I am getting very excited about Christmas, so I chose a song created from a children’s book How the Grinch Stole Christmas written by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel). Dr Seuss is well known for writing children’s books such as The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, The Lorax, Fox in Socks, and Horton Hears a Who!. Dr. Seuss puts a spin of creativity into his writing and creates characters that amuse both children and adults. In 2000 Universal Pictures released Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas movie The Grinch which was directed by Ron Howard. This movie was written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman based on Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Jim Carrey played the role as the Grinch.
“You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” is a Christmas song that was originally written and composed for the 1966 cartoon special How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. The lyrics were written by Theodor Seuss Geisel , the music was composed by Albert Hague, and the song was performed by Thurl Ravenscroft. The Grinch is a green and furry character who hates Christmas with a passion. Unfortunately, he lives in a cave above the town of Whoville and everyone within the town celebrates Christmas with a cheerful, happy, and loving attitude. The Grinch makes a plan to steal everything related to the Christmas theme in the town of Whoville on Christmas Eve. However, his evil plan does not stop the Whos of Whoville to give up their Christmas hope, as the next morning, even without any Christmas decor or presents, the entire community gathers and cheerfully celebrate Christmas with song and love. This confuses and upsets the Grinch and he realizes there is more to Christmas then decor and presents, which makes his very small heart grow three times bigger. He makes a decision to return everything he stole back to the town and the Whos celebrates by recognizing the Grinch during their festivities.
“You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” composed Dr. Seuss, performed by Thurl Ravenscroft, Dec. 20, 2011, USA.
Now, is there a message to this song??? Well, the Christmas season can be a hectic time of year. People are out shopping frantically to get the perfect presents and some people go all out and decorate their homes with beautiful lights and figurines . I think the message behind this song is that we get too far into Christmas materialistically and we should think of it more spiritually with family and love.
The musical elements of this song are the following: the rhythm a moderato (moderate), the dynamics is mezzo-forte (moderately loud), the melody is conjunct (smooth; easy to sing or play), the harmony is dissonance (a harsh-sounding harmonic combination), and the texture is monophonic (single-note texture). Ravenscroft’s voice is very low and harsh, which goes will with the theme of the song.
I think this is a great song. Dr. Seuss has a way of creating characters and themes that not everyone can create, he has such a great imagination. The song brings to life that Christmas is more than just gifts and decor. It is a silly, gruesome, and fun song all at once. Some of the lyrics make me want to laugh…”You’re as cuddly as a cactus, you’re as charming as an eel, Mr. Grinch!”
The Common Sense Media states this regarding Dr. Seuss’ 1966 cartoon How the Grinch Stole Christmas: “It’s a sweet, soothing story, nearly the polar opposite of movies like Jingle All the Way or even the classic A Christmas Story, with their focus on consumerism.”
Tom Jacobs states the following on the Pacific Standard website: “But however enticing the rhymes or evocative the droopy-faced drawings, the key to Dr. Seuss’ longevity is the way his tales resonate with their intended audience. In an insightful 1995 analysis in the journal Children’s Literature, Tim Wolf of Middle Tennessee State University points out a recurring theme in his books: the desperate need “to win the approval of a rejecting parent.” On the first page of Dr. Seuss’ first children’s book, 1937’s And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, a father sternly tells his son: “Stop telling such outlandish tales. Stop turning minnows into whales.””
Works Cited:
Dr. Seuss Bibliography. Wikipedia. Wikipedia Foundation Inc. 13 Nov. 2017. Web. Accessed 20 Nov. 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Seuss_bibliography
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Common Sense Media. Common Sense. Accessed 20 Nov. 2017. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/dr-seuss-how-the-grinch-stole-christmas
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Wikipedia. Wikipedia Foundation Inc. 17 Nov. 2017. Web. Accessed 20 Nov. 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Seuss%27_How_the_Grinch_Stole_Christmas_(2000_film)
Jacobs, Tom. Dr. Seuss Analyzed for Political, Social Effects. Pacific Standard. The Social Justice Foundation. 2 Mar. 2011. Web. Accessed 20 Nov. 2017. https://psmag.com/social-justice/dr-seuss-analyzed-for-political-social-effects-27627
“You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” YouTube. 20 Dec. 2011. Web. Accessed 20 Nov. 2017.
MHPaukan 
I had no idea that Theodore Seuss Geisel wrote this song! Nor did I know who sang it, but I really love hearing this song. I fondly remember singing it with the choir at U-Park Elementary school as a kid. I really enjoy Thurl Ravenscroft’s deep bass voice. Did you know his name was actually left out of the credits which left people believing Boris Karloff sang the song? I also found out on Wikipedia that Thurl Ravenscroft was the voice of “Tony the Tiger” in Frosted Flake commercials for over fifty years! Thanks for choosing this song. I needed to listen to more Christmas music.
LikeLike