Music Friday: Here's How the Scrapped Song ‘Tinkle Bell’ Became a Holiday Classic

Welcome to another Christmas Edition of Music Friday when bring you fun songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, we present Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell singing the original 1951 version of “Silver Bells,” a holiday favorite that was nearly scrapped, according to songwriter Ray Evans.

A 91-year-old Evans revealed to NPR’s radio audience in 2006 the “stupid, stupid” backstory of “Silver Bells” and its first, off-putting incarnation — “Tinkle Bell.”

Evans and his writing partner, Jay Livingston, were under contract for Paramount Studios when they were assigned to write a Christmas song for The Lemon Drop Kid, a comedy starring Bob Hope. Evans and Livingston believed the world already had too many Christmas songs and were underwhelmed with the task at hand.

Sitting at facing desks in a shared office, the pair was inspired by a little bell that sat on one of the desks.

“We said, ‘Ahh, there’s our theme for Christmas. The bell makes a tinkly sound when it rings,’” Evans remembered. “We’ll call the song ‘Tinkle Bell.’”

When Livingston told his wife about the new song, she was astonished by the writing team's stupidity.

“Tinkle bell? Are you out of you mind?” Livingston’s wife said. “You can’t write a Christmas song with the word ‘tinkle’ in it. Don’t you know what tinkle means?”

Jay Livingston said, “I never thought of that.”

The next day, Livingston and Evans agreed that the song had to be tossed and the writing partners started working on a brand new song.

“We were ready to get rid of ‘Tinkle Bell’ completely,” said Evans, “but we liked the music and a lot of the lyrics. We ended up with the same song we started with, except ‘tinkle’ became ‘silver.’”

“It’s a stupid, stupid story,” Evans continued, “but ignorance is bliss. Our royalties are very, very good.”

The Evans and Livingston collaboration produced a string of hits that included the Oscar-winning “Buttons and Bows,” “Mona Lisa” and “Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)." They wrote 26 songs that were million-sellers and, in total, recordings of their songs have sold nearly 500 million copies.

“Silver Bells” has been covered by dozens of artists spanning 70 years. The neatest of them all is the original performed by Hope and Maxwell. At the very beginning of the clip, you will see a street corner Santa played by William Frawley, who was famously Fred Mertz on the classic TV sitcom I Love Lucy. The song starts at the :40 mark.

The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"Silver Bells"
Written by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston. Performed by Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell.

City sidewalks, busy sidewalks.
Dressed in holiday style
In the air
There's a feeling
of Christmas
Children laughing
People passing
Meeting smile after smile
and on every street corner you'll hear

Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them sing
Soon it will be Christmas Day

Strings of street lights
Even stop lights
Blink a bright red and green
As the shoppers rush
home with their treasures

Hear the snow crunch
See the kids bunch
This is Santa's big scene
And above all this bustle
You'll hear

Silver bells, silver bells
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them sing
Soon it will be Christmas Day

Credit: Screen capture via Youtube.com.

'The Chipembele Crash' Avatars to Generate Funds for Rhino Conservation

Six emerald-themed avatars called "The Chipembele Crash” are being auctioned in a very unique way to raise financial support for the black rhinoceros conservation efforts in Zambia, home of Gemfields’ famous Kagem mine.

The six rhino avatars are being sold as NFTs — non-fungible tokens — on OpenSea, the largest NFT marketplace.

NFTs are pieces of digital content linked to the blockchain, the same digital database underpinning cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin. NFTs are typically used to buy and sell digital artwork.

Even though images of the rhino avatars may be widely distributed, the winning bidder of the NFT can claim ownership of the original. The winner will also have the ability to unlock exclusive content. In this case, it is an exclusive photo of the avatar’s real-life counterpart in Zambia. Bids will close at 4:42pm EST on December 19.

If you're wondering how The Chipembele Crash got its name, “Chipembele” means rhinoceros in the local indigenous dialect of Bemba and “crash” is a term used to describe a group of rhinos.

