma". Elmo claimed, after his divorce from Patsy, that Patsy never sang on the record (even as a backup vocalist) and was only credited because their established double act used both names, noting in the interview "that's another story." Under the terms of their partnership, Patsy's parents (who were established in the Southern gospel industry) earned the publishing rights to the record and would pay Brooks his due royalties, while Elmo would own the master recording and handle distribution Elmo subsequently went on an aggressive marketing campaign to promote the song with the assistance of his future second wife, saleswoman Pam Wendell. After his own band dissuaded him from recording the record himself, he sat in with Elmo and Patsy at the Hyatt Lake Tahoe in December 1978, and after the show he offered the song to the duo, who were instantly impressed and commissioned a cassette of the song for them to learn. ![]() Brooks's uncle, Foster Brooks, was a famous comedian well-known for his act as a drunk. In the music video, in which Elmo plays both Grandma and Grandpa while Patsy plays Cousin Mel, Grandma survives the attack and makes a triumphant return through the chimney.Īccording to Brooks, he came up with the idea for the song after observing a "tipsy relative" of his. Later, the family has a goose for dinner, and the song closes with a warning that Santa is unfit to carry a driver's license. ![]() Her husband, the speaker's grandfather, is unfazed by his wife's demise and spends the holiday watching football on television, drinking beer, and playing card games with the speaker's Cousin Mel, while the rest of the family wonders if her gifts should be opened or returned. She is found dead the next morning, apparently having been trampled by Santa Claus and his reindeer. The lyrics tell the story of the speaker's grandmother celebrating Christmas Eve with her family and venturing out into a snowstorm without her medication while drunk on eggnog. Written by Randy Brooks, the song was originally performed by Elmo Shropshire in 1979 under the brand of Elmo and Patsy, the double act Shropshire had with his then-wife Patsy Trigg. " Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" is a novelty Christmas song. ![]() "Christmas" (Elmo 'n' Patsy Oink Soundwaves).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |