Songwriter and occasional actor Ross Bagdasarian (aka David Seville) had several hit records before he recorded "The Chipmunk Song" in the latter part of 1958. Earlier that year, he'd had a Number One Smash with "The Witch Doctor," which featured him singing along with a sped-up voice, also by him. I guess he figured if one sped-up voice was big, three would be bigger and he gave us Alvin, Simon and Theodore. "The Chipmunk Song" was not only a bigger sensation but it launched an empire that thrives to this day.
Here's Mr. Bagdasarian-Seville lip-syncing to a cut-down version of that original record that year on The Ed Sullivan Show. I recall Bob Clampett — the great cartoon director and the producer of Beany and Cecil — telling me he had something to do with that appearance. It was helping design the puppets or helping Bagdasarian get them built or find puppeteers…I don't know what but something…
People keep singing this song. Last year, I featured this video which I like a lot. It's by a group called Voiceplay…
And here's a somewhat new version by a group called Cimorelli. I like this one, too…