The announcement of The Chipembele Crash NFT coincides with Gemfields’ sale of the largest emerald ever discovered at its Kagem mine. The 7,525-carat "Chipembele" emerald was recently sold for an undisclosed sum to Isreali-based Eshed-Gemstar, a worldwide diamond and emerald supplier.

Gemfields noted that Eshed-Gemstar will benefit from the unique DNA nanoparticle tagging carried by Chipembele. Developed by Provenance Proof, the DNA tagging technology ensures that the cut-and-polished gems that Chipembele yields can be identified and certified as having originated from this extraordinary gemstone.

Each of the six avatars is inspired by a real-life rhino from the North Luangwa Conservation Programme (NLCP) in Zambia. Their names are Intanda, Kango, Mapalo, Mwamba, Subilo and Tamala.

The unique green body color of each avatar is actually a photographic representation of the emerald inclusions seen inside Chipembele. Each avatar carries the individual ear-notch of the animal, and is outfitted with human accessories that hint at the rhino’s distinctive personality.

Funds raised from the sale of each avatar will go to the North Luangwa Conservation Programme to aid critical black rhinoceros conservation efforts. Those funds will be added to the donation Gemfields has already pledged from the sale of the Chipembele emerald.

"Gemfields is excited to embrace innovative technology in supporting conservation efforts in Africa,” said Sean Gilbertson, CEO of Gemfields. “We are delighted to celebrate the Chipembele emerald in this manner and to promote our belief in ‘conservation gemstones.’ The Chipembele Crash NFTs are fun, unique and rooted in supporting the vital efforts of Zambia’s North Luangwa Conservation Programme. We hope that the NFTs appeal to likeminded thinkers and secure meaningful donations to help even more black rhinos in Zambia.”

NFT bidding runs through the afternoon of December 19 at this website.

Credits: Images courtesy of Gemfields.

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Unveils Jewelry and Gem Exhibit

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County just unveiled a new exhibit called “Brilliance: The Art and Science of Rare Jewels.” Appearing in the museum's Gem Vault for a limited engagement are more than 100 spectacular objects — necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings and unmounted gems — drawn primarily from the works of master jewelry designer Robert Procop.

The museum is encouraging visitors to discover how gems and minerals are used in a wide variety of fields, from jewelry design to scientific research in geology, chemistry, physics and other disciplines. Procop's jewelry is paired with the museum’s mineral collection to encourage visitors to make the connection between the dazzling finished jewelry and the rough, uncut gems.

The displays will explain how scientists use exceptional stones to learn about Earth processes, and, in turn, gain a better understanding of how our planet works.

“This is about discovery, it’s about wonder. It’s an inspiration of what can be found in this mother Earth that has such rarities,” Procop told the Los Angeles Daily News.

The exhibition, which opened on December 8 and will run through February 21, 2022, will include a number of head-turning pieces. Among the highlights are the 42.72-carat “Pink Starburst" diamond, the fancy blue 46.39-carat “Celeste Diamond” and the 21.01-carat "Ceylon Star" sapphire.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Daily News, Aaron Celestian, the curator of mineral sciences for the museum, described the exhibition as "some of the rarest gemstones in the world all coming together under one roof."

The primary gems feature in the necklaces, above, include the "Jade of Muzo," a 63.70-carat pear-shaped, cabochon-cut emerald; "The Golden Sundrop," a 64.72-carat pear-shaped yellow sapphire; and the "Magnificent Muzo," a 24.45-carat pear-shaped emerald.

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is located in Exposition Park and general admission is $15, $7 for children under 12. Timed-tickets are required to enter the Gem and Mineral Hall, as well as the new jewelry exhibit.

Visitors may pick up their tickets at the museum's ticket counters or at the entrance to the Gem and Mineral Hall on the day of their visit. Capacity is limited.

Credits: Images courtesy of Robert Procop/Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.