Oh my God. It’s time to play that song, again. You know: the hit-and-run song about grandma.
According to a 1998 Ohio University and Scripps Howard poll of 1027 people, the most disliked holiday song was “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer”, by Elmo and Patsy.
In a survey conducted in 1999 by 80s.com, that song was considered the LEAST favorite Christmas song by most people.
At chickslayingeggs.com, it was voted the 2nd worst Christmas song in 2002 and that same year, top40-charts.com reported that a poll by the British music site HMV named “Grandma” the 2nd worst Christmas hit.
Yet, with all that negative publicity, according to a chart compiled by voting in 2001 by AlaskaJim.com out of the Top 20 Holiday Songs of All Time, “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer” is #14 out of 20.
We seem to be ambivalent about the "Grandma" song: we hate it. NO, we like it. NOOO, we HATE it, WAIT: we like it.
This is the kind of indecision that destroyed Rome. Check your history books. I'm right.
Program Directors and Radio consultants pull their hair out over this song every year. They wrench and sweat with nightmares over the decision to play it or not. Yes: careers are actually held hostage by a seasonal novelty song that comes back every year like some insidious Musical Christmas Comet From Hell!
Most DJs cower in fear beginning December 1 because they KNOW - from experience - their studio lines are going to blink-blink-blink with requests such as...
“Please play that Grandma got run over song...”
and...
“If you play that fu**ing “grandma” song one more time, I’m going to NEVER listen to you again!”
Yes, it seems the world is split over “Grandma” as evenly as they are split over George W. Bush. Speaking of which, there is actually a parody of the evil “Grandma” song called “Dubya Got Run Over By A Reindeer” . There’s also "Grandmas Got Run Over By The Fascists"and even "Osama Got Run Over By A Reindeer"
And the parodies don’t stop there. There could be hundreds out there! No one seems to have an exact count because no one has come back alive from conducting an extensive Google search on the subject!
Oh! The Humanity!
In the end, you have to wonder: how could one novelty song cause so much pain, stress, divisionand unrest. I can’t give you that answer. All I can offer you is a link to earplugs. As for me, It’s Christmas time, I have my hazmat headphones on and I’m going into the air studio.
Cover me.
Addendum
Paul Harrison writes:
Whatever the horrors of "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer", they have been seldom, if ever, experienced by a British audience. Instead, the HMV poll placed second-worst "There's No-one Quite Like Grandma", which is so horrific no radio programmer in their right mind would ever schedule it in Britain - see here. And, if you're feeling strong, here. British Christmas songs on the radio are, needless to say, a whole article on their own.
Addendum #2
After publishing this article, I heard from the song's author himself, Dr. Elmo Shropshire, who told me:
We loved your cleverly written article about "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer." It's main magic has been the way it has polarized Christmas music fans over the years. Fortunately for me, the song has been a merchandising bonanza, even without radio airplay. Occasionally, when I do hear the song on the radio, it is just as exciting to me, as the first time. Many thanks for your fine piece.
...and good for you, Dr. Elmo! Visit his website for freebies and more at www.drelmo.com.
