Ding Dong, Ding Dong



"Ding Dong" is a 1974 Christmas song recorded by George Harrison for his 1974 album, Dark Horse.

Background
Harrison took the song's lyrics from inscriptions he found around his nineteenth-century home, Friar Park, in Oxfordshire. These lyrics appeared on "Ding Dong"'s picture sleeve, one of numerous sleeve designs created for the single internationally. For the first time, Harrison made a promotional video for the single, which features scenes of him miming to the song at Friar Park while dressed in a variety of Beatle-themed costumes. Other musicians on the recording include Tom Scott, Ringo Starr, Alvin Lee, Ron Wood and Jim Keltner, while the production incorporates influences from Phil Spector's Wall of Sound 1963 Christmas recordings. As on much of the Dark Horse album, Harrison's vocals on "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" were hampered by a worsening throat condition, due partly to his having overextended himself on business projects such as establishing his record label, Dark Horse Records.

"Ding Dong" still receives occasional airplay over the holiday season. The song has yet to be remastered since the Dark Horse album's release on CD in 1992.

Personnel

 * George Harrison - vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, clavinet, organ, percussion, backing vocals
 * Tom Scott - saxophones, horn arrangements
 * Jim Keltner - drums
 * Ringo Starr - drums
 * Klaus Voormann - bass
 * Gary Wright - piano
 * Ronnie Wood - electric guitar
 * Alvin Lee - electric guitar
 * Mick Jones - acoustic guitar

Lyrics
Ding dong, ding dong Ding dong, ding dong Ding dong, ding dong Ding dong, ding dong

Ring out the old, ring in the new Ring out the old, ring in the new Ring out the false, ring in the true Ring out the old, ring in the new

Ring out the old, ring in the new Ring out the old, ring in the new Ring out the false, ring in the true Ring out the old, ring in the new

Ding dong, ding dong Ding dong, ding dong Ding dong, ding dong Ding dong, ding dong

Yesterday, today was tomorrow And tomorrow, today will be yesterday, oh

So ring out the old, ring in the new Ring out the old, ring in the new Ring out the false, ring in the true Ring out the old, ring in the new

Ring out the old, ring in the new Ring out the old, ring in the new Ring out the false, ring in the true Ring out the old, ring in the new, and again

Ring out the old, ring in the new Ring out the old, ring in the new Ring out the false, ring in the true Ring out the old, ring in the new,

Ding dong, ding dong Ding dong, ding dong Ding dong, ding dong Ding dong, ding dong

Ding dong, ding dong Ding dong, ding dong [Incomprehensible] Ding dong, ding dong