"Joy to the World" is a song written by Hoyt Axton and made famous by the band Three Dog Night. The song is also popularly known by its opening lyric, "Jeremiah was a bullfrog". Three Dog Night originally released the song on their fourth studio album, Naturally, in November 1970, and subsequently released an edited version of the song as a single in February 1971.[1]
The song, which has been described by members of Three Dog Night as a "kid's song" and a "silly song",[4] topped the singles charts in North America, was certified gold by the RIAA, and has since been covered by multiple artists.
Background and recording
Some of the words are nonsensical. Axton wanted to persuade his record producers to record a new melody he had written, and the producers asked him to sing any words to the tune. A member of Three Dog Night said that the original lyrics to the song were "Jeremiah was a prophet" but no one liked it.[5][6]
When Hoyt Axton performed the song to the group, two of the three main vocalists – Danny Hutton and Cory Wells – rejected the song, but Chuck Negron felt that the band needed a "silly song" to help bring the band back together as a working unit. Negron also felt that the song "wasn't even close to our best record, but it might have been one of our most honest."[4]
The song was recorded by Three Dog Night at American Recording Company, produced by Richard Podolor, and engineered by Bill Cooper.[1] Unlike most Three Dog Night songs recorded at that point, instead of having just the three main vocalists singing harmony, the song was recorded with all seven members of the band singing.[4] Drummer Floyd Sneed sings the low-pitched lyric "I wanna tell you" towards the end of the song.
When the song hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1971, Axton and his mother, Mae Axton, became the first mother and son to each have written a number one pop single in the rock era. Mae Axton co-wrote "Heartbreak Hotel", which was the first number one hit for Elvis Presley.
Lawsuit
In a 1994 case, David P. Jackson filed suit[7] claiming co-authorship of the song and alleging that Axton fraudulently claimed sole authorship. In the suit, Jackson claimed that Axton regularly credited him with co-authorship. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled in favor of Axton. Axton's lawyers included entertainment litigator Jeffrey D. Goldman.
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Singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston liked the song, which inspired his own character Jeremiah the bullfrog, whom he often drew in his artwork and advertisements. The frog is also featured on the cover of his album Hi, How Are You (1983) and has become an official music mascot for Johnston.[27]
The song was performed by the cast of ZOOM during season 3.
It is sung by the son of one of the main characters at the start of the film The Big Chill (1983) and is featured on the soundtrack.
In English translations of Animal Crossing, there is a blue frog named Jeremiah (known as Quattro in its original Japanese), his English name coming from the first lyric.
In Sex and the City (S02E10), Carrie and her friend Jeremiah sing the song while drunk.
In Friends (S09E13), Chandler sings the song at the karaoke.
It appears in 2017 and 2018 TV commercials for Big Lots.[28]
The song appears frequently in the movie 28 Days, including when Gwen Cummings (Sandra Bullock) finishes her stint in court-mandated rehab.
It is played during the end credits of Drowning Mona.
There is a short fantasy story by John A. Pitts titled Jeremiah was a Bullfrog, which reimagines the song.
In the historical drama TV series Outlander (season 5, episode 2), Roger McKenzie sings the song to his baby son Jeremiah.[29]
It appears in the J.C. Penney 2020 seasonal holiday TV advertising campaign.
The refrain to the song is sung briefly by elves in the 2004 movie Ella Enchanted.
In April 2006, the cast of the Nickelodeon shows Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! covered the song on the album Diego, Dora & Friends' Animals Jamboree.
In September 2010, Nickelodeon covered the song again, this time with the Wonder Pets for the 2010 Mega Music Fest.
In the comic strip Zits, the main character Jeremy Duncan once questioned his parents the reasons for giving him his name, when in a flashback, while pregnant with him; they attended a Three Dog Night concert and the band started playing the opening lyrics of the song, much to their own secret embarrassment.[30]
The song and band are referenced by the American folk-rock group Fruit Bats in their song "Singing Joy to the World," off their album The Ruminant Band.
The song appeared in the Cosmic Mix Vol. 1 of the Guardians of Galaxy series. It was featured at the end of the episode "Bad Moon Rising".[31]
