C Instrument - Level 4 - Digital Download SKU: A0.1487908 By John Denver. By Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. Arranged by John Fries. Christmas,Country,Film/TV,Holiday,Standards. Lead Sheet / Fake Book. 2 pages. John Fries #1064839. Published by John Fries (A0.1487908). TYPE JOHN FRIES IN THE SEARCH BAR TO SEE ALL I HAVE TO OFFER. Thanks, John. Silver Bells is a Christmas song composed by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. It debuted in the motion picture The Lemon Drop Kid (1951), where it was started by William Frawley, then sung in the generally known version immediately thereafter by Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell. Silver Bells started out as Tinkle Bells. Songwriter Ray Evans said: We never thought that tinkle had a double meaning until Jay went home and his first wife said, 'Are you out of your mind? Do you know what the word tinkle is?'This song's inspiration is the source of conflicting reports. Several periodicals and interviews cite writer Jay Livingston stating that the song's inspiration came from the bells used by sidewalk Santa Clauses and Salvation Army solicitors on New York City street corners. However, in an interview with NPR, co-writer Ray Evans said that the song was inspired by a bell that sat on an office desk that he shared with Livingston. Evans's hometown of Salamanca, New York has taken credit for being the city mentioned in the song's lyrics and holds a Silver Bells in the City festival each December.
