Preview
  • Jingle Bell Pop

  • By: John Seabrook
  • Narrated by: Erin Moon
  • Length: 1 hr and 14 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (4,303 ratings)

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Jingle Bell Pop

By: John Seabrook
Narrated by: Erin Moon
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Publisher's summary

It seems like every year, the holiday season arrives earlier and earlier. Before Halloween’s ghosts and ghouls have even had their chance to come out of the shadows, sleigh bells and ribbons begin to materialize at the mall and towering tinsel-tinged trees appear in our living rooms. But the most telltale sign of the arrival of yuletide festivities is the unceasingly merry melody of the seasonal songbook, from "Silent Night" to "Santa Baby." Love them or loathe them, these holiday earworms are here to stay. But how do these songs endure for decades? And why are there so few contemporary Christmas carols?

In this holly jolly Audible Original, New York Times bestselling author and New Yorker columnist John Seabrook uncovers the mysteries of the holiday music machine, exploring how these hits were made and why they’ve dominated the soundwaves each and every winter. From the mid-century reign of songwriter Johnny Marks ("Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer") to the manufactured musical nostalgia of modern holiday hits like "All I Want for Christmas Is You," Seabrook, alongside a cast of singers, songwriters, and producers, reveals the untold stories behind the songs that have us rockin’ around the Christmas tree year after year.

©2018 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2018 Audible Originals, LLC.
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Our favorite moments from Jingle Bell Pop

Beyond the big bowl of Christmas words
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Sleigh bells, celestes, and triangles
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What makes a great Christmas song?
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  • Jingle Bell Pop
  • Beyond the big bowl of Christmas words
  • Jingle Bell Pop
  • Sleigh bells, celestes, and triangles
  • Jingle Bell Pop
  • What makes a great Christmas song?

You know the songs, now hear the stories behind the songs! This audio presentation is full of fun facts, a few inconvenient truths, and some great interviews with the songwriters themselves. And it’s small enough to fit in your stocking, or rather, short enough to fit into your busy holiday season.

- Dan Halen, Audible listener
John Seabrook

About the Author

John Seabrook is the author of The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory, published by Norton in October 2015. He is also the author of Nobrow: The Culture of Marketing—The Marketing of Culture, which was published in 2000, Deeper: My Two-Year Odyssey in Cyberspace, which was published in 1997, and Flash of Genius and Other True Stories of Invention, published in 2008. He has been a contributor to The New Yorker since 1989 and became a staff writer in 1993. He explores the intersection between creativity and commerce in the fields of technology, design, and music. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children and a dog and a cat.

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John Seabrook

About the Performer

Erin Moon is an AEA/CAEA/SAG-AFTRA actor and multiple AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator of more than 200 novels. She narrates everything from children’s books to romance and is celebrated for her facility with accents. Erin has also narrated nonfiction for world-renowned yoga and holistic health authors. She now lives, records, and teaches narration in beautiful Vancouver, Canada. She can be found on Instagram and Facebook: @mooneybooks.

What listeners say about Jingle Bell Pop

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Fun

Interesting, puts some meat and potatoes behind some of the Christmas songs. You will be hard pressed to not want to stop and listen to the song the audible book is referencing .

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Quick and interesting

Short, entertaining and interesting look at the evolution of the holiday songs, from Silent Night to modern pop with input from modern era writers.

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Perfect insight into the niche music category!

A fantastic listen!
Enough facts to keep a trained musician entertained but plenty of historical tidbits and stories for anyone to enjoy! Extremely well balanced with "testimonies" from actual participants of Christmas song genre past and not so past.
The narrator is pleasant, direct and easy, as opposed to "over the top" and fake, if that makes any sense.
If this were a series, I would subscribe.
Highly recommended!

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great book, very informative.

the history of music is amazing when you hear the real story. worth the listen

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

pretty good but a little disjointed

I appreciated the effort. Would have loved more 40s background. kind of treated as a sidebar here.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

OK, but not enough music

This was OK, but it didn't play snippets of most the songs discussed. Some anecdotes about the songs were interesting.

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Nice Christmas choice

I very much liked this walk through Christmas songs and stories behind their creation. The only thing that I missed is hearing all the actual songs mentioned - there are couple of those played partially or in the background - but I would have enjoyed hearing all the actuall songs in full. That is the only reason for my overall rating.

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Interesting history behind our fave xmas songs

Fun & entertaining account of how songs get into the Christmas canon. My only complaint is the narrator's voice is too soft compared to other speakers - I had to keep adjusting the volume.

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A Holiday Hit

Cute and quick read and listen. This is like a podcast...wish it was! Are there more like this?

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Great for Christmas Time

It was interesting to find out how all of our Christmas favorites can about. This presentation is well-read and includes people behind the music. I’ll probably listen to it again.

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