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Dominick the Donkey

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"Dominick the Donkey" is a Christmas song written by Ray Allen, Sam Saltzberg and Wandra Merrell, and was recorded by Lou Monte in 1960, on Roulette Records. The song describes Dominick, a donkey who helps Santa Claus bring presents ("made in Brooklyn") to children in Italy due to the reindeer, despite their flight, being unable to climb the mountainous terrain. The song was re-released onto Amazon on September 26, 2011, on Dexterity Records.[1] The spelling of "Dominick" was modified to "Dominic" for the re-release. It was included in Volume 2 of the Ultimate Christmas Album series produced by Collectables Records and on the Christmas compilation album Merry Xmas 2011 by Cinquenta Musica.[2]

"Dominick the Donkey"
"Dominick the Donkey" 1960 release
Song by Lou Monte
LanguageEnglish
B-side"Christmas At Our House"
ReleasedDecember 1960
September 28, 2011 (re-release)
Recorded1960
Genre
Length2:35
LabelRoulette Records,
Dexterity Records
Songwriter(s)Ray Allen, Sam Saltzberg, Wandra Merrell

The song was listed at No. 14 in Billboard's "Bubbling under the Hot 100" list in December 1960.[3]

Christmas 2011 number 1 campaign

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In the United Kingdom, the song was used extensively on the BBC Radio 1 morning programme The Chris Moyles Show in reference to Newsbeat newsreader and regular show contributor Dominic Byrne around the Christmas 2011 period. It appeared on the UK Singles Chart following a campaign by Chris Moyles. In the week leading up to Christmas of 2011, the show hinted at listeners to download the song from iTunes and Amazon. This led to the song being the No. 2 song on the British iTunes chart between December 19–25, 2011.[4] The song eventually peaked at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart for the week ending December 31, 2011. Had the song reached No. 1, it would have achieved the record for longest time between release and reaching the summit of the British charts. The song did, however, out-chart many other campaigns in the race for the Christmas No. 1, most notably campaigns for Nirvana and Alex Day.

Cover versions

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In 2023, the song was covered by The Philly Specials – a vocal trio composed of Philadelphia Eagles offensive linemen Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce, and Jordan Mailata – featuring Jason’s brother and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.[5][6][7][8] It was released as a part of the trio’s second Philadelphia-themed Christmas album, A Philly Special Christmas Special.[9][10] The lyrics in this release are altered slightly to state that the various clothing items that Dominick the Donkey is carrying to bring to the children of Italy were "made in South Philly" – Philadelphia's traditional Italian immigrant neighborhood – rather than in New York City’s traditional Italian immigrant borough of Brooklyn.[11][12][13]

The recording became a fan favorite of the album, with Jason Kelce citing it as a favorite in his household.[14] The War on Drugs’s drummer Charlie Hall, who produced the full album, said of the song: “We turned it into this lysergic fever dream. It’s one of these things where the song is so bizarre anyway, why not lean into it and make the most wild and strange version of it imaginable.”[15]

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey by Lou Monte". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  2. ^ Ultimate Christmas Album 2 on Amazon.com, retrieved December 20, 2011.
  3. ^ a b Billboard, 26 December 1960, page 33.
  4. ^ "Dominick the Donkey could beat X-Factor stars Little Mix to UK Christmas no. 1". pocket-lint.com. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  5. ^ "The Philly Specials". Spotify. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  6. ^ "A Philly Special Christmas Special". Spotify. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  7. ^ "Jason Kelce, Jordan Mailata, Lane Johnson, The Philly Specials – A Philly Special Christmas Special". Discogs. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  8. ^ "A Philly Special Christmas Special". MusicBrainz. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  9. ^ "A Philly Special Christmas Special". Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  10. ^ Swartz, Laura (2023-11-01). "This Year's Eagles Christmas Album Has a Deluxe Version and a 500-Piece Puzzle". Philadelphia Magazine (Philly Mag). Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  11. ^ "A Philly Special Christmas Special". Spotify. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  12. ^ "Dominick the Donkey". Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  13. ^ "Dominick The Donkey". Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  14. ^ Hunt, Kristin (2023-12-01). "Is Jason Kelce's 'Dominick the Donkey' the dark horse favorite of the Eagles' holiday album?". PhillyVoice. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  15. ^ DeLuca, Dan (2023-12-01) [2023-11-02]. "All the songs from the Eagles' new Christmas album reviewed. Yes, even the newest ones". Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  16. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  17. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  18. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  19. ^ "Lou Monte - Chart history". www.billboard.com. January 11, 2014. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  20. ^ "Lou Monte - Chart history". www.billboard.com. January 11, 2014. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  21. ^ "End of Year Chart 2011" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  22. ^ "British single certifications – Lou Monte – Dominick the Donkey". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
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