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Revision as of 05:31, 25 December 2024 by Queen of Hearts (talk | contribs) (Reference edited with ProveIt #proveit)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)"Crabs for Christmas" is a Christmas song by American actor and playwright David DeBoy.
Background and release
DeBoy, the brother of fellow actor Paul, recorded "Crabs for Christmas" in 1980. He said he wrote it with a title-first approach, the same way he wrote plays. He founded Outrageous Records with his friend Brent Hardesty to release the song, after which he held a 10-hour taping session at Flight Three Records in Baltimore, with eight hours of recording and two of mixing. DeBoy said he recorded "Crabs for Christmas" with "friends I grabbed by the arm".
DeBoy, who was then 28 years old, released "Crabs for Christmas" in 1981 as a seven-inch single under Outrageous Records distributed by the Schwartz Brothers of Lanham, costing US$1.69 ($6.00 in 2023) to $2 ($7.00 in 2023). It first played on WFBR on November 28.
"Crabs for Christmas" sold 10,000 copies by December 22, and DeBoy ordered the production of another 3,000. DeBoy said the record was made for Baltimore, saying "I don't know what I would have done if it had caught on . I'm stretched thin now." According to DeBoy, "Crabs for Christmas" was estimated to reach 12,000 sales by the end of the 1981 Christmas season.
Composition
"Crabs for Christmas" features a man from Baltimore with a stereotypical accent asking Santa Claus for crab and a beer as a Christmas gift at "a department store north of Houston".
Reception
Writing for The Baltimore Sun, Lisa DeNike described "Crabs for Christmas" as "spicy and home-towney as Old Bay Seasoning and refreshing as a cold brew." While one radio station refused to air "Crabs for Christmas" due to DeBoy's use of the Baltimore accent, DeBoy responded that "most people think it's the greatest thing" and that "I don't think there's anything wrong with that accent".
Personnel
Adapted from the single label and The Baltimore Sun:
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Legacy
After the success of "Crabs for Christmas", DeBoy released two further songs with the people he recorded "Crabs for Christmas" with, now known as the Fool Brothers, in 1982: "Downyocean" (pronounced "down the ocean") and "Meetcha at the Fair". "Meetcha at the Fair" was scheduled to be presented at the Baltimore City Fair.
Further reading
- DeBoy, David (2021). I Gave Baltimore Crabs! (for Christmas): How My Wacky Christmas Song Became a Maryland Holiday Tradition. Self-published. ISBN 9780578993362.
Notes
- Also capitalized "DownyOcean"
References
- ^ Dawson, Jack (December 22, 1981). "A dish for Scrooge? 'Crabs for Christmas' is a Baltimore carol". The Baltimore Sun. pp. B1 – B2. Retrieved December 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ DeNike, Lisa (December 14, 1981). "His Christmas record won't make him crabby". The Evening Sun. p. B7. Retrieved December 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Crabby Christmas: Baltimore composer records Maryland-style carol". The Star Democrat. Associated Press. December 24, 1981. p. 3. Retrieved December 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- DeBoy, David (1981). Crabs for Christmas (label). Old Bay Publishing.
- ^ Dawson, Jack (August 17, 1982). "'Meetcha at the Fair' is newest jingle". The Baltimore Sun. p. 23. Retrieved December 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- Charles, Laura (May 16, 1982). "Bawlamerese put to music". The Baltimore Sun. p. E5. Retrieved December 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